From First Light…

Technically, or physiologically, a whitetail buck is “in rut” from the instant his antler velvet is shed until he sheds his antlers in late winter/early spring. 

“O. K., then;  enough already on the technical stuff, get on to the meat and ‘taters:  when is the PEAK?”

We can’t go there yet.  The primary controlling factor of the rut in bucks, and more importantly, the estrus in does is a process known as “photoperiodism”.  Put as simply as possible, this is the angle of the sun’s rays striking the deer’s retina, causing the pineal gland to trigger testosterone release in bucks, and estrogen release in does.  As the sun sinks further into the south, after the Autumnal Equinox, the reduced light, and increased ( or is that “decreased?) angle of the solar rays begins to trigger the rut/estrus phenomenon. Whatever.  The shorter days of Fall and early Winter cause the hormone release in both sexes. 

There are, though, other “mitigating factors”.  (“NOW:  he’s gone  off on the disclaimers”)  Keerect!

Mitigating Factors

Climate  Temperature-may be mean average temp, protracted warm or cold spell-relative number of bright days to cloudy, rain, wind.

Genetics  Here in Mississippi, and many areas of the South, deer from other areas, even far northern deer, were brought in for stocking in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.  These introduced outsiders’ offspring, though long ago interbred into the then few native deer, retain much of their genes.  The imigrant, stocked-in northern deer may have come into estrus/rut as early as late October.  What is the net effect on present day deer?  I have no idea, and neither does anyone else!

Nutrition  Pretty well self-explanatory, but nutritional quality or quality food availability can vary from property to adjacent property.

Sex Ratio  It is speculated that a low buck-to-doe ratio, within a given “herd” (more on this “herd” thing later) makes for delayed onset of the rut/estrus.  Fewer bucks around to breed, the fewer does get bred in any given estrus cycle.  An unbred doe will continue to cycle into estrus for some undetermined period, every 28 days or so, until late winter/early spring, making a long, protracted cycling in of several months.  Hence:  no real “peak” of rut/estrus.

Hunting Pressure.  Heavily, regularly, or often hunted deer tend to reduce their activity.  Often this results in the deer going completely nocturnal.  They are still there, still cycling into rut/estrus, just not moving around much until after dark.

Moon Phase.  This may have been listed as a “controlling factor”, rather than a “mitigating” one.  Whether or not the onset of estrus/rut is CONTROLLED by the moon’s phases, or just COINCIDENTAL to them, is still somewhat controversial.  Pretty good data, though, exists that north of the 37th degree of latitude (roughly north of the Kentucky-Tennessee border) the peak of estrus/rut occurs on/near/just after (?) the second full moon following the Autumnal Equinox.  South of there, my experience here in Central and North Mississippi-and a bit in deep South Mississippi-indicates this peak occurring on/near/just after the THIRD full moon after the Equinox.  This Full Moon usually happens the first week in December.  This year, it goes full on December 2nd.  “South of the 37th parallell” is a BIIIGGG area.  Mississippi is a long-north to south area, too.  Biloxi, on the coast, sits at 30.25 degrees, and Olive Branch, near the Tennessee border is on 35.3 degrees.  One degree of latitude is 68.833 miles.  “Experts” say that one degree latitude difference can affect rut/estrus onset by a week to ten days!

Herd Age & Physical Condition.   What defines a deer “herd”?  Let’s go with the deer population within a given area.  What is a “given area”?  It may be several hundred acres to several thousand acres.  Natural and man-made boundaries (rivers, lakes, relative forest and mast bearing tree density/availability, a major highway, high fences, agricultural usage, CRP areas) can “make” a herd boundary.  A “herd’s” age depends on hunting pressure, at what age deer are taken off a given area (older does come in earlier than younger and yearling does).   We’re back to the sex ratio, too.  In one area, under a strict DMAP (Deer Management Assistance Program) or, say,  QDMA (Quality Deer Management Association) guidelines, or a landowner or lease holder that ascribes to “let the big old does and the genetically superior bucks walk”, and takes out smaller does and bucks deemed to have little trophy potential (“whew! that’s some long sentence”), and an adjacent property that just shoots deer with no regard for herd management, –well, a herd is so nebulous, so undefinable, that only YOU know what the limits of your “herd” may be. 

