MikeHanback.com

Is the .223 Enough for Deer?

I live in Florida and the deer down here are small. Is the .223 enough of a round to bring down a Florida deer without danger of just wounding it if the shot is well-placed? Thanks for your input, Bill

I know people who shoot and kill deer (esp. does for management purposes or on depredation permits) with the .223, but I am no fan. Many of those deer are shot in the head--if you've blogged here before, you know I do not like the head shot on a doe or buck.

Fact is, the .223 is considered too small to be a legal deer cartridge in many (most?) states. I don't know about Florida, but check the regs. I would definitely recommend moving up to the .243 with 100-grain bullet, perfect for shooting small-bodied deer in the heart/lung vitals where they ought to be shot, or the 7mm-08.

What do the rest of you think? Anybody shot deer (legally) with the .223 and disagree w/me?

Q&A: Ground Blinds for Deer?

Mike: Got a situation I need your advice on. The property where I have seen bucks all summer is an open field where deer feed regularly. It's a mixture of hay and a new planting of sudan grass (when this grass was young, the deer hit it like nuts). There is a small corn field that most of them are bedding in during daytime, and they're exiting it at dusk.

I put up a stand in a monsoon rain yesterday, then learned from the adjacent landowner I'd have to take it down. There are literally no other trees for stands, so I'm almost forced to use a ground blind. I've never hunted out of a blind before, and I feel that it might alarm these deer. What do you think? Will a new blind freak them out? Perhaps you could blog about this problem/question and get other hunters' thoughts? Thanks, Dean

Yes, pop up a new blind out in the open and you'll freak out those deer in this bowhunting situation! The only way it might work is if you could tuck it around a corner, across a ditch, etc. in fencerow cover where the deer would be close before they spotted the big new blob. If you set a blind where deer can see it a long way off, they'll stop 100 yards or farther out, look, and skirt it. Other nervous does will head bob, blow, spook. Screwed!

But you might well get a shot from a natural blind--grass, sticks, cedars, whatever blends in the area. Keep it small and tight as possible, but make sure you can draw and shoot without your arrow catching on stuff. Downwind or cross-wind of where the deer will walk of course. Spray/soak with a scent-eliminator head to toe.

BTW, coincidence, I just read where a guy had a similar situation last fall, no trees. He sat in a folding chair in some tall grass and smoked a 140-inch buck that walked by at 20 yards. It can be done!

Later on in gun season when you can shoot 100 yards plus you have more leeway with a hut blind and bucks that hang up or try to skirt it, but for now go small and natural. All you ground pounders, chirp in.

BTW, I am swamped with great questions; I want you to keep sending them because the discussions they generate make us all better hunters. No promises, but I'll answer as many as I can.

Do Deer Like Wild Turkeys?

Mike: Do you think if deer see turkeys in a food plot it keeps them (deer) from using it, or would it make the deer more comfortable seeing other wildlife? If the deer did venture into the plot, would their nervous nature make them more spooky because of the turkey's presence? Just wondering, Jim S.

Jim, years ago an old-timer told me to purr and cluck on a turkey call while I was on a deer stand because those sounds would make any deer moving though the woods feel comfortable. I saw it published in magazines, and I even did it a couple of times. Boy was I stupid. 

Most of the deer I see around a flock of turkeys, which are noisy especially in the woods, squabbling and scratching leaves, look and act jittery, especially the big bucks. It’s sort of like your cat and dog. They tolerate each other, but they feel best when they avoid one another, so the cat slinks off. That is what the bucks do, move away from the turkeys.

It is not unusual to see deer and turkeys in the same field or green plot (picture), especially in the Midwest where flocks are booming. But again, they like to avoid each other I've noticed. If I see a flock come in the north end of a field, I look for and expect a buck to move downwind of the turkeys and come in from the west, east or south. Something else I've noticed. Every time a buck steps out into a field, he will look up and stare at any turkeys already out there, sometimes for minutes, before he goes to feeding.

What have you other bloggers noticed about the deer-turkey thing?

Do Vanilla Deer Scents Work?

Mike: I am seeing more and more vanilla scents on the market, do these work? Ron in WV

Ron: Vanilla is supposed to act as both a sweet cover and a lure to attract curious deer. I say "supposed to" because I have never tried it and never will, unless a biologist or some of the BIG DEER bloggers can convince me it works. When I'm after a big buck (with or without a big drop :) I am funny about putting any unnatural smell in my hunting environment. When I use a cover it is dirt or pine only. No fox or skunk, which stinks and IMO might push deer away. 

I am curious, anybody tried vanilla, or might you this fall?

