Hill Country Outdoors Magazine September

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September 2012 John 3:16 Vol. 4 No. 27

Check us out on FacebookHillcountry Outdoor Magazine/Dean Wells

158 East Road • Ecru, MS [email protected]

In this issue:

- A Day Dove Hunting

- MS Deer Herds Still CausingProblems

- UnderstandingWhitetailSocialization is Key To EarlySeason Scent Strategy

- Five Steps to Early SeasonSuccess

- Outdoor Truths

- Could Buck Forage Oats Be AllYou Need?

SSoolluunnaarr Tables

Expo Zombie DisorderWell, it’s that time of year again, time for Outdoor Shows

and Expos, the fairs for the sportsmen. Although the summerheat does somewhat knock a dent in the dreams of duckblinds and trees stands, there is something about these shows that do point you in the di-rection you are wanting to go. I’ll never forget the first show I went to back in 1988. After I paid my entrance fee to

get in, I walked through the doors and into the biggest sporting goods store I had everseen. On the left in the distance I could hear the sounds of ducks and geese, on the right,the sounds of elk bugling and turkeys calling. If a young man could die from adrenalin Iwould have fell dead where I stood. Every where you looked was camo and camo peo-ple, shucks I even saw Jim Crumbly who made the first real camo ever made, Trebark.. Isaw Melvin Tingle, Paul Ott and many others. I must have been in grin mode, becausemy jaws stayed sore for a week after the show. In going to these shows though, I noticed after about 5 hours, a phenomena I found

others as well as myself in. It was a blank stare and short shuffling steps caused by walk-ing in huge crowds of people at a slow pace. I refer to this afflicted person as, the expozombie. It comes from being over whelmed by so many products and information, thatthese folks will leave with nothing that they came after or often nothing at all in spite of500 vendors. They just walk those little shuffling steps all the way back to the truck andhead home, only to realize after they get home, they have had camo overload. Its notlong after that they realize they didn’t get some of their hunting needs that they hadfilled. This happens to a lot of folks and has happened to yours truly. So, with that in mind, let’s see what we can do to help you manage your Expo Zombie

disorder. The key to winning in the game of being in the world’s largest sporting goodsstore, is to remain focused on why you came. That’s not easy to do with all the smoke,mirrors and strobe lights, but it can be done. One way to stay focused is to put in your brain, what you must have and begin the Ter-

minator scan. So, let’s say for starters you need a new hunting coat. You’ve alreadylooked in all the stores back home and even in some of the catalogs you receive in themail, so you know the price you will pay for the coat and that is it...so it seems. It all be-gins about the time you arrive on isle 2. You notice booth 6 on your right, on isle 1, hascoats and so does booth 12 on your left on isle 2. Here is where the trouble starts 1-6screams out free socks with purchase of a coat while 2 -12 sends what appears to be agirl model over in the coat and asked would you like to try on the coat. You fall for it andtry on the coat. It does looks nice, but the girl in 2-12 is getting paid $50 per hour, so thevendor had to jack the price of the coat she says, so when you ask the price she showsyou all her teeth first and tells you, her coat is better and please don’t make me cry causeI’ll get fired and loose my job and then I can’t go to college. It is about that time she quitscrying when you reached for the wallet. You open it and are just about to lay down theplastic, that’s when 1-6 sends over his kid who looks like his dog just got ran over. ‘’Mr’, .he says, my daddy had to go take my mother a Advil out at the truck and he will be backshortly. You see we didn’t have enough money to get a motel, so we had to sleep in thetruck last night. Since there are 11 of us kids and our beagle Sam, it was a tight fit in thetruck cab and my mother, she slept in the back while it rained so we wouldn’t have toand she caught a cold. You shake your head in grief and disbelief and start for his cashregister, card in hand you are about to pass if off when the girl in 2-12 says I will throwin a new pair of pants. By this time you are sweating bullets and about to buy from both,when a guy walks by with the same coat you are looking at in a bag and whispers to youthat isle 12-36 has the same coat 50% off. It is then that your cell rings and it’s your wife.You know its your wife because the ring tone she put on your phone so you will noticeit’s her starts playing some weird rap song about how hot looking your wife is. You an-swer and she say’s that you better hurry up at that dumb hunting show and get back tothe motel and taker her out to lunch. So you go to 12-36, and get the cheaper coat. Youleave and feel sorry for 1-6 and 2-12 and you wonder what will ever happen to themsince you didn’t buy their coat. Later on that your wife complains about how quiet youare at supper, so youl go back to the room to hit the hay after a long afternoon at the malland only 10 minutes at the hunting show. You press the elevator button and as it opens,your most horrible nightmare has come full circle, karma is crawling up your leg, there isthe girl on 2-12 and the boy on 1-6 both playing with their Ipads and talking and actinglike they are brother and sister. Congratulations, you have been had. If that has ever hap-pened to you well don’t fret it has happened to the best of us. The shows are fun though, all jokes aside. They are fun for the kids and for those whowill enjoy seeing old friends and hunting buddies. After all, I don’t care how old you are,you will never get tired of enjoying things to do with hunting and fishing.

See you outdoors,Dean

EditorialDean WellsEditor and Publisher of HIllcountry Outdoor Magazine

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Waterfowl Population INCREASES Again in 2012The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service recentlycompleted their annual waterfowl population surveys on the breedinggrounds to monitor waterfowl populations and to help set hunting seasonframeworks. Overall, NorthAmerican breeding water-fowl populations increased 7percent from 2011 to justover 48 million birds.

Population estimates for eightof the ten surveyed duckspecies increased this year.Mallard numbers increased15 percent from last year to10.6 million birds. Scaup and green-winged teal populations showed thegreatest increases (21 percent and 20 percent, respectively). Gadwall,American widgeon, and canvasback populations increased only slightly.Northern pintail (-22 percent) and redhead (-6 percent) were the onlyspecies that demonstrated a decrease in numbers.