Confusing?  Yeah, me too! 

Consensus of most biologists and knowledgeable deer managers say that from about 10 days before the designated full moon to about 2 weeks after SHOULD be the “peak of the rut/estrus”.  But, this same consensus allows that “mitigating factors” can affect this timing by as much as twenty days! 

So, here it is, FINALLY!  The how, when and where to hunt the peak of the rut-in THIS area.  Get out, and stay in the woods “from first light till last dark” from about the week before Thanksgiving (tomorrow!), until the week after New Year’s. 

My advice?  Find the does.  Then, stay away from them until the time-frame recommended.  Don’t spook ‘em, hunt in or around ‘em.  When the “time is right” (?), get near the area, and watch the does.  A doe “smells good” to a buck beginning about a week before her actual estrus cycle, when she will accept buck-a short, 24 to 36 hour period.   After, she continues to smell “hot” for another week or so, and still attracts wooing bucks. 

SOOOOOO:  find the does.  Watch’em.  Get out and stay out as much as possible from now till early 2010.  You (and I) will hunt the Peak of the Rut; GUARANTEED!

More information on the Mississipppi Deer Management Assistance

Program (DMAP) can be found at www.mdwfp.com/deer

Related Posts:

• “The Devil’s in the Details”: Tips on Tactics

…or not!

‘Seems that our own favorite foods remind us-by their wonderful, house-filling smells while cooking, then the delectable, luscious tastes when finally served-of dishes prepared by our family;  our mothers, our grandmothers:  someone who traditionally prepped, cooked and served what became our own personal favorites.   Taste, smell, sight, sound-all our senses are so subjective that what may be plesantly desirable to one may be horrendously gagging to another!  That said, this recipe has received so many positive, glowing comments, I’m putting it “out there”.  ‘Hope it “makes it” for YOU.

……or not!

My maternal grandmother, Genevieve Parks Kirby, was pure-bred Irish Catholic, born and raised in New Orleans.  Her staple, every-day cornbread was a fried-in lard(!)-white cornmeal patty laced with diced onion.  Her dressing was a sort of warmed-through or baked mush, made from the leftover cornmeal patties, with lots of chopped bell pepper.  My granddaddy and most all my aunts and uncles ate it and raved over it.  I hated it.  

After WWII, when Daddy came back from working in the shipyards in San Diego, California,  (he was ineligible for military service due to punctured ear-drums) he went to work for the local Fire Department.  Around Christmas every year, the firemen prepared a banquet for the Firemen’s Auxiliary, the association membered by the firemen’s wives.  Also attending the banquet were local dignitaries and city politicians.  The menu was traditional Southern holiday fare:  roast turkey, cornbread dressing with giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, asparagus casserole, stuffed devilled eggs, various condiment, pickle  and relish trays, topped off with sweet potato and pecan pies, made-from-scratch banana puddin’, all washed down with Sweet Tea, and Firehouse Red Coffee.  Most all the firemen participated in the preparation of the food.  The chief cook, Mr. C. B. Sanford,  was the acknowledged expert “chef”.  His Pecan and Oyster Dressing, and Never Fail Roast Turkey became famous in our town, via word-of-mouth praises voiced by all who attended the banquets.

