Grow the Hunt

Deer Feeders and Scouting Cameras

-By Rich Miller

As I work trade shows, I am always getting asked the same question about deer feeders and hear the same comment about scouting cameras: “How long will it take for deer to start using my feeders?” and “The flash on my camera spooked the deer”.

Let’s start with the deer feeder question. I normally try to put my feeders in areas I know deer are using. I like to place them on the edge of a food plot or a field where they are already feeding. This way it doesn’t take deer near as long to begin eating from the feeders. Does and fawns are usually the first deer to start. It takes time for deer to realize that the feeder is a constant food source. Whether you are talking about food plots or feeders, the longer they are out the better they get. The young deer that use them the first year will learn the feeders are a food source that they can depend on. They will raise there fawns there, and then four or five years down the road you will have four- or five-year-old deer at your feeders and food plots. Another advantage to having these constant food sources that deer can rely on is that they will stay close to the area and not roam great distances searching for food. So hopefully this will keep them out of the road away from vehicles, and in front of your deer stand.

As for the camera comments, personally I don’t think that a flash trail camera will spook deer. Yes, I do think deer notice the flash, but they are not spooked by it. If you have a deer in the pictures with its tail raised and it is running away, that deer was spooked and running before the pictures was taken. A deer is fast, but it is not fast enough to run from the time the flash goes off and before the picture is taken. The deer was running by and the camera was fast enough to get his picture. A related comment I hear is, “I got a picture of a big buck and he never came back. I have had the same thing happen with my cameras whether it was with a flash or infrared scouting camera. I believe the buck in the picture was just passing through, he doesn’t live on the property. This normally takes place more from the middle of October until bucks lose their horns (between late February and early March). These bucks are cruising looking for does that have not been breed, or they have been run off from their home range and they are looking for a new home. I prefer to use a flash scouting camera on my feeders because I like the color photos at night. I use infrared game cameras next to property lines or roads where I am worried about another person seeing the flash. I really don’t have a favorite between the two because they will both perform well under any circumstance.

This is my fifth straight year of having my Game Spy cameras out in the field. A lot of deer I get pictures of I never see in person, but then there are those that I get hundreds of pictures of that I name and watch grow through the years. It is amazing that you can tell the same deer year after year even though their rack changes. The anticipation of checking my scouting cameras is getting to be as much fun as hunting (well, ok, maybe not that much fun). I have several buddies run their cameras year round also and we are always sending pictures back and forth of what we are capturing. I can’t say that having my cameras out has directly helped me kill bigger deer, but indirectly they will give you more confidence to stay on the stand longer. Game cameras give you proof of what is walking around on your property. As we all know, the more time in the stand equals a better chance of seeing the deer you are after.

What Are You Reading?

I know we’re all chomping at the bit for hunting season to finally begin. In the interim, we fill our time daydreaming about past and future hunts, preparing our food plots, scouting that soon-to-be monster buck, and reading anything and everything about hunting. Grow the Hunt wants to know what you, our readers, want to read about. Are you looking for tips on scouting and patterning, or planting fall food plots? Do you want to read about products that will prepare you for next season? How about past success stories? Drop us a comment and let us know what interests you.

Feeding Deer – Southern-Drought Style

-By Rich Miller

Here in the South, we are in the middle of a severe drought. As we watch our yards, lakes, and food plots dry up, we as hunters can’t help but wonder what kind of effect it is having on the wildlife that we hunt.

We have had only a handful of scattered thunderstorms since the first of May. During this time period, my lush green food plots have turned into dried-up brown patches of nothing. When I am planting my perennial food plots, I try to find and plant some of the most drought tolerant varieties as possible. I have found that my plots of alfalfa, clover, and chicory are the most drought-tolerant. They may dry up and not look very healthy, but when we they get a little moisture they will come back.

This week, I have started preparing for my annual fall food plots. I sprayed them with an herbicide a couple of weeks ago to get rid of the weeds and grasses. This makes it a lot easier when I get ready to start breaking the ground. Next, I will use a sub-soiler (i.e. middle buster, turn plow) to break through the hard pan. This will allow any moisture I do get over the next several weeks to seep into the ground and not run off. This will also make for easier plowing with cut away harrows or a box tiller.

With the food plots struggling and the other natural browse in the woods drying up, I have started supplemental feeding this past week with game feeders. I have been holding several different bachelor groups of bucks on my property for the last couple of months, and I didn’t want to lose them. If deer don’t have the necessary food available, they will leave and find it somewhere else. I start my feeders out with short feed times and increase the times as more deer start using them. This way I don’t have a lot of feed on the ground in case I do get a little moisture. With the price of corn on the rise, programmable deer feeders are a great cost-effective way to feed.

On a side note, last weekend was the World Turkey calling contest in Birmingham, AL. I would like to congratulate a couple of the Knight & Hale callers. Mark Prudomme won the Owl Hooting and Gobbling Championships while placing fourth in the open calling. Chris Parrish had a strong second place finish in the open calling championship. Good job guys!

