Two Weeks Later...Still No Mountain Buck

Okay, so here we are two weeks into the Pennsylvania archery season.  It's been eventful so far, no doubt.  I've been hunting near my camp in Potter County the past two weeks and had two opportunities at bucks.

I've been riding my mountain bike four miles back a gated trail to a grassy field.  Every evening deer have been coming out into this field.  Lots of deer.  It's common to see anywhere from 10 to 20 deer a night, including at least a couple bucks.

The first opportunity came last Saturday.  A nice 6-point.  Got him within 30 yards, perfectly broadside, and took the shot.  As I pulled the trigger, I noticed the deer move in the scope and I saw my arrow hit high.  Way too high, as in just a flesh wound.  Deer ran off.  In fact, that deer might still be running clear into the next county.

Second opportunity was at a decent 4-point (three on one side and a long spike on the other -- my goal, after all, is just to get a buck near camp; I'm not too worried about antler size this year).  Again, the buck slowly worked its way into range, 30 yards.  Perfectly broadside.  As I pulled the trigger, again I noticed movement in the scope, this time a lot more drastic.  The deer almost dropped to the ground as the arrow sailed cleanly over its back.  Not even a nick.  The buck ran about 100 yards, stopped in the field and looked around as if to say, "Did you hear that?  What just happened?"  And then the three does with him all spooked, and then he spooked, and they all ran off down over the hillside, all spooked.  Heartbreaking.

I wanted to get a mountain buck so bad this year.  For two weeks I hunted hard.  For two weeks I rode my bike way back these gated trails and found good spots and saw deer and had opportunities.  After all this, I realize that my crossbow is just way too loud.  The mountains, way back in the wilderness like that, are so quiet that when the crossbow goes off it must sound like a bomb exploding.

So now I'm looking for ways to quiet the crossbow.  Might be too little or too late, but I need to try something. 

I was hoping to have my buck tag filled early in archery season so I can dedicate the rest of my fall to trapping and raccoon hunting.  With trapping season only a week away, I feel torn between two passions. 

Well, I still have a week to go before I have to worry about it.  I've had my opportunities and I'm happy about that, yet at the same time I hate to give up on something without achieving the goal.  But if I keep pursuing mountain whitetails, I'll be bummed about missing out on trapping.  Quite a conundrum, methinks.  Looks like I'll have to head back to camp for one more week to try and get this problem sorted out.

Grandma's Camp Chili

With deer season almost here in Pennsylvania, I thought I'd offer this chili recipe. 

Recipe: Grandma’s Camp Chili

 Ingredients –

2 Pounds Venison Ground Meat
1 Large Onion (Chopped)
1 Large Green Pepper (Chopped)
2 Stalks of Celery (Chopped)
1 Large (2lb) Can of Kidney Beans
1 Large Can Crushed Tomatoes
1oz Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper

Instructions –

Brown 2 pounds of venison ground meat in a skillet or large pot.  Salt and pepper meat as needed and add garlic powder to taste.  Add crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, celery, onion, and green pepper.  Add Chili powder until desired “hotness” is reached.  Cook 1 ½ to 2 hours until vegetables and kidney beans are tender.  Serve hot.  Feeds 4 hungry hunters.

Note: Recently my friend Stacey had me over for dinner and made chili.  She added a scoop of sour cream and some Frito's corn chips on top and it was excellent! 

Charlie Alsheimer Interview

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm working on a project called Rut Summit.  Rut Summit is a teleseminar series featuring interviews with experts in the whitetail hunting industry. 

Two years ago, the first edition of Rut Summit featured an interview with outdoor writer and photographer Charlie Alsheimer.  The following is an excerpt from that interview.  If you want to listen to the full audio version of the interview, visit www.RutSummit.com.  It should be available as a FREE download for the next week or so.

Every Wednesday and Friday in October we'll be releasing new interviews for the second edition of Rut Summit.  Until then, hope you enjoy this brief excerpt:

Scrapes, Rubs, and the Stages of the Rut: A Conversation with Charles Alsheimer

By Ralph Scherder

 

Open almost any major outdoor magazine from the past twenty years and you’re sure to see the photography and writing of Charles Alsheimer.  Today, Charlie is one of the most widely recognized members of the outdoor media and is considered a leading authority on whitetail deer.  Recently I had a chance to talk to Charlie about scrapes, rubs, and how they indicate the stages of the rut.

