Deer Hunting

If hunters held a popularity contest for wild animals, the whitetail deer would win every time. Admired for its speed and jumping ability, a deer can run 40 miles per hour and leap over a fence 8 feet tall. Besides their beauty, Deer are also extremely challenging animals to hunt. They move silently through the woods, constantly aware of the hunter’s presence and can disappear from sight in the blink of an eye. Deer are naturally camouflaged and their acute sense of smell is 1000 times more powerful than humans. Even the best hunter can leave the woods after 3 straight weeks, without firing a shot.

Hunting Stories

Deer hunting has been popular since the early American Indians hunted deer for meat and deerskins to make soft moccasins, pants, and shirts. The valuable skins were called bucks, a nickname we still use for money. When you ask your buddy for "five bucks," would you want him to give you five deerskins?

Hunters understand that Deer Hunting is a celebration of nature, family and freedom. Deer Hunting is part of our American heritage that has passed from generation to generation. The smile and excitement on a hunters face when they see the first whitetail of the season says it all. A Deer Hunter is everything you think he is. He is a good old boy from Alabama, but he’s also a New York stockbroker, a Midwestern farm boy or a U.S. Senator. He is your next-door neighbor. And, of course, he is a man. But millions of “him” are wives, mothers, daughters and grandmothers.

Hunting Tips

There are four common methods of deer hunting: stalking, which consists of following signs and trails of deer; stand hunting, waiting where deer are likely to travel; still hunting, alternately walking silently and waiting concealed in the pursuit of game; and line drives, which consists of flushing deer toward a line of hunters.

Scouting and stalking involves following deer sign. Common sign to pursue include rubs, scrapes, and tracks. Scrapes are places where bucks scratch the ground and urinate below low hanging branches on the edge of fields. Bucks do this to mark territory and attract female deer. Deer tracks may tell you the size, age, and species of a deer. Rubs are marks on the trunks and low branches of trees which indicate where bucks have rubbed the velvet off their antlers; this leaves a tell-tale mark because it takes the bark off the tree where the deer rubbed. Another purpose for this action is that it marks territory with a visual signpost.

Hunting Gear

A few things every hunter needs are deer stand, weapon, waterproof boots, knife, tags, orange clothing, rope and a permit. There are two different types of deer stands, ladder stands, and climbers. Ladder stands are ladders with a platform on top of them chained to a tree. Climber stands are platforms with a seat that may be carried on your back and then placed usually about 4-8 feet off the ground on a tree.

Waterproof boots are not essential but they come in very handy, especially since deer do not always fall down where you shoot them and may run for a few miles into the woods. Knives are essential for skinning and field dressing deer. Tags and permits are required to hunt deer legally; they may be purchased from local sporting good stores or your state’s DNR website. Rope is necessary for dragging your deer after the kill. Adult female white-tailed deer can weigh 145 pounds, males 170. The heaviest whitetail ever recorded in the United States was a 500-pound Minnesota buck.

Weather

Wet and Cold weather deer hunting requires the hunter to prepare properly and make sure he or she has the right clothing and equipment for prolonged exposure to the elements. The best way to dress for cold weather hunting is to wear clothing that preserves your body heat while allowing body moisture to evaporate freely. This is accomplished through layering, or wearing alternate layers of clothing to provide insulation and ventilation.

Business

Deer hunting has become essential in North America, both to the economy and the environment, as a result of our dense deer population. Beside the positive economic factors, there are several negatives attributed to our dense deer population. Every year whitetail deer cause around 1.5 million vehicle accidents, 130 vehicle related deaths, and over $1 billion in insurance claims nationwide. Deer hunters efforts help reduce these figures by keeping the deer population in check.

Hunters and environmentalist alike will agree that deer hunting is an extremely valuable wildlife conservation tool that ensures the biological success of our natural resources, while supporting the nation’s economy. 38 Million Strong, the American Hunter pours $70 billion into the economy annually--with a whopping $179 billion in ripple effect. This makes the American Hunter among the most prominent and inflectional of all demographic groups.

The American Deer Hunter, Men and women from all walks of life, doing what they love, growing the economy, helping conservation and contributing to society.