Even with increases in the breeding population, it is important to note thatthe 2012 May pond count decreased 32 percent to 5.5 million ponds.Even with this decrease, pond numbers still remain above the long-termaverage. "Last year's May pond counts were very high, and it appears ourcarry-over from last year's duck production was very good. Reports of highbreeding populations are always exciting to hunters, but it will be interest-ing to see if this year's hunting season improves for Mississippi" said Hous-ton Havens, MDWFP Waterfowl Program. Many factors contribute to agood hunting season for Mississippi's duck hunters, with fall and winterweather conditions (large amounts of rainfall and cold weather) play thekey role in the duck migration.

Some, of Mississippi still reports problemswith large deer herds

Deer hunting accounts for three-fourths of the $1.1 billion in economicvalue that hunting generates annually in Mississippi, and hunting leasesand fees can be an added source of revenue for farmland and timberlandowners, says William McKinley, deer program biologist with the Missis-sippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Deer also are a valued source of food, not only for hunters but also a widerange of charities that benefit from donated deer meat, he said at the Mis-sissippi Farm Bureau Federation Commodity Conference. And they sup-port a broad array of corollary businesses, such as taxidermists andhunting suppliers.

But, McKinley notes, there is another side of the coin for the populargame animals: they’ve become so numerous that they’re causing millionsof dollars annually in damage to agricultural crops, home landscaping andgardens, and to vehicles involved in collisions with deer.

“We’ve done population reconstruction analyses that show there are nowat least two million deer in the state — and the figure could be evenhigher than that,” he says. “The result is that we’re seeing an upward trendin crop depredation, vehicle collisions, destruction of gardens, and otherdeer-related problems.”

That’s quite a contrast to 80 or so years ago when wildlife biologist AldoLeopold, considered the father of conservation in the U.S., made a tour ofMississippi and estimated that there were only 1,200 deer left in the entirestate.

“Our agency was formed in 1932 and by 1933 deer refuges were createdacross the state,” McKinley says. “As their numbers increased, they weremoved into other areas of the state and released. All those releases in-volved only a dozen or so deer, but in the years since they’ve multiplied tothe point that in many areas it’s not safe to drive down the highway atnight.”

All this necessitates management programs and annual harvest to insurethat the population doesn’t explode further, he says.

“If we don’t keep this deer population under control, we could face big-time problems. The only way to limit their numbers is to take out females.And while there are some who oppose this, imagine what would happenif we stopped harvesting 350,000 or so female deer each year.

“As bad as things are now, within one year those 350,000 could become700,000, and in another year there could be another 1 million-plus deerout there.

“Good deer management can reduce these accident numbers and depre-dation of crops, gardens, etc.”

For the past three years, McKinley says, hunters have shot more does thanbucks. “Mississippi hunters have been very cooperative in harvestingantlerless deer. One-third of the herd must be harvested or die each yearto keep a level population, but even though the bag limit is eight, the aver-age hunter takes only two deer each year.”

Because of a massive acorn crop this past fall and a very mild winter thathas resulted in a lot of green native vegetation, the deer harvest has beenbelow normal, he notes.

“There has been an ample amount of food, which has made the deer lazy,and lazy deer that don’t move around as much, and hunters don’t harvestas many. The observation rate of deer this winter has been the lowest inmy 11 seasons with the agency. On the other hand, antler quality of deerharvested has been some of the best I’ve seen, and may be the best ever inthe state.”

In 2009, when heavy rain and flooding resulted in large concentrations ofdeer in some areas, crop losses were extensive, McKinley says.

Damage to crops, gardens“One farmer I know lost a 300-acre soybean field three timesin a season — and that’s ex-pensive. In some areas, deernumbers are getting to thepoint that homeowners arefinding it almost impossible tohave gardens. A lot of peopledepend on their gardens for alot of their food, and deer canmake a big dent in that foodsource.

“You may hear that dear won’t eat this, or won’t eat that, but the truth is,they’ll eat anything that’s fertilized. You put enough fertilizer on it andthey’ll eat it. One of the few measures that has proven effective in protect-ing home gardens is a two-stage electric fence — one fence inside an-other.”

From October 2009 to January 3010, McKinley says, State Farm Insurancereported 14,738 deer/vehicle collisions, and “I’d guess that’s probablyone-fourth the actual number, because a lot go unreported.”

Good deer management also is beneficial to other wildlife, he notes.

“A lot of birds and small mammals are threatened by not having enoughcover because deer have eaten mid-story and under-story plants — weeds,forbs, little saplings are gone.

“Many sensitive native plants have been virtually eliminated by deer;strawberry bush, which once was common in the Mississippi hill, hasbeen virtually eradicated; deer love it, it’s like ice cream to them. Mulber-ries are also vanishing; I seldom see a small mulberry tree. If we don’tkeep deer under control, a lot of these valuable native plants are going tobe lost.”

So, McKinley asks, if the deer population is basically skyrocketing, andhunters are harvesting over half a million each year, why should we beconcerned about managing them?

(Continued on pg. 6)

DEER HUNTING, a strongly-rooted tradition in Mississippi, generates more than $2 billion in economic value annually,wildlife officials say. It also is a source of food and supports a lot of jobs. But large deer populations are also causing wide-spread damage to crops, gardens, and wildlife habitat. —U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo

“One very good reason,” McKinley says, “is money. Deer hunting gener-ates a lot of money. It also is a source of food and supports a lot of jobs.Hunting is a strongly-rooted tradition in Mississippi.

