With only a little over a month until the opener of archery whitetail deer season, many of us are wondering about things such as antler development, deer numbers and buck-doe ratio on the property we hunt.
Bucks are just beginning to rub the velvet from their antlers and in a matter of days or weeks, many of them will be in what we hunters refer to as ‘hard horn. We will get our first good look at the bucks we plan to hunt this upcoming season. Oh, it’s possible to get a good idea of the size of antlers when the bucks are in velvet, but a look at those unsheathed antlers really tell the tale.
This past week, I joined Larry Weishuhn and several good friends on the Cotton Ranch where Larry and I have hunted the past three years. We’ve both become great friends with Edgar Cotton and his son, David. It was time for Larry to conduct his last spotlight deer survey of the years.
I’ve been present since the first survey and my job is pretty easy, just riding along using a strong spotlight to penetrate the brush and scan the fields on the left side of the side by side. Larry covers the right side of the vehicle and keeps record as we ride along a pre determined route to determine the number of bucks and doe we encounter. If it’s impossible to determine the sex, the animal is recorded as an ‘incidental sighting’. After several such surveys, a pretty good idea of the herd density and sex ratio is established.
The Cotton ranch, like many ranches in Texas, is on a managed lands program. Once the data is turned in to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, a decision is made as to how many bucks and does are to be harvested. Having conducted hundreds, probably thousands of these surveys, Larry has a good idea of the harvest rate and he makes his suggestions to TPWD but it is ultimately up to the state to make the final decision.
Before the opening of season, permits are issued for both sexes and hunting with any legal means begins with the opener of archery season and runs through the end of February.
After hunting this particular ranch for the past few years and conducting yearly surveys, Larry informed us there was a surplus of mature bucks as well as doe that need to be harvested this season. The Cotton’s supplement the native food with corn and protein feeders as well as cottonseed and several large food plots.
I enjoy hunting one of the plots that is planted in purple top turnips and receive some pretty heavy kidding about the trash bag I carry in my hunting pack. After the hunt, I often hurriedly fill the bag with turnips and greens. A man can’t live on venison alone, I tell them!
I asked Larry to give some tips for hunters that might help them learn more about the deer herd on the property they hunt. He said that one of the most beneficial things is to keep a record of deer sighted throughout the year on the property.
“Carry a notepad or use a 'notes' app your phone to record every deer you encounter," tips Weishuhn. "It’s a good idea to mention the general area of the sighting as well. Make sure when possible to identify each as buck, doe or fawn. Throughout the course of the year, this alone will give you a very good idea of the overall number of deer as well as the buck/doe ratio.”
Trail cameras are also very helpful but this time of year, before the onset of the rut, bucks in their bachelor herds will likely be dominating the feeders. You might begin to wonder where the doe are but keep in mind the only time doe are interested in being around bucks is during the breeding season and even then for only a short time.
Drones, and especially thermal drones, can also be very helpful with deer surveys. It’s a good idea to make sure and check with the game warden in your area before putting a drone up just to make sure everything is legal; the use of drones has some rather complicated regulations and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Very soon, we will begin seeing what I refer to as ‘velvet rubs’ -- small saplings where bucks rub their antlers to remove velvet. While these rubs are generally at random spots they won’t be of much help in patterning bucks when the rut begins. At that time, bucks will be ‘fighting’ trees to build up their neck muscles for battling other bucks over breeding rights to receptive doe when the rut begins.
A week or two before the opener of archery season, I like to spend a bit of time on stand with my camera. This is a great way to scout and gives me a good opportunity to observe deer movement and hopefully shoot a few photos, nothing fires the other hunters up like the image of a big buck captured just before opening day.
I did a little ‘cyphering’ and calculated this will be my 63rd opening day of deer season, less a season or two I missed while on active duty. I’m as fired up as I was way back there in Red River County at the tender age of 12 armed with a Mossberg .410 bolt action shotgun loaded with rifled slugs. At that age I couldn’t dream of the places I get to hunt as an old man. I am very fortunate to have some great friends that allow me to spend my “golden years” in the deer woods hunting with them.
Long gone are the days when I am concerned with what a buck might score in inches of antler. These days, I am interested in shooting mature bucks and I absolutely love taking those big ole’ fork horns or six pointers that have reached or passed their prime.
With the opener of dove season at hand, I’m hoping to shoot a few dove. A midday dove breast grilling under a shade tree is a Texas tradition I don’t plan to miss. I will have bacon, jalapenos and cream cheese in the cooler and possibly a few leftover venison steaks - just in case the dove harvest is less than stellar.
Sumac is just beginning to turn into its brilliant shades or red and orange, squirrels are cutting hickory nuts and muscadine grapes are dropping from the tree. The woods are beginning to take on that musty smell, a foretaste of fall. Here’s hoping you a happy opener of hunting season!
Email outdoors writer Luke Clayton through his website www.catfishradio.org
