Deer Season is Over | Get a Buck Census

Deer Season Has Ended “Now What”!

After Mid January in most parts of the US the whitetail deer season has come to a close and slight depression sets in to even the most avid hunters. Yes the season is long enough but now it has closed for good until next fall. You might have been closing in on that big bruiser that has eluded you all season. There are several states across the southern part of the US that offer hunting till January 31.

They will Show up “If they are still alive”!

For us this time of year becomes exciting as we still run our cameras to see which bucks we still have alive and well strolling the properties we call our hunting ground. Deer we caught on trail camera during late summer and early fall when bucks were in velvet will now show their face. The natural food sources are depleted and they need nourishment more now than ever because of the cold weather. Also, you heard the neighbor shot at and “missed” on of the bucks on your hit list, did he miss, or was the animal mortally wounded?

Helping the Deer Survive the “Harsh Winter”

Feeders are brought back into action for 3 reasons. One, to get the bucks to show up at given places to get pictures and two, is to get needed food in there bellies to help them make it through the remaining harsh winter months. The last reason for the feeders is to watch when the bucks start to shed antlers. We than hit the woods searching for the prize possession, shed antlers. I have found that feeding during this time period will keep the bucks closer to the food source and shed antler hunting is made a little easier.

Camera’s Running and Getting Great Pictures

We have had our trail camera running overlooking feeders for 4 weeks and new bucks and absent bucks are showing up weekly. Some have lost their antlers but the bigger bucks are still carrying them. Waiting for the bigger bucks to loose their antlers before stomping through their areas looking for sheds!

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Antler Scoring | Local QDMA Chapter Sponsored

Get that “Trophy Rack” Officially Scored!

The Local QDMA chapter in Ste Genevieve Mo. sponsored an Antler Scoring day last week at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomsdale. Local hunters brought in racks of all shaped and sizes, from whitetails to elk that were harvested out of state. The local QDMA chapter sponsors this event every year in January so hunters have an opportunity to get their trophy rack professional scored by official Boone and Crockett scorers. If the animal was harvested with a firearm the rack is scored using the Boone and Crockett method and if the rack meets the All Time minimum score to become a record book animal these scores will help you get the rack in the record books. There is a high percentage of record book racks that never get officially scored or entered in the Boone and Crockett All-Time Records because the hunter doesn’t take the time to get the rack officially scored.

Archery Harvested “Trophy Racks” Acknowledged Also!

I don’t want to leave out the Archery Hunters! If a hunter takes an animal with archery equipment another organization recognizes its trophy status, the Pope and Young club. This organization, founded in 1961 is one of North America’s leading bowhunting and conservation organizations.The Club is patterned after the prestigious Boone and Crockett Club. Score sheet is laid out slightly different but the same scoring guidelines are used to reach the final score. To get your trophy rack accepted by Pope & Young records it must meet Pope & Young minimum score

Time Well Spent by the Scorers!

The scoring session started at 9:00am and ended close to 6:00 pm. 3 official scorers started the day and 1 scorer finishing out the day scoring 27 racks for the record books! Some very impressive antlers were scored. None of the whitetails scored made Boone and Crockett but 11 whitetails made Pope & Young. Slightly over half were taken by firearm and the rest taken with archery equipment. And Elk was scored as well just falling short of the record book minimum by 1 1/2″, it was a very heavy impressive rack. I will talk about the scoring procedures in upcoming Blog Posts.

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Selecting the “Taxidermist” for Your Trophy

Just took a “Trophy of a Lifetime” What’s Next?

You have just harvested a trophy of a lifetime maybe it will even make the Boone and Crocket or Pope and Young record books, now what? This experience may not be encountered again for many years for most hunters, so you need to be made aware of the questions a taxidermist will ask you and what you need to ask them before contacting a taxidermist. You also know that you will have the animal mounted by a reputable taxidermist. Selecting a taxidermist can be almost as challenging as harvesting your new trophy.

What Room will Display the Mounted Animal?

Where are you going to hang your new trophy mount? The room in which the mount will hang is a contributing factor on the pose you will select for the mount. There are so many poses available! If your ceilings are around 8′ high or a basement den, the ceilings are not likely to be vaulted. How tall are the antlers? A full upright taxidermy pose might require the mount to hang low on the wall. There are three basic form poses – upright, semi-sneak, and full sneak. With an upright form, the neck is in a vertical position almost parallel to the wall. The semi sneak form has the neck and head down at approximate 40 degree angle off the wall. The full sneak pose has the neck at almost 85 degrees from the wall. For a low ceiling, a semi sneak or full sneak may be the better choice for your new trophy mount.

Time to Interview The Taxidermist!

Now that you have decided where to hang your trophy it is time get a list of taxidermist from fellow hunters you may know. There are many questions you need to ask them when you speak to them. Fisrt 3 questions to ask are :

1. How long have you been in business? At least three to five years of experience should be sufficient. If you are talking to a taxidermist with less experience you need to look very close to as many mounts that they have done to make sure you aren’t making a mistake!

2. Do you tan your hides or use a dry preservative? True tanned hides are the best way to go, hands down! Dry preserve is OK but will not last as long ,you will see the hide start to fade after seven or eight years

3. Where can I see some of your work? You need to look at their work very close. Look at the eyes, is it a natural look or does it look like the animal is bug eyed? Feel the back of the head between the antlers and slide your hand down the back of the neck. Do you feel the Stitches they used to sew the hide together? Has the hide shrunk? You will not notice this with true tanned hides.

Found your Taxidermist ”Enjoy” your Trophy!

The return time of your trophy mount is not as important as the above questions if you feel you have found the right taxidermist to do the mount for you. It should still be around 1 year, but 1 1/2 years is not uncommon! The Last this is the cost of the mount. How much is it worth to you? If you think you have found the right person to mount the animal the actual cost should not impact your decision. After all you get what you pay for!!

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