“The beauty of hunting is that it’s both a rich man’s and a poor man’ssport. On one end of the spectrum, there are hunting clubs with high dol-lar buy-ins and on the other end, there are individual hunters who go outwith just a box of ammo and a hunting license. Deer camps range fromprimitive to luxurious. There are over 1 million acres of public land forhunting in the state, with either free access or only a $15 fee for access tomore than 500,000 acres of wildlife management areas.

“Hunters buy a tremendous amount of stuff, from guns and ammo to cam-ouflage to deer stands to food for camping.

“Real estate agents in my central Mississippi territory tell me that recre-ational land is going for anywhere from $2,200 to $5,500 per acre and be-fore the downturn in the economy, they had some property that sold for asmuch as $6,500 to $7,000. A significant chunk of that is for deer hunting.

“There are people from other states wanting to buy this land; I know ofone deal for 500 acres that sold for $10,000 per acre, simply due to thehigh quality of the deer on the property.”

Hunting leases can also be a good source of revenue, McKinley says. “Idon’t know of any leases for less than $10 an acre, and $50 or more is notthat uncommon.”

Important food sourceDeer represents a significant food source, he says. “Deer meat has re-placed the backyard pigpen or two or three-acre cattle pasture for manyMississippians. An average size doe deer will yield about 30 pounds of redmeat; with more than 350,000 harvested each year, that’s over 10 millionpounds of venison — a significant amount of food being provided tohunters courtesy of Mother Nature.

“This also supports jobs such as meat processors; in fact, processing ofvenison now equals or exceeds that of beef or pork for many processors.One facility I know processes 14,000 deer per year.”

Venison is an importantsource of donated food tocharitable institutions, soupkitchens, etc., McKinleysays. “They get tons ofmeat each year fromhunters. Through a grant toMississippi Wildlife Federa-tion, hunters can leavedeer at drop-off points forprocessing and distributionto the state’s needy. Non-hunting families also bene-fit from gifts of deer meatfrom hunter friends. All this helps create a positive image of hunting.”

Deer constitute a large portion of the business for taxidermists, he notes,with an average mount running $400 or so. “I know one taxidermist whodoes 500 or more deer mounts a year.”

And beyond all that, McKinley says, “You can’t assign a dollar value to tra-dition — to time spent in the outdoors with children, grandchildren, orother family members and friends, the fellowship that is part of hunting,fishing, and other forms of outdoors recreation.”

There are a number of steps involved in managing deer, he says:

· Keep the deer herd in balance with the habitat. This includes harvest ofantlerless deer. “There are some who think you shouldn’t shoot a doe,”McKinley says. “That was the case in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, but it’s nottrue today, when we’re dealing with rapidly growing deer herds that are

exceeding carrying capacity. The only way to minimize reproduction andcontrol the numbers is to take out females.”

· A balanced age structure for bucks. “A healthy herd has bucks of varyingages to limit breeding stress on younger bucks. You end up with betterbreeding and a healthier herd that’s easier to control.”

· Manage your habitat, such as timberland. “This involves controlled burn-ing and other management techniques to promote vegetation that will pro-vide cover and food for turkey, rabbits, and other wildlife,” McKinley says.

· Food plots are important, but he says “the key is to provide somethingthat will be long term – not just a half-acre of ryegrass, wheat or oats.Food plots are important to draw in deer to facilitate harvest and take outthe numbers needed to manage populations.”

· Enclosures can be effectivemanagement tool, if used cor-rectly, McKinley says.“They’re most effective ifthey’re used to keep deer out.But this requires intensivemanagement. Some of thebest-managed wildlife habitatI’ve seen has been inside en-closures; conversely, some ofthe worst-managed habitatI’ve seen has been inside en-closures. When you put up a fence, it changes the game.”

· Keep data on the deer herd. “If you’re managing your deer, you shouldbe managing data on that herd,” McKinley says. “We offer a free programfor properties of 1,000 acres or more. In the DMAP —Deer ManagementAssistance Program — we take the data collected by landowners and gen-erate a site-specific report that tells how many deer you should be harvest-ing. We currently have about 2.1 million acres enrolled in this program inMississippi.”

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries offers technical guidance to pri-vate landowners and leaseholders, McKinley notes. “We go to their prop-erty, walk around with them, show them things they may never have seen,and give them an idea of how many deer they have on their land.”

He suggests: “Get professional help if you’re truly interested in managingyour deer herd. We have a staff of wildlife biologists who can assist withdeer and other wildlife management.”

And McKinley says, however damaging deer may be in many areas ofMississippi, “Wild pigs are now Public Enemy No. 1; they are doingtremendous amounts of damage to crops and property, as well as to habi-tat for other wildlife. We encourage hunters to take them by any meansnecessary. You will help protect and conserve other wildlife by doing so.”

Some, of Mississippi still reports problems with large deer heards (cont. from pg. 5)

A dove hunter watches dove activity along the tree-fringed border of a har-vested milo field. Determining when and where doves fly into or over afeeding field is one key to having a successful opening day hunt.“Heads up!” The muffled shout came from the dove hunters right. Heturned just in time to see a mourning dove speed down the fencerow, thendrop low over the cut milo. Before he could raise his shotgun, anotherdove hunter dropped the bird with a clean shot.

“Nice shot,” he called. Then another dove hunter was yelling, pointing be-hind them. “Birds comin’ in.” Three doves blazed by like bantamkamikazes. When they were in front of them, the dove hunter shoulderedhis shotgun and fired at the lead bird. It faltered as the load of No. 9sdusted its tail but kept flying. Not a perfect shot, but the bird fell 40 yardsout. The dove hunter ran to re-trieve it.

To prepare for a dove hunting trip,dove hunters should observe po-tential hunting sites throughout theday to determine the activity pat-terns of visiting doves.Before the dove hunter was backin position, someone called“Birds!” again. He dropped to asquat as five doves winged by out of range. One dove hunter had alreadydowned two. The rest skedaddled for safer air space.

Two veered his way. He shot twice and missed. Another dove hunter low-ered the boom on one; the other hugged the ground as it rocketed out ofthe field. He pulled three shells from his second box and pushed theminto the belly of his gun.

This all started with a phone call to see if a couple of dove hunters wantedto get together for a September dove hunting trip. The season opened ear-lier that week, and while scouting, one dove hunter had located a dove-hunting hotspot.

Before the season opens, it pays to scout your hunting area, looking forheavily-used flyways doves travel when moving from one activity area toanother. Doves usually fly from night roosts to watering holes shortly afterdawn, then quickly move to feeding areas where they stay until midday.They loaf at perching, watering or graveling sites near the feeding area foran hour or two around noon, then return to the feeding area for the re-mainder of the afternoon. Before going to roost, they stop to drink again.By determining the exact time and locale of these activities, you can as-certain the best place and time to dove hunt a particular site.

Scouting can help dove hunters pinpoint a productive dove hunting site.Positioning yourself beneath active dove flyways is the key to successfuldove hunting.

To determine dove patterns, driveslowly through a likely area, stoppingoccasionally to scan the countrysidewith binoculars. Scout before 9 a.m. orafter 3 p.m. when birds are more likelyto be moving. Watch for doves in theair and on the ground, then stop andscan the spot for 15 to 30 minutes. Ifmore birds follow, you’ve found a po-tential dove hunting site.

Most aficionados dove hunt feedingareas, usually fields of harvested seedcrops like milo, sunflowers, sorghum,corn or wheat. Additional scoutingwhen you have zeroed in on such afield can improve your dove scoretremendously.

Try to determine when doves enter and exit the field, and examine eachlocale thoroughly, looking for different types of “structure” to which dovesorient. A dip in the perimeter timber of a field may be a well-used travellane. Field corners may funnel doves in and out of a field. Open mid-fieldhumps may be preferred feeding sites as they provide a better view of ap-proaching danger. Doves often light on dead snags or power lines beforelanding or while loafing. Points, ditches, borders between stubble andplowed ground, fence and tree lines, tall trees, waterholes and other struc-ture all serve as reference points for flying doves. If your scouting indicatesnumerous doves are flying near such spots, you’ve found a place to takeyour stand.

Shooting doves as they come to water also offers fast action. And last Sep-tember while hunting a small farm pond this dove hunter got a taste ofthat action.

A Day Dove Hunting

About HillcountryOutdoor Magazine

Hillcountry Outdoor Magazine is distributed monthly to thefollowing counties ;

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Hillcountry Outdoor Magazine has a following of about7,000-12,000 readers monthly.Hillcountry Outdoor Magazine is the only Free outdoormagazine in Mississippi.Hillcountry Outdoor Magazine is the only outdoor maga-zine, that is published, printed and owned by a Mississip-pian.

Hillcountry Outdoor Magazine is about the hunters and fisherman ofMississippi. The FREE publication delivers to its readers valuable in-formation to help hunters, gun owners, nature lovers and fishermanreach there personal goals with the best up to date information oneverything that is happening in the outdoors, locally and throughoutthe state. We also keep the readers informed on everything affectingthem at a national level as well. Each month you will find events forthe sportsmen, lake reports, stories, hunting regulations and otherpoints of interest to the sportsmen and women of Mississippi.

We do not sell advertising or leave magazines for readers in busi-nesses who are not family friendly or who are from Iran, Iraq, Yemenor other eastern countries who funnel money to the enemies of theUnited States Armed Forces and U.S. Citizens.

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by Todd Amenrud

Knowing the social structure ofthe herd during the time you in-tend to hunt is a key to gettingscent to work for you. In the"whitetail world," the time dur-ing early season (typically late-August through September) is allabout being social with otherdeer. However, they may not besocial with the specific deer youmight think. Many feel theyshouldn’t use scent until just be-fore the rut. Actually, early sea-son can be the easiest time todraw a response, you just needto know which smells they favorand how to dispense them sothe encounter is in your favor.

During late-summer and early-fall, whitetails can be very socialanimals; however they are pri-marily social only within theirown sex groups. You may seethem feeding side by side in an agricultural field, but, for the most part,the bucks are sociable to other bucks in their bachelor groups and thedoe/fawn family groups are social with other doe/fawn family groups.Testosterone will change things very fast, but for a short while during earlyseason this is the case.

Knowing this to be true, it makes the best sense to use "buck smells" to at-tract bucks and "doe smells" to attract does or fawns. This obviously is ap-plicable only to "deer smells" (ones actually coming from deer like urine,glandular lures or musk-type smells). This is not the case for curiositysmells or food lures.

When it comes to more maturebucks, they may, or may not, besocial with the other bucks.Sometimes older bucks can be-come very isolated animals.They really don’t need this com-munal contact like youngerbucks do.

During September, dramaticallyincreased amounts of testos-terone start flowing through thebuck’s body and from this pointon he is ready to breed. The fur-ther south you go, the later thisseems to happen and it will bespread out over a longer period.So, here in the South, there ismore of a margin for error.

Contrary to what some may say,it’s the does that dictate whenbreeding will actually takeplace. Bucks will typically remain social with the other bucks until thedoes exhibit the first signs of coming into estrus.

Although, I’ve had a positive reaction to an estrus lure during early season,it’s probably not a good idea to go out opening day and "smack them inthe nose" with Special Golden Estrus. Typically, when it comes to "deersmells," you want to use the smells when they would naturally occur any-how. As I said, I’ve had estrus lures work well on mature bucks early in the

season. And, if you are specifically after a mature buck, it may be a tacticyou wish to try, but for most "early season" instances you are probably bet-ter off with plain urine or a curiosity scent like Trail’s End #307.

There are many ways that you can dispense scent during this period, buttwo of my favorite tools are: a Pro-Drag and an Ultimate Scrape Dripper.The Pro-Drag is the best tool I have found to create a scent trail with be-cause it holds a lot of scent and it’s easy to control. You can use any typeof liquid scent when making a trail, it doesn’t have to be a "deer smell,"you are alright to use food lures or curiosity scents too.

During early season, I’ve had very good luck with scents like: Trail’s End#307, Select Doe Urine, Moon Fire and Buck-Nip. There’s no doubt if Ihad to only pick one it would be Trail’s End #307, however I’ve had manypositive early season encounters with the others I mentioned.

When testosterone enters the picture, mock scrapes can be a very effectivetactic. Where sometimes using mock scrapes too early in the year can beintimidating to young bucks, it may be "just the ticket" for those "breedingclass" bucks. Typically mature bucks will feel an urge to claim, mark anddefend breeding territory earlier in the season than the younger bucks.

The Ultimate Scrape Drippers associated with making mock scrapes aregreat tools for dispensing any type of liquid scent, not just those associatedwith mock scrapes. This device is heat activated and will drip only duringdaytime hours, conditioning deer to show up during legal hunting hours. Itdoesn’t have to be used just at mock scrapes; it works great at dispensingall kinds of scent like food lures or curiosity scent too.

We now also have the Magnum Scrape-Dripper. You can operate for twoto three weeks on one fill-up. Actually you don’t want to fill it up. It worksbecause of the air pocket you leave inside. But with the Magnum Dripperyou can use a full four ounces of scent! This unit freshens your scent set-up during legal shooting hours so you don’t have to. When you’re ready tohunt, the site is pristine and void of human scent.

Around opener and for the following couple weeks, a scent trail of Trail’sEnd #307 can be "killer." One reason why this lure is so effective is be-cause it appeals not only to a whitetail’s curiosity but also to their sense ofhunger and desire to repopulate - you really can’t go wrong. If you docatch them in their dependable summer patterns, move fast because, withtestosterone entering the picture and the does soon to show signs of com-ing into estrus, things will change very fast.

Understanding Whitetail Socialization is Key to EarlySeason Scent Strategies

For the first few days of the season, you may belucky enough to catch the bucks in a very reliablesummer pattern of sorts. During this period, it’s agreat time to use scent. Notice this nice buck still invelvet waving his nose, savoring the smells comingfrom the Pro-Wick hanging in the tree above him.

A Pro-Drag is a great tool to use for making scenttrails. It comes with a string you can attach to a stickto drag the trail off of the exact path your feet aretaking. The absorbent felt also comes with two tailsmaking it easy to dip into a bottle of scent.

by J. Sloan

Most deer hunters regard theearly season as that time of yearto shoot does or scout for thebuck they want to chase duringthe pre-rut and rut. Some don’teven bother to hunt because ofthe heat or insects. There is noth-ing you can do about the heat butdress for it. As for insects, prod-ucts like ThermaCell have all buteliminated them as a problem.For some of us, those first days ofbow season, the early season, arethe prime days of the year to har-vest a mature buck. It takes some understanding of deer and deer habitsthat go beyond the information found in most magazine articles or onmost hunting videos. In most areas, early season hunting means by bow.

There are five basic steps to early- season success. Once you understandthem and commit to hunting those early days properly, you may well beamazed at just how fantastic that early hunting can be.

1: Understand the advantages to hunting early season bucks.

In the early season, the bucks are still in bachelor groups, following sum-mer patterns. They are undisturbed if you’ve done your job correctly. Thereare fewer hunters in the woods to spoil your plans, and food sources areeasier to find and plan for. The early season is the ideal time of year to useweather changes to your advantage. Let’s apply this fact to some actualhunting scenarios:

For three rainy days in early November, deer movement had been almostnon-existent. Then the sky cleared, cool air came in and deer started mov-ing to feed. Mike Guenther shot a dandy buck in velvet from a stand on atrail approaching a hay field. The buck had been seen on that trail threetimes in the week prior, always at a great distance. He was not spooked.There was no reason for him not to use that trail. His bachelor group hadjust broken up and he claimed that area. The does all came to the field atthe opposite far end.

Another archer, Bob Shebaylo, was hunting a large wheat field where ahuge buck had been seen. He’d scouted the area one time and picked anobvious entrance trail through a thin strip of timber. He put a ladder standup and waited for just the right day. A week later, on a cool evening withjust the right wind, he slipped in and sat quietly. At last light, he arrowedthe monster 8-pointer, which was merely doing what it had been doing allsummer.

Once on a sweat-soaked, early-season morning in Alabama, I quietlyclimbed into a poison-ivy-covered sweetgum in a timber strip between aswamp and the edge of a clear-cut. All around me, the oaks were juststarting to rain acorns. A storm was approaching. Just after daylight, Ibegan to use my rattler bag to do some light sparring. The seven-buckbachelor group began to investigate the fake interlopers. First came thespikes - the decoys. Then came the few-pointers. The last buck in - 15minutes after the first spikes - was a 5 1/2-year-old 8-pointer. I shot him at32 yards.

This Alabama buck was in a bachelor group that responded to the author’slight rattling three months before the rut.In all of these scenarios, the deer had not been pressured. Guenther andShebaylo correctly observed weather changes and food sources based ondeer sightings and correct scouting and stand placement to make theirkills. I used an emerging food source, an approaching weather change anda deadly early-season tactic. My Alabama deer had just abandoned thefood plots and began to forage heavily on the emerging food source -acorns. I capitalized on that information.

