Mid-South

midsouthsticky

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:47:21 -0400

It’s the region that made Odocoileus virginianus famous: Classic woodland habitat with a perfect mix of ag fields and bottomland. Rut Reporter Will Brantley of Murray, Kentucky, knows the region well. He spends 40 to 50 days each season in the Mid-South whitetail woods. Brantley shot his first deer at age 10 with a sidelock muzzleloader. States covered: KY, TN, WV, VA, NC

Brantley: How to End Your Deer Season

Online Editors — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:12:40 -0500

Rut Reporter Will Brantley of Murray, Kentucky, knows the region well. He spends 40 to 50 days each season in the Mid-South whitetail woods. Brantley shot his first deer at age 10 with a sidelock muzzleloader. States covered: KY, TN, WV, VA, NC.

My buddy Mike Pendley, who hunts in northern Kentucky, had one of the best seasons of his life—and he’s only carried a bow or gun himself a handful of times. He dedicates most of the year to make sure that his kids and his wife, Cheryl, have had their chances at a deer. This season was off to a great start when his son bagged his first buck in early October.

In the previous week, during Kentucky’s late muzzleloader season, Cheryl and her daughter Michaela spent some time hunting a ground blind over a food plot. Mike says reports on buck activity in his area have been mixed for a few weeks now. “One buddy who hunts a nearby farm said he saw an 8-pointer dogging a doe in an open field the other day,” he says. “But there’s a lot of hunting pressure here, and the only deer movement we’re seeing is right at dark. Most of my trail camera pictures have been at night, and most of the bucks seem to be grouped back up. Food is the key. They’re hitting corn feeders and food plots pretty hard. I had been getting pictures of one big 10-pointer on a pretty regular basis, too.”

Just before dark on Monday, Cheryl and Michaela watched as a 5-pointer stepped into the food plot, followed by another buck. The second deer was about ear-tip wide, and Mike says he’s been with the big 10-pointer in almost every trail camera photo. Sure enough, the 10-pointer stepped into the field moments later. Cheryl took aim and squeezed the trigger. But rather than a boom, she heard a click. She worked the bolt and again pulled the trigger. Click.

“It was just a bad cap,” Mike says, “but because she’d pulled the trigger twice, it was stuck, and she didn’t have a pocket knife or anything to pry it loose. The bucks fed around for a bit and then eased out of the field. When they got home, I pried the cap loose with my knife, put another one on, and the gun fired without a problem.”

Cheryl sat at that blind almost every evening for the rest of the week-long season without seeing a deer—much less the big buck. She and Mike went hunting Sunday afternoon, on the last day of season, and with 20 minutes before the end of shooting light, the ear-tip-wide buck, the one that had been hanging with the big 10-pointer, stepped into the field.

“We kept watching for the big one, but he didn’t step out,” Mike says. “Cheryl had just a few minutes to shoot, and I told her that it looked like she could shoot the smaller buck—or no buck at all this year. She sat there, quietly, and I knew she was thinking. With five minutes of legal light left, I heard her thumb the hammer back on the gun. She pulled the trigger, and the buck made it 40 yards before piling up. It wasn’t the big one she was after, but it was a nice deer, and a great way to end the season.”

When I called Mike to ask him a few questions for this post, he was preparing a backstrap from the buck for supper that evening. That—and Cheryl’s smile in the photo—is what a good deer season is all about.

Brantley: Lessons from the 2011 Deer Season

Sarah Smith — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:55:19 -0500

With only a few weeks of deer season left in most of the Mid-South, it’s a good time to look back on this year’s hunting and take a few notes. Late last summer, I read and listened to several experts who predicted, given cold weather, that we’d have one of the best ruts in a long time, mainly because of the full moon on the 10th of November. Unfortunately, it was warm, windy, and raining for most of that month, and many hunters reported slower activity this year than last. Count me among them.

Among a few other personal notes….

This year’s rut was later than last. Chris Ryan, who works for the West Virginia DNR, predicted that right out of the gate, as reported in one of my October posts. Last year’s record mast crop had the does fat and extremely healthy—and Ryan says that triggered an earlier rut. This year wasn’t a mast failure, but it was way down from last year. Where I was seeing bucks dogging does with abandon on Halloween of 2010, I didn’t see comparable activity until a week or so later this year.

When acorns did fall, deer were on them. Typically, my slowest hunting of the season, even though I’m mainly targeting does at the time, is early to mid-October. It was slow this year, too, but better than in years past. The mast crop was spotty, and that concentrated deer around the few trees that were dropping. Even black oaks—normally ignored in a good mast year—were hit hard this season.

