The Deer Hunter Novel

[Sabina Kehler]

Thesite is secure.

The ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Parapoxviruses are a genus of the double-stranded DNA family of poxviruses that infect ruminants, and zoonotic transmission to humans often results from occupational exposures. Parapoxvirus infection in humans begins with an incubation period of 3 to 7 days, followed by the development of one or more erythematous maculopapular lesions that evolve over the course of several weeks into nodules. In 2009, parapoxvirus infection was diagnosed in two deer hunters in the eastern United States after the hunters had field-dressed white-tailed deer. We describe the clinical and pathological features of these infections and the phylogenetic relationship of a unique strain of parapoxvirus to other parapoxviruses. Deer populations continue to increase, leading to the possibility that there will be more deer-associated parapoxvirus infections.

If a blog post or YouTube video is a plate of venison poppers, a book is the medium-rare venison steak and baked potato. For those truly committed to becoming better deer hunters, you occasionally need to help yourself to a full course of hunting know-how and deer ecology. Here are three deer hunting books that will satisfy that hunger.

Herndon outlines how to read topographic and aerial maps, how to identify features such as ridgelines, points, saddles, and inside corners on maps, and finally, how deer relate to these features. To bring it all together, the book highlights exactly how to set up and hunt these areas while considering deer behavior and wind and weather conditions.

Good friend, and best-selling author and hunting enthusiast, Steve Chapman (A Look at Life from a Deer Stand) takes readers to the woods to experience the thrill of the hunt and the joy of spending one-on-one time with their children. Through heart-tugging adventures of fathers with their sons and daughters, readers will discover the powerful bond hunting together forges, life-changing insights, and the ways hunting skills can help a child achieve success.

Few hunters tell a tale like the Wensel brothers. The Old Man and the Tree is a collection of lessons learned from a lifetime in the woods. Barry Wensel shares his philosophies, strategies, and hunting techniques that have been so successful for him all these years. Barry mixes stories of big bucks with observations on stand locations, ground hunting, spotting game and deer behavior.

There, on the edge of a field, it was obvious by the tracks that deer were not only feeding there, but also leaving some rutting sign too. And deer hunters know that when we see rutting sign, then maybe, just maybe, these super-cautious bucks will be a bit distracted. And if they are, then the advantage swings a bit towards us.

So late one afternoon, after parking the truck, instead of entering the woods as usual, this deer hunter would have been certified as completely crazy, if anyone had seen a hunched-over figure with rifle slung across his back, stumbling away from the woods, out across a windswept, plowed, 1/2-mile square frozen field.

The north wind was biting and spitting snow, blowing sideways. But the idea was to flank, or circle the area where the deer had been feeding. But that necessitated a long hike, bumbling across a frozen, plowed field, and then cut back into the north wind, in all about a 3/4-mile trek.

The buck was positioned on the edge of the woods with his body protected by the trees, but his head sticking out into the field, with a big, wide white throat patch, squinty eyes and bull neck. He would alternately stare at the doe as if to bore a hole through her with his gaze. And then he would pick his head up and scent-test the wind, ever so carefully and with complete concentration.

The rifle was shooting about an inch or two to the left of the target at 100 yards, when we sighted it in. And since the strong, steady 20-mph crosswind from the north was blowing from left to right, any drift from the wind would be compensated for by the rifle shooting to the slightly to the left of center.

In North America deer hunting has been practiced for centuries. Deer are the most popular animal to hunt today with millions of people taking to the woods every year. This title takes readers on an adventure to the outdoors and introduces them to the different types of deer they can hunt, and the various tools hunters use. From staying safe to protecting nature, readers will learn everything they should know about deer hunting.

Get it while you can. Legal buck or doe, you choose. First you have to get one in range. Ever try calling them in? We hunters call wild turkeys, ducks, geese and even gray squirrels. Deer too, for some of you . . .

Deer communicate, you can bet on that, and bowhunters often rely on calling techniques to lure whitetails in. I get a steady run of questions regarding deer calling, and when that happens, I go to the best for answers. Calling guru Gary Sefton, my springtime gobbler hunting buddy on occasion, has plenty to say about the subject of deer talk.