Mr. C. B.’s Pecan and Oyster Dressing

1 (one) FULL 10″ skillet cornbread, cooled and crumbled

4 to 6 leftover biscuits, crumbled

2 slices stale white bread, without crusts, crushed or crumbled

1 (one) Cup chopped/diced green onions, with tender green tops

1 (One) Cup chopped/diced celery, with leafy tops

2 (two) Tablespoons dried chopped parsley (or 4 tbsp chopped fresh)

1/8 to 1/2 Teaspoon ground sage

1/8 to 1/4 Teaspoon crushed Rosemary needles

1 to 2 Teaspoon(s) crushed dried Thyme

1/2 to 1 Teaspoon crushed Garlic (1 big clove, or 2 small) 

2 whole Eggs, whipped/whisked with 1/4 Cup milk

1 Cup (or more, to taste) toasted Pecan halves

6 to 8 ounces FRESH shucked oysters, with juice or liquor

6 to 8 fluid ounces Clam Juice

8 to 12 fluid ounces (maybe more) Chicken or Turkey broth

Salt and Pepper, to taste

NOTES:

         1.  In lieu of the biscuits, about 2/3 tube of saltine crackers, crushed to fine crumbs, may be substituted.  This will affect the salt ”to taste” requirement.     

         2.  If oysters baked in your dressing casserole ain’t your “cup of tea”, leave ‘em out, but substitute an equal amount of Chicken or Turkey Broth for the Clam Juice.

        3.  By all means, tho, DON”T leave out the pecans!  They’re a great touch.

         4.  The Sage and Rosemary amounts:  these herbs go a LOOOONNNGGG way!  These may need to be adjusted, again, “to taste”

         5.  The broth/clam juice amounts are rather scant.  More may be needed to reach the desired moistness of the uncooked mix.

ASSEMBLY/MIXING/COOKING   

         Mix in large bowl all dry ingredients, with the spices, and aromatic vegetables.  Add the egg/milk mixture and stir through.  Begin gradually adding the broth/clam juice, stirring well, to a consistency of a thick batter.  If after adding all the “wets” the mix is still too dry, add more broth.  Cover and refrigerate AT COLDEST TEMPERATURE (the moist mix can be a salmonella breeding ground) for at least an hour, to allow the seasonings and aromatic vegetables to leach through the mix, to maximum flavor intensity.  Taste, and correct the seasonings, again “to taste”.  The mix should keep refrigerated-preferably in the bottom of the refrigerator- at least 24 hours prior to cooking.  Pre-heat the oven to 330-360 degrees. (Residential ovens often have a 30 degree error between the dial-set temp and the actual temp).  Pour the mix into lightly greased casserole pan(s).  A 10 x 13, 2 inch sided casserole should be about right.  Bake on the middle rack for about one hour, to 1 hr. + 20 minutes, checking after an hour for desired moistness.   

This should make about 10 generous servings, with maybe some leftover to go with your next-day turkey sandwiches.

IF:   Any readers “out there” are interested in a recipe for one of the other dishes mentioned–including a Never Fail Roast Turkey, –let me know, thru a query/question/comment, and I’ll do a post with the requested dish’s recipe. 

‘Nuther IF:  I’ve cooked a long time by “eye-ball” and taste.  the measurements given here are, at best, approximations from memory.  I “do” ingredient measurements in my cupped left-hand palm.  If YOU plan to have guests-including the dreaded “In-Laws”- for a holiday meal, a trial run with maybe half of the recipe may be prudent/time and effort well-spent!

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

Historians speculate that between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, a loose association developed between primitive man and wolves, or wild dogs.  The specific how’s and why’s of  this association’s beginning may never be clear.  Maybe man watched as packs pursued and killed animals.  Opportunist Man then may have scavenged the remains or leftovers after the pack ate its fill.  Or, as Man gorged on charred meat by his campfire, a wolf ventured ever closer, near enough to grab scraps tossed to him.

We know from hieroglyphs that the Egyptians bred and trained hunting dogs.  The royal Romans’ elitist lifestyle also gave them the time and opportunity to develop different breeds for their sporting pursuits.  Their conquest of the known world spread their whole philosophy of life-including their leisure activities-all over the European continent.

By the Middle Ages, hunting with dogs was widespread, and specialized breeds for hunting different game species had been developed.  Our modern breeds are the result of the selective breeding and cross breeding done over the centuries.

‘Way back then, and equally true today, the “Three P’s” (Patience, Persistence, and Perspiration) must be the ever-present, or omnipresent(?) mantra of a dog trainer.  Make that “Dog Owner”, rather than just “Dog Trainer”.    Whether grooming and teaching a sleek, stylish sporting dog for field trials and/or personal hunting, or instructing the family pet in obedience and “manners”, these 3 P’s are super important.

