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    Deer Hunter's & Land Manager's Pocket Reference: A Database for Hunters and Rural Landowners Interested in Deer Management
    Deer Hunter's & Land Manager's Pocket Reference: A Database for Hunters and Rural Landowners Interested in Deer Management
    Deer Hunter's & Land Manager's Pocket Reference: A Database for Hunters and Rural Landowners Interested in Deer Management
    Ebook563 pages1 hour

    Deer Hunter's & Land Manager's Pocket Reference: A Database for Hunters and Rural Landowners Interested in Deer Management

    By J. Wayne Fears

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    About this ebook

    Finally, the deer hunting and land management reference you have always wanted!

    Get the answers to your deer hunting questions right now, in the field, with this pocket size, take-with-you, reference book. Use it to settle those campfire debates or to figure out a hunting technique for that elusive buck you have been tracking or to mix your own special food plot seed mix.

    For the first time, here is a unique reference book that is filled with a collection of useful information to help make you a more successful deer hunter and a better woodsman. It’s like having an expert in your pocket.

    This book includes

    Facts about the deer
    Food plot information
    Deer caliber ballistic tables
    Trophy scoring and score sheets
    Land measurements
    Butchering how-to
    Hunt lease management
    Survival and safety
    Field judging bucks
    And much, much more

    Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSkyhorse
    Release dateAug 18, 2015
    ISBN9781634500203
    Deer Hunter's & Land Manager's Pocket Reference: A Database for Hunters and Rural Landowners Interested in Deer Management
    Author

    J. Wayne Fears

    J. Wayne Fears is a wildlife biologist by training who has organized big-game hunting camps, guided canoe trips, and run commercial getaway operations. Former editor of Rural Sportsman magazine, he has written more than more than twenty books on a variety of subjects ranging from cabin building (including How to Build Your Dream Cabin in the Woods) to survival (The Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide) to cookbooks (including The Complete Book of Dutch Oven Cooking), and more than four thousand articles for major outdoors magazines. A member of the International Dutch Oven Society and an accomplished writer and skilled outdoorsman, Fears lives in Cross Creek Hallow, Alabama.

    Read more from J. Wayne Fears

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      Book preview

      Deer Hunter's & Land Manager's Pocket Reference - J. Wayne Fears

      Cover Page of Deer Hunter’s & Land Manager’s Pocket ReferenceHalf Title of Deer Hunter’s & Land Manager’s Pocket ReferenceTitle Page of Deer Hunter’s & Land Manager’s Pocket Reference

      Copyright © 2010 by J. Wayne Fears

      Originally published in 2010 by Pro Tool Industries, Inc.

      First Skyhorse Publishing edition 2015

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

      Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.

      Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.

      Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

      Cover design by Richard Rossiter

      Print ISBN: 978-1-63220-590-2

      Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-020-3

      Printed in the United States of America

      Table of Contents

      Section 1: White-Tailed Deer Profile

      White-Tailed Deer Subspecies – US & Canada

      Deer Hunting/Management Glossary of Terms

      Deer Management Strategies

      Section 2: Deer Harvest

      Recording Harvest Data

      Measuring Antlers for Harvest Records

      Pulling a Deer Jaw for Aging

      How to Make a Deer Jaw Extractor

      Deer Aging Chart

      Deer Weights When a Scale is Not Available

      Field Dressing a Deer

      Carcass Care

      Finding Hit Deer

      Approaching Downed Deer

      Field Judging Bucks by Age Class

      Typical and Non-Typical Scoring Sheets

      Minimum Scores for White-Tailed Deer

      Cuts for Capping Deer

      Butcher Cuts

      Photographing the Trophy Buck

      Section 3: Food Plots

      Two Basic Types of Food Plot Crops

      Steps to Locating and Planting a Food Plot

      Understanding pH and Food Plot Crops

      Procedure for Taking Soil Samples of a Food Plot

      Planting Guide for Deer

      Seeds – Know What You are Buying

      Inoculants for Food Plot Legumes

      Food Plot Crop Profile

      Custom Food Plot Seed Mixes You Can Mix Yourself

      Wildlife Food Plot Record

      Making a Salt or Mineral Lick

      Deer Exclusion Cage

      Deer-Resistant Plants

      Section 4: Mast & Browse Plants

      Some Common Mast & Browse Plants Preferred by White-Tailed Deer

      How to Fertilize Mast-Producing Trees

      Planting Bareroot Seedlings

      Use Tree Shelters When Planting Hardwood Tree Seedlings

      Oakes Used by Deer

      Prescribed Burn Plan

      Make a Deer Corridor

      Restore Old Apple Trees

      Section 5: Hunting Lease Management

      Land Measurement

      Pond Measurements

      Volume Measurements

      Subdividing One Section of Land

      Sample Land Lease Agreement

      Sample Deer Cooperative Agreement

      Sample Hunt Club Bylaws

      Deer Observation Form

      Topographic Map Symbols

      Weather Map Symbols

      Section 6: Firearms

      White-Tailed Deer Ballistics Tables

      Federal Premium Ammunition

      Winchester

      Remington

      Range in Yards at Which Deer Cartridges Retain 1200 Foot-Pounds of Energy

      Sight-In Deer Rifle with Six Shots

      Vital Areas of a Deer

      Section 7: Safety

      10 Commandments of Firearm Safety

      Elevated Stand Safety

      Avoiding Hypothermia

      Wind Chill Chart

      Beaufort Wind Scale

      Lightning Rules When Deer Hunting

      Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

      Heart Attack – Symptoms and Treatment

      Stroke – Symptoms and Treatment

      Items for Deer Hunter’s Survival Kit

      What to Do When Lost

      How to Search for a Missing Hunter

      Section 8: Where to Get Information

      Wildlife Management Assistance (by state)

      State Forestry Agencies (by state)

      Wildlife Seed and Plant Sources

      Hunting Cabin Packages

      Hunting Insurance Companies

      Deer Management Organizations

      Trophy Scoring Organizations

      Deer Management Tools Resources

      Mapping Programs

      ATV Food Plot Accessories

      Index

      SECTION 1

      WHITE-TAILED DEER PROFILE

      White-Tailed Deer Profile

      Common name: White-tailed deer

      Scientific name: Odocoileus virginianus

      U. S. White-tailed deer population when first Europeans arrived: 23–34 million

      By 1900 – 300,000

      Current – 30 million

      Number of subspecies: 38total—17 in U. S. and Canada and 21 from Mexico south to Peru

      Height at shoulders: 36 – 40 inches

      Buck weight (average): 150 pounds, however it can range from almost 400 pounds in the far north to 50 pounds in the tropics. A buck may loose 25% of his body weight during the rut.

      Doe weight (average): 100 pounds, 50 to 250 pounds depending upon where located

      Life expectancy: 3-5 years in the wild, 20 years in captivity

      Breeding date: October to February

      Doe estrus cycle: 21 to 29 days, recycle up to seven times

      Heat period: 24 hours

      Gestation period: 190 to 210 days

      Weight at birth: 4 to 8 pounds

      Sexual maturity, doe: 1½ years. Under good nutritional conditions as high as 60% of 6-month old doe fawns will breed.

      Sexual maturity, buck: 1 ½ years

      Daily food intake: 4 to 6 pounds of food per 100 pounds of body weight.

      Food variety: deer feed on over 600 different varieties of plants in the U.S.

      Stomach: deer have four chambers in their stomach

      Water intake daily: average 1.5 quarts

      Home range: from 1 sq. mile to an elongated range that may be as much as 5 miles

      Glands: Seven external glands that are part of the communication system of deer

      1.   tarsal gland on the inner surfaces of the hind leg

      2.   metatarsal gland on the outer surfaces of the hind legs

      3.   interdigital gland between the hooves

      4.   preorbital gland in the corners of the eyes

      5.   preputial gland inside the buck’s penile sheath

      6.   nasal gland inside the nostrils

      7.   forehead gland between the eyes and the antler bases

      Sense of smell: can detect a hunter from ½ mile away. Their sense of smell is at least 10 times more acute than man. Also, they have a vomeronasal organ in the roof of their mouth which allows them to taste odors in the air.

      Eyesight: 310 degrees of vision around their head, can detect the slightest motion, excellent night vision. They can see more than black and white, as once thought, but can see a wide range of colors.