Ralph: Why do bucks makes rubs and scrapes?

Charlie: It’s territorial, it’s all about dominance.  It’s like a dog and a fire hydrant.  We see the visual aspect, the tree all torn up, but what the deer is doing is leaving behind a lot of his own odor.  He’s leaving scent from his forehead gland, scent from his pre-orbital gland, and also from his nasal gland.

Like rubs, scrapes are visual and bucks lay down a lot of scent.  They serve as primers for does that come into estrous, too.  Scrapes also let other bucks in the area know that there’s going to be competition that fall.

Ralph:  What can you learn from rubs and scrapes?  Does how they’re facing indicate travel direction, time of day, etc?

Charlie:  First of all, I find that most scrapes along field edges are made at night, simply because it’s rare to see a big buck standing in the middle of a field in the daytime.  The scrapes that really energize me are the ones I find in transition zones between bedding and feeding areas. 

To determine whether a rub or scrape was made in the morning or evening, figure out where the bedding and feeding areas are on your property.  If the rub is made on the side of the tree facing the bedding area, then it’s a safe bet that rub was made in the afternoon when the buck was heading for food.  If it’s made on the side of the tree facing the feeding area, safe bet that it was made as the buck moved from the feeding area toward the bedding area, probably in the morning.  For scrapes, study the direction the tracks are facing and you’ll get an idea of where the buck was heading when he made the scrape.

Ralph:  In your book Strategies for Whitetails you mention that there are three types of scrapes: boundary, random, and primary.  Can you explain?

Charlie: Boundary scrapes are made around a boundary of a field, could be made on a farm road.  They’re primarily in the open and usually made at night.  A random scrape is exactly that.  Random.  If a branch happens to be hanging in the rights spot at the right time where that deer’s walking, he’s normally going to stop and make a scrape.  Sometimes you find these scrapes where there are hardly any trails and wonder about its significance.  Well, there isn’t any.  The deer just happened to be walking through the woods and made a random scrape there.

Primary scrapes are the ones you want to hunt over.  They’re found along well-used trails in the woods.  Both bucks and does use primary scrapes.  Both bucks and does work the licking branches.  Bucks urinate in those scrapes and they serve as interstate highways for whitetails.

Ralph: What would you rather hunt over, a rub line or scrape line?

Charlie:  Well, they kind of go hand in glove.  Probably 60 to 70% of the deer I’ve killed in my career have been over scrapes.  I know there’s a lot of print given to scrape hunting each year, and more than half of the writers basically say you’re wasting your time hunting a scrape line.  Well, that’s okay, they can say that.  But I kill deer every single year over scrape lines.

Ralph: Whenever you’re preparing to hunt these scrapes, what’s your ideal setup?

Charlie: When I think about hunting an area, it doesn’t matter whether I’m going to Saskatchewan or hunting right here on my farm, number one thing I do is locate the bedding area.  Number two is knowing where the feeding area is.   Those are the most important.

After that, I figure out which way the prevailing wind is blowing.  Once you know the wind pattern, you can hang your stand accordingly so that no deer is going to smell you.  I hang my stands in transition zones between bedding and feeding areas, or travel corridors.    I make those areas more appealing by adding mock scrapes.

The next thing I do is I make sure to exit and enter the stand in a way that doesn’t cut the trail that those animals will be walking on.  And then I take a yard rake and rake all the debris off the trail that I’m going to walk to and from the stand.  So, when I walk into that stand, it’s dead silence.  No branches breaking, no leaves rustling.

Ralph:  Are these tactics you use all season long, or do they change when the rut comes?

Charlie:  Hunting transition zones will work throughout the entire season because everything hinges on bedding and feeding areas.  Deer use those areas throughout all stages of the rut.  They’ll even use them during the post-rut if the food source is still there.

Ralph:  Are there any distinguishing factors a hunter can look for to determine the stage of the rut?