Hanback Blogger Lands Dream Job at Cabela's

Hey Mike: Not sure if you will remember me or not, but this is Adam Bender. I emailed you, what seems like forever ago, when I was a senior in college at UNL, asking for advice on how to become an outdoor writer. Well, I did land that dream job. I am now a Staff Writer for Cabela's at the World Headquarters in Sidney, NE.

My life did a 360 last summer and has been a whirlwind of a great experience since then. Right before graduation, I got a call from the copy manager here, after I had applied for other jobs, telling me that he heard I was a writer who loved to hunt and fish. I was kind of in amazement, but I answered all of his questions and by the end of the phone call, I had an interview set up.

Two days later, I was on I-80 heading West for Sidney. Now here I am, emailing to say thanks for the advice that you gave me on the blog. I listened to what you said, “go full speed ahead,” and I haven’t looked back since. Take care and hope all is well with you and your family. Adam

Young guys like Adam email me all the time: "Mike, how do I break into the outdoor business?" I am always glad to help as best I can, we need new blood in the hunting/fishing industry. I have asked Adam to guest blog a first-person account of how he landed his dream job. Will post it soon; good timing with all the graduations coming up. Adam, congrats (and nice fish :)

Top Video Cameras for Hunting Footage

Mike: Some buddies and I want to start videotaping our hunts. Is it necessary to get the top of the line production cameras like you and other big name hunters and shows use, or will a good family-style camcorder do the trick? I want to get really good footage with the hopes of winning the Realtree Outdoors contest someday (at least I dream). I'm not really concerned about $$$. I just want to know if spending the extra thousands for one of the fancy cameras is worth it. Thanks, Randy

Hey buddy, I ran this by Jon Dodson, one of the best cameramen I have worked with (that’s Jon on the right w/me on a VERSUS shoot in Canada). He says:

“There are many choices, and like all things electronic the field grows and changes every few months. Almost everything is going in the direction of High Definition in widescreen (16:9) format. I don't know much about consumer cameras, but for around $5,000 you can get a sweet setup that will work great for capturing top hunting footage. These are HDV 1/3" chip prosumer cameras that are broadcast quality and offer features that some of the high-end cameras have.

A couple things to keep in mind:

Look for a camera in the 1/3" chip size that has an optical zoom of 15x-20x. Many cameras offer digital zoom at 100x or higher but the quality falls apart pretty fast.

You want a lightweight tripod with a decent fluid head to ensure smooth pans and tilts on animals far away. If you're really steady you can shoot handheld to 100 yards max.

Think about your edit workflow. You'll want to edit out the bad stuff and put your highlight footage together as a final video. Make sure your computer can handle HDV footage. You may need new editing software, or you can use the older mini-DV camera format (a great value these days) which most computers can handle and is pretty good quality.

Here are my choices for HDV cameras in the $5,000 range:

JVC HD 110
Panasonic HVX200
Sony HVR-Z1
Canon XH-A1

Or, if money really is no object you can get a full-blown High Definition camera like the one that Mike and I use for our VERSUS shows for around $100K. Personally though, for that kind of dough I'd look into real estate and/or a lot of really cool hunting gear! Hope this helps, Jon Dodson 

How Do You Shake the Deer Shakes?

Mike: You ever had the problem with the shakes when you are in range of deer? I have it especially bad with archery hunting. How do you fix that? Thanks, Eric H.

Eric: I've been lucky, never succumbed to the buck shakes (but then I've never seen a monster drop-tine up close, LOL). But I know some really good, macho hunters whose knees start to wobble at the sight or sound of a doe, much less a 10-pointer. They can't help it, just something in their physiology. I've coached a few of them through it with the following tips. While they still tremble, they can generally keep it together long enough to shoot the deer--sometimes.

• The second you see or hear a deer and start to shake, whisper, Calm down, calm down, calm down... Take deep breaths and exhale fully.
• Keep your eyes on the buck--if you look away for an instant you might lose him in cover, down a draw, etc. Watch him, but NOT his rack.
• Focus on the deer's body as he comes into bow range. With one eye, peek out front of the animal, looking for an open hole through which to fire your arrow.
• The closer he gets, the more you zero in on a small patch of hide on his shoulder, the spot you want to split with your arrow/broadhead. The more you concentrate like this, the less you shake, or at least you won't notice it so badly, or at least that is the theory. Hope this helps!

Anybody out there get the shakes and have any first-person advice for beating them back? Please blog your tips for Eric and any other tremblers who might need it.

Does Trail-Camera Flash Spook Bucks?

