I prefer hanging stands and trimming shooting lanes as soon as practical.
We’ve been hanging Muddy tree stands this week. It’s hot in Missouri here, with heat indexes over 100 degrees. We posted a picture of us while hanging stands on the GrowingDeer.tv Facebook page and someone responded “Why trim shooting lanes during June?”
That’s a good question! We primarily hunt our farm each year. We are constantly working on food plots, sanctuaries, Trophy Rock stations, trail camera surveys, shed hunting, etc. We continue learning how deer use this property during different conditions.
Limiting disturbance near stand sites is critical to harvesting mature deer.
So we usually move some stands each year and/or trim different shooting lanes for existing stands. Hanging stands and trimming shooting lanes is hot, sweaty, noisy work. Mature bucks have some level of memory. In addition, it appears fear is their biggest motivation! It’s easy to see how mature deer could associate a stand location with fear if they experience loud noises and odors they associate with danger.
Therefore I prefer hanging stands and trimming shooting lanes as soon as the vegetation has grown most of what it will for the summer (new growth on trees is mostly complete by mid June). This means I won’t have to re-trim shooting lanes again during the fall and the area will have had months of no disturbance before hunting season.
If I wish to hang a stand during hunting season, I limit the amount of disturbance and vegetation trimmed to the minimum necessary to see and shoot. Excess disturbance during hunting season can substantially reduce the chances of harvesting a mature buck from that stand – no matter how hot the sign was that prompted you to hang at that location.
Remember, fear is probably the biggest motivation for mature bucks. Limiting disturbance near stand sites is critical to successfully harvest mature deer year after year.
I receive a lot of questions this time of year about what percentage of a buck’s antlers have been produced to date. The questions are usually phrased “Will the antlers double in size between now and when the velvet sheds?” or “Will he grow more points and tine length before hunting season?”
These are great questions and they are difficult to answer with certainty! First, bucks are unique individuals just like humans. Some folks seem to grow a bunch early during their life while others have a growth spurt later. Some bucks will show a lot of antler growth early while others seem to add a bunch to their rack during July.
Scouting for bucks in mid June is a great way to estimate the quality of bucks that will be in the area when season opens!
Bucks will have most of their beam length developed by this week. Most of their points will be showing by mid June. Some bucks will have all points showing and some will add a few points. However, tine length is likely to be less than half developed at this time. That’s a big factor as tine length usually makes up about 40% of total gross score!
Mid June is a good time to begin scouting for mature bucks. I use both my Reconyx trail cameras and Nikon binos! Remember that mature bucks clearly have some level of memory. Therefore make sure to use good scent control techniques when checking trail cameras this time of year! The guys and I here at The Proving Grounds use Dead Down Wind. It’s based on safe enzymes – not harmful bactericides like most other products on the market. The best time to check your trail cameras is the middle of the day when deer are most likely to be bedded down.
We are seeing lots of daylight deer activity right now at The Proving Grounds. Deer are hitting our food plots hard in the early morning and late afternoon. We’ve been excited to see a good number of fawns and a significant number of velvet antlered bucks. Remember that antlers in velvet look much larger than what you will actually see this fall.
Scouting for bucks is a great way to estimate the quality of bucks that will be in the area when season opens!
There are numerous types of clover that hunters use across the nation to provide quality food plot forage for deer and other wildlife. Here at The Proving Grounds it’s no different.We typically plant Eagle Seed soybeans in our food plots. They are awesome for providing food for whitetails, turkey, and other crittersfor 11 months out of the year. By combining a healthy stand of clover with Eagle Seed soybeans you can continue attractingand holding whitetails on your property.
We try to plant 10% of our food plot acreage in clover.
We typically try to plant at least 10% of our food plot acreage in some type of clover. Clover is an essential food plot crop as it is one of the varieties that helps fill the void in early spring when our Eagle seed beans have matured and the pods have been completely removed by wildlife. This time period usually falls middle to late February and lasts through late March. If you’re familiar with clover you’ve probably noticed that during that time of year clover can provide lots of forage. This is important as our Eagle seed beans are at their lowest point of productivity. Clover and Eagle Seed soybeans fill each other’s void beautifully, and together they are quite the deadly duo of food plots.
This past week we’ve worked managing our clover to ensure it’s in the best form it can be. There are two simple steps that need to be performed on clover food plots. First, provide clover with a high quality fertilizer so it doesn’t starve; we do this by adding Antler Dirt! The second important part in clover management is weed control, especially in first year stands of clover. We use a broadleaf herbicide combined with a grass specific herbicide and then add a non-ionic surfactant to form a clover cocktail. We then use the cocktail to spot spray our clover fields. There are benefits to using herbicide in a clover plot instead of mowing. The herbicide is taken in by the plant, killing it all the way to the roots, preventing any future growth of that plant. When mowing, you’re just removing the top section of the weeds and probably not killing the plant roots, resulting in regrowth.