Focus on saddles. One big weakness I have as a deer hunter is I like to see lots of deer—and sometimes I can’t make myself back off the field edges. But this year, I pulled back into the saddles and pinch points off the fields. I didn’t see as many deer—but I killed more of them, including my buck, shown here, and a fat doe on public land.

Even though I already mentioned the rut seemed later overall this season, some of the best chases we watched all season were after Thanksgiving—typically well into the post-rut in western Kentucky. My father-in-law shot a nice 8-pointer the Friday of that long turkey day weekend, and Michelle and I saw our biggest buck of the year chasing a doe in broad daylight the first weekend of December. Next year, I’ll take the late rut a little more seriously than I have in years past.

Brantley: Success in the Late Rut

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:55:35 -0500

Alabama hunter Eddie Fields ventured out of state a week ago and had a front-row seat to some great rut action in southwest Tennessee. “This is my third year hunting over there, and the deer were rutting pretty hard,” he says. “The first afternoon was hot—I sat in a shooting house wearing nothing more than a pair of blue jeans and a light jacket. But it was in a great spot. I had 400 yards of standing corn on my right, and big green fields on my left.”

Late that evening, Eddie watched as a doe stepped into the green field with a small 6-pointer following behind her. “I was watching those deer and happened to glance in the other direction. That’s when I saw this huge buck loping across the green field. I’m sure he’d been chasing a doe, but she’d already come through, and I never saw her. He was just about to make it into a thick CRP field, so I threw my gun up and hollered at him, trying to get him to stop.”

The buck was on a mission, though, and never checked up. Eddie followed him through the crosshairs and squeezed the trigger just before the buck disappeared into the CRP. He climbed out of the shooting house, found a little blood in the green field, and called his buddy, Mike, who owns the ground where he was hunting. After a short search, they found the buck piled up in the CRP, not far from where he’d disappeared. Eddie’s shot had hit him through both shoulders.

“After that day, it turned cold, and bucks were chasing does everywhere the next few days,” Eddie says. “There was one morning that I swear I saw 20 little bucks out cruising and chasing.”

Southwest Tennessee’s rut typically peaks around the first of December—several weeks later than the rest of the Mid-South region. Although my Tennessee contacts tell me things are slowing down now, Eddie Fields was hunting there right on time.

Brantley: A Late-Chasing Monster Buck

Sarah Smith — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:24:58 -0500

Michelle and I were driving home Sunday after hunting fall turkeys all weekend. It was chilly, raining and nearing lunch time. We were in farm country, and the wide-open fields around us were bright green with their winter wheat cover crop.

I saw the doe run across the road 70 yards from the truck, and assuming there’d be more does behind her, I hit my brakes. The monster buck that appeared--mouth hanging open and oblivious to our vehicle, the road, the little buck behind him, or much of anything else outside of the doe’s rear-end--definitely caught me by surprise. He was a solid 150-inch 10-pointer--maybe even a little bigger--and definitely the biggest buck I’ve seen in person all season.

I scrambled for the pocket-sized flip-camera I’d stashed in my turkey vest and managed to get 30 seconds of shaky footage as the two bucks dogged the doe in the wheat field 150 yards from the road. I wish the footage was better, because it was a really cool thing to see.

I’ve been reporting for two weeks now that the rut is largely over in the Mid-South, but that there’s always the real possibility of a late-estrous doe to shake things up. This sighting proved that beyond any shadow of a doubt.

A Worthy End For a Nearly 10-Year-Old, 190-Inch Iowa Buck

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:43:52 -0500

On Nov. 1, Iowa bowhunter Barry Wensel shot a giant whitetail. The 6X7 buck was 9-1/2 years old, gross-scored 190-1/8” and field dressed 248 pounds. But this was no lightning strike; Wensel knew the buck well and had enjoyed numerous encounters over the last three seasons. Here is Barry’s story of a buck he called “Hurley.”

Brantley: Post Rut Is Here, but Good Hunting on Tap

Sarah Smith — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:05:21 -0500

Overall Activity Status: All my contacts reported slow rut activity, but decent deer movement the past couple days. The long Indian Summer finally broke and gave way to cold nights and mild afternoons—classic weather for this time of year in this area.

“Deer have been moving, but by far most of the movement I’m seeing is in the mid-morning,” says Jimbo Robinson, one of my contacts in southwest Tennessee. “Honestly, I’d tell someone to sleep in and climb in the stand around 9:00 a.m. if they were hunting right now. Virtually every deer I’ve seen the past few days has been between 10:00 and 2:00.”

Fighting: No reports of fighting from me or any contacts this week.

