Deer Hunter 2005 Season Download Full Version
Periandro Hawkins
It was the first Saturday in January and the last day of both the bow and late muzzleloader seasons. With a goal of putting one more doe in the freezer, I considered my options. Among them were bringing a smokepole and taking a stand overlooking a Botetourt County cow pasture or a mountain hollow down Route 220 a few miles. Or I could carry a crossbow and hunt behind my house from a ladder stand or venture to a nearby patch of habitat where a few chestnut oak acorns still littered the ground and where some dried persimmons and summer grapes still clung to limbs and vines respectively.
I chose the last option because, well, sometimes we deer hunters just play a hunch that leads us to a certain locale. As soon as dawn broke, whitetails began to filter through the little postage stamp of a place. A forkhorn and a four-pointer appeared first and eventually drifted away. Even when they were within 10 yards of my blind, I was looking beyond the duo in order to hopefully glimpse what might be strolling toward me next.
Hunters go afield for various reasons during the late archery and gun seasons. Some, like me, want one more doe for the freezer, some just enjoy being outside, and others want the experience of taking a big buck. What should their expectations be? Katie Martin, the deer, bear, and turkey biologist for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), gives insight on just what folks who have those goals can expect.
Martin added that deer are instinctively aware that fruitlessly moving about in cold weather is not energy efficient, so this big game animal often beds for longer periods of time now. Pine and red and white cedar groves that offer mature trees can provide outstanding thermal cover where deer will hunker down during snowfalls, ice storms, and intense cold.
Virginia Deer Hunters Association (VDHA) member Jeff Phillips operates the popular website and Facebook page Star City Whitetails from his Roanoke home. Phillips offers this game plan for the late season.
That green vegetation, continued Phillips, could include such atypical deer foods as azaleas, ground ivy, shrubbery, and pine and cedar needles, as well as typical ones such as honeysuckle and still green fields and other openings. The Roanoker also acknowledges that taking a big buck is possible now.
Phillips said that one of the most rewarding bucks he has ever harvested was shot with a muzzleloader on the last day of the 2015 season. He aged the deer at 6 years, had captured it on trail cameras for years, and had hunted the Roanoke County property where he tagged the mossyhorn some 200 times during its lifetime. Yet, he had never glimpsed the creature.
VDHA member Jim Crumley went afield only with a bow for 50 consecutive years from the ages of 21 to 71. The now 75-year-old Botetourt County resident has hunted with a muzzleloader, rifle, crossbow, and compound the last four years. I asked him for advice on how to hunt the late season.
Bruce Ingram, a serious whitetail hunter and fisherman, lives in Fincastle, Virginia with his family. His hunting and fishing articles have been published in state, regional and national publications.
Virginia Deer Hunters Association. For attribution information and reprint rights, contact Denny Quaiff, Executive Director, VDHA.
Welcome to my website. I look forward to the opportunity to provide you with everything you need to know to become a regularly successful deer hunter, or if you prefer, a regularly successful buck hunter! What I have to teach is the truth, based only on the responses of thousands of wild whitetails to experimental hunting methods over a period of more than four decades. Few, if any, outdoor writers today have done this kind of research. Since 1990, on public lands in an area where whitetail numbers are low and wolves are over-abundant, my hunting partners and I are enjoying the best buck hunting of our lives. If this is what you are looking for, you've come to the right web site.
Doc's 10th Almanac is now available in paperback and ebook. For more info see this dedicated page for the 10th Almanac. You can order it through Doc's Store or through eBay. (Canadian customers, please order it through ebay. EBay's international shipping program is the lowest cost for shipping.)
1. Private lands only and archery only, except in Unit CWD where guns and muzzleloaders are allowed and select public lands are additionally open for hunting.
See Region 1 WMA regulations to see which public lands are open during this hunt. Fluorescent orange required in Unit CWD.
3. Hunting is allowed on all privately owned lands in Unit L (including leased land and lands owned by individuals). It is the responsibility of all hunters to obtain
verbal or written permission to hunt on privately owned lands. No public lands or WMAs are open during this period. No antlered deer may be taken during
this period in Unit L. .
The TWRA urges all deer hunters hunting from tree stands to use a fall restraint system. Most deer hunting accidents involve hunters falling from a tree stand. Proper use of a fall restraint system could prevent or lessen the severity of these accidents.