Years ago, when I first trained a retriever, my training aids were leads, leashes, a Thunderer whistle, boat bumpers, an old starter pistol, and a bottle of duck scent.    The primary training ground was my fenced backyard.   Later, as she and I each became familiar with the other,  we advanced to shooting and retrieving blackbirds that came in to roost at a friend’s house in the country.  His house was in a pecan grove.  Every evening, the huge flocks of migrating blackbirds swarmed into the trees.  He shot his Diana grade Browning Superposed, and his big, long-legged lab “Klinker” did the honors on the nuisance birds he downed.  I had my Belgian Browning A-5. “Light Twelve” model, and my “Smokey” learned of feathers and bird smell as she worked my successful shots.  Then, through numerous-almost daily-dove shoots we finally graduated onto the Big River for ducks.

My friend was a devotee to, and a disciple of James Lamb Free, and his book (“the retriever trainer’s bible”) “TRAINING YOUR RETRIEVER”.  He insisted that I buy and read a copy of Free’s book “right now, before you go any further”.  I immediately complied.  Later, I discovered Richard Wolters’ book “WATER DOG”.  Both were interesting and informative, though somewhat contradictory.  Free insisted that a retriever should not be trained-except for obedience work-until at least one year old.  Wolters espoused that training could begin as early as three weeks of age.  Between my friend’s suggestions-and instructions-and the books’ information, something worked.  Smokey retrieved ducks, turkeys (shot incidentally in the fall season while duck hunting), tracked wounded deer, masterfully worked dove fields, and guarded our house, myself and my family.  She was a family member as much as any of us humans.  My friend said she became an accomplished retriever in spite of my training.  Maybe so.

Were I to do all that training over, starting today, I’d still read the books, and likely others, before starting.  Garnering the knowledge and information of others’ experience and education is an invaluable jump-start.  With the advent of, and advancements in electronic training aids, I’d likely go with a Retriev-R-Trainer Dummy Launcher Kit, the SportDOG SD1825 electronic collars.  They are waterproof/submersible, have no external collar antenna to hang in brush or limbs, and have an advertised 1 mile range.  NO choke collars, or chains.  I lost a promising young retriever when, wearing a choke chain collar, he tried to jump a kennel fence, hung the ring on the fence, and strangled before he was found and could be freed.  Costly lesson-in money, time and affection-learned!

In most any situation of training, be it for sporting dog or family pet, the electronic training and control aids should be considered.  There are electronic devices designed for most every need, from electronic fences, barking controls, GPS and radio telemetry trackers, beepers (for upland dog use), and a myriad others.  Name a pet situation/problem, and most likely an electronic device exists for that application.

Valued hunting companion, potential field trial champ, or a loved–and love returned–family member, we owe it to them all to keep them safe, and under control.

All of the products mentioned here and a wealth of information can be found at Gun Dog Supply.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

This might have been entitled “Medium Game Guns & Loads”, but my experience is 100% exclusive with whitetail deer hunting.  Some or all of this may apply to pronghorns, mule deer, black bear.  The theories and more or less “factual” data can have applications to ALL hunting with modern center-fire rifles and loads.  

Right off, I’m ruling out the “little” calibers:  the .22 Long Rifle, .22 WMR, .22 Hornet, .218 Zipper, .219 Bee-all those smaller than the 5.56 mm’s (.22-250 and .223).   I am, though, aware, over the years, of deer that have been killed with these smaller caliber rule-outs, by jack-lighters, poachers, and incidental deer kills made when hunting small game or varmints with these smaller calibers, and a chance deer encouter resulted in a kill.  I know, too, of shots taken on deer with them that resulted in wounding and losing the deer.  I’ve walked up on too many deer carcasses and skeletons during and after hunting season that were lost due to a poorly-placed or minimal penetration shots from the sub-5.56’s, and from poorly placed larger caliber shots.