Clover and Eagle Seed soybeans were the deadly duo of food plots for this mature doe.
Clover should be a part of every wildlife manager’s arsenal because it not only provides tons of forage for wildlife but it also can create a great spot for hunting! Check out episode #165 to see the GrowingDeer Team take advantage of the clover at The Kentucky Proving Grounds!
Deer love grain (carbohydrates/energy) during deer season. This is why they are so attracted to acorns, corn, etc. Corn can be very tough to grow in a food plot environment, especially small food plots. Another source for carbohydrates are Eagle Seed forage soybeans. They are easy to grow even in small plots! Deer LOVE to browse on soybeans, especially young soybeans.
However, depending on the number of deer and amount of food in the area deer can damage young soybeans by browsing them so intensively they can’t grow. Since deer love soybean pods I want to ensure some soybeans in smaller food plots aren’t over browsed and mature to make pods!
A Hot Zone Deer Exclosure System is a great tool to create a honey hole.
A few years ago I started using electric fences to successfully protect food plot crops until it was time to hunt over them. I was amazed that a two foot tall electric fence will keep deer out of a food plot that had tasty young soybeans!
The fence works because of the overall design. The key is to place one ½” white electric fence tape 18” above the ground around the outside edge of the forage you wish to protect. Go in toward the forage three feet and place another layer of fence with two wires – one 10” and one 24” above the ground. There are great diagrams and instructions at the Hot Zone Deer Exclosure System webpage.
The system is powered by a solar panel that trickle charges a battery – so the fence is hot 24/7. I’ve been amazed at forage growth inside versus outside the fence. I’ve seen soybeans be lip high outside the fence and over four feet tall inside the fence! When I’m ready to hunt I will simply remove the fence or create a gap! Deer will find the gap within just a few days so it’s important to have a stand in place before hunting season!
I’ve reused the same fence for multiple years. It’s a great tool to create a honey hole where you want it – where you can approach or exit the stand without spooking deer and the common wind direction is favorable for hunting!
I didn’t like putting up fences on our farm as a kid. I really enjoy it now knowing the payoff is a red hot stand location!
I’ve noticed a trend during recent years of an increasing number of reports of groundhogs damaging food plots. Groundhogs, called woodchucks in some areas, are rodents and strict vegetarians. They love to eat and prosper on soybeans, peas, and clover – all common warm season food plot crops.
Groundhogs breed during the early spring and usually have 2 to 6 offspring with 4 being the most common. It’s easy to see how groundhog sightings can go from rare and novel to common in a few years. Similarly, damage to food plot crops can go rapidly from non-existent to extensive.
Groundhog damage is almost always in a semi circular pattern.
A few years ago groundhog sign and sightings were rare at my place. Now there’s evidence of groundhogs at every one of my food plots. Some of my food plots show sign of extensive damage. Groundhogs tend to begin eating soybeans and other annual forages as soon as they germinate and literally kill the plants by eating them to the ground. Their damage is fairly obvious as it is almost always in a semi circular pattern from the edge of the field where their dens usually are.
I like groundhogs, but I don’t like them destroying food plot crops and depriving other forms of wildlife from access to quality forage. Therefore it’s necessary to attempt to reduce the population to a level where the damage they cause is acceptable.
Groundhogs have a good sense of smell and vision. They are very challenging to hunt and make tasty table fair! Small calibers like a .223 are perfect for groundhogs, especially when paired with rapidly expanding ammo like Winchester Varmint X!
Trapping is a better solution where groundhogs are a serious problem. I use the same Duke cage traps I use for catching raccoons during the winter. Almost any type of fresh fruit works well as bait. I prefer cantaloupe as it has a very strong aroma that will last for a few days, even during the heat of the summer. The best success occurs when the trap can be placed within a few feet of the groundhog’s den or directly in the trails that lead from their den to where they feed.
In good habitat (like by a lush food plot) groundhogs often have very small home ranges of 200’ or less. Groundhogs tend to be territorial and it’s common to have multiple groundhogs staking out territories on opposites sides of food plots. In these situations, groundhogs will certainly take more than their share of forage and do extensive damage to the food plot crop. As part of this damage, they limit the amount of quality forage available to other species including deer, turkey, and other foraging wildlife.
Hunting groundhogs is a great way to tune up your whitetail skills with either a gun or bow and provide some good fresh meat before deer season! However, if groundhogs are doing substantial damage to food plot crops, trapping them is the best solution.