Introducing Rich Miller

Grow the Hunt is proud to introduce the newest member of our Blog team, Rich Miller. He will be contributing weekly entries and we are very excited to have him on board.

Shot with Camera, Shot with Arrow

Robert Cordrey knows his Moultrie trail cameras are great scouting tools, but last year the deer didn’t give him enough time to truly appreciate the benefit. He did come out of it with a neat story, though. Oh, and a great buck.

“My family owns a 75 acre farm in Sussex County, Del., where this deer was taken,” he said. “We have three food plots with clover and we placed my I-40 on the smallest plot near a bottleneck.”

Robert had his camera up several days prior to opening day and planned on checking it after his first morning hunt. He said he simply wanted to see if he was wasting his time at the farm.

“After getting into my stand about an hour before sunrise I heard several deer moving by heading to a bedding area,” Cordrey said. “When daylight finally came I noticed a small rub under my treestand that was not there several days earlier.”

At around 7:30 a.m. he heard a deer coming back from the bedding area. It was a great buck, and it walked right under his stand, stopped at 15 yards and gave him a quartering away shot.

“The arrow hit him perfect and the deer went about 40 yards,” Cordrey said. “After taking pictures I pulled the camera and noticed I had this buck on camera several hours prior to me shooting it. I also noticed that the deer was heading the other direction in the picture.”

So it wasn’t the camera’s fault that it didn’t help Cordrey put together a plan of attack. It certainly had the evidence.

“We didn’t even know these deer were around until we got the I-40.”

Mocking the Situation

-By Brandon Wikman

We’ve all come to the conclusion that practice makes perfect, but taking your archery skills to a higher level takes perfect practice. In the field, there’s no telling what scenario you’ll face. Unfortunately, the endless dream of having a buck walk past your stand broadside at 10-yards and pose for your arrow doesn’t come often! It’s the immediate quartering-away shot before he scampers. Or the all too familiar nail-biting last second before he vanishes behind the brush shot that occurs more often than not. Practicing different situations and tossing realism into your arrow flinging will make you a wiser archer, while building your diversity in any given hunting situation.

It’s no different than a football team sliding in a new play before their first playoff game. It takes visual, mental, and physical rehearsal before fully initiating the play successfully. From the chalkboard, into a brief walk through, to full-fledged contact training, it takes a bit of experience to fully grasp the moment of truth. We as hunters must do the exact same in preparation to evolve our shooting skills to their maximum capabilities.

Shooting my Magic Stop bag target at 20-yards isn’t going to make me any better of a hunter. Especially when I’m standing straight up, feet squared to the target, and waiting for the last gust of wind to mellow. Instead of always shooting the ‘average shooter’ way, don’t be afraid to change it up and set your pins and goals on different styles and techniques that will pose more of a challenge to your shooting and hunting abilities.

Off the Deck - Before I hunt out of a tree stand, I sight my bow in from an elevated position. Personally, my bow shoots different from ground level to limb level, as yours probably does also. Shooting from a deck or gentle angled rooftop will mock your average tree stand shot. It gives you a chance to realize the severe angle and perspective you’ll be shooting from once fall season begins.

Oftentimes, I place animal targets in several different standing positions. Broadside, quartering away, and several other positions we face in a life-like situation, are just some of the angles we must get used to. This will give you a chance to slip your arrows into the correct crease or pocket that will soon determine your fate once season dawns.

Take a Knee... or Two - I never thought to practice shooting from my knees until I ventured to Eastern Colorado last fall and stalked monster mule deer with my bow. This tree-less prairie of muley paradise was my wakeup call and proved impossible to take a simple standing shot. Belly crawling hundreds of yards, inching through tall wheat fields en route to a nearly hidden tine was an experience never to be forgotten. There was not one time we stood up and walked toward deer.

Once we got within range, it was time to forget how cold and wet your hands felt from the snow, or how much your knees ached from clomping through the fields. It was time to make the kill.

It takes a smooth draw from the ground with your back hunched over to win 25% of the battle, then another 25% popping up from the field. Once you managed to do both within a 5-second time frame, it’s time to align your pin on the buck’s vitals and let carbon fly before he busts you! Tough? You’re darn right it is! As I found out with numerous blown chances...

Sitting Down - Shooting a bow while sitting down is difficult, because of several factors that may deter your shot. The bottom cam kicking up dirt, weeds, or your kneecap will toss an arrow off course. Not to mention the extra strength it takes to crank the string back and hold the bow steady. Sitting against a tree and using it as a natural blind while turkey or elk hunting is a must when using a bow.

Last spring I shot a turkey using my bow while playing peek-a-boo with a gobbler behind a huge oak tree. As the gobbler walked into my decoys, which were placed off my left shoulder, all I had to do was draw and quickly slink an arrow into the back of his tail fan. He pompously strutted into my subordinate Jake decoy and once he turned away, I killed him. I’ve had as many good hunts go bad and some just turn raw, but you’ll never know when you may have to take this awkward shot at an animal.