Charlie:  There are.  When you start talking about the seeking and chasing phase and the breeding phase, I’ll tell you that it’s pretty much boilerplate stuff once you know deer behavior.  As you come out of October, you’ll find bucks really starting to walk.  They’re on a march, if you will.  From that point until about mid-November, you’re going to see bucks chasing does.  At this time, rubbing and scraping activity is peaking.  New rubs and scrapes can appear daily.

You’ll know the breeding phase of the rut has kicked in when scraping and rubbing activity drops off.  Bucks become locked on does for up to 72 hours, breeding her multiple times during that period.  Sometimes she may not go more than 50 yards in a day.  If she doesn’t move, he doesn’t move.  Find the does and you will find the bucks.  Also, during this time, scrapes will go cold.  That’s one tip I can give hunters that they can take to the bank.

_____

To learn more about Charlie Alsheimer and his whitetail research and hunting strategies, visit him online at www.charlesalsheimer.com.

Tips for Estimating Range

Here's a tip that was originally published awhile back on www.TrophyBuckSecrets.com.  Hope you like it:

Estimating range is one of the hardest things to master.  More misses and poor shots occur because the hunter misjudged the distance than for any other reason.  As with shooting, estimating range is a skill that can be acquired through lots of practice.

When hanging a tree stand, the first thing that should be done is to climb into the stand to test it out and check out the view.  With a range finder, locate several markers at various yardages in each direction.  Bases of noticeable trees, rocks, fallen logs, bushes – anything that stands out that’s easily identifiable and easy to remember once hunting season arrives.

Even before heading afield, though, you can practice judging distances from the comfort of your own home.  Simply step outside, pick out an object in the yard or down the street and guess the distance.  Next hit it with the range finder to see how close your estimations were.  Do this repeatedly every day and your skills will sharpen.

To become truly efficient at judging range, practice both in the woods as well as in open fields.  In open spaces, with no other objects nearby to give the subject proportion, it can be difficult to guess accurately.  But with lots of practice, your open field skills will also improve.  If you practice often enough, your yardage estimations will no longer be just guesses.  You’ll know.   And knowing can mean the difference between a killing shot and a miss.

More Canada Fishing Pics

Here are a few more pics from the Canada musky fishing trip.  Saw some interesting things.  Hope you like them.

First picture is of a 30" northern pike caught on the first day of the trip.  The amazing thing is how skinny this fish is -- but there was still enough meat there for a good fish fry that night.

On the third day of the trip I caught this 19" smallmouth.  I like how Canadian bass have real dark backs and distinct bars.  They're beautiful fish.

There are always good luck "signs" to look for when musky fishing, one of which is finding a turtle basking on a log.  When you see these turtles, it's almost a guarantee that a musky will bite...almost.

On the last evening we floated up next to this beaver chewing on some green leaves.

And last but not least, here's a picture of me releasing the 43" musky I caught the last evening right before leaving.

Musky Fishing in Canada!

Well, just got home a couple hours ago from a musky fishing trip with my dad in Canada.  We have a river we always fish and it's a honey hole.  Caught two nice fish in only four days.  Dad's fish measured 46".  Beautiful fish, long and sleek.  Mine measured 43" but was a true fatty.

Seems like everything I do in the outdoors involves some sort of drama, and this was no different.  With time running out on our last day, light fading fast -- and we still had to pack out all of our gear (we were fishing a lake way back in the bush) -- we decided to hit one more spot before calling it a trip.  That spot was home to a monster musky around the 51-52-inch range.  He'd chased in my surface lure only two days earlier but hadn't hit.

With my dad as my guide operating the boat and getting me into position, I started casting toward the lily pads.  I just had a feeling something was going to go down.

About the fourth cast, this fish attacked my lure (same surface lure I'd been using off and on all trip), but the fish somehow missed it.  I cast again and he came shooting out from the lily pads, tailing the lure, creating a big wake as he closed the gap and overtook it.  Everything was in slow motion then...his head coming out of the water shaking the lure...the powerful deep runs...and at last to the boat for a photo. 

Didn't get the 50-inch wallhanger, but really any musky is a trophy.  They're the king of all freshwater fish, after all.  You work so hard and put in so much time to catch the buggers...and it feels so good when you're successful!  Nothing like a big fish to get your knees knockin'. 