Consider abstaining from summer wildlife feeding. We all are aware that wild turkey numbers have been in decline across the Southeast US. Research has confirmed that declining populations are primarily due to poor reproduction and recruitment, not over-harvest. Supplemental feeding of wildlife, which has grown as a common practice in Tennessee and elsewhere, may be contributing to these declines.
Wildlife managers are concerned that corn put out for deer, especially during the summer, is hurting turkey numbers. A fungus called Aspergillus flavus grows in feed exposed to hot, humid conditions. This fungus produces toxins, known as aflatoxins, that are highly toxic to game birds, especially turkey poults and quail. New research has shown that in the summer, aflatoxin levels in feed can reach deadly levels to wild turkeys after only a few days (read the full report at: -D-21-00052.)
The Iowa DNR partners with the Food Bank of Iowa and their affiliates throughout the state to make sure the venison is distributed to qualified Iowans. The Food Bank of Iowa receives $5 administrative cost for each deer distributed.
Like other states in the midwest Iowa produces some outstanding white-tailed deer. Abundant food and mild winter weather make it possible for Iowa's whitetails to become large in body weight and, if allowed to grow to maturity, often possess impressive antlers.The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) maintains a record book of the largest antlered deer harvested in the state with firearms and archery equipment. Those who successfully harvest a deer in Iowa with trophy-sized antlers are encouraged to enter the rack in Iowa's big game registry. Award certificates will be issued by the DNR to eligible entries that meet minimum standards (shown below).In order to qualify for an award, the rack must be measured by an official measurer. You can search for an official measure in Iowa by searching those certified through the Boone and Crockett Club) or the Pope and Young Club.
There is no charge for measuring or submitting entries for the Iowa record book. Because of shrinkage in varying degrees, the rack must be air dried for at least 60 days following the date of kill before it can be officially measured. There is no time limit concerning how long ago the deer was killed for measurement purposes or for entry into the Iowa records. The scoring system used for Iowa records is identical to that used by the Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young Clubs, but the minimum qualifying scores differ from these national clubs. Iowa award certificates will be presented in ten classes. The classes with minimum scores for each are as follows:
Deer taken under a kill permit for depredation purposes will not qualify for this program.Deer hunters who want to have their trophy rack officially measured should call one of the official Iowa measurers listed above to set up an appointment to have the rack measured. If the rack meets the minimum scores listed above the measurement form should be sent to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, ATTN: Deer Records, Wallace State Office Building, 502 East 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319.
The return of the white-tailed deer as a major game species in Iowa is a tribute to good landowner attitude and progressive management, research and enforcement programs. Likewise, responsibility for the future of deer in Iowa depends upon the cooperation of hunters and landowners, preservation of critical timber habitat, legislative support and continued professional management of the resource.
If you need additional clarification or have other questions, we'd encourage you to call your local DNR conservation officer, who would be happy to chat about this. You can find contact information at iowadnr.gov/officers.
The population management season is restricted to Allamakee, Winneshiek, Decatur, Appanoose, Monroe and Wayne and is only open if the number of antlerless licenses available exceeds 100 on the third Monday in December. This season allows hunter options for the method of take. The excess tag season was created by the Iowa legislature in 2022 and allows any county with excess antlerless tags on Jan. 10 to be eligible, but restricts the method of take to rifles only.
A resident youth hunt/trap, deer hunting, or comprehensive lifetime hunting license is required to hunt for deer unless you meet one of the license exemptions. All deer harvested in Indiana must be reported within 48 hours of the time of harvest at an on-site check station, online, through your Indiana Fish & Wildlife Account, or by phone at 1-800-419-1326. There is a $3 charge for the phone service, payable only by Visa or Mastercard. For more information, see our Deer Hunting Questions page.
There are several reasons why Indiana is such a great place to hunt for trophy bucks. First, the state has a large and healthy deer population. The Indiana DNR manages the deer herds in each county with the goals of providing ample opportunities for hunters to harvest deer and ensuring that white-tailed deer populations are sustained every year. The bag limit of one buck per season helps the buck population age and grow larger antlers, which provides greater opportunities for hunters to harvest a buck they want.
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