Rub making: Rub making is holding steady. Jerimiah Waddell, my North Carolina contact, was still-hunting yesterday and noticed several fresh rubs in his neck of the woods.

Scrape making: Spotty. “You can tell some scrapes are still being checked, but many others have been full of leaves for weeks now,” Robinson says of the Tennessee woods. Chris Ryan with the West Virginia DNR had a similar report: “Scraping activity is very sporadic now. I’ve had cameras set up over scrapes, and though they are being hit every four or five days, the activity is infrequent,” he said.

Chasing: Even in southwest Tennessee, which is typically the latest peak-rut area in the region, things are slowing down. “I’m still seeing a few little bucks cruising, and occasionally you see a buck with a doe, but it has slowed down a lot in the past week or so,” Robinson says. In general, that’s the report across the region. Chasing has been slow here in Kentucky for a while. In West Virginia, Chris Ryan says the bucks are beginning to focus much more on the food.

Daytime movement: Daylight movement has been slow here in western Kentucky, but that happens every year just after gun season. Things will pick up before long, though, especially as colder weather sets in. I expect activity to increase around cut corn and remaining standing beans, especially, but winter wheat fields are also good late in the season. Baiting is legal in Kentucky, and many of the most successful late-season hunters I know see a lot of deer over corn piles in December.

“Does have really been on the move lately, and a lot of them have herded back up,” says Jerimiah Waddell in North Carolina. “They’re really hitting the fields—beans, cut corn, food plots—stuff like that.”

Estrous signs: No doubt there are a few does, young animals especially, that haven’t been bred yet, but for the most part, the breeding has come and gone.

X Factor: With gun seasons winding down across the region, there seems to be a general mood of “deer season’s over.” Thing is, it’s not. In Kentucky, a month and a half of bowhunting and muzzleloader hunting remains, and though I’ve never been much of a late-season hunter myself, I know folks who prefer this time of the year over the entire rest of the season.

As the temperatures plummet and food sources dwindle, deer become much more predictable—in fact, other than the cold and lack of foliage, the hunting can be a lot like early season hunting. And, a few does always come into estrus later in the season. Call it the second rut if you like.

Brandon Gavrock a game warden and buddy of mine in Central Tennessee, says that although the chasing has indeed slowed a great deal, he’s seen some big deer that have been shot in the past few days. “It always seems like there’s a period of time after the real peak of the rut that, although you might not see as many deer, the bigger bucks get on their feet, especially once it gets cold,” Gavrock says. “Right now, with this recent cold snap, the does are hitting the bean fields and corn fields, and a few big bucks are still cruising around and checking them out.”

Long and short, if you still have a deer tag, deer season’s not over. It’s just changing. Prepare for the weather and get out there.

Brantley: Bucks Still on the Chase

Sarah Smith — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:17:16 -0500

A few bucks are still chasing around here. My father-in-law, Larry Adams, hunted Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving and the only cool, clear morning of the four-day weekend, and watched a pretty good deer activity show.

“We saw a little buck shortly after daylight that I passed on, and then around eight a.m., we spotted this buck across the creek, chasing does on a hardwood hillside over on the neighbor’s farm,” he said.

The buck eventually bailed off into the creek, crossed it, stepped into our field and began making his way toward a food plot near Larry’s stand. He didn’t get far before Larry dropped him with his .270. Bits of fresh bark were stuck around the buck’s bases and brow tines from where he’d been making rubs, and the animal was so worn down from weeks of chasing that his hip bones were visible. When we skinned and quartered him, he was virtually devoid of fat—a sure sign he’s been burning some serious calories in recent weeks.

Though I’ve reported that the peak of the rut has come and gone in the northern portion of the Mid-South region, this buck is proof that the rut is still all about the does. If a doe comes into estrus, whether it’s the last week in October or first week in December, you can bet a buck will find her. Sure, a few days on average stand out every season—but timing the rut is not an exact science. There are variables in every county, on every farm, every new season.

As a hunter, there is one sure thing you can do to up your odds throughout the rut—and that’s go hunting. Larry has hunted every day of Kentucky’s modern gun season this year (that’s 14 days), and this buck--the first nice one he’s seen from the stand--finally came through three days before the closing bell. Patience pays off.

Brantley: Glimpses of the Post Rut

Sarah Smith — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:21:53 -0500

Overall Activity Status: In western Kentucky, deer movement has been slow for several days. Though we’re headed into the post-rut around here, just as much of the slow movement can be blamed on the weather and a couple weeks of gun-hunting pressure. Still, I did see a nice buck standing in a field with a doe just before dark Tuesday afternoon. And my dad’s buddy and neighbor, Dave Schreckenberger, shot the nice buck in the photo early Monday morning.

“It was another rainy, miserable day out there,” Dave said. “The hunting has been tough here this season, and the rut activity has been slow. I think I’ve only seen five deer since the gun season opened. This buck just came down off a ridge and stepped out into a food plot I have, in a river bottom behind my house. As soon as I saw him, I shot him.”

Slow movement hasn’t been the case everywhere, however. Though the rut may be waning up here, it’s kicking in southwest Tennessee. Gun season opened on Saturday, and my Tennessee contact, Jimbo Robinson, said he talked to several hunters who had seen some intense chasing. The rut typically peaks around December first in that area, and down into northern Mississippi.

Matt Knox, deer project leader for Virginia, also had a good report. Gun season opened Saturday in the Old Dominion, and Knox said it was one of the best in history. “We had perfect weather. It was cold, down in the 20s, with very little wind. The gun kill was up 14 percent from the previous year,” he said.

Fighting: No reports of fighting this week, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. With some breeding still taking place throughout the region, encounters between bucks aren’t going to be pleasant right now. Still, with territories largely established (and quite a few bucks dead by this point), fighting activity is on the decline.

Rub making: Holding steady. I saw a big, fresh rub on the edge of a swamp while scouting for ducks yesterday afternoon.

Scrape making: Scraping activity should theoretically increase in areas that are past the breeding peak, but I haven’t encountered any fresh scrapes recently in western Kentucky.

Chasing: There is still some chasing going on throughout the Mid-South, with heavy activity in southern Tennessee. Matt Knox had a good summary for Virginia that’s applicable to most of the region. “There are still lots of bucks chasing does right now, but I would expect it to taper off pretty fast, judging by past history. This will probably be a good week for deer activity, so get out there this week and the early part of next week. After that, things will be slowing down.”

Daytime movement: As mentioned, daylight movement has been minimal around here.

Estrous signs: There are no doubt a few does around that haven’t been bred, but area hunters are telling me they’re already seeing large numbers of does group up for the winter.

X Factor: Thanksgiving weekend was the final weekend of gun season here in Kentucky. Firearms seasons run a little later in the other states (it’s up to you to check the regulations for your particular county, of course). Though southern Tennessee hunters still have some good rut hunting ahead, it’s time to be thinking about the late season. Cold weather and limited winter food sources can concentrate deer, so be on the lookout for standing corn, beans and winter wheat, especially. Late season deer can be difficult to hunt—but you can expect to see big numbers if you’re in the right spot. And, some does will come into estrous in the late season. When they do, you can bet bucks will be chasing them.

Brantley: Persevere During Lock Down

Online Editors — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:30:04 -0500

It would be tough to hand-pick worse weather for deer hunting than we’ve had this past week. When the wind hasn’t been blowing 30 mph, it’s been 70 degrees and raining. On top of that, many of the mature bucks in the Mid-South seem to be “locked down” with does.

In fact, as Michelle and I drove a few back roads on Sunday afternoon, she spotted a doe bedded on a thick hillside in a tiny wood lot, no more than 30 yards from the blacktop. I backed the truck up and grabbed my binoculars—sure enough, a heavy-beamed 9-pointer was bedded only a few feet away from the doe. Despite us glassing and talking, neither deer moved. I’ve got no doubt the doe was in heat—but gun season has also been open for two weekends in Kentucky. Right next to the road, those deer were the definition of “hiding in plain sight.”

Chris Ryan, who works for the DNR in West Virginia, had a similar report for the southern portion of his state. “The deer in northern West Virginia have already gone through lock down. Most of the does have been bred, and things are settling into a post-rut pattern. The bigger bucks are back to hitting the scrapes again,” he says. “But the southern part of the state is traditionally a little later in rut timing. The peak of breeding, historically, is in the next week. Of course, the weather this past week has been crazy, especially the extremely high winds.”

In the coming days, it’s still wise to hunt where the does are, as bucks will no doubt be searching for the last few of them to come into estrus. Right now, when a buck finishes breeding, he’s back to cruising. My buddy Keith Meador, who hunts in northern Kentucky near Frankfort, saw evidence of that over the weekend. Meador shot this nice 8-pointer Saturday morning, and it was one of five bucks he saw on its' feet and covering ground.

The woods can seem painfully quiet by this point in the season, especially with memories of the chase phase still fresh in mind. But it helps to know bucks are still plenty willing to cover some ground for the chance to breed, and that makes them visible. You just have to be on stand where you can see them.