I’ve been taught by many professionals throughout the years that making the most realistic practice ultimately will build enough confidence and experience to make your shot count when the moment of truth surfaces. Practice these different kinds of shooting forms to help you on your next hunt.

Nursing Fawns

This great video footage of two nursing fawns was sent in to us from Dan in Hedgesville, WV. The footage was taken on a Moultrie I-60 Game Spy game camera. Thanks for sharing that awesome footage with us Dan.

Your Summer Job

-By Brandon Wikman

As the soft and fury velvet of July stretches past the whitetails ear tips, season’s anticipation is what really grows! There’s a surge of excitement that hunters experience once antlers become substantially large. It’s simply that subtle reminder that deer season isn’t so far away. It’s enough to give any hunter a reluctant sigh of relief...

This past week I began burning that overpriced $4 fuel, taking laps around my hunting locations in search of dandy bucks. No matter how high the price of gas escalates, it’s going to be difficult to keep me from driving. Especially when it comes to hunting, scouting, and enjoying a recreation that I so dearly love. Sometimes you just have to do things for yourself that make you happy, or are simply relaxing. Spending time in the outdoors can be a captivating experience, which brings joy and a rush of shear satisfaction.

The month of July is a time to take advantage of off-road scouting, whether it’s glassing fields from your car window or taking a vantage point approach on a hillside. There’s no better time to see, record, and target your quarry’s potential. As evening approaches and the sun radiates it’s last beat of warmth, I prepare myself with a pair of binoculars, a tripod, video camera, snapshot camera, pen and paper. All the necessities needed for documenting deer activity. This is a perfect opportunity to size up bucks, gain a better understanding of your deer herd’s health and quality. It’s essential as a land manager, and hunter to take in consideration the amount of deer in a particular field, which will estimate the amount of deer you have living on your property for the summer months. It’s also a prime time to check the balance of the male-to-female deer ratio, which will play a major role in a few months from now when rutting activity cranks!

Every whitetail deer you spot engulfing soybeans and clover in your food plots aren’t going to call your property home. Once the primary food sources are transitioned to harvest time or a new field turns ripe, deer will venture to the next best buffet. Regardless, it’s still a great time to overview the deer herd in your area and gain an appreciation for the amount of deer feeding their face as light dims.

I’ve recently placed my Moultrie trail camera on a deer trail leading to my uncle’s lush soybean field, which has already grown knee high! The amount of water the Midwest has experienced has been astronomical compared to the past and previous ten years of complete drought. Besides the flooding and damage caused by the abundance of rain, fields that haven’t been totally drowned are doing spectacular. This means deer will be absorbing and using more nutrients and vitamins from the healthy plants this year to aid in antler development. I can’t wait to check my trail camera in a few weeks to gather more data on the different bucks I capture on infrared.

It’s getting to be that time of year again where scouting and doing your homework pays off. I advise everyone to put those trail camera-monitoring systems to work and make weekly road trips around your hunting land to survey the deer in your area.

Monitoring Deer Health

Mike Hanback’s blog posting on July 15, 2008 titled Knot-on-the-Jaw Doe features a photo that was sent in to the Quality Deer Management Association from a QDMA member in Wisconsin. The photo, captured with a game camera, clearly shows a doe with the entire side of her face swollen up. QDMA believed the doe may have had a case of arterial worms, which would prevent the doe from properly swallowing her food properly. This results in food building up under the tongue and in the cheek, causing what is known as a food impaction.

After checking with the Wisconsin DNR, they discovered that there had never been a reported case of arterial worms in Wisconsin. They found out the impaction could have been caused by a number of things, and though an impaction may look bad it is rarely fatal. Fortunately, recent game camera photos of the doe appear as if she is getting better.

Trail cameras are a great tool in monitoring the health of your deer herd. Without the aid of a game camera chances are that this would have gone totally unnoticed.

This photo was sent to Moultrie from Anthony in Tennessee. He said he had seen this deer twice during the summer and could tell something was wrong. Anthony noted, “Pictures speak a thousand words. The skin problem is cutaneous fibromas and yes this deer is still alive roaming the hills near my home. This picture was taken with a Moultrie D-40 game camera. This is one of the worst cases of cutaneous fibromas our regional biologist has ever seen.”

Moultrie Announces Bill Dance Signature Series FeedCaster Fish Feeders

Moultrie has partnered with outdoor legend Bill Dance in promoting Moultrie’s line of FeedCaster fish feeders. The Bill Dance Signature Series will consist of three automatic fish feeders to fit every fish management need and budget.

“I’m really happy to become associated with Moultrie brand fish feeders. These folks have been making quality feeders for a mighty long time, and to put it in a few simple words, I’m highly impressed with every feature of ‘em!” Dance said of the partnership.

Moultrie is proud to have the support of such a highly-respected fishing expert. Dance knows from experience that proper fish management is an integral part of growing larger, healthier fish. High-quality, reliable fish feeders are essential in preventing disease caused by over- and under-feeding.

Find out more information on Bill Dance Signature Series FeedCaster fish feeders.