Some personal history: He only bowhunts whitetails these days, but killed his first deer 50 years ago at 15 using a rifle. He took his first deer by calling way back in 1985. He's one of those guys who can answer your questions.

"Lost deer can't count," Sefton likes to joke. "Separated deer are like turkeys, and they're often comfortable in groups, and looking for any face in the crowd that resembles theirs. As this goes, I love using those little short buck grunts during the October early season. If you see two bucks together, that separate for some reason, and use the short buck grunts, you can call them to that sound."

"No, no. Definitely not. He'll look you right in the eye, and the hunt is likely over. If they angle off a little, and can't see you, yes, it can work then." Sefton also believes it's possible to overcall. "Calling too much and too loudly is the biggest mistake."

I asked Sefton if weather affects deer calling, and he replied, " When it's real windy they can't hear you!" Position, as with counting deer, doesn't seem to matter either. Is there any difference between calling deer from a treestand, as opposed to on the ground while stand- or still-hunting? "No difference at all," Sefton said. "Deer don't think, 'Hey, that sounds too high up to be a deer'."

Just to confirm, I asked if he calls to a buck again if he hangs up, and fails to come in. "It's tough, because if the buck hangs up, it's usually due to the fact he doesn't see what he expects to see. Not much you can do then. It might be a result of the deer thinking he should see the deer. As with turkey gobblers coming to a call, a deer might wait until the picture fills in before making his next move," Sefton asserts.

Is there any time you shouldn't use a call? Definitely, says Sefton. "When one's coming toward you, or if you've scared one off; don't try to call him back; he'll associate the sound with being frightened."

The first antlered deer that appeared was across the large field. The snow-white rack reflected enough light even at a distance to raise my heart rate. However, I had hunted hard that fall and I had suspicions of better deer nearby. I watched as this buck passed and wondered as he trotted out of sight if regret lay in my future. Later that morning my patience paid dividends as I shot my best buck to date. I took that deer with the rifle I purchased as a teenager.

Once that tag is filled, there may be a systemic transition from any legal buck to a buck of a certain age or score, again with the more challenging weapon. Fifteen years ago, I could not envision allowing a legal deer to pass in bow range without losing an arrow. Now, having taken several with my compound, I find great pleasure in being in bow range of deer and just observing their behavior, possibly sneaking in some photos while waiting on the next wall-hanger.

I left work early one day in October and set up in a dry creek bed near a bedding area. After sinking into a set of bushes for cover, I started a rattling sequence. With the wind left to right, I hoped to coax something out of the thick timber directly in front of me into the small open field. Surprisingly, I had a spike blitz in from behind me. The young buck crossed the branch to my left at less than 10 yards. I froze and waited for him to clear the bushes. Quartering away, his gait slowed, and his head dropped to sniff the ground. I drew and made a perfect 15-yard shot from my knees. With my newly defined ambition, this spike became my next trophy. The details of this hunt where I achieved an established goal, are a clear and pleasant memory.

Among the first hunts of the year in Alabama in late October, I climbed in my stand at the intersection of two fences near a travel corridor bordering a bedding area. As daylight broke, I caught movement 80 yards down a gentle slope. A decent-size deer eased through a creek bed. It was too dark for detail, but I was fairly certain the deer had antlers. But no matter, on this hunt, any legal deer was fine! I lost sight of the buck for several minutes but then I noticed a small buck trotting from the opposite direction on a trail toward one of my shooting lanes. Behind the small buck trailed the larger buck, a much nicer target. The lead buck passed, and I bleated to stop the larger one. He posed perfectly. On release, the shot felt good but, until we have our hands on the horns, nothing is a sure thing.

At 150 yards I found my buck, centerpunched. That mount is now in my basement. The broadhead recovered from the far side shoulder is mounted on the board just below the head. This eight-point was not a record-book buck, but my first with traditional equipment and therefore a trophy in my book.

Matt Green is the Associate Dean Professor of Exercise Science at University of North Alabama. While he teaches and conducts research in exercise physiology, he is an avid deer hunter. In addition to publishing in scientific journals, he enjoys writing about whitetails and hunting in general. Green lives on a small farm just outside of Rogersville, Alabama, with his family.

Virginia Deer Hunters Association. For attribution information and reprint rights, contact Denny Quaiff, Executive Director, VDHA.

3a8082e126