This Alabama buck was in a bachelor group that responded to the author’slight rattling three months before the rut.In all of these scenarios, the deer had not been pressured. Guenther andShebaylo correctly observed weather changes and food sources based ondeer sightings and correct scouting and stand placement to make theirkills. I used an emerging food source, an approaching weather change anda deadly early-season tactic. My Alabama deer had just abandoned thefood plots and began to forage heavily on the emerging food source -acorns. I capitalized on that information.

2: Scout at the right time for the right things.

Most of the scouting for early- season deer is totally non-invasive. Manyhours are spent at dusk and daylight with spotting scopes and good binoc-ulars, but some information willbe gathered from chance en-counters with deer in late sum-mer.

You’ll spend lots of time lookingfor bachelor groups. You are notat all concerned with does. Onlybucks. You will be looking foremerging and seasonal foodsources - oak trees, fruit treesand especially mast trees at theedges of crop fields.

In your brief summer forays, tryto match the hatch. In otherwords, do things that are normalfor that area. If it is farmingcountry, scout in midday and goin on a tractor or drive the truck.Don’t sneak; don’t even bother towear camo or hide your scent.Just act like a farmer.

Look for the obvious and improve it. If you find a fence crossing, tie upthe bottom wires or top wires to make it even better. I have one suchcrossing that produces every year. My stand is there year-round. (Sittingthere, I saw seven bucks over three days last year.)

Look for secluded water holes. In hot weather, water plays an importantpart in a deer’s activity. They make superb midday stand sites. And look forobvious play areas. Deer play in mud holes or even sawdust piles. Thesebecome gathering spots for bachelor groups.

3: Understand the dynamics of bachelor groups and group structure.

In bachelor groups, regardless of the bucks’ ages, the youngest becomedecoys. They are the first to enter fields or investigate curiosities. If a spikefinds no problem, the next oldest bucks come, and finally the oldest ordominant buck of the group follows. He might be a few minutes behindthe rest. Here’s an example:

In early October 2005, I placed a ladder stand within shooting distance ofa red oak dropping acorns. The oak was on the edge of an emerging foodplot. At exactly 5 p.m., a spike entered. At 5:15, two more spikes arrived.At 5:35, a 3- and a 5-pointer showed. At 5:40, a 3 1/2-year-old 9-pointertook the field. Twenty minutes later, he was the last deer to come to theoak and I shot him. I had to sit motionless and allow all the other bucks towander within 10 yards of me at times, but once my buck was convincedall was safe, he never looked my way. The same behavior is true for buckscoming to light sparring if they are still in bachelor groups. The youngcome first. Be patient ... very patient.

(Continued on pg. 13)

Five Steps to Early Season Success

A normally too-invasive ground set-up can be deadly when bucksare in bachelor groups, feeling all too secure.

This Alabama buck was in a bachelor group that responded to theauthor’s light rattling three months before the rut.

If planning your early-season tactics for bucks, you don’t usually want tobe where does are because there is little if any interaction between bucksand does prior to the early stages of the pre-rut. Often they travel differenttrails, enter fields at different places and at different times. What you arelooking for is a bachelor group and occasionally the lone, mature buck.This is exactly the opposite of pre-rut or rut hunting. Then you look fordoes.

4: Rattle and call properly for deadly results.

Sparring has been one of my most effective tactics in hunting early-seasonbucks. From October 23-November. 31, 2005, I sparred in 23 differentbucks and shot one of them.

The key is in how you rattle. You can use either antlers or a rattling bag. Inthe early season, I prefer the bag because I neither need nor want muchvolume. I will switch to the antlers once I hear the intensity begin to build.

Bucks begin antler engagement as soon as their velvet is shed. This early-season action is calm, playful and done by all bucks, but by mid to lateNovember it takes on a whole new meaning. I have found calling to beless effective, but I do some calling when I spar. I use nothing but softbuck grunts; never, ever a doe sound. Bucks in bachelor groups or comingto sparring aren’t interested in does. So use soft buck grunts, two or threeat most.

Bucks in bachelor groups are less cautious because they have so manyeyes and sentries. Once the first bucks are convinced it is safe, you can getaway with more movement than you would think. And hunting from agood ground location can be deadly. Unlike bucks coming to hard rat-tling, these deer seldom circle downwind of the sound.

5: Understand the change when a bachelor group breaks up.

This is when the dominant buck selects his territory. It is often right wherehe has been all summer, pending food-source availability. The breakupmight occur at the same time the acorns begin to fall, resulting in thegroup relocating to some degree. The younger bucks might remain to-gether for some time, but no longer in the company of the mature bucks.The dominant buck will now be seen by himself or perhaps with a slightlyyounger buck. And he’s harder to fool.

Now is when all of the information you gathered in your post-seasonscouting comes into play. Bring to mind all of the big rub lines and deeptrails that appeared in the previous fall. That’s where you look for the dom-inant buck. A smart hunter already has stands in place. Be prepared to al-ternate stands and don’t overhunt them. Wait for the right days. Cold daysfollowing periods of warm weather are ideal. And still you are not con-cerned with does. Not yet. Sure, shoot does if you want. I certainly do, butnot from the stands I have designated for early season bucks. Those standsare seldom hunted more than twice a week.

If hunting on the opening day is your tradition, make it a successful one!Learn to hunt early season bucks. It just takes patience and understanding.After all, the bucks are there. Why not hunt them before they’re on themove?