Those disclaimers and qualifications out of the way, the proof of a weapon-load combination is the ability or capacity to penetrate the target animal’s vitals-the so-called “kill-zone”-and dispatch it quickly and humanely.  Pumps, bolt-actions, semi-autos, single shots and double rifles chambered in the 5.56 mm centerfires on up to whatever caliber can be shot without recoil and muzzle blast discomfort, that can deliver double-lung, or heart-lung destruction are acceptable, depending on the caliber’s legality in the location hunted. 

Maybe the single-most influencing factor in missed or marginal shots that wound or cripple, is felt or perceived recoil, and a resulting shooter’s ”flinch”.  Granted, even the smaller calibers generate recoil and muzzle blast.  It is the FELT, or PERCEIVED recoil the shooter experiences that is paramount.  If a hunter shoots a .338-06 Ackley Improved, with its punishing 28.2 foot-pounds of recoil energy, and consistently “makes” killing shots (the proverbial “bang-flop” target animal reaction) by all means, continue to shoot it.  I have an aversion to undeserved, or unnecessary punishment, and therefore opt for the smaller, though still more than adequate, calibers.  I presently shoot a 6mm Remington, in an old 742 Remington semi-auto, topped with a 3x-9x moderately priced scope.  I don’t flinch, I get consistent one-shot kills.  I have it zeroed to 1.5 inches high at 100 yards.  The load goes out the muzzle at a measured 3138 feet per second. and has adequate energy out to 450 yards.  I ascribe to the “no hold-over” theory of shooting.  This gun and load shoots within 8 inches out to 338 yards. I’ve shot it enough at inanimate targets and live animals to be completely familiar with it.  I am reluctant, tho, to take a shot at much over 250 yards.  I find that most hunters tend to over-estimate short ranges-say, 75 yards or less-and under-estimate longer ranges.  Obviously, a laser range finder, or a range-finding scope would eliminate the need to accurately estimate ranges.  Given the no hold-over theory and the 1.5 inches at 100 yards sighting in. I find I can confidently take and make the longer range shots, and be sure of quick, clean kills.  I would not consider a long range shot without a completely stable rest and a stationary target, preferably standing broadside.  I hate the thought of a magnificent trophy animal-be it an 80-lb. doe, or a Boone & Crockett buck-running off, gut or marginally shot, to lingeringly suffer and die.

“Expert” riflemen and their more or less recognized “standards” state that the “upper limits of recoil energy comfort level is about 15 foot-pounds”.  That’s a broad generalization, obviously.  I personally find I can “take” recoil,without the dreaded flinch, in the 20 ft. lb. range. Calibers on or near that level are the .270, the .280, the old 7 x 57 mm, while the .30-06, its brother .308 and the .300 mags exceed the 15-20  ft.lb maximum, but not by much. 

I won’t get into the age-old argument of whether big, slow-moving bullets, versus smaller ones at higher speeds or velocities is the optimal choice.    If YOUR weapon and load penetrates the vitals, the “kill-zone” adequately to make one-shot “bang-flops”, or short distance animal recoveries;  then, by all means, rave on!  If, on the other hand, you have developed a flinch, or find the recoil and muzzle blast of your rifle and load choice uncomfortable, check out one of the smaller diameter calibers.  I’ve found that delivered energy at the range of the target in the 600 ft. lb. minimum is “adequate”.  Some hold to a 750 ft. lb. delivery as minimal on medium-sized game. 

My whitetail experience encompasses over 50 years, with hundreds and hundreds of first-hand shots and kills, after the fact recoveries, anecdotal ”show and tells” from other hunters and hunting buddies, post mortem analyses on carcasses done while dressing and butchering deer.  I’ve read Jack O’connor, Elmer Keith, Byron W. Dalrymple, Warren Page, and many other gun writers/riflemen with that much more experience.  While there is wide disagreement in the optimum whitetail/medium game gun and load, there is total agreement by all-me included-if your gun and load, and you the shooter makes consistent one shot kills, “bang-flops”-THAT is your optimum choice.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts