History of the Whitetail
The whitetail deer, odocileus virginianus, is the perfect combination of natural beauty, graceful speed and miraculous adaptability. They are Wisconsin's official state wildlife animal and North America's most abundant big-game animal. Scientists believe that ancient deer were no larger than rabbits, were void of antlers and had fangs. For unknown reasons, many larger forms of animals died off in North America about 11,000 years ago, just as the first humans were entering the scene. Many believe that a drastic change in climate caused this mass extinction, and during these times the larger forms of deer in Wisconsin also disappeared, leaving the small, adaptable whitetail. In the days of the early explorers, whitetail deer were common throughout the state, but they were more abundant in the southern part. Deer played an integral part in the lives of Native Americans. They ate the meat and bone marrow, made clothing, rugs, blankets, ornaments and fishnets from the hide, and used bones to make arrowheads, tools, clubs and fishhooks. The first Wisconsin settlers ate a variety of small game and upland birds, but when the first winter set in, these animals were either gone or much harder to find. Their Native American friends taught them the food value of the whitetail, and also how to utilize the deer efficiently and completely. Since these times, deer populations have fluctuated wildly. At one point in the 1700's, an estimated 5 million deer were killed per year to supply the fur trade, and whitetail numbers were drastically reduced. Through the early 1800's, the population continued to rise, due mostly to new habitat and the decline of the fur trade. Market hunting and subsistence hunting brought the deer population to its lowest level ever in the late 19th century, and venison was a popular item on restaurant menus of the time. The whitetail has not only survived modern man's invasion of its natural habitat, it has actually benefited from it, and both numbers and range have steadily increased.
Getting to know the Whitetail
Adult male whitetail deer are typically 71-85 inches long, 3-4 feet high and average about 150 pounds, while the females are 63-79 inches long and weigh about 100 pounds. Larger bucks of over 400 pounds have been recorded. The whitetails natural life span is 11-12 years, (17-20 years in captivity), but where hunted the average life span may be as low as 1½ years. The deer have large, conspicuous ears, a naked nose pad and long legs with hooves adapted for running. The sense of smell is so keen that deer rely on scent for just about everything from finding mates and food to detecting predators. Deer, under stress, emit an unfavorable odor, which can be picked up by other deer and acts as a warning of danger. The wet nose of the deer allows it to smell faint odors, as the odor particles stick to the moisture. A scent can be dispersed in many ways through glands, saliva and even urine, and the dense foliage of the forest and the cautious nature of the deer makes this a practical form of communication. Since the scent is dispersed throughout glands, the deer can stay alert while giving off a scent, and thus can evade a predator while warning other deer. Since the eyes are located on the side of the head, deer can view a wide range at once, and a deer can see 310 degrees around itself even when it appears to look straight ahead. Deer see best at night, as they have more light-detecting cells in their eyes than humans. Like most nocturnal animals, the eyes exhibit shining when exposed to harsh light at night, due to a reflection off a special membrane in the eye, called tapetum. Under strong light conditions of daylight, the deer's pupils contract in a narrow band, allowing the animal to focus on the entire horizon. Deer are also thought to be able to see in the ultraviolet light range of early AM, late afternoon and on overcast days. Although deer possess very good vision, they don't seem to trust this sense as much as smell, but they are masters at detecting very slight movement under the lowest of light conditions. Whitetails will even freeze and stomp a foot to try and instill movement in an object that they are unsure of. With eyes on the side of its head, deer cannot focus on one location with both eyes, making for very poor depth perception. Deer also see at a much lower resolution than humans and are thought to be colorblind. The whitetail's ears are critical to its survival, and they can easily detect a faint sound, and in a split second determine if danger is present. The ears contain many complex muscles, which allow free movement of the ears with incredible control. The deer's ears can rotate in any direction, allowing the animal to determine the direction of the sound. Hearing is so acute that the whitetail can detect the time it takes for a sound to reach one ear relative to the other; thus allowing the deer to establish how far away a sound is. If several deer are together, the ears can be a form of communication, and a simple flick of the ears can warn the others of danger. The main functions of the whitetail's coat are camouflage and thermoregulation. Deer blend in with the natural environment, and in order to help regulate the body temperature, deer grow different types of coats during the beginnings of winter and summer. This process, called molting, is triggered by hormonal changes brought about by the changing seasons. Summer coats have little bulk, and remain on the deer for about three months. By September, the summer pelage is faded gray, and new hairs are hollow, stiff and about 2 inches longer than normal. Soft hair lies against the skin and keeps the deer warm in the snow. During the rut, bucks develop darker facial hair, due to higher testosterone levels, signaling that they are ready to compete for does. Male deer, or bucks, have antlers, which are generally shed in January or February each year, and new ones are grown beginning in April or May. Antlers are live tissue, composed of bone, and they are the fastest growing tissue in the animal kingdom, growing at an average of 1-2 inches per week. During growth, antlers have a thin layer of "velvet" which is rubbed off after the antlers are fully grown. Both sexes have external glands, which secrete chemical scents called pheromones, and are used for identification of individual deer and for marking territories. The forehead gland (preorbital) is used only during the mating season for signposting, also referred to as "buck rubs" or "rubs". Since bucks and does remain apart for most of the year, signposting is used by the buck to let does know that he is ready to breed. The buck first licks branches above him and urinates on the ground, and then he returns to the site to see if any doe has responded by urinating in the same area. By smelling the urine, the buck can determine that the doe is approaching estrus. The nasal gland keeps the nose moist, and is thought to have other possible uses as well. The interdigital glands are located on the feet and, wherever the deer goes, a slight scent trail is deposited. Other deer read this as a sign that other deer have passed along safely. If there is danger, the metatarsel gland, located on the outside of the deer's hind foot, leaves a signal to other deer to flee the area. Evolution has given deer the amazing ability to impart important information through urine. The tarsel gland is located on the inside of the hind legs, and it is used to identify other deer, through a process called rub-urination. A deer will rub its two tarsel glands together while urinating over them, and thus leave important information about gender, social status and physical condition. Dominant bucks use rub-urination to establish rank in the herd, and they use rub-urinating more during rut than at other times of the year. Fawns are born spotted in late spring, but the spots are normally gone by fall, and adults are typically reddish tan in the summer and medium gray in the winter. The throat, stomach and inner legs are white all year-round, as is the underside of the 12-15 inch tail, which is usually raised and flared when deer are alarmed. The tail of the doe is more commonly waived in the air than that of the buck, perhaps as a way for young deer to see their mother and follow her away from danger, and this behavior causes some people to refer to these deer as "fantails" or "flag tails". All-black (melanistic) and all-white (albino) deer occur, but they are rare. The tracks are about 2-3 inches long with an average space of about 20 inches between prints when walking.
Deer are ruminants, meaning that they come complete with a four-chambered stomach, which allows the animal to gather a lot of food and then chew and digest it later. The four chambers are necessary to process the large quantities of low nutrient food that deer consume. Deer use the "outhouse" an average of 13 times in 24 hours, with about 65 % of food used by the animal, 5 % lost as methane gas, 5 % lost as urine and 25 % deposited as feces.
Reproduction Facts
Whitetail deer usually become sexually mature in their second year, but it is not uncommon for females to breed during their first fall, on good agricultural range. The mating season, or rut, occurs from late October to December when hormonal changes cause males to set up breeding territories and females to separate from their families. The rut usually lasts for as long as does are in estrus, which is about 2-4 days. Prior to the rut, bucks mark their territories with rubs (areas on trees where the bark has been worn off due to antler rubbing) and scrapes (pawed areas of ground with leaves and brush removed). They attempt to mate with several does, and vigorously defend their territories, against opposing bucks, with antlers and hooves. After the rut, bucks are tired and depleted, and spend most of their time eating and storing fat for the winter months. Does like to find a place to give birth that is near their birthplace, and after a gestation period of 196-201 days, from 1-3 fawns are born. The age of the doe, available food sources and winter conditions will normally have an impact on the number of fawns. The fawns are 4-8 pounds at birth and have reddish-brown coats with spots. They move very little the first few weeks and have to rely on their virtually scent-free bodies and their natural camouflage to escape predators. During this time, the doe tries to remain nearby and returns frequently to nurse and groom. Fawns are weaned in 10 weeks, but remain with their mothers until the breeding season begins. Their spotted coat is gone in 4-5 months, and they will reach maximum size in 3-5 years.
Feeding Habits
The whitetail is both a browser and a grazer, specially adapted to an herbivore lifestyle, with small, clipping lower incisors and large, grinding molars. Deer are able to select the most nutritious foods in their environment, and their diet varies with the seasons. In late fall and winter, when there is no more green foliage to be found, deer browse on woody twigs of the nutritious northern white cedar, red maple, hemlock, mountain ash, and alternate-leaf dogwood trees. They also prefer acorns, beechnuts, hazelnuts and fruits whenever available. After snowmelt, whitetails feed on herbaceous materials like grasses and sedges. The late spring and summer diet consists mainly of tree leaves, particularly aspen, broadleaved herbs and berries. During the fall, acorns are prized, and the deer graze on grasses and herbs until snow cover makes these foods inaccessible. In agricultural areas, whitetails feed on crops throughout the year, seeming to prefer corn in the winter and wheat and alfalfa in the spring. Deer will even occasionally browse on orchard trees, ornamental shrubs, flowers and garden vegetables in suburban areas.
The home range of the whitetail is normally less than one square mile, but males tend to have larger ranges which are expanded during the rut. Habitat of choice is commonly forested areas with some young, brushy stands and scattered openings, or agricultural areas with a combination of crop fields, woodlots and wetlands. Territorial behavior in deer is strictly seasonal, and bucks become very territorial during the mating season. Generally, does are also intolerant of intruding females, during the fawning season, unless they are related. Deer are most social during the winter months, when they often form groups in "deer yards". In forested areas, they may, depending on snow depth, migrate to traditional winter yards in December or January and remain there until March. These yards are typically areas with conifer cover and/or south-facing slopes, which provide warmth and tend to have less snow depth. Stands of northern white cedar are often chosen for "yarding" as they provide cover and the greatest interception of snow. Whitetails are crepuscular, being most active in early morning and evening. Wisconsin deer are susceptible to a variety of diseases and parasites, most commonly meningeal worms, ticks, deer lice, fibroma, and giant liver flukes, but none of these infestations affect human use of cooked venison. Lyme disease affects humans but not deer, and it is caused by a bite from a deer tick, a parasite that lives off deer. It is believed that 1-2% of deer ticks carry Lyme disease, which is named for Lyme, Connecticut where the disease was first discovered in 1975. Lyme disease can be a serious illness, and hunters should be aware of the symptoms and be tested accordingly if symptoms are present. There is a series of three shots that are said to immunize people against Lyme disease for life, and people spending a lot of time in the Wisconsin woods would be smart to consult their doctors about it. Natural predators are no longer a serious threat to deer numbers, with few wolves taking comparatively little in the north, and coyotes, bear, bobcat and fox only occasionally killing a fawn or weak adult. However, deer are a prey species and are constantly alert and cautious, and they are equipped with very keen senses. The deer's only defense against predators is to run, and deer are among the fastest animals in the forest. Whitetails are also very good swimmers and will not hesitate to take to the water to avoid danger. Most deer mortality is the result of hunting, malnutrition and accidents.
Whitetail Management
Planned harvest of deer in forested areas aims at preventing the herd from approaching or exceeding carrying capacity of the habitat. Hunting replaces the natural mortality that would occur due to malnutrition, disease or predation. In agricultural areas, hunting and deer-vehicle collisions are the main sources of mortality. Populations rebound because of the deer's polygamous breeding habits, average litter size and the ability of young animals to breed. Wisconsin's deer management program uses a system of about 100 "deer management units", which vary in size from small areas to large tracts of land within several counties. Each unit has an established deer population goal. Population trends are determined mainly by using harvest numbers, and sex-age data obtained from examining tooth wear and replacement patterns on harvested deer. Populations are determined by a formula using harvest figures for bucks and does and age information. Deer herd abundance when compared to population goals determines the nature of the annual hunting seasons, including the use of buck or either-sex seasons and hunter's choice/antlerless permits. Harvest of adult bucks is legal statewide, while the harvest of antlerless deer is regulated. The gun season is nine days long in late November over much of the state. The 85-day bow season occurs both before and after the gun season, and one deer of either sex may be taken in addition to deer taken during the gun season. All harvested deer must be registered and tagged at an official station located statewide in DNR offices, gas stations, stores, sheriff's offices, and other public buildings.
Hunting Whitetail in Wisconsin
Whitetail deer are hunted in many types of environments and under all kinds of weather conditions, and you must become a skilled predator to be successful year after year. Combine these seemingly endless variety of conditions with the exceptional senses and razor sharp instincts of the deer, and it is easy to see why deer hunting is both challenging and rewarding. Like any great adventure, a great deal of planning is involved in a successful deer hunt. Even before we select our weapon or take our first step in the woods, there are things to plan. Be sure to prepare yourself to be relaxed. No one can concentrate on a very complex situation when his or her mind is focused elsewhere. Leave problems and worries behind and just enjoy the environment and the hunt. Your overall health is another consideration in preparing for the strenuous activities involved and weather conditions from hot to below freezing. You can't give your hunt the full attention it deserves if you are sick, extremely tired, miserable or highly stressed. Successful hunters scout for deer the entire year, strategically plan their hunts, practice shooting and feel extremely confident about the results. Scouting enables you to find out what the deer do and where they live at different times of the year and under varying conditions. If you know their habitat and their habits, you will have a distinct advantage over the whitetail. Practice and practice and practice and practice your shooting. To miss a shot, or even worse to take a shot that you are incapable of, is a tragedy when you have "Mr. King Kong Buck" in your sight. Target practice, from different positions, at decoys and at shooting ranges does make a difference.
Because hunting whitetail deer is a physically demanding sport, it is most important to prepare for all conditions that you might expect to encounter. A large size backpack with broad, cushioned straps and a waist belt is important if you will be in the woods away from your vehicle or cabin for an extended period of time. There are many things that you can put in your backpack, but matches or a waterproof, weatherproof lighter, hand ax, knife, first aid kit, food, compass, and extra clothing such as hat, socks and gloves are mandatory. Hunting can be very unpredictable and dangerous at times, but if you have the right equipment, major problems may become very insignificant. Be sure to fully read and understand the "deer hunting" section of the "hunting regulations" booklet, as the penalties can be quite severe for acting illegally. Purchase your license and permits ahead of time, and insure that your equipment meets the Wisconsin requirements. The back tag must be displayed where it can be clearly seen on the back of the outermost garment, and cannot be hidden by your coat hood. During the gun and muzzleloader deer seasons, no person may hunt any game, except waterfowl, unless at least 50% of the person's outer clothing above the waist is colored blaze orange. A hat, if worn, must be at least 50% blaze orange. Camo-blaze is legal, but solid blaze is recommended, as it is more visible. Handguns, shotguns and muzzleloaders may be used in any area open to deer hunting with rifles, but there are some areas where rifles may not be used. These are just a few of the important regulations to consider, and it is essential that you read the entire deer hunting section.
The kind of clothing can determine whether the hunt will be enjoyable and successful or miserable and a failure. It is important to plan what you will wear so that it will naturally blend with the surroundings of the hunt. Deer are extremely aware of their surroundings, and they will know if something does not fit in the landscape and will undoubtedly vacate your hunting area. One important factor in choosing your hunting outfit is odor. Remember that the sense of smell rules supreme with a whitetail, and if your scent is detected, your hunt is over. Focusing on preventing body and clothing scents is a priority of most successful hunters. Improper hygiene can be a fatal flaw in an otherwise good hunting situation, but fragrant soaps, scented shampoos or colognes can be equally devastating. Washing clothing in a scent free detergent and then storing it in plastic bags with a scent common to your hunting area, like pine boughs or cedar branches, will help your cause, and some hunters will even change after they walk to their hunting areas, putting the original clothing back into the plastic bag. What smells scent free to you might carry a powerful scent to a deer, so use unscented soaps for clothing and yourself and use human masking scents that are natural for the environment you are hunting. For example, don't use red fox urine as a cover scent in an area where there are no red foxes, or from a tree stand as red foxes don't climb trees. Leather boots while comfortable, and perhaps your old favorites, are like walking "scent billboards" for deer as they hold and transmit scent much more than rubber boots. Control your scent as much as possible, but give deer some credit and make your choices logical for your locale. Another way to blend in is with camouflage. Everything that you wear on the outside layer should mask the very noticeable human flesh, and help you blend in with the type of foliage you are hunting in. The outline of a human is threatening to deer, so pay particular attention to breaking up your outline. It is believed that deer are colorblind and only see in shades of black and white. Deer get to know their environment, much as we know the inside of our homes, and most objects in the forest are dark colored, which deer perceive as black and dark shades of gray. Deer's attention is immediately drawn to anything that looks out of place, especially light objects. There are many different types, colors and patterns of camouflage available to help you conceal skin and blend in with the forest surroundings. Wisconsin requires 50% blaze-orange above the waist, but it is recommended to wear all camo-blaze or all blaze orange for safety purposes. Many hunters forget the face and hands when choosing their camouflage pattern and clothing. Heads and hands are frequently moved, sometimes unconsciously, and not only will these light areas stick out, but the movement will announce your presence like a loud speaker system. Clothing should be comfortable, have properties that keep you warm and dry in inclement weather, be noiseless when you move about and not restrictive in any way. Wool, cotton and fleece are excellent choices for hunting clothing, and layering can help keep you comfortable as weather conditions change. Suitable footwear should always be given careful consideration, as comfortable feet are very important to a comfortable hunting experience. There are four main things to consider when selecting footwear for hunting: 1. They should blend in with surrounding color, such as your hunting outfit and your hunting locale; 2. They must keep your feet dry; 3. They must keep your feet warm; 4. They should give off a minimum of scent. Leather, and the odor that it will holds, present a foreign scent to deer. Good quality insulated, rubber boots are good for all kinds of weather conditions, and they will protect feet while keeping them warm and dry, and yet the deer will not be able to pick up any scent given off from them. Pay particular attention to the size of your boots, leaving some room for an extra pair of socks and movement of the toes, as well as a little air circulation. Socks can also make a drastic difference in your comfort level, and it is recommended that you wear two pairs of medium thickness socks, rather than one pair of thick socks. Wool is the old favorite for sock material, because it helps keep feet drier longer and provides good insulation against the cold. Good boots and socks should be high on your priority list, as if your feet are cold and wet, it will be impossible to give the hunt your full attention.
Like most sports, hunting has an element of danger, and because of the firearms typically used, it is one of the most potentially dangerous sports. Hunters need to be very knowledgeable about both their weapon and survival skills. Know your chosen firearm inside and out. You should know how to carry it, load it, fire it and clean it. Knowing first aid and having the proper equipment will either help you avoid disasters or might help you get through them. Clothing is another way to survive in harsh conditions, and, in extreme cold, wearing enough and having extras should be your motto. Always let someone know where you will be hunting and when you plan to return, as this could be a big benefit if you become lost or disabled. You will be more psychologically ready for your hunt if you are confident that you are proficient in firearm and survival skills and can avoid or survive a mishap.
Now that you have done a fair measure of planning, you might reflect for a moment on the kind of hunter that you are. Are you in it for the sheer pleasure of being in the woods? Are you after meat for the table to supplement your food budget? Do you want the camaraderie of good friends or just some time away from the spouse? Are you after a trophy whitetail buck, and who wouldn't be? Hopefully a combination of expectations is what you are seeking, but you must decide your hunting priorities because they will determine where you hunt, what you hunt with, who you hunt with, etc. And what, in fact, is a trophy buck? You can define it on a personal level, which is based on pride and a feeling of accomplishment, and size of the deer or rack may have nothing to do with it. One definition of trophy is a "prized memento of one's accomplishment", so how could we dispute that a yearling four-pointer might be a trophy to a beginner. For the purposes here, we will be less subjective and variable and refer to a trophy as a "mature buck, at least 3 1/2 years old, with antlers large enough to be favorably compared with the best bucks consistently taken in a given area". Trophy bucks are very different from does and lesser bucks, so much so that they could almost be a separate species. A trophy buck hunter must recognize the special qualities of his prey, or he will surely not be consistently successful. By 3½ years of age, a buck has pretty well mastered the basics of survival, and he will be working on the finer points. He's been hunted for at least two seasons now, and he has learned the dangers and how to survive them. He travels with purpose, usually in thick cover and mostly at night. He spends less time with doe groups than before and more time in his core area by himself, but the rut is your ace in the hole with this guy, as he will act like a teenager around the girls. It is said, however, that it is six times harder to kill a 3 1/2-year-old buck than a 1 1/2 year old. At 4 1/2 the odds are in the bucks favor when pitted against most hunters, and he is now in the graduate school of his survival training. Every move he makes and every intention that he has is driven by his will to survive. He has few weaknesses for the hunter to key on, and about the only time that his guard is down is when he scents a very hot doe. Outside the rut, he will be virtually impossible to kill, and will be strictly nocturnal with even the slightest hunting pressure. A buck over 5 years old will have hunters patterned far better than the reverse, and normal tactics and permanent stands will pose no threat to him. He avoids doe groups and places frequented by other deer, and he is extremely difficult to catch in the open, even around major food sources. This wise old sage will be exponentially harder to kill than a yearling buck, and as he ages the odds get even worse. The trophy whitetail buck is certainly one of the most challenging animals in the world to hunt. If it were not for the rut, he might probably be listed as a "rare and endangered species", as he might never be seen at all. We will hold our discussion here to the more general sport of deer hunting, and the more common size of deer taken, but from time to time, trophy hunting tips will be interjected.
There are several different methods of deer hunting, and a good hunter may be well versed in more than one technique. Your choice of weapon may lead you in a particular direction, with 90% of all archery hunters using the treestand, while hunters using firearms seem to tend slightly towards groundstands. Deer drives have been considered mainly a gun hunter's technique, but now some bow hunters are seeing the benefits of a slow deer drive. The deer hunter who harvests deer every year, in a variety of conditions, is most likely one who understands and uses many different hunting techniques.
Still-hunting is considered to be the most challenging hunting technique, in that the hunter must use all of his hunting skills, and yet the buck has the advantage over the hunter. Contrary to its name, still-hunting does not mean standing still in one fixed position or destination, but, in fact, it is the equivalent of stalking. It is an active hunting strategy that allows you to react to what you see. You spot your intended prey, move into a position for a shot, and hopefully shoot before your presence is noticed. The hunter is directly confronting the whitetail's keen senses, and must sharpen his own senses to the highest degree if he is to have any measure of success. Still-hunting does give the hunter an advantage over fixed position hunting, in that it allows the flexibility of scouting while hunting, and changes in deer activity or signals of deer congregations in other areas can easily be noted. Hunters can also discover new rub lines, scrapes and bedding areas that were not noticed before and still-hunting can be one of the most effective ways to take trophy bucks. Still-hunting can produce successful results when other methods fail if hunting pressure causes deer to feed strictly at night and spend the day laying in dense thickets or high spots in swamps, where very few fixed-position hunters venture. A skilled still-hunter can slip quietly into these sanctuaries. Another advantage is the sheer enjoyment of pitting your hunting skills against the razor-sharp instincts of a buck, and some very experienced deer hunters think this is the purest form of the sport. One disadvantage of still-hunting is that it takes a great deal of time to master this technique, and there will surely be frustrations along the learning trail. A moving hunter in deer country runs a great risk of being seen before the prey is spotted, and this has caused many a novice to return to more easily learned and productive methods of treestands, drives or ground blinds.
Stand hunting is probably the most popular and effective method of deer hunting and accounts for more harvested deer than any other form. It is a relatively easy way to hunt, where the hunter stays in the same spot watching for deer movement. Patience is the greatest asset of the stand hunter, and, if careful and quiet, deer can usually be spotted unaware of human presence. The experienced stand hunter is always alert, never relaxed, and constantly looking for movement that might be a whitetail. A good pair of binoculars is an advantage in that glassing thickets and shaded areas can often reveal deer that can't be seen with the naked eye. The hunter should find a good location, where deer will sooner or later walk by, and may spend the entire day in this spot. Ground blinds do not require cutting tree branches or noisy chains to set up, and they can be as simple as using fallen branches or a tree trunk. Try to find a comfortable sitting position that allows some quiet mobility and makes it possible to assume the same position for long periods of time. The rifle hunter can have a distinct advantage here, in that a large deer area can be watched, unknown to the deer, and he or she can wait in relative comfort without exerting too much energy. For a bowhunter, you need more of an ambush blind, instead of an open area stand a rifle hunter would enjoy. Boredom is the greatest disadvantage of stand hunting. Many hunters lack the patience necessary to sit in one place, sometimes never seeing a deer all day. Stand hunters, who always stay in the same spot, often times never experience the enjoyment of seeing and learning the complex world of the whitetail, in its environment. Some experienced archery hunters won't even bother to stand hunt, as by placing themselves on the ground, they are at such a disadvantage against the deer's acute senses, that the chance of success is slim. Treestands hold many advantages for both the archer and the gunner, as they are above the brush and allow for much further sight into the woods. Sitting in a tree also keeps your movement and scent above the deer, and it can cut down on fatigue if you make your treestand comfortable. A more comfortable hunter is most likely to stay focused on the hunt, although some comforts like cigarettes, coffee and snacks can be noisy and give off plenty of scent. A big disadvantage of treestands is that they are not readily portable, and once installed it is difficult, noisy and bothersome to move them if the patterns of deer movement change. Also, if you see a deer moving through cover where you can't get a shot, you can't try to move into a position for the shot, as you could if you were on the ground.
Deer drives can be one of the most successful methods of taking mature bucks, when hunting pressure has made them nocturnal, and they have retreated into dense cover during the day. This method is unlike the other techniques, in that the hunter wants to make his presence known, and all rules of stealth hunting are intentionally broken. "Drivers" enter the drive area with the wind at their backs, airmailing their scent towards the deer, walk fast, talk, yell, and in general do all that they can to alert deer that they are coming. Deer are traumatized by human presence and this sudden noisy invasion of their domain, and they flee in the opposite direction, where "standers", or "gunners", are waiting at the end of the drive area. With the wind in their faces, the standers have chosen spots with good visibility, and the deer are normally so preoccupied with the drivers that they will sometimes almost run over the standers. Slower, quieter "nudging" type drives can also produce good results where hunters just quietly walk thru the woods, and the deer move out in a more orderly fashion. This can have particularly good results for bow hunters. The biggest advantage of a deer drive is that they increase the odds to harvest deer late in the season after hunting pressure has caused most of the deer, including wise old bucks to lay up in dense cover during daylight hours. The biggest disadvantage to a raucous deer drive is that it really spooks the deer, pushes them off their normal daily movement patterns, and makes the drive area unfit for any stand or still-hunting for a period of time. It might be wise to drive deer either late in the day or late in the season, or use the slower nudging drive if you want to use any fixed-position hunting methods in the same area.
"Buck fever" is an embarrassing disease that affects old and young, novice and pro, and while the definition is easy, the cure is not. The definition of buck fever is "the condition that occurs in a hunter, who gets so excited when a buck comes along, that he or she begins shaking uncontrollably, often losing memory of events, and generally acting with extreme hysterical reactions, thereby ruining any chance for success". Grown men have actually fainted, chambered round after round thru their firearm without ever squeezing the trigger, blown 10-yard shots, and shook so violently that arrows fell off the bow and clattered to the ground. Normally, it is the hunter who has little experience or contact with deer who suffers the worst buck fever. Novice hunters, who have read volumes about whitetail deer hunting but have only seen trophy-sized bucks hanging on walls, are prime candidates, but the more experienced hunter can also fall victim as well. Fantasies abound around a superhuman effort to bring down a mighty trophy buck, and when through some act of fate a monster buck does appear out of the morning mist, the nervous system can go berserk, creating hysterical responses and violent trembling. Sometimes conscious brain thoughts are cut off to the point that the hunter stands statue-like as the buck slowly walks by. The best way to cure buck fever is to be around more deer. Get out in the woods in the off-season and move among deer, stalking bucks to see how close you can get. Visit zoos or game farms and observe big bucks up close. Most experienced hunters have endured and overcome buck fever, through years of hunting deer in various situations, but when that little rush of adrenaline stops happening altogether, perhaps it's time to give up whitetail hunting.
Shot placement on a deer is of utmost importance, as a deer that is shot in the right place will die quickly, but a poor shot that misses the vital organs may cause slow death and loss of the animal altogether to the hunter. The favorite shot placement, for gun and bow hunters alike, is in the lungs, the largest vital organs, which are located directly behind the shoulder. The lungs supply oxygen to the brain, and when they stop functioning, death is normally just seconds away. A low lung shot will often hit the heart, which is located low in the chest along the back of the shoulder line, or one of the major blood vessels leading to the heart, and death usually occurs in seconds. A shot that is too far back behind the shoulder to hit the lungs or heart may hit the liver, which is usually mortal, but the deer may run for some distance and bed down before loss of blood and shock take their toll. Death from a liver hit may be instantaneous or may take an hour or more, depending on how badly the liver is damaged. A shot to the paunch area, where the stomach or intestines are located, may miss all vital organs, but may cause death from peritonitis, which is massive contamination of the antiseptic body cavity by stomach bacteria. A deer hit in the paunch area should be given several hours to run off and bed down before being pursued, as it takes at least four hours for the bacterial action to make the deer too sick and weak to run. A shot placed farther back into the rear hams is a very poor shot, but it may still kill the animal due to massive hemorrhaging of the tissue, by puncturing one or both of the femoral arteries.
Any deer that is hit by a hunter should be tracked as long as possible, until lack of bleeding and loss of the blood trail occurs. Even a deer that has stopped bleeding may be found if you are persistent enough, as internal bleeding may be the final cause of death. If you lose the blood trail, mark the last blood spots with your hat or gloves or better yet pieces of highly visible tape. By looking back at the trail formed by your markers, you might be able to determine a general direction of travel, and continue on that line looking for any blood sign. If you still find no additional blood sign, return to the last marker and begin working outward in a small, spiraling circle, on your hands and knees if necessary. Blood sign found earlier may reveal clues as to where a fatally hit animal may go. Typically, well-hit deer travel downhill if possible, and a gut-shot animal will often head for water if there is some available. If you still can't find the blood trail, you might try using commercial products that make blood fluoresce, like "Sure Sign", which you spray on the ground near the last blood sign. Not only does the chemical spray cause blood to fluoresce, but also it is a terrific aid to hunters who are color-blind and cannot see blood's red color. If all of these techniques still don't produce a visible blood trail, try checking deer trails in the area. This may seem like a lot of work, but if the animal was important enough for you to take a shot at, it certainly deserves every recovery effort you can make.
All experienced deer hunters know that the whitetail's world is much more complex than we see during the hunt. Whitetails in rut have a very complicated series of instincts and behaviors, and special rut tactics can prove successful. Rattling antlers, calling, decoying and creating mock scrapes and rubs may help to turn the odds slightly in your favor during the rut. Some of these tactics are field proven, while others are considered experimental and a bit more controversial.
"Rattling" originated in the mesquite thickets of Texas, but now hunters from every whitetail state have rattled in bucks. Rattling works because, if done correctly, it is biologically accurate. Most hunters don't rattle until the rut, but the first competition to establish dominance occurs shortly after bucks shed the velvet from their antlers, when they seek out other bucks to show off their headgear. This early sparring, often called gesture sparring, consists merely of two bucks tapping antlers to impress each other with antler size. This is a very common sound in the deer woods, and a buck that hears it may come to investigate to see if he can enter the competition. Early season rattling should consist of lightly tickling the antler tips together, resisting the temptation to emulate an antler grinding pitched battle, which might tend to scare deer away rather than lure them in, as it is a very unnatural sound until rut nears. Rattle for a minute or two and then wait 15 minutes before rattling again. Pre-rut is when the action gets hot and heavy to establish dominance. Your rattling should have an intense grinding and grating (not loud clacking) sound, followed by antler tickling, and then grinding again. Do this for a minute or two and be prepared, because if a buck decides to come in, he will really get it on. When two dominant bucks meet during peak rut, hair, brush, leaves and often small trees fly, as they go at it with everything that they have, sometimes to the death. Your rattling should imitate such a battle, with lots of loud antler grinding, followed by intense fake hoof pounding of the ground and even brush scraping, but even if you do everything right, the buck may still choose not to investigate.
Decoying deer is a relatively new rut tactic, with some success stories, but many hunters don't feel that it's worth the trouble to carry life-sized deer decoys all over the woods. Hunters have reported that they have seen mature bucks lay back their ears and actually attack a buck decoy, and other hunters have said that they had bucks coming in until they saw the decoy and quickly ran away. A decoy may be either a buck, to appeal to a rutting buck's territorial instincts, or a doe, to appeal to his mating instincts. Normally, a buck decoy is used in conjunction with rattling and grunt calling, and some of the buck decoys are very realistic, complete with real antlers and radio operated flicking tails. A doe decoy is typically used with a liberal dose of doe-in-heat urine nearby or a fake scrape line. Don't spray this smelly liquid directly on the decoy, as you will have to carry it home, and will end up smelling as bad as the decoy.
Deer verbally communicate with each other by "calling", and different calls mean different things to the deer. Grunt calling is a biologically accurate thing to do, and bucks grunt more frequently during sparring and rutting, but more often than not even a heavily rutting buck will ignore a grunt call. Maybe one buck out of twelve will investigate a grunt call, but that may be the one big buck that you see during your hunt. Beware of the grunt call in the hands of a rookie, as some sounds emitted would be of greater value calling ducks, and deer will go to great lengths to avoid such unnatural noise. Bucks grunt very softly and sporadically, barely above a whisper, and while hammering out a loud series of quack-like grunts is sure to grab a buck's attention, you will never see him as he will be traveling away. Grunt softly two or three times, then try some rattling, and then grunt another time or two. Wait about fifteen minutes and then try this sequence again, and maybe, just maybe, the dominant buck in your area will come to investigate. Fawns bleat when they have become separated from their mothers or if they are hungry, and this call may bring a doe in, to help a fawn, with a rutting buck following her in. Does grunt, maternal grunts, when they are near their fawns to let the little ones know it is safe to come out of hiding. Deer only bawl, a scream-like sound, when they are in extreme distress, such as being attacked, and most deer take off in the opposite direction when they hear such desperate cries for help.
Not so many years ago, the use of scents and attractants were laughed at, and many hunters are still skeptical today. Scientists now claim that literally the entire whitetail deer world revolves around scents of one kind or another. The hunter, who understands scents and attractants, and how to use them, can fool even the smartest buck into making a mistake. The whitetail's world is dense cover, small openings and obscured vision, and never is the entire deer herd in an area together in one group. Deer have evolved, over the years, a unique method of scent communication, called "signposting", which is primarily used in the fall during rut. Bucks rub trees to visually show their presence, but they also create an olfactory signpost by rubbing secretions from the forehead gland, nose and saliva onto the rub. During pre-rut, bucks create breeding signposts, called scrapes, as a way of warning other bucks and greeting passing does. Hunters have recently had success by creating fake, or mock, rubs and scrapes as an attractant to passing bucks, as commercial scents improve and become more chemically accurate. You can create a mock rub by vigorously rubbing a sapling with a deer antler until the white inner bark shows, and then adding some "buck rub" lure. Put down a series of these rubs leading toward a bottom or low ridge, where you will then create mock scrapes. A mock rub line is used to lead a buck in the general direction of the mock scrapes, and to lend some authenticity to the typical appearance of a buck's rutting area, which consists of signature scrapes and territorial rubs. Find a low branch to be a licking branch and then scrape all forest debris from underneath it. Put "buck scrape" lure on the fresh earth, and "licking" lure on the branch above. Then put some "doe-in-heat" urine on each scrape, and pull a "drag line", consisting of a cloth saturated with the doe-in-heat scent, between the scrapes. Place four or five of these scrapes along a 200-yard line, with rubs in between, and then stand hunt in the area. If done correctly, any passing buck will immediately be attracted to the fresh rubs, and begin sniffing along the drag line from scrape to scrape, hoping to find the doe that left her estrus signposts. This has produced some positive results noted by hunters, but most of the bucks attracted were younger, hoping to find a stray doe. The dominant bucks either tended to ignore these mock scrapes and rubs, or in some instances they would make their own scrape right alongside the mock scrape. Most experienced hunters wear rubber boots when making mock rubs and scrapes, and avoid touching any of the rub or scrape area, and if you use a stick to make the mock scrape, carry it a ways away before discarding it.
Deer seem to disappear after the first few days of hunting, due to the pressure of many hunters in the woods. After this early part of the season, both the number of hunters and the number of deer harvested drastically decrease and the woods becomes quieter. The deer are seemingly nowhere to be found, and many hunters head home, or to the bars, to wait for next year. Hunting pressured deer is not impossible, and deer are still in the woods, and, in fact, skilled hunters can be quite successful. Pressure is nothing new to deer, as being a prey animal, they are always under pressure from predators as well as occasional pressure from hunger or hunters. The sudden appearance of hunters and sounds of shooting does affect how deer act, but not nearly as traumatically as one might think. Deer just go where hunters don't typically go, which is usually more rugged, thicker terrain. They change their daily patterns, and soon are quite content, with no hunters around again. The mature bucks become almost entirely nocturnal, and they only venture out of the most inaccessible cover they can find, under the cover of darkness, when their instincts tell them that there will be no hunters in the woods. The successful hunter, who hunts pressured deer, must go into these sanctuaries. Ground stands and treestands work well in dense cover, and a veteran still-hunter can be successful, but driving is probably the best technique for hunting pressured deer. One of the benefits of hunting pressured deer is that the woods are mostly empty of hunters, who have become discouraged by the lack of deer seen in open forest areas, or are unwilling or lack the knowledge to venture into the harder areas to hunt. All you have to do is to adjust your hunting area, much the same way as the deer adjusted their living area.