The whole situation leading up to this fish was drama filled.  My dad and I kept joking that I was headed for "a showdown in the streets" with a big fish.  Or, to use a different metaphor, he was putting me in to hit in the bottom of the 9th inning against the best closer in baseball.

No matter what phrase you use to describe it, only one word seems completely accurate when it comes to landing a nice fish in the last minutes of a trip with your dad...awesome!

Whitetails and Canine Teeth

Here's a story I wrote for the April 2010 issue of Ohio Valley Times.  Since writing this story, I've discovered canine teeth on at least two more bucks.  Maybe they're more common than we think.

 

 

 

Whitetails and Canine Teeth

By Ralph Scherder

 

            Whitetailed deer have 32 teeth – 8 incisors, 12 premolars, and 12 molars.  Typically.

Recently I was cleaning and bleaching a deer skull and noticed something unusual.  Protruding from the top part of the skull were two canine teeth, one on each side.  Both of them were less than an inch in length.  And unlike the other teeth in the skull, which were sharp, both canine teeth were dull and rounded in appearance.

The first time I noticed upper canine teeth on a deer was from a buck killed in Iowa in 2001.  That particular deer was aged at 7 ½ years old.  At first I thought its age might have played a factor in the development of such teeth.  Since then, however, I’ve discovered upper canine teeth on much younger bucks, and even yearlings – approximately a dozen examples in the past 10 years.  Internet research supports my thinking that upper canine teeth in whitetails are merely genetic oddities.  (Note:  It’s important to keep in mind that lower canine teeth are normal in all whitetails.) 

The whitetailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) is a product of the Pleiocene epoch, which occurred roughly 2.6 to 5.2 million years ago.  Whitetails as we know them today arrived on the scene approximately 3.5 million years ago, and they are a species that has remained relatively unchanged since.  However, the ancestors of other members of the deer family could indicate why such phenomena as upper canine teeth occasionally appear in whitetails.  Elk, for instance, are the most common deer in North America to have upper canine teeth, often referred to as “the ivories” by hunters. 

There’s little doubt that upper canine teeth in whitetails are a periodic reminder of the species’ ancestral origins, which dates back tens of millions of years ago to deer in Asia (probably the same ancestors as that of the Muntjac, a species that also has prominent upper canine teeth found in males only).

How often these reminders occur in today’s whitetails is up for debate.  In the Winter 2002 issue of the Quality Deer Management Association’s magazine, executive director Brian Murphy explained that “the exact prevalence of upper canines in whitetails is not known, [but] it is believed to be well below 1 percent.” (qdma.com)  Oddly enough, upper canine teeth seem to gain in prevalence in the southern part of the whitetail’s range.

Another factor to keep in mind as to the rarity of upper canine teeth in whitetails is this:  only in the past 10 to 15 years have hunters become conscious of deer management by saving jawbones for aging, etc.  Before then, a higher percentage of hunters simply cut the antlers off of buck and discarded the rest of the skull without a second thought.  Because some upper canine teeth are so small that they barely break through the gum line on many deer, it’s possible that they went unnoticed.

Considering this, it’s easy to see that the occurrence of upper canine teeth is even less documented in does than it is in bucks.  After all, how often do hunters actually look at the teeth of antlerless deer they’ve harvested?

In fact, an article written by Gordon Whittington on NorthAmericanWhitetail.com states that “when the right buck and doe mate, the trait (upper canine teeth) can show up in their offspring.  At least, it can in the male progeny.”  It was reported that does never grow upper canines but possess the potential to pass the trait along to future generations.

Perhaps the main reason for this belief is due to the reasons stated above.  Whoever thought to look?  Also, given that upper canine teeth appear in only the males of Muntjacs, it seemed likely that they might also appear in only whitetail bucks.

However, my friend Bethe recently sent me a photo of a doe she harvested on the last day of Pennsylvania’s rifle season two years ago.  Upon cleaning the skull, she discovered that it also had upper canine teeth.  A rare find, indeed.  And she might not have even found them if she hadn’t decided to clean the skull as a gift to a young hunter she was mentoring at the time.

