After owning my own land the past 17 years, I’ve learned a lot about white-tailed deer. The years before were spent hunting in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Texas. I typically scouted a few days and started hunting public or private land when the season opened. Now I live with the deer and make observations year around. I hunt for shed antlers in the spring and watch their antlers grow in the velvet. I watch the doe have fawns or in a drought watch them abort their fawns. Starting in September the deer begin to lose their summer coats of red, which are replaced by the winter coat of gray.
Thanks to year around feeders and trail cameras, some interesting patterns show up in the daily activity of the white-tailed buck. From August to mid October the bucks are in groups of three or more and come to the feeders freely in the daylight hours. After mid October the bucks split up and don’t like each other. Because of the shorter daylight hours causing the gradual releasing of additional hormones in the body, the bucks are looking for does. November finds the buck in top physical condition. His coat is sleek and his antlers are his crowning glory. Now he spends little time eating at feeders and usually only at night. The bucks are ready for the breeding season before the does and are constantly on the go, seeking mates. If you see one near a feeder he will cross downwind to check for does and won’t stop very long. A buck in the rut is always spoiling for a fight and there is usually another buck ready to oblige him.
The deer season in Central Texas starts the first Saturday in November. Suddenly the remote ranches are alive with activity. Trucks, 4 wheelers and ATV’s are everywhere. That quiet cabin has noise and odors like never before during the year. This is when the mature bucks four years or older become nocturnal. During the rut my trail cameras pick up bucks that I have never seen during the year but usually at night. Hunting just at dawn or dusk usually gets you nothing but doe and small bucks this time of year. The trail cam will sometimes show bucks passing thru during lunch time with their nose to the ground. I will see them crossing the roads any time of day. Hunting at dusk and dawn during the full moon is worthless. Don’t plan your vacation to hunt around the full moon. The camera will show them at the feeders all night and they are bedded down by daybreak. It would be best to sleep late and go hunting at noon. Last year a friend and I were out before daylight and stayed in the blind until after 10am and saw nothing. On the way back to the house we came upon a wide 8 pointer with a doe right in the barn yard.
You can watch the bucks all year and think you have them patterned but when the rut starts, all bets are off. This is the reason each year some rookie hunter kills a record book buck.
I love the white-tailed deer but I also love venison. My favorite way to cook back straps is to remove all white skin and cut steaks ¾ inches thick. Sprinkle with pepper and your favorite spices. Marinate at room temperature with Dale’s steak seasoning for three hours. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet until very hot. Sear the steaks 1 minute only on each side. They come out tender and delicious with pink centers.
The deer is the number-one big game animal in the United States and a challenge to hunters everywhere. Its value, both aesthetic and monetary, to individuals, communities, and states is so great as to be almost beyond computation.
I hope my observations will help you bag that trophy deer this year.
