Category: Hunting Blog

I found a shed from the younger buck in the above images yesterday!  Based on this antler, the buck scored in the mid 140’s last fall as a 3 year old!  I can’t wait to see him this fall!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

Last week Brad reviewed more than 4,000 Reconyx images from The Proving Grounds and very, very few bucks had shed.  However, Tracy found the right side of the buck in this image and today while filming the next episode of GrowingDeer.tv, I found a shed from a yearling buck.  So far this month three sheds have been found at The Proving Grounds.  I had several Reconyx images of each buck.  It will be interesting to see what portion of bucks we identified with trail cameras last fall that we find sheds from, and how many sheds we find that we didn’t have an image of last fall.  I’ll keep you all updated.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

I live the blessed life.   My family loves me.  I have good health.  I work as a deer biologist.   Many of these blessings are made possible by the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and staff that supports them.  It’s very easy for me to go about my daily life and not consider those that are away from their family so my family can have the opportunity to enjoy safety and freedom.   The image of CJ Winand, my friend and fellow wildlife biologist, is a great reminder that freedom isn’t free.  CJ volunteered to leave family, a good job, and his bow (CJ’s an avid and skilled archery hunter) to serve his country.

Thanks CJ and all the troops that are serving the USA.   I truly appreciate your friendship and service.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

I just returned from Wisconsin early this morning to falling sleet and snow at The Proving Grounds.  As I look out my office window I’m extremely proud of the standing soybeans in the food plot.  Most hunters probably aren’t thinking about quality deer forage now as hunting season is over.  However, the gads of deer I saw beside the road late last night is an excellent indicator that native browse in forested areas is in short supply.  Late winter is the time to ensure that nutritional resources are available to the deer herd.  The quality and quantity of available food during the late winter stress period is critical for the health of fawns and antler development later this year.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

My friend and fellow whitetail hunting strategist Michael Engelmeyer shared the following images with me earlier today.

Unfortunately, my Reconyx units capture this same scenario too often at The Proving Grounds and my clients’ properties. Coyotes can’t afford to waste much energy this time of year. When they are trailing, they are after a meal!

Yes, coyotes do kill adult bucks — especially during the post rut when many mature bucks are in poor physical condition and resources are usually too limited for them to fully recover until spring. Even if the buck in the photo sequence above wasn’t killed by the coyote, he likely had to expend a lot of calories to avoid being killed. That additional stress could lead to other conditions/scenarios resulting in an ill-fated future for the buck. There are a lot of ramifications to coyotes besides spooking deer.

Check out GDTV 4 on GrowingDeer.tv and see how I handle stress-inducing coyote.

Growing Deer together,

Grant