While it’s still unknown exactly how often upper canines appear in does as compared to bucks, it’s possible that it’s more often than previously thought.  It’s likely that they occur just as frequently.  The only way we may ever know is if hunters begin examining does that are harvested as diligently as they examine bucks. 

 What does the presence of upper canines in whitetails mean?  Not much in terms of the overall health of the population.  They’re just another oddity found in an amazing species that never fails to entertain.

It's A Long Season

Archery season is right around the corner here in Pennsylvania. I'm excited about the opener and all the possibilities the new season has to offer.

Mostly, though, I'm trying to keep in perspective the fact that it's a long season. I don't want to get burned out too early. Need to save some energy in the tank for prime time in November.

Last night I had a hard time sleeping, so I got up and turned on a few hunting shows.  Michael Hanback's Big Deer TV was on.  I really enjoyed it.  He made a 7-yard shot on a nice Canadian whitetail.  Prior to the kill, though, he said something that I totally agree with.  He said that the mental aspects of deer hunting are what make it challenging.

So true!

Deer hunting is not a physically demanding sport.  If you hunt a lot, though, it definitely tests your capacity for patience, endurance, and ability to stay focused.  When the weather's miserable, you're freezing your tail off, and you're not seeing deer, it's easier to give up and retreat to a warm kitchen and a steaming cup of coffee.  I've never killed a deer from my kitchen table, though. 

Perhaps my greatest hunting moment came during the 2010 West Virginia muzzleloader season.  I'd hunted archery and rifle and was still looking for a particular drop-tine buck (the tine actually jutted out at an odd angle from the base of its left antler).  I had pictures of him on trail camera but had never actually seen him...until the next to last day of muzzleloader season.  In the higher elevations around Cheat Mountain, with two feet of snow already on the ground and more snow falling at the rate of an inch an hour, I grunted and that drop-tine buck came barreling in.

It would've been so easy to give up and call it a year and shoot a buck much earlier in the season simply to fill my last tag.  But then I'd never have experienced the joy or sense of accomplishment I felt when I finally walked up to that buck and traced my fingers along its smooth antlers -- with the temperature hovering around zero degrees F and the snow continuing to fall.

Setting Goals

Two years ago I bought a camp in northcentral PA, Potter County. Last fall I hunted there only two days and saw two legal bucks and about ten does. Didn't get a shot at anything, but I hope to change that this year. I'm taking off work the first two weeks of archery season...and if I don't get a nice one in that time, I'll have to find a way to get up there during the rut.

Every year I try to set a goal to accomplish during the hunting season. This year my goal is kill a mountain buck.

What's your goal for this season? I'd like to hear your comments.

What Makes A Trophy A Trophy?

It's easy to get caught up in the antler craze. It's easy to handle a nice set of antlers and ask the hunter who killed the deer, "What does this buck score?"

In reality, what a rack scores has little to do with whether or not it's a trophy. A trophy should be judged individually on its own merit.

One of the places I hunt -- the state forest of northcentral Pennsylvania, where deer herds are sparse and hunting pressure is heavy -- a trophy buck could simply mean a legal buck. In that particular management unit, a buck must have at least three points on a side to be legal. And when you think of big bucks, the mountains of Pennsylvania aren't the first to jump into mind. Big bucks are more synonymous with farm country where the primary foods are corn and soybean, not mountain country where the mainstay is browse.

Of course, there are many other factors that determine a trophy. What it all comes down to, I guess, is what the deer means to you. Hunting is a sport where effort usually equals reward. If you hunt hard and put in the time and effort to harvest a deer, don't let anyone tell you that you should've let the deer walk because it didn't score at least 150 inches or wasn't at least 5 years old.

I started bowhunting when I was 15. I hunted almost every day after school for the entire season. Eventually I killed an antlerless deer, but I really wanted a buck. I didn't get one in archery season. But I got one in rifle season. A spike. I'd logged a ton of hours in a tree stand by then, had many encounters with deer and had many frustrating moments that taught me valuable lessons about myself and what the outdoors means to me.

I still have those spike antlers. Every time I see those antlers I'm reminded of that first season learning to bow hunt. I've killed a lot of nice bucks with bow, rifle, and muzzleloader since then, but still those six-inch spikes hold a special place in my heart.