The whitetail deer, odocileus virginianus, is the perfect combination of natural beauty, graceful speed and miraculous adaptability. They are Wisconsin's official state wildlife animal and North America's most abundant big-game animal. Scientists believe that ancient deer were no larger than rabbits, were void of antlers and had fangs. For unknown reasons, many larger forms of animals died off in North America about 11,000 years ago, just as the first humans were entering the scene. Many believe that a drastic change in climate caused this mass extinction, and during these times the larger forms of deer in Wisconsin also disappeared, leaving the small, adaptable whitetail. In the days of the early explorers, whitetail deer were common throughout the state, but they were more abundant in the southern part. Deer played an integral part in the lives of Native Americans. They ate the meat and bone marrow, made clothing, rugs, blankets, ornaments and fishnets from the hide, and used bones to make arrowheads, tools, clubs and fishhooks. The first Wisconsin settlers ate a variety of small game and upland birds, but when the first winter set in, these animals were either gone or much harder to find. Their Native American friends taught them the food value of the whitetail, and also how to utilize the deer efficiently and completely. Since these times, deer populations have fluctuated wildly. At one point in the 1700's, an estimated 5 million deer were killed per year to supply the fur trade, and whitetail numbers were drastically reduced. Through the early 1800's, the population continued to rise, due mostly to new habitat and the decline of the fur trade. Market hunting and subsistence hunting brought the deer population to its lowest level ever in the late 19th century, and venison was a popular item on restaurant menus of the time. The whitetail has not only survived modern man's invasion of its natural habitat, it has actually benefited from it, and both numbers and range have steadily increased.
Getting to know the Whitetail
Adult male whitetail deer are typically 71-85 inches long, 3-4 feet high and average about 150 pounds, while the females are 63-79 inches long and weigh about 100 pounds. Larger bucks of over 400 pounds have been recorded. The whitetails natural life span is 11-12 years, (17-20 years in captivity), but where hunted the average life span may be as low as 1½ years. The deer have large, conspicuous ears, a naked nose pad and long legs with hooves adapted for running. The sense of smell is so keen that deer rely on scent for just about everything from finding mates and food to detecting predators. Deer, under stress, emit an unfavorable odor, which can be picked up by other deer and acts as a warning of danger. The wet nose of the deer allows it to smell faint odors, as the odor particles stick to the moisture. A scent can be dispersed in many ways through glands, saliva and even urine, and the dense foliage of the forest and the cautious nature of the deer makes this a practical form of communication. Since the scent is dispersed throughout glands, the deer can stay alert while giving off a scent, and thus can evade a predator while warning other deer. Since the eyes are located on the side of the head, deer can view a wide range at once, and a deer can see 310 degrees around itself even when it appears to look straight ahead. Deer see best at night, as they have more light-detecting cells in their eyes than humans. Like most nocturnal animals, the eyes exhibit shining when exposed to harsh light at night, due to a reflection off a special membrane in the eye, called tapetum. Under strong light conditions of daylight, the deer's pupils contract in a narrow band, allowing the animal to focus on the entire horizon. Deer are also thought to be able to see in the ultraviolet light range of early AM, late afternoon and on overcast days. Although deer possess very good vision, they don't seem to trust this sense as much as smell, but they are masters at detecting very slight movement under the lowest of light conditions. Whitetails will even freeze and stomp a foot to try and instill movement in an object that they are unsure of. With eyes on the side of its head, deer cannot focus on one location with both eyes, making for very poor depth perception. Deer also see at a much lower resolution than humans and are thought to be colorblind. The whitetail's ears are critical to its survival, and they can easily detect a faint sound, and in a split second determine if danger is present. The ears contain many complex muscles, which allow free movement of the ears with incredible control. The deer's ears can rotate in any direction, allowing the animal to determine the direction of the sound. Hearing is so acute that the whitetail can detect the time it takes for a sound to reach one ear relative to the other; thus allowing the deer to establish how far away a sound is. If several deer are together, the ears can be a form of communication, and a simple flick of the ears can warn the others of danger. The main functions of the whitetail's coat are camouflage and thermoregulation. Deer blend in with the natural environment, and in order to help regulate the body temperature, deer grow different types of coats during the beginnings of winter and summer. This process, called molting, is triggered by hormonal changes brought about by the changing seasons. Summer coats have little bulk, and remain on the deer for about three months. By September, the summer pelage is faded gray, and new hairs are hollow, stiff and about 2 inches longer than normal. Soft hair lies against the skin and keeps the deer warm in the snow. During the rut, bucks develop darker facial hair, due to higher testosterone levels, signaling that they are ready to compete for does. Male deer, or bucks, have antlers, which are generally shed in January or February each year, and new ones are grown beginning in April or May. Antlers are live tissue, composed of bone, and they are the fastest growing tissue in the animal kingdom, growing at an average of 1-2 inches per week. During growth, antlers have a thin layer of "velvet" which is rubbed off after the antlers are fully grown. Both sexes have external glands, which secrete chemical scents called pheromones, and are used for identification of individual deer and for marking territories. The forehead gland (preorbital) is used only during the mating season for signposting, also referred to as "buck rubs" or "rubs". Since bucks and does remain apart for most of the year, signposting is used by the buck to let does know that he is ready to breed. The buck first licks branches above him and urinates on the ground, and then he returns to the site to see if any doe has responded by urinating in the same area. By smelling the urine, the buck can determine that the doe is approaching estrus. The nasal gland keeps the nose moist, and is thought to have other possible uses as well. The interdigital glands are located on the feet and, wherever the deer goes, a slight scent trail is deposited. Other deer read this as a sign that other deer have passed along safely. If there is danger, the metatarsel gland, located on the outside of the deer's hind foot, leaves a signal to other deer to flee the area. Evolution has given deer the amazing ability to impart important information through urine. The tarsel gland is located on the inside of the hind legs, and it is used to identify other deer, through a process called rub-urination. A deer will rub its two tarsel glands together while urinating over them, and thus leave important information about gender, social status and physical condition. Dominant bucks use rub-urination to establish rank in the herd, and they use rub-urinating more during rut than at other times of the year. Fawns are born spotted in late spring, but the spots are normally gone by fall, and adults are typically reddish tan in the summer and medium gray in the winter. The throat, stomach and inner legs are white all year-round, as is the underside of the 12-15 inch tail, which is usually raised and flared when deer are alarmed. The tail of the doe is more commonly waived in the air than that of the buck, perhaps as a way for young deer to see their mother and follow her away from danger, and this behavior causes some people to refer to these deer as "fantails" or "flag tails". All-black (melanistic) and all-white (albino) deer occur, but they are rare. The tracks are about 2-3 inches long with an average space of about 20 inches between prints when walking.
Deer are ruminants, meaning that they come complete with a four-chambered stomach, which allows the animal to gather a lot of food and then chew and digest it later. The four chambers are necessary to process the large quantities of low nutrient food that deer consume. Deer use the "outhouse" an average of 13 times in 24 hours, with about 65 % of food used by the animal, 5 % lost as methane gas, 5 % lost as urine and 25 % deposited as feces.
Reproduction Facts
Whitetail deer usually become sexually mature in their second year, but it is not uncommon for females to breed during their first fall, on good agricultural range. The mating season, or rut, occurs from late October to December when hormonal changes cause males to set up breeding territories and females to separate from their families. The rut usually lasts for as long as does are in estrus, which is about 2-4 days. Prior to the rut, bucks mark their territories with rubs (areas on trees where the bark has been worn off due to antler rubbing) and scrapes (pawed areas of ground with leaves and brush removed). They attempt to mate with several does, and vigorously defend their territories, against opposing bucks, with antlers and hooves. After the rut, bucks are tired and depleted, and spend most of their time eating and storing fat for the winter months. Does like to find a place to give birth that is near their birthplace, and after a gestation period of 196-201 days, from 1-3 fawns are born. The age of the doe, available food sources and winter conditions will normally have an impact on the number of fawns. The fawns are 4-8 pounds at birth and have reddish-brown coats with spots. They move very little the first few weeks and have to rely on their virtually scent-free bodies and their natural camouflage to escape predators. During this time, the doe tries to remain nearby and returns frequently to nurse and groom. Fawns are weaned in 10 weeks, but remain with their mothers until the breeding season begins. Their spotted coat is gone in 4-5 months, and they will reach maximum size in 3-5 years.
Feeding Habits
The whitetail is both a browser and a grazer, specially adapted to an herbivore lifestyle, with small, clipping lower incisors and large, grinding molars. Deer are able to select the most nutritious foods in their environment, and their diet varies with the seasons. In late fall and winter, when there is no more green foliage to be found, deer browse on woody twigs of the nutritious northern white cedar, red maple, hemlock, mountain ash, and alternate-leaf dogwood trees. They also prefer acorns, beechnuts, hazelnuts and fruits whenever available. After snowmelt, whitetails feed on herbaceous materials like grasses and sedges. The late spring and summer diet consists mainly of tree leaves, particularly aspen, broadleaved herbs and berries. During the fall, acorns are prized, and the deer graze on grasses and herbs until snow cover makes these foods inaccessible. In agricultural areas, whitetails feed on crops throughout the year, seeming to prefer corn in the winter and wheat and alfalfa in the spring. Deer will even occasionally browse on orchard trees, ornamental shrubs, flowers and garden vegetables in suburban areas.