      Hearing: Large ears form sound funnels. Their hearing is several times greater than humans.

      Attention span: deer have a short attention span, about 3 minutes. However they can be conditioned to react to human activity and even change their movement patterns.

      Hair: the hair on a deer is hollow giving it great insulating value

      Droppings: deer defecates about 12 times every 24 hours.

      Teeth: 32 teeth. They do not have front teeth on the upper jaw.

      Running speed: 36 miles per hour

      Jumping ability: 7 feet from a standing start, 8 feet with a running start.

      Fawn spots: loses its spots at 3 months of age

      Fawn odor: fawns are odorless the first month of life

      Fawns are weaned at 4 months

      Rubs: a mature buck may make as many as 300 rubs on trees each fall. Older bucks usually make rubs first in the fall.

      Swimming: deer are excellent swimmers

      Vocalization: deer make at least 15 distinct vocalizations

      Antlers: are shed annually after the rut. New antlers are grown from late spring until early fall.

      Approximate annual U.S. deaths due to deer/auto collisions: 150

      Deer/vehicle collisions in U.S. annually: 1.5 million collisions cost in property damage $1.1 billion.

      White-tailed Deer Subspecies U. S. & Canada

      borealis – northern woodland white-tailed deer

      clavium – Key deer, Florida

      carminis – Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer, Texas & Mexico

      couesi – Coues / Arizona white-tailed deer

      dakotensis – Dakota white-tailed deer

      hiltonensis – Hilton Head white-tailed deer, South Carolina

      leucurus – Columbian white-tailed deer, Oregon & Washington

      macrourus – Kansas white-tailed deer

      mcilhennyi – Avery Island white-tailed deer, Louisiana

      nigribarbis – Blackbeard Island white-tailed deer, Georgia

      ochrourus – Idaho white-tailed deer

      osceola – Florida coastal white-tailed deer

      seminolus – Florida white-tailed deer

      taurinsulae – Bulls Island white-tailed deer, South Carolina

      texanus – Texas white-tailed deer

      venatorius – Hunting Island white-tailed deer, South Carolina

      virginianus – Virginia white-tailed deer

      Deer Management/Hunting Glossary of Terms

      Abomasum

      The fourth, or digesting, chamber of the stomach of a white-tailed deer. Biologist often use an abomasal parasite count as an index of deer condition and density relative to carrying capacity.

      Aerial photo

      An aerial view of a property for use in making land management decisions. Aerial photos are available for purchase from the NRCS and for free on-line viewing at www.msrmaps.com or www.googleearth.com.

      Age class

      Deer in the same age range. Since deer are usually born in the early summer and harvested in late fall their ages are usually discussed by biologists in ½, 1 ½, 2 ½, 3 ½, etc. age class as they are aged when harvested. A 2 ½ year age class buck is two and one-half years old.

      Albino Deer

      A genetic anomaly where deer lacks skin pigmentation. They have completely white coats, pink hooves and red eyes.

      Antler

      The branched bony growth on the head of any animal of the deer family. They are shed and re-grown annually.

      Bawl

      A sound made by a deer that has been injured or scared. Bawls are given by deer of all ages in situations of distress and is an alarm call.

      Base camp

      The central or main camp within a hunting territory.

      Beam

      The main branch of an antler from which tines grow. It is commonly called the main beam.

      Bed

      A place were a deer has laid down. A depression in grass or laves.

      Bedding Area

      Areas where deer take refuge. Bedding areas are often in areas that allow the deer to see and hear approaching danger. It is usually thick cover such as young planted pines, broom sedge fields, cane breaks, cedar swamps, or thickets of saplings and vines.

      Bleat

      A sound made by fawns to stay in contact with their mother. This sound may also be made by disturbed fawns.

      Browse

      Twigs, forbs, and tender woody growth that deer eat when traveling in their territory.

      Brow tine

      The first fork of the antler on a deer. On trophy score sheets it is the G-1 tine.

      Buck

      A male deer.

      Buck: doe ratio

      The ratio of bucks to does on a given tract of land. If a property has 20 bucks and 100 does the buck:doe ratio is said

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