- Ralph Scherder

Interview with Bill Winke

Just got off the phone with Bill Winke of www.MidwestWhitetail.com.  Bill was my guest on the latest installment of Rut Summit, which will be available soon through www.TrophyBuckSecrets.com.

When we think of celebrities, a whole host of images and descriptions come to mind, one of which (for me, anyway) is the word "inaccessable."  In the outdoor industry, though, it seems to not be the case.  The past few years I've had the opportunity to talk to some of the biggest names in the industry, guys you see on TV or whose work you read in magazines, and I'm always surprised by how down to earth they are and, in most cases, how easy they are to contact.  Makes you realize they're more than just celebrities, they're hunters.  And that common bond helps you connect with them in surprising ways.

Bill Winke is one of those people.  For the past hour or so I had the opportunity to talk to a guy whose work I grew up reading and emulating.  He's a fine writer and photographer.  His television shows are entertaining and educational.  When talking to him on the phone, he comes across just as genuine and sincere as if you were sitting across from each other at the diner over coffee.

I know subscribers to Rut Summit will enjoy hearing how Bill came to make his living in the outdoor industry.  I know they'll enjoy hearing his insights into hunting whitetails.  I sure did.


- Ralph Scherder

Rut Summit...Part Two

In coordination with Dave Barrett (founder of www.TrophyBuckSecrets.com), I'm working on a new, updated version of Rut Summit.  Rut Summit is a teleseminar series featuring interviews with some of today's top whitetail experts.

The first time we did Rut Summit, we had a tremendous guest list that included:

- Charlie Alsheimer, field editor of Deer & Deer Hunting
- Dan Schmidt, editor of Deer & Deer Hunting
- Alan Probst, host of All Outdoors TV on Sportsman Channel
- Todd Prignitz, host of White Knuckle Productions
- Barry Wensel, Brothers of the Bow
- Ken Hammel, owner of Mountain Hollow Game Calls

The stories and hunting tips these guys shared was remarkable.  Every time I listen to those interviews I pick up new information that I didn't catch before. 

To get a taste of what Rut Summit is all about, you can listen to the Charlie Alsheimer interview from the first edition for FREE by clicking here:  www.rutsummit.com.

There are no strings attached.  You can listen to the Charlie Alsheimer interview 100% free of charge.  It's a great interview, too, in my humble opinion.  Charlie is no doubt one of the top whitetail experts and photographers of our generation.  His research on moon phases and whitetail movement is legendary.  This is your chance to hear his advice on hunting the various stages of the rut.

This new edition of Rut Summit promises to be even better.  One by one we're assembling a list of guests that includes more of today's best hunters and experts in the whitetail industry.  Our goal is to delve deeper into the magic and mystique of the rut to help you decode whitetail behavior and be more successful in the deer woods this fall.

Once a final guest list has been established, I'll be sure to post info here about how you can access Rut Summit Part Two.


- Ralph Scherder

a new season

I've heard it said that the excitement is in the anticipation of an event, not necessarily in the event itself. 

While it's true that dreaming can be fun, few things can match the arrival of opening day of early archery season.  That first morning in a treestand or ground blind, waiting patiently as the quiet night slowly gives way to morning -- a few bird chirps, chipmunks, the heavy pouncing of squirrels chasing each other through the leaves.  And just like that, a new season has begun.

Here we are, middle of August, five weeks short of opening day here in Pennsylvania.  After a long, hot, dry summer, I never would've guessed hunting season was so close if not for last night.  Before going to bed, I opened my bedroom window and welcomed the cool night air and the sounds of all those insects out there in the dark.  It was a different kind of cool than previous nights.  This one hinted of fall, of camouflage and bows, and of deer camp and whitetails.

I'm ready.  Are you?

To get the hunting juices flowing a little bit, check out my For the Record column in the September/October 2012 issue of Ohio Valley Outdoors.  The story is about how Joe Podnar of Cheswick, PA, killed a 144-inch bruiser buck near his family's farm in Crawford County.  If that doesn't get you excited about the upcoming season, I don't know what will.


- Ralph Scherder