The home range of the whitetail is normally less than one square mile, but males tend to have larger ranges which are expanded during the rut. Habitat of choice is commonly forested areas with some young, brushy stands and scattered openings, or agricultural areas with a combination of crop fields, woodlots and wetlands. Territorial behavior in deer is strictly seasonal, and bucks become very territorial during the mating season. Generally, does are also intolerant of intruding females, during the fawning season, unless they are related. Deer are most social during the winter months, when they often form groups in "deer yards". In forested areas, they may, depending on snow depth, migrate to traditional winter yards in December or January and remain there until March. These yards are typically areas with conifer cover and/or south-facing slopes, which provide warmth and tend to have less snow depth. Stands of northern white cedar are often chosen for "yarding" as they provide cover and the greatest interception of snow. Whitetails are crepuscular, being most active in early morning and evening. Wisconsin deer are susceptible to a variety of diseases and parasites, most commonly meningeal worms, ticks, deer lice, fibroma, and giant liver flukes, but none of these infestations affect human use of cooked venison. Lyme disease affects humans but not deer, and it is caused by a bite from a deer tick, a parasite that lives off deer. It is believed that 1-2% of deer ticks carry Lyme disease, which is named for Lyme, Connecticut where the disease was first discovered in 1975. Lyme disease can be a serious illness, and hunters should be aware of the symptoms and be tested accordingly if symptoms are present. There is a series of three shots that are said to immunize people against Lyme disease for life, and people spending a lot of time in the Wisconsin woods would be smart to consult their doctors about it. Natural predators are no longer a serious threat to deer numbers, with few wolves taking comparatively little in the north, and coyotes, bear, bobcat and fox only occasionally killing a fawn or weak adult. However, deer are a prey species and are constantly alert and cautious, and they are equipped with very keen senses. The deer's only defense against predators is to run, and deer are among the fastest animals in the forest. Whitetails are also very good swimmers and will not hesitate to take to the water to avoid danger. Most deer mortality is the result of hunting, malnutrition and accidents.
Whitetail Management
Planned harvest of deer in forested areas aims at preventing the herd from approaching or exceeding carrying capacity of the habitat. Hunting replaces the natural mortality that would occur due to malnutrition, disease or predation. In agricultural areas, hunting and deer-vehicle collisions are the main sources of mortality. Populations rebound because of the deer's polygamous breeding habits, average litter size and the ability of young animals to breed. Wisconsin's deer management program uses a system of about 100 "deer management units", which vary in size from small areas to large tracts of land within several counties. Each unit has an established deer population goal. Population trends are determined mainly by using harvest numbers, and sex-age data obtained from examining tooth wear and replacement patterns on harvested deer. Populations are determined by a formula using harvest figures for bucks and does and age information. Deer herd abundance when compared to population goals determines the nature of the annual hunting seasons, including the use of buck or either-sex seasons and hunter's choice/antlerless permits. Harvest of adult bucks is legal statewide, while the harvest of antlerless deer is regulated. The gun season is nine days long in late November over much of the state. The 85-day bow season occurs both before and after the gun season, and one deer of either sex may be taken in addition to deer taken during the gun season. All harvested deer must be registered and tagged at an official station located statewide in DNR offices, gas stations, stores, sheriff's offices, and other public buildings.
Hunting Whitetail in Wisconsin
Whitetail deer are hunted in many types of environments and under all kinds of weather conditions, and you must become a skilled predator to be successful year after year. Combine these seemingly endless variety of conditions with the exceptional senses and razor sharp instincts of the deer, and it is easy to see why deer hunting is both challenging and rewarding. Like any great adventure, a great deal of planning is involved in a successful deer hunt. Even before we select our weapon or take our first step in the woods, there are things to plan. Be sure to prepare yourself to be relaxed. No one can concentrate on a very complex situation when his or her mind is focused elsewhere. Leave problems and worries behind and just enjoy the environment and the hunt. Your overall health is another consideration in preparing for the strenuous activities involved and weather conditions from hot to below freezing. You can't give your hunt the full attention it deserves if you are sick, extremely tired, miserable or highly stressed. Successful hunters scout for deer the entire year, strategically plan their hunts, practice shooting and feel extremely confident about the results. Scouting enables you to find out what the deer do and where they live at different times of the year and under varying conditions. If you know their habitat and their habits, you will have a distinct advantage over the whitetail. Practice and practice and practice and practice your shooting. To miss a shot, or even worse to take a shot that you are incapable of, is a tragedy when you have "Mr. King Kong Buck" in your sight. Target practice, from different positions, at decoys and at shooting ranges does make a difference.
Because hunting whitetail deer is a physically demanding sport, it is most important to prepare for all conditions that you might expect to encounter. A large size backpack with broad, cushioned straps and a waist belt is important if you will be in the woods away from your vehicle or cabin for an extended period of time. There are many things that you can put in your backpack, but matches or a waterproof, weatherproof lighter, hand ax, knife, first aid kit, food, compass, and extra clothing such as hat, socks and gloves are mandatory. Hunting can be very unpredictable and dangerous at times, but if you have the right equipment, major problems may become very insignificant. Be sure to fully read and understand the "deer hunting" section of the "hunting regulations" booklet, as the penalties can be quite severe for acting illegally. Purchase your license and permits ahead of time, and insure that your equipment meets the Wisconsin requirements. The back tag must be displayed where it can be clearly seen on the back of the outermost garment, and cannot be hidden by your coat hood. During the gun and muzzleloader deer seasons, no person may hunt any game, except waterfowl, unless at least 50% of the person's outer clothing above the waist is colored blaze orange. A hat, if worn, must be at least 50% blaze orange. Camo-blaze is legal, but solid blaze is recommended, as it is more visible. Handguns, shotguns and muzzleloaders may be used in any area open to deer hunting with rifles, but there are some areas where rifles may not be used. These are just a few of the important regulations to consider, and it is essential that you read the entire deer hunting section.
The kind of clothing can determine whether the hunt will be enjoyable and successful or miserable and a failure. It is important to plan what you will wear so that it will naturally blend with the surroundings of the hunt. Deer are extremely aware of their surroundings, and they will know if something does not fit in the landscape and will undoubtedly vacate your hunting area. One important factor in choosing your hunting outfit is odor. Remember that the sense of smell rules supreme with a whitetail, and if your scent is detected, your hunt is over. Focusing on preventing body and clothing scents is a priority of most successful hunters. Improper hygiene can be a fatal flaw in an otherwise good hunting situation, but fragrant soaps, scented shampoos or colognes can be equally devastating. Washing clothing in a scent free detergent and then storing it in plastic bags with a scent common to your hunting area, like pine boughs or cedar branches, will help your cause, and some hunters will even change after they walk to their hunting areas, putting the original clothing back into the plastic bag. What smells scent free to you might carry a powerful scent to a deer, so use unscented soaps for clothing and yourself and use human masking scents that are natural for the environment you are hunting. For example, don't use red fox urine as a cover scent in an area where there are no red foxes, or from a tree stand as red foxes don't climb trees. Leather boots while comfortable, and perhaps your old favorites, are like walking "scent billboards" for deer as they hold and transmit scent much more than rubber boots. Control your scent as much as possible, but give deer some credit and make your choices logical for your locale. Another way to blend in is with camouflage. Everything that you wear on the outside layer should mask the very noticeable human flesh, and help you blend in with the type of foliage you are hunting in. The outline of a human is threatening to deer, so pay particular attention to breaking up your outline. It is believed that deer are colorblind and only see in shades of black and white. Deer get to know their environment, much as we know the inside of our homes, and most objects in the forest are dark colored, which deer perceive as black and dark shades of gray. Deer's attention is immediately drawn to anything that looks out of place, especially light objects. There are many different types, colors and patterns of camouflage available to help you conceal skin and blend in with the forest surroundings. Wisconsin requires 50% blaze-orange above the waist, but it is recommended to wear all camo-blaze or all blaze orange for safety purposes. Many hunters forget the face and hands when choosing their camouflage pattern and clothing. Heads and hands are frequently moved, sometimes unconsciously, and not only will these light areas stick out, but the movement will announce your presence like a loud speaker system. Clothing should be comfortable, have properties that keep you warm and dry in inclement weather, be noiseless when you move about and not restrictive in any way. Wool, cotton and fleece are excellent choices for hunting clothing, and layering can help keep you comfortable as weather conditions change. Suitable footwear should always be given careful consideration, as comfortable feet are very important to a comfortable hunting experience. There are four main things to consider when selecting footwear for hunting: 1. They should blend in with surrounding color, such as your hunting outfit and your hunting locale; 2. They must keep your feet dry; 3. They must keep your feet warm; 4. They should give off a minimum of scent. Leather, and the odor that it will holds, present a foreign scent to deer. Good quality insulated, rubber boots are good for all kinds of weather conditions, and they will protect feet while keeping them warm and dry, and yet the deer will not be able to pick up any scent given off from them. Pay particular attention to the size of your boots, leaving some room for an extra pair of socks and movement of the toes, as well as a little air circulation. Socks can also make a drastic difference in your comfort level, and it is recommended that you wear two pairs of medium thickness socks, rather than one pair of thick socks. Wool is the old favorite for sock material, because it helps keep feet drier longer and provides good insulation against the cold. Good boots and socks should be high on your priority list, as if your feet are cold and wet, it will be impossible to give the hunt your full attention.
Like most sports, hunting has an element of danger, and because of the firearms typically used, it is one of the most potentially dangerous sports. Hunters need to be very knowledgeable about both their weapon and survival skills. Know your chosen firearm inside and out. You should know how to carry it, load it, fire it and clean it. Knowing first aid and having the proper equipment will either help you avoid disasters or might help you get through them. Clothing is another way to survive in harsh conditions, and, in extreme cold, wearing enough and having extras should be your motto. Always let someone know where you will be hunting and when you plan to return, as this could be a big benefit if you become lost or disabled. You will be more psychologically ready for your hunt if you are confident that you are proficient in firearm and survival skills and can avoid or survive a mishap.