5 Steps To Early Season Success (cont. from pg. 12)

Waterfowl Habitat ImprovementProject Planned for Sardis Waterfowl WMASardis Waterfowl WMA, locatednear Oxford, Mississippi, is co-operatively managed by theMDWFP and Sardis Lake USArmy Corps of Engineers(USACE). Two of its seven water-fowl impoundments are slated tobe improved this summer withprimary assistance from USACE.Infrastructure improvements inthe 15 year-old impoundmentsinclude refurbishment of thelevee system, replacement ofwater-control structures, and repair of the existing pump that is used toflood the impoundments. This 35-acre enhancement project will increasethe amount of shallow-water habitat for wintering waterfowl and improvethe reliability of waterfowl habitat. MDWFP biologists and USACE person-nel recently utilized prescribed fire to remove vegetation within each im-poundment and USACE personnel surveyed impoundment elevations.These planned improvements are now underway and, as weather condi-tions allow, MDWFP personnel will continue making these developmentsthroughout the summer months.

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I can remember my first solo deer hunting trip. I sat in a maple tree thatwas only about 50 yards from an oak tree that was flooded with acorns.The path to that oak made its way right under my tree stand. I remembersitting there in an old Baker climbing stand that thankfully was laterstolen by someone while hunting in Alabama (they probably saved mylife). Everything about that hunt was new. Every effort was my first. Everysituation was a fresh experience. I had ideas and thoughts, but they cameonly from other’s experiences, and not my own. I spent those few hourslooking at everything around me from different prospective and position.

The weeks before that day, I had listened to others, watched TV huntersand had shot my bow as I was taught. But now I was on my own andthere was no one to look to for answers. I was so new, not only did I notknow the answers; I didn’t even know the questions. Have you ever beenthere? My son is going through that now in his new job. He would love tohave answers of how, when, where, and why, but these things are so for-eign to him, he doesn’t even know what questions to ask. Have you beenthere? This also happens in more serious matters.

There’s no doubt that some who are reading this right now are living ina period of confusion. The cause of this confusion is really not important– it all has to do with the need for answers. The problem is that you haveprayed and prayed for answers to no avail. It seems as if you have maneu-vered words and phrases thinking that this would be the difference. Youhave assumed every position of humility in order to somehow show Godhow serious you are, and yet, still no answer. And now you are simplyspent. You want to pray. You want to ask God. You want answers. But nowyou are not even sure you know what questions to ask. There is hope forthe believer. God has given us the person of the Holy Spirit for situationslike these. Here’s how Paul explains it. “And the Holy Spirit helps us inour weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to prayfor. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be ex-pressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what theSpirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony withGod’s own will.” (Romans 8:26-27) Have you ever been speechless? Haveyou ever been in a situation where the only thing you could do was moanor groan, or simply shake your head? The Holy Spirit interprets this toGod in exactly the right question – the question that God wanted you toask. God then gives you what you need the most. He works in your hurtnot only by giving you the answer but also by giving you the question!And that, my friend, is a deal no one should refuse.

Gary [email protected]

TruthsOutdoor

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675 West MainTupelo Ms. 662-840-1566

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Mississippi's Early MigratoryBird Seasons Announced

The Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks approved dates for the2012-2013 early hunting seasons for migratory game birds on July 18,2012. Early migratory game bird hunting seasons set at the July meetinginclude dove, resident Canada geese, early teal, snipe, woodcock, andrails. This year, early seasons will be similar to recent years.

Once again, Mississippi hunters will enjoy a 70-day, 15-bird daily baglimit for mourning and white-winged doves. The possession limit is 30birds. Mississippi is divided into two zones to maximize hunting opportu-nities throughout the state. The North Dove Zone is defined as areasnorth of U.S. Hwy. 84 plus areas south of U.S. Hwy. 84 and west of MSHwy. 35. Season dates for the North Zone are as follows: September 1 -September 23; October 13 - November 11; and December 15 - Decem-ber 31, 2012. The South Dove Zone is defined as areas south of U.S.Hwy. 84 and east of MS Hwy. 35. Season dates for the South Zones are asfollows: September 1 - September 9; October 6 - November 11; and De-cember 21 - January 13, 2013.

The early teal season is September 15 - 30. The bag limit for Septemberteal is 4 per day with no more than 8 in possession. The hunting seasonfor resident Canada geese is September 1 - 15, 2012. The daily bag limitis 5 Canada geese with a possession limit of 10. The hunting season forrails, moorhens, and gallinules is September 22 - November 30.

Daily bag limits for clapper rails, king rails, moorhens and gallinules is 15singly or in aggregate, and possession limit is 30 singly or in aggregate.Daily bag limits for Virginia rails and sora rails is 25 singly or in aggregate,and possession limit is 25 singly or in aggregate. The hunting season forsnipe is November 14, 2012 - February 28, 2013. Daily bag limit is 8snipe with a possession limit of 16 birds. Woodcock season is December18, 2012 - January 31, 2013. The daily bag limit is 3 woodcock with apossession limit of 6 birds.

Sweet feed and Whitetails.Will sweet feed like you feed horsesand goats with hurt deer?

Sweet feed is terrible for deer! It hastoo much carbohydrate, and often ureawhich is harmful. Unfortunately, deerlike it. Stick to a good pelleted ration.

If you want to offer deer “treats” useapples or pears.

Could Buck Forage Oatsbe all you need?Being questioned is Dr. Deer himself, Dr. James Kroll

QWhy is Buck Forage oats different than other oats?

A The variety in Buck Forage oats is extremely winter hardy and designedto provide more tender type growth for as long as possible.

QWhy do deer prefer Buck Forage oats?

AWe can’t say for sure, but we think it is because Buck Forage oats retain ahigher protein content longer. It tends to stay smaller longer. As small grainsget larger they tend to become tough and the protein content decreases.Tender is always preferred over tough and stringy.

Q Has Buck Forage oats ever been tested?

A Yes, we developed this on a hunting lease near Stuttgart, Arkansas. In1991, we asked Dr. Kroll to test and recommend it. After Dr. Kroll testedseveral locations, he gave his endorsement.