Have you ever found a fawn? This is the time of year throughout most of the whitetail’s range that fawns are born! Does typically have fawns in areas of low cover if such habitat is available. This includes areas where turkey hunters might expect to see late season toms trolling for hens. Good turkey nesting habitat is usually good fawning habitat. If such cover isn’t available in an area, does will fawn in fields, yards, along trails, etc.
These are areas that folks frequent and therefore find fawns. I receive a lot of questions each spring about what to do if a fawn is found. Rarely will the doe be seen near the fawn so it’s a logical assumption that the fawn has been abandoned.
Does leave their fawns for hours at a time only returning to nurse.
That’s rarely the case! Does leave their fawns for hours at a time and only return to the fawn to allow them to nurse during the first few weeks after giving birth. This reduces the amount of scent and movement around the newborn fawns and scientists assume this serves to reduce predation of fawns.
If you find a fawn, snap a quick picture if you please and then simply leave the area. The doe may be watching you, but will rarely show herself. Your scent could serve to attract predators so do the same as the doe and leave the area.
It’s illegal in most states to possess wild, free-ranging living wildlife. In addition, fawns do best when they can feed on their mother’s milk. If you find a fawn at the edge of your yard, keep your pets penned up and it’s likely the doe will move the fawn soon due to the amount of disturbance in that environment. If you find a fawn away from civilization, simply keep moving.
I really enjoy watching all ages of deer. However, when it comes to newborn fawns, I take a quick look and picture, then back out of the area. That’s the best action that can be taken!
Remember the saying “April showers bring May flowers?” Early spring showers bring more than flowers. Early spring showers bring antlers!
There is some neat research in south Texas that monitored the amount of rainfall during the early spring months and the average size of antlers produced by each age class of bucks that fall.
The results clearly demonstrated a positive relationship between spring rainfall and antler growth. The smallest average antler size per age class occurred during the two years that the least amount of rain occurred during the early spring months. The years the average antler size per age class was the largest was when the most rain occurred during the early spring months!
Clearly, ample high quality forage during the first portion of the antler growth cycle is strongly related to antler production during that year! This certainly applies to the Texas example where the majority of the land is covered by native vegetation.
I read a report the other day that only 7% of the corn and soybean crops have been planted due to the fields being too wet. The percent of these crops that are planted is way behind the previous two years. In the corn and soybean belt deer are literally forced to consume these cultivated crops as native vegetation is very rare. It’s the only thing on the menu! A wet spring in the corn belt may have the opposite effect on antler size compared to areas where native vegetation can take advantage of the spring rains.
Deer with the largest antlers are from areas with ample soybean and corn production.
Deer with the largest antlers and body weights are from areas with ample soybean and corn production. However, if the area where those crops are grown remains bare ground during the early spring, there’s not much for the local deer to eat. In these areas spring showers may have the opposite relationship on average antler size per age class compared to an area with quality native vegetation. 2013 is shaping up to be an interesting year for deer hunters and researchers!
This time of year I receive lots of questions about planting warm season food plots. Recently it has been raining or snowing throughout much of the whitetail’s range. It’s literally too cold or wet to plant in many regions.
Large, soft seeds readily absorb water as part of their germination process.
Most crops that are planted this time of year have a relatively large and soft seed, such as Eagle Seed forage soybeans, corn, sunflowers, etc. These large and soft seeds readily absorb water as part of their germination process. In addition to needing water to break dormancy, they also require a minimal temperature to begin the germination process and a higher temperature to stimulate rapid germination and development.
Cold water without an increase in soil temperature will often result in the seeds simply swelling but not germinating. The longer a seed, especially a relatively soft seed, remains in the soil without germinating there are more chances for insects, diseases, or funguses to attack.
The result of delayed germination of soft seeds is almost always a reduced seed and/or plant vigor. It’s common for 50% or more of large soft seeds that are planted during bad conditions (especially when it’s too cold and wet) to die in the ground before they germinate. The surviving seeds can have reduced vitality even as a maturing plant (like a fawn that received poor nutrition during development or the first few months of life).
Even though it is time to plant based on tradition, the real indicator of when it’s time to plant is based on local conditions. For example, soybeans have the best germination rate when there’s adequate but not too much soil moisture and the soil temperature is a minimum of 60 degrees.
The real indicator of when it’s time to plant food plots is based on local conditions.
The soil temperature at my place has just reached 60 degrees at 9 am. Soil scientists monitor the soil temperature at 9 am as this is usually the coldest time of day at 2” deep in the soil. The soil cools all night and begins to warm once the sun is at an angle that its radiant heat impacts the soil.
If you plan to plant food plots soon, don’t count on going by traditional or published planting dates. Give your crops the best chance of success and plant when the local conditions are appropriate. As we’ve all seen recently it’s vitally important to keep an eye on the extended weather forecast!