Now that you have done a fair measure of planning, you might reflect for a moment on the kind of hunter that you are. Are you in it for the sheer pleasure of being in the woods? Are you after meat for the table to supplement your food budget? Do you want the camaraderie of good friends or just some time away from the spouse? Are you after a trophy whitetail buck, and who wouldn't be? Hopefully a combination of expectations is what you are seeking, but you must decide your hunting priorities because they will determine where you hunt, what you hunt with, who you hunt with, etc. And what, in fact, is a trophy buck? You can define it on a personal level, which is based on pride and a feeling of accomplishment, and size of the deer or rack may have nothing to do with it. One definition of trophy is a "prized memento of one's accomplishment", so how could we dispute that a yearling four-pointer might be a trophy to a beginner. For the purposes here, we will be less subjective and variable and refer to a trophy as a "mature buck, at least 3 1/2 years old, with antlers large enough to be favorably compared with the best bucks consistently taken in a given area". Trophy bucks are very different from does and lesser bucks, so much so that they could almost be a separate species. A trophy buck hunter must recognize the special qualities of his prey, or he will surely not be consistently successful. By 3½ years of age, a buck has pretty well mastered the basics of survival, and he will be working on the finer points. He's been hunted for at least two seasons now, and he has learned the dangers and how to survive them. He travels with purpose, usually in thick cover and mostly at night. He spends less time with doe groups than before and more time in his core area by himself, but the rut is your ace in the hole with this guy, as he will act like a teenager around the girls. It is said, however, that it is six times harder to kill a 3 1/2-year-old buck than a 1 1/2 year old. At 4 1/2 the odds are in the bucks favor when pitted against most hunters, and he is now in the graduate school of his survival training. Every move he makes and every intention that he has is driven by his will to survive. He has few weaknesses for the hunter to key on, and about the only time that his guard is down is when he scents a very hot doe. Outside the rut, he will be virtually impossible to kill, and will be strictly nocturnal with even the slightest hunting pressure. A buck over 5 years old will have hunters patterned far better than the reverse, and normal tactics and permanent stands will pose no threat to him. He avoids doe groups and places frequented by other deer, and he is extremely difficult to catch in the open, even around major food sources. This wise old sage will be exponentially harder to kill than a yearling buck, and as he ages the odds get even worse. The trophy whitetail buck is certainly one of the most challenging animals in the world to hunt. If it were not for the rut, he might probably be listed as a "rare and endangered species", as he might never be seen at all. We will hold our discussion here to the more general sport of deer hunting, and the more common size of deer taken, but from time to time, trophy hunting tips will be interjected.
There are several different methods of deer hunting, and a good hunter may be well versed in more than one technique. Your choice of weapon may lead you in a particular direction, with 90% of all archery hunters using the treestand, while hunters using firearms seem to tend slightly towards groundstands. Deer drives have been considered mainly a gun hunter's technique, but now some bow hunters are seeing the benefits of a slow deer drive. The deer hunter who harvests deer every year, in a variety of conditions, is most likely one who understands and uses many different hunting techniques.
Still-hunting is considered to be the most challenging hunting technique, in that the hunter must use all of his hunting skills, and yet the buck has the advantage over the hunter. Contrary to its name, still-hunting does not mean standing still in one fixed position or destination, but, in fact, it is the equivalent of stalking. It is an active hunting strategy that allows you to react to what you see. You spot your intended prey, move into a position for a shot, and hopefully shoot before your presence is noticed. The hunter is directly confronting the whitetail's keen senses, and must sharpen his own senses to the highest degree if he is to have any measure of success. Still-hunting does give the hunter an advantage over fixed position hunting, in that it allows the flexibility of scouting while hunting, and changes in deer activity or signals of deer congregations in other areas can easily be noted. Hunters can also discover new rub lines, scrapes and bedding areas that were not noticed before and still-hunting can be one of the most effective ways to take trophy bucks. Still-hunting can produce successful results when other methods fail if hunting pressure causes deer to feed strictly at night and spend the day laying in dense thickets or high spots in swamps, where very few fixed-position hunters venture. A skilled still-hunter can slip quietly into these sanctuaries. Another advantage is the sheer enjoyment of pitting your hunting skills against the razor-sharp instincts of a buck, and some very experienced deer hunters think this is the purest form of the sport. One disadvantage of still-hunting is that it takes a great deal of time to master this technique, and there will surely be frustrations along the learning trail. A moving hunter in deer country runs a great risk of being seen before the prey is spotted, and this has caused many a novice to return to more easily learned and productive methods of treestands, drives or ground blinds.
Stand hunting is probably the most popular and effective method of deer hunting and accounts for more harvested deer than any other form. It is a relatively easy way to hunt, where the hunter stays in the same spot watching for deer movement. Patience is the greatest asset of the stand hunter, and, if careful and quiet, deer can usually be spotted unaware of human presence. The experienced stand hunter is always alert, never relaxed, and constantly looking for movement that might be a whitetail. A good pair of binoculars is an advantage in that glassing thickets and shaded areas can often reveal deer that can't be seen with the naked eye. The hunter should find a good location, where deer will sooner or later walk by, and may spend the entire day in this spot. Ground blinds do not require cutting tree branches or noisy chains to set up, and they can be as simple as using fallen branches or a tree trunk. Try to find a comfortable sitting position that allows some quiet mobility and makes it possible to assume the same position for long periods of time. The rifle hunter can have a distinct advantage here, in that a large deer area can be watched, unknown to the deer, and he or she can wait in relative comfort without exerting too much energy. For a bowhunter, you need more of an ambush blind, instead of an open area stand a rifle hunter would enjoy. Boredom is the greatest disadvantage of stand hunting. Many hunters lack the patience necessary to sit in one place, sometimes never seeing a deer all day. Stand hunters, who always stay in the same spot, often times never experience the enjoyment of seeing and learning the complex world of the whitetail, in its environment. Some experienced archery hunters won't even bother to stand hunt, as by placing themselves on the ground, they are at such a disadvantage against the deer's acute senses, that the chance of success is slim. Treestands hold many advantages for both the archer and the gunner, as they are above the brush and allow for much further sight into the woods. Sitting in a tree also keeps your movement and scent above the deer, and it can cut down on fatigue if you make your treestand comfortable. A more comfortable hunter is most likely to stay focused on the hunt, although some comforts like cigarettes, coffee and snacks can be noisy and give off plenty of scent. A big disadvantage of treestands is that they are not readily portable, and once installed it is difficult, noisy and bothersome to move them if the patterns of deer movement change. Also, if you see a deer moving through cover where you can't get a shot, you can't try to move into a position for the shot, as you could if you were on the ground.
Deer drives can be one of the most successful methods of taking mature bucks, when hunting pressure has made them nocturnal, and they have retreated into dense cover during the day. This method is unlike the other techniques, in that the hunter wants to make his presence known, and all rules of stealth hunting are intentionally broken. "Drivers" enter the drive area with the wind at their backs, airmailing their scent towards the deer, walk fast, talk, yell, and in general do all that they can to alert deer that they are coming. Deer are traumatized by human presence and this sudden noisy invasion of their domain, and they flee in the opposite direction, where "standers", or "gunners", are waiting at the end of the drive area. With the wind in their faces, the standers have chosen spots with good visibility, and the deer are normally so preoccupied with the drivers that they will sometimes almost run over the standers. Slower, quieter "nudging" type drives can also produce good results where hunters just quietly walk thru the woods, and the deer move out in a more orderly fashion. This can have particularly good results for bow hunters. The biggest advantage of a deer drive is that they increase the odds to harvest deer late in the season after hunting pressure has caused most of the deer, including wise old bucks to lay up in dense cover during daylight hours. The biggest disadvantage to a raucous deer drive is that it really spooks the deer, pushes them off their normal daily movement patterns, and makes the drive area unfit for any stand or still-hunting for a period of time. It might be wise to drive deer either late in the day or late in the season, or use the slower nudging drive if you want to use any fixed-position hunting methods in the same area.
"Buck fever" is an embarrassing disease that affects old and young, novice and pro, and while the definition is easy, the cure is not. The definition of buck fever is "the condition that occurs in a hunter, who gets so excited when a buck comes along, that he or she begins shaking uncontrollably, often losing memory of events, and generally acting with extreme hysterical reactions, thereby ruining any chance for success". Grown men have actually fainted, chambered round after round thru their firearm without ever squeezing the trigger, blown 10-yard shots, and shook so violently that arrows fell off the bow and clattered to the ground. Normally, it is the hunter who has little experience or contact with deer who suffers the worst buck fever. Novice hunters, who have read volumes about whitetail deer hunting but have only seen trophy-sized bucks hanging on walls, are prime candidates, but the more experienced hunter can also fall victim as well. Fantasies abound around a superhuman effort to bring down a mighty trophy buck, and when through some act of fate a monster buck does appear out of the morning mist, the nervous system can go berserk, creating hysterical responses and violent trembling. Sometimes conscious brain thoughts are cut off to the point that the hunter stands statue-like as the buck slowly walks by. The best way to cure buck fever is to be around more deer. Get out in the woods in the off-season and move among deer, stalking bucks to see how close you can get. Visit zoos or game farms and observe big bucks up close. Most experienced hunters have endured and overcome buck fever, through years of hunting deer in various situations, but when that little rush of adrenaline stops happening altogether, perhaps it's time to give up whitetail hunting.
