Deer Hunting
Make some noise: deer make plenty
Although vocalizations from white-tailed deer occur year-round, deer undoubtedly intensify their larynx usage as the rut gets under way. […]
Articles by Tommy Kirkland
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The rub about deer: Understanding rubs
The language of whitetail rubs and scrapes is diverse and, at times, complex — especially when bucks ravage the timber with cluster rubs. […]
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The Deer plague — What about epizootic hemorrhagic disease?
Despite the seriousness and spread of CWD, there remains one fatal disease that continues to wallop whitetails along with affecting the men and women who hunt them. Though it is predominantly an issue in the South, it can loom North — devastating herds of whitetails… […]
Deer Hunting
Deer talk — Understanding deer communication
Bucks and does communicate often throughout the season. Here are some observations on what these sounds mean. […]
Deer Hunting
Coyote harassment and bedding
Coyotes are known for disrupting the whitetail’s normal feeding and bedding routines. This harassment can cause deer to be highly unpredictable, becoming more evasive in their attempts to throw off the canines. […]
Deer Hunting
Post-rut bedding
Once the rut slows down and the post-rut begins, surviving deer will eventually return to bedding sites used prior to the rut — as long as there was no intrusion. […]
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Bedded down — How to use the bedding instinct against deer
After early morning foraging, the white-tailed buck moves into the adjacent woodlands. He slowly and effortlessly follows a deer trail up a steep ridge. With a steady pace, he heads to familiar ground. […]
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White-tailed foragers: Use this food source to ambush deer
Beyond the food plots, whitetails are still at work, browsing native forage within woodlands and forested areas.
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Shoot or Don’t Shoot
Patiently you wait, enduring the cold conditions. Finally the woodland silence is broken by the slight rustling of withered leaves as the game you’ve been pursuing makes its presence known. […]
Deer Hunting
Deer Dynamics: Post-Rut
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part two of a 12-part series in which renowned wildlife photographer Tommy Kirkland gives readers an inside look into the private world of whitetail deer.Click here to read more on Deer Dynamics: Post-Rut […]
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Head games – Defining a trophy deer is difficult
Every year scores of hunters harvest whitetails throughout the state. Each buck, in the eyes of the beholder, is truly a trophy – hosting a set of antlers that are individually unique. […]
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A surge of testosterone: One buck’s story
The rut is on. Mature bucks, if not pursuing does, are tending and breeding estrous females. […]