QWill Buck Forage oats reseed itself?

A No, there is no easy route to successful food plots. Some plants (ex.Clover) will reseed under ideal conditions.

Q Do I have to work the ground?

A Yes and you have to cover the seed. No-till food plots sound great, buthave low success rates. Some people successfully broadcast Buck Forageoats just ahead of a rain without tilling. This practice won’t be successfulevery time.

Q How much do I plant?

A About 100 pounds per acre.

Q Do I need fertilizer and lime?

A Probably, check with your local extension office for soil testing and theirrecommendations. A general recommendation on fertilizer is 200 lbs. Peracre of 13/13/13.

Q Is there another crop that will attract deer as well?

A Several, but none that produce during the fall. Soybeans and cowpeasare excellent but must be spring planted. Buck Forage oats are the best forhunting season.

Q Is clover as good as oats?

A Clover is an excellent food plot especially in the spring. Most clover hasit best growth in spring. During the fall deer prefer oats. Clover is a poorchoice for attracting deer during hunting season.

Q Is rape a good food plot?

A Rape is a member of the Brassica family. Rape is high in protein but lowin preference by deer. You will probably not experience much utilization,but what the deer eat will be good for them. We strongly discourage any-one planting Brassica for fall attraction. Brassica includes turnip greens,mustard greens, spinach and rape.

QWill wheat be as good as Buck Forage oats?

A No! Plant any wheat next to Buck Forage and see for yourself. Secondly,most wheat is selected for grain production only. Generally wheat producesabout 40% less forage than oats.

This proud young hunter took this nice buck while hunting overBuck Forage Oats.

QWhat about blends?

A Some blends are good nutrition plots, however there can bo only onemost preferred seed in any blend. If you want full attraction, don’t mix yourseed with less preferred plants!

QWhy not plant regular oats or feed oats?

A There is no such thing as a regular oats. You have no idea of what type ofoats or germination is in feed oats.

QWhat is a spring oat?

A Spring oats are a type of oat grown in the summer in northern climates.Spring oats (because they are a summer crop) have little to no winter-hardi-ness. Most spring oats are killed by temperatures around 26-28 degrees F.

Q Is there any one planting that will produce year round?

A None that we are aware of. Multiple planting of both warm and cool sea-son plots are the only sure way to provide year round forage. In most of thecountry, we suggest beans and cowpeas for spring/summer and Buck For-age oats for fall/winter. We recommend clover for late winter/spring to beplanted in roadways, ditch banks, etc. that can’t be easily tilled. Interseed-ing some clover in the oats will help your game in the spring.

Q How far north will Buck Forage oats produce?

A Usually, Buck Forage oats remain green until temperatures drop 10 de-grees or below. Extremely cold temperatures will freeze any oat out. BuckForage oats can be planted earlier in the north and will provide forage untilextreme cold arrives. Many hunters in the northern states and even Canadareport excellent fall results. Deer will dig Buck Forage oats out of snowcover.

Q How much forage will Buck Forage oats produce?

A Buck Forage oats has not been in any forage trials. It was selected for itsability to attract and hold deer for the longest period. Under ideal condi-tions, Buck Forage oats can produce in excess of 10,000 lbs. per acre. Ex-cessive fall growth usually results in lowered protein content. Rememberlarge plants are stringy and tough. We believe deer prefer tender plants.Buck Forage oats remain tender longer than other oats.

QWhy not just feed corn?

A Two reasons. First, corn doesn’t contain the level of protein deer need.Second, it is much more economical to produce food plots than to buygrain. Research in Texas indicates supplemental feeding costs 10 timeswhat food plots do.

Q Is Buck Forage oats drought resistant?

A Yes, it has successfully been grown in 20 inch annual rainfall areas. (BuckForage oats will not tolerate desert condition.) Excellent results have beenobtained in areas such as South Texas and Mexico.

Q I have been told that deer will eat fescue and rye grass in the fall. Whyshouldn’t we plant this instead of Buck Forage oats?

A First, in our experience and many University trials, deer have a low pref-erence for these two grasses. We rate cold season grass last in preferenceamong the fall seeded plots. Second, deer cannot digest grass well. Just be-cause they are green and deer will eat it doesn’t necessarily make it nutri-tional.

QWhat is no-till?

A No-till planting was developed to help control erosion. It involves usinghigh rates of non-selective herbicides to burn down vegetation and thenplant seed using a very expensive and heavy no-till planter designed forthis purpose. Some seed blends are being marketed as no-till and suggestbroadcasting them in weeds. We don’t recommend this practice, becauseseeds that will produce under these conditions are not preferred by deer.

Could Buck Forage Oats Be All You Need?(cont. from pg. 16)

This young man is all smiles as he shows off a nice buck taken whilehunting over Buck Forage Oats.

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Recipe of theMonth

Ingredients

1/2 pound venison sausage1/2 pound breakfast sausage (spicy is good)1 tbsp. Butter1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced1/2 cup chopped onion4 eggs, beaten1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded1 cup heavy creamsalt and pepper2 9-inch pie shells, baked

DirectionsPre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large frying pan and sauté themushrooms and onions for about 5 minutes. Drain and put aside. Brown thesausage mixture and set aside. Mix the sausage, mushrooms, onions, cheese,beaten eggs, cream, and salt and pepper. Spread evenly into the pie shellsand bake for about 30 minutes. Place foil around the edge of the pie shells ifthey become too brown. A great recipe to eat one just out of the oven, andcool one to wrap in foil and put in the freezer for a later date.

Venison Sausage Breakfast Pie

Hill Country Outdoors Magazine September

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Transcript of Hill Country Outdoors Magazine September