Shot placement on a deer is of utmost importance, as a deer that is shot in the right place will die quickly, but a poor shot that misses the vital organs may cause slow death and loss of the animal altogether to the hunter. The favorite shot placement, for gun and bow hunters alike, is in the lungs, the largest vital organs, which are located directly behind the shoulder. The lungs supply oxygen to the brain, and when they stop functioning, death is normally just seconds away. A low lung shot will often hit the heart, which is located low in the chest along the back of the shoulder line, or one of the major blood vessels leading to the heart, and death usually occurs in seconds. A shot that is too far back behind the shoulder to hit the lungs or heart may hit the liver, which is usually mortal, but the deer may run for some distance and bed down before loss of blood and shock take their toll. Death from a liver hit may be instantaneous or may take an hour or more, depending on how badly the liver is damaged. A shot to the paunch area, where the stomach or intestines are located, may miss all vital organs, but may cause death from peritonitis, which is massive contamination of the antiseptic body cavity by stomach bacteria. A deer hit in the paunch area should be given several hours to run off and bed down before being pursued, as it takes at least four hours for the bacterial action to make the deer too sick and weak to run. A shot placed farther back into the rear hams is a very poor shot, but it may still kill the animal due to massive hemorrhaging of the tissue, by puncturing one or both of the femoral arteries.
Any deer that is hit by a hunter should be tracked as long as possible, until lack of bleeding and loss of the blood trail occurs. Even a deer that has stopped bleeding may be found if you are persistent enough, as internal bleeding may be the final cause of death. If you lose the blood trail, mark the last blood spots with your hat or gloves or better yet pieces of highly visible tape. By looking back at the trail formed by your markers, you might be able to determine a general direction of travel, and continue on that line looking for any blood sign. If you still find no additional blood sign, return to the last marker and begin working outward in a small, spiraling circle, on your hands and knees if necessary. Blood sign found earlier may reveal clues as to where a fatally hit animal may go. Typically, well-hit deer travel downhill if possible, and a gut-shot animal will often head for water if there is some available. If you still can't find the blood trail, you might try using commercial products that make blood fluoresce, like "Sure Sign", which you spray on the ground near the last blood sign. Not only does the chemical spray cause blood to fluoresce, but also it is a terrific aid to hunters who are color-blind and cannot see blood's red color. If all of these techniques still don't produce a visible blood trail, try checking deer trails in the area. This may seem like a lot of work, but if the animal was important enough for you to take a shot at, it certainly deserves every recovery effort you can make.
All experienced deer hunters know that the whitetail's world is much more complex than we see during the hunt. Whitetails in rut have a very complicated series of instincts and behaviors, and special rut tactics can prove successful. Rattling antlers, calling, decoying and creating mock scrapes and rubs may help to turn the odds slightly in your favor during the rut. Some of these tactics are field proven, while others are considered experimental and a bit more controversial.
"Rattling" originated in the mesquite thickets of Texas, but now hunters from every whitetail state have rattled in bucks. Rattling works because, if done correctly, it is biologically accurate. Most hunters don't rattle until the rut, but the first competition to establish dominance occurs shortly after bucks shed the velvet from their antlers, when they seek out other bucks to show off their headgear. This early sparring, often called gesture sparring, consists merely of two bucks tapping antlers to impress each other with antler size. This is a very common sound in the deer woods, and a buck that hears it may come to investigate to see if he can enter the competition. Early season rattling should consist of lightly tickling the antler tips together, resisting the temptation to emulate an antler grinding pitched battle, which might tend to scare deer away rather than lure them in, as it is a very unnatural sound until rut nears. Rattle for a minute or two and then wait 15 minutes before rattling again. Pre-rut is when the action gets hot and heavy to establish dominance. Your rattling should have an intense grinding and grating (not loud clacking) sound, followed by antler tickling, and then grinding again. Do this for a minute or two and be prepared, because if a buck decides to come in, he will really get it on. When two dominant bucks meet during peak rut, hair, brush, leaves and often small trees fly, as they go at it with everything that they have, sometimes to the death. Your rattling should imitate such a battle, with lots of loud antler grinding, followed by intense fake hoof pounding of the ground and even brush scraping, but even if you do everything right, the buck may still choose not to investigate.
Decoying deer is a relatively new rut tactic, with some success stories, but many hunters don't feel that it's worth the trouble to carry life-sized deer decoys all over the woods. Hunters have reported that they have seen mature bucks lay back their ears and actually attack a buck decoy, and other hunters have said that they had bucks coming in until they saw the decoy and quickly ran away. A decoy may be either a buck, to appeal to a rutting buck's territorial instincts, or a doe, to appeal to his mating instincts. Normally, a buck decoy is used in conjunction with rattling and grunt calling, and some of the buck decoys are very realistic, complete with real antlers and radio operated flicking tails. A doe decoy is typically used with a liberal dose of doe-in-heat urine nearby or a fake scrape line. Don't spray this smelly liquid directly on the decoy, as you will have to carry it home, and will end up smelling as bad as the decoy.
Deer verbally communicate with each other by "calling", and different calls mean different things to the deer. Grunt calling is a biologically accurate thing to do, and bucks grunt more frequently during sparring and rutting, but more often than not even a heavily rutting buck will ignore a grunt call. Maybe one buck out of twelve will investigate a grunt call, but that may be the one big buck that you see during your hunt. Beware of the grunt call in the hands of a rookie, as some sounds emitted would be of greater value calling ducks, and deer will go to great lengths to avoid such unnatural noise. Bucks grunt very softly and sporadically, barely above a whisper, and while hammering out a loud series of quack-like grunts is sure to grab a buck's attention, you will never see him as he will be traveling away. Grunt softly two or three times, then try some rattling, and then grunt another time or two. Wait about fifteen minutes and then try this sequence again, and maybe, just maybe, the dominant buck in your area will come to investigate. Fawns bleat when they have become separated from their mothers or if they are hungry, and this call may bring a doe in, to help a fawn, with a rutting buck following her in. Does grunt, maternal grunts, when they are near their fawns to let the little ones know it is safe to come out of hiding. Deer only bawl, a scream-like sound, when they are in extreme distress, such as being attacked, and most deer take off in the opposite direction when they hear such desperate cries for help.
Not so many years ago, the use of scents and attractants were laughed at, and many hunters are still skeptical today. Scientists now claim that literally the entire whitetail deer world revolves around scents of one kind or another. The hunter, who understands scents and attractants, and how to use them, can fool even the smartest buck into making a mistake. The whitetail's world is dense cover, small openings and obscured vision, and never is the entire deer herd in an area together in one group. Deer have evolved, over the years, a unique method of scent communication, called "signposting", which is primarily used in the fall during rut. Bucks rub trees to visually show their presence, but they also create an olfactory signpost by rubbing secretions from the forehead gland, nose and saliva onto the rub. During pre-rut, bucks create breeding signposts, called scrapes, as a way of warning other bucks and greeting passing does. Hunters have recently had success by creating fake, or mock, rubs and scrapes as an attractant to passing bucks, as commercial scents improve and become more chemically accurate. You can create a mock rub by vigorously rubbing a sapling with a deer antler until the white inner bark shows, and then adding some "buck rub" lure. Put down a series of these rubs leading toward a bottom or low ridge, where you will then create mock scrapes. A mock rub line is used to lead a buck in the general direction of the mock scrapes, and to lend some authenticity to the typical appearance of a buck's rutting area, which consists of signature scrapes and territorial rubs. Find a low branch to be a licking branch and then scrape all forest debris from underneath it. Put "buck scrape" lure on the fresh earth, and "licking" lure on the branch above. Then put some "doe-in-heat" urine on each scrape, and pull a "drag line", consisting of a cloth saturated with the doe-in-heat scent, between the scrapes. Place four or five of these scrapes along a 200-yard line, with rubs in between, and then stand hunt in the area. If done correctly, any passing buck will immediately be attracted to the fresh rubs, and begin sniffing along the drag line from scrape to scrape, hoping to find the doe that left her estrus signposts. This has produced some positive results noted by hunters, but most of the bucks attracted were younger, hoping to find a stray doe. The dominant bucks either tended to ignore these mock scrapes and rubs, or in some instances they would make their own scrape right alongside the mock scrape. Most experienced hunters wear rubber boots when making mock rubs and scrapes, and avoid touching any of the rub or scrape area, and if you use a stick to make the mock scrape, carry it a ways away before discarding it.
Deer seem to disappear after the first few days of hunting, due to the pressure of many hunters in the woods. After this early part of the season, both the number of hunters and the number of deer harvested drastically decrease and the woods becomes quieter. The deer are seemingly nowhere to be found, and many hunters head home, or to the bars, to wait for next year. Hunting pressured deer is not impossible, and deer are still in the woods, and, in fact, skilled hunters can be quite successful. Pressure is nothing new to deer, as being a prey animal, they are always under pressure from predators as well as occasional pressure from hunger or hunters. The sudden appearance of hunters and sounds of shooting does affect how deer act, but not nearly as traumatically as one might think. Deer just go where hunters don't typically go, which is usually more rugged, thicker terrain. They change their daily patterns, and soon are quite content, with no hunters around again. The mature bucks become almost entirely nocturnal, and they only venture out of the most inaccessible cover they can find, under the cover of darkness, when their instincts tell them that there will be no hunters in the woods. The successful hunter, who hunts pressured deer, must go into these sanctuaries. Ground stands and treestands work well in dense cover, and a veteran still-hunter can be successful, but driving is probably the best technique for hunting pressured deer. One of the benefits of hunting pressured deer is that the woods are mostly empty of hunters, who have become discouraged by the lack of deer seen in open forest areas, or are unwilling or lack the knowledge to venture into the harder areas to hunt. All you have to do is to adjust your hunting area, much the same way as the deer adjusted their living area.