Hey Mike: What are your thoughts on trail cameras with a regular flash versus IR flash? I use cams with IR flash and deer don't seem to be bothered by it. I've heard white flash will spook some deer, but I’ve seen lots of night pix where they haven't spooked. I can’t seem to get it out of my head that a monster buck may come by at night, take a white flash in the face and not want to come back to that spot. Thanks for your help, Scott

Scott, white flash definitely bothers some deer. Other animals, not so much, so it’s an inexact science. I ran your question by famed biologist and my friend Dr. Grant Woods, who has taken and analyzed as many cam pictures of whitetails as anyone in the world. Grant says:

“Most deer react more to white flash than the red flash of most infrared cameras. However, a high percentage of deer also react (at least notice) a red flash. In fact, I should note that the red flash from some units is much stronger than others; it gives a longer flash range, but it can also cause more disturbance to deer. (Remember that when buying a cam--MH)

“Some people will argue that deer don’t react to flash. I find this is true in areas where deer frequently eat at feeders and become conditioned to the flash – like Pavlov’s dogs. 

“The astute observer will notice that deer react more to flash and camera noise (older film units made lots more noise that most digital cams) when the units are set on trails or near feeding—both places where deer tend to be on high-alert. (Remember that when placing your units--MH)

“For research these days, I’m using the newer cameras that don’t have any visible flash (white or red). I am getting gads of photos of deer that appear totally undisturbed. I also get more pictures of mature bucks trailing does or immature bucks. To me, these new camera units are worth the extra cost to capture data of old bucks for hunting or research.”

Wow, good stuff. Now please pitch in with your thoughts on cams and flash and stuff.

'Should You Leave a Deer Overnight?

Mike: Guys on TV shoot bucks late in the day. The animals run off and the hunters do the famous “back out” so as not to push them. I think I have even seen you do this on Versus. The guys always come back in the morning and find their bucks dead. My question: If a deer has been shot and left in the woods all night for 12 hours, is the meat really okay to eat? How long before it spoils? Even if it is cold out I'm not sure I would eat it. Help me out? Jim 

Jim: Great question. BTW, I can’t recall having left a buck all night on a Versus show. I do remember one episode where we tracked and found a MT 8-pointer with Coleman lanterns, that was pretty good.

Anyhow, I never like to leave a deer overnight because no matter the weather, there is always a chance the meat will spoil, or coyotes will find it. If I shoot a buck with a bullet or a saboted pill, or if I know I got two lungs with a broad-head, I always follow the deer in the dark. I agree with something you allude to: Some hunters are too quick to leave them overnight.

But, if you hit a buck so-so or poorly at dark with a broad-head, esp. in the guts, you have to wait, lest you jump the deer and drive him off your property to be lost.

How long? If the temp will stay in the mid-30s or lower you should be able to leave him all night. The meat should be okay, but no guarantees; if it has spoiled, you will know by the rancid smell when you gut. But if the temp will be in the 40s or 50s or up that night, the meat will almost certainly spoil if you wait 12 hours. Go home for 2 to 4 hours, come back with a buddy and powerful lamps, pick up the blood and try like hell to find your deer. Most of the time you can.

How many of you have left deer at dark? Was the meat okay? Has a coyote gotten one? Let's talk and learn more.

Will Cows Wreck your Buck Spot?

Mike: How well do cows and deer get along? I hunt pastureland with wooded draws, and the farmer who owns it often has cattle grazing until late fall. Some people say if cows are near my stand, I can kiss seeing any bucks goodbye. Other people say cows won't affect deer movement much. Feedback? Thanks, Ryan

I asked MT cattle rancher and bowhunting guide Luke Strommen for his expert advice:

I hunt and outfit on a cattle ranch. My family has hunted here for generations, and cows have always been here. In the 1980s we had some of the best whitetail hunting I have ever seen on the Milk River; we had 4 to 5 times more cows grazing in the cottonwoods then than now.

I have had cows trail by my stand one minute and whitetails come by from the opposite direction the next. Out here, deer will feed right amongst the cow herd.

But I have also had deer shy away from my setup as cows wandered in--deer like it quiet, cattle are noisy as hell. You never know, it depends on the situation.

In the rut and later with hunting pressure on neighboring lands, crazed bucks don't even know cows exist. Whitetails will hop a fence, flee the pressure and bed with our cows without giving it a thought.

When cows graze down a wood, it will be tough to get to your stand without spooking bedded deer. You, and them, can see forever through the trees when the grass and lower leaves are eaten up. So be careful.

One advantage to cows having grazed the woods--sheds baby! I love to shed-hunt in a patch of timber that cows have mowed and tromped down--those bones are easier to see.

The short of it: While there are pros and cons, hunt those woods and your stand, cows or not.