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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Deer season opens in Missouri using archery equipment in the middle of September. It is usually unseasonably warm when early season archery hunting. I personally do not spend much time in the tree this part of the season unless I have a big buck patterned very well, which is tough to do after they shed their velvet. Most of my time is spent scouting and hanging stands for prime time “The Rut”.  As the rut gets closer time is spent studying sign left by bucks and the paths in which they are following to get to and from their sanctuary. We start hunting the last 2 weeks of October  hoping to catch a big buck cruising from bedding are to bedding area checking for the first  receptive doe.

Hunting the Rut In Missouri

When November finally arrives we spend as much time in a tree as we can stand always keeping the wind in our favor, no exceptions. This part of the season you will see bucks that you  have never seen before and may never see again. Past history has proven the most buck movement in Missouri deer season is the first part of  November and the higher than any other time of the year. After spend many hours bow hunting the first 2 weeks of November the archery tackle gets set to the side and high power rifles are  the preferred weapon to use for the 11 day Missouri gun season. Between 1/2 and 2/3rds of the states total deer harvest takes place during this period.

Muzzleloader Hunting Late Season

As the hunting season grows on I can’t wait to hunt the late Missouri Muzzleloader season. All summer long my sons and I watch nice bucks roam their summer range but when their antlers harden and the competition for dominance starts the bigger whitetail bucks become hard to find. So I patiently wait for the late season. It is holding true for us again this year as one of the boys check the camera cards and find the 12 point that we watched most of the summer is back in the area. We are all excited to start putting together the pieces to try and harvest this dandy buck.

We are still hunting this  impressive Missouri Buck!!

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In an earlier post I spoke about the development stages of the whitetails antlers and the time frame of when they grow, early spring (March) to late summer (August/September). In our region, Missouri, the whitetail velvet shedding time is around the first week in September give or take a week or two. Over the years my sons and I have been monitoring this ritual with use of 4 or 5 trail cameras. It is exciting to see what the quality of the deer herd in an area can produce.

Whitetail deer antlers seem to grow the fastest between early June and the end of July.  The tips of the antlers have a blackish color and somewhat of a round ball at the tip of each point. Using this observation informs you the antlers are still gowing rapidly. This time period is when the velvet antlers are growing the fastest and the velvet looks fresh and lush. While the whitetails antlers are developing it is a critical time for them not to do any sparring with other whitetail bucks because the antlers are soft and can be damaged very eaily.  

Peak Development is Reached

As we monitor the deer through the use of cameras we can also tell when the growth starts to subside. As day length decreases in September, the pituitary gland indirectly increases the secretion of testosterone and testicular volume increases. As this happens the velvet on the antlers starts to dry and shrivel up. The whitetail buck that one week earlier looked huge on camera now is starting to dry down. when the velvet starts to let loose around the antlers the whitetail buck will start rubbing trees to remove the shedding velvet. We also start to notice fresh tree rubs. The bucks will become less visible druring the daytime hours. This doesn’t mean they leave the area from my experience it happens the same way every year.

Clean Polished Antlers

When the velvet gets rubbed off the whitetail antlers they are covered red with blood. As they rub their antlers on trees they begin to polish then slick and clean. Older more mature bucks can have  rough areas around the base of the velvet antlers that may remain dark in color because the blood cannot be completely removed by rubbing trees.

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Whitetail Deer Antler growth usually begins during the month of March or April, by August or early September, antlers are fully-grown. Antlers begin as bony growths covered with skin and hair (velvet).  They grow at incredible rates, it is amazing what whitetail deer can grow during the summer months. This makes them one of the fastest growing living tissues known to man.

Antlers are very similar to bone. They are supplied with blood through blood vessels in the velvet and through the core of the antler. Antler growth is triggered by the increase in the amount of sunlight during the spring season. The necessary nutrients for antler growth may be taken from other bones in the body, thus depleting the nutrients in these bones and making them brittle.

In order to grow these huge racks, whitetail deer, elk and moose must eat around 50 kg of calcium each season. This is quite a feat when their diet is composed of plant material.

“Shedding the Velvet”

After the antlers have reached their maximum size, blood vessels at the base close down causing the skin to dry up and peel off. The owner assists this process by rubbing against trees. In many areas, you can see these rubbings as the thin bark of the aspen, pine and cedar trees is rubbed off along with the velvet. As the velvet peels away by rubbing their antlers on trees they will rub the dried blood from them as well. Once the velvet is gone, only the hard bony core remains as a formidable weapon in the annual rut.

The whitetail’s antlers grow from March until September. It is exciting to watch the antler growing season hoping to see monster bucks develop for the fall rut in your hunting area.

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I have been researching the use of dogs to hunt shed antlers for awhile now and it seems to be taking the shed hunting fad to the next level. An article I read states that most any dog can be trained to retrieve shed antlers. There also is a sizable market in training these dogs to find and retrieve antler that have been shed by deer, elk, caribou and even moose. I would like to see a dog pick up and carry a large moose antler!

For years, hunting for shed antlers has been a common pastime for whitetail deer, mule deer and elk hunters. But when it comes to hunting for the antler sheds of black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk, the playing field changes. Just as with hunting the animals themselves, looking for their antlers is a true challenge.

Some hunters think it’s an accomplishment to find a few sheds a year. Others who have changed their method of hunting sheds are finding up to two dozen shed antlers a day. Some are doing it through hard work, on foot. Others are discovering how valuable dogs can be.

From mid-January through March, bucks and bulls will be shedding their antlers. Within each antler you find there is a wealth of information that can improve your hunting success for the next hunting season.

When it comes to training your dog to hunt for Shed Antlers, start early. Give them an antler for a short time period, making sure they don’t chew it to pieces; it’s not a play toy! Make the antlers something special for the dogs to associate with.
As for the actual training, the pups should ideally be six months of age or older,as well as introduced to the environment they’ll be hunting in.

Until they’re six months old, let them be themselves.
Teach them the basic commands: sit, stay, heel. Don’t be too hard on them. It’s OK if a pup makes mistakes this is their time to learn, and your time to bond with them.
After about six months to a year  it’s time to teach them to force fetch. Force fetching is using an act of stimulation to cue a dog to pick up an object on command and reliably return it to the person in charge. Click this link to find more detailed training info.

If you are an avid hunter that likes to keep inventory of bucks in your hunting area investing in a Shed Hunting Dog that can hunt sheds can be a rewarding addition to your hunting arsenal.

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Today, in the hunting world men,women and children have a growing desire to harvest larger more mature deer in there hunting areas. This organization helps the hunter to understand what the deer need in there home range to grow larger racks. The number one thing QDMA is stressing to everyone is to let the young bucks grow to their trophy potential. This, I can attest to has been hard for a lot of hunting groups that are doing the trophy management, because there neighbors across the fence are still shooting small bucks.

The state in which I spend most of my deer hunting season is Missouri. Our state has been implementing the 4 point rule for several years in the northern counties, and now they have been migrating the 4 point rule to the south. I agree  completely with what they are doing, however some trigger happy hunters will still shoot deer that do not qualify for the 4 point rule. What will they do with the illegally shot deer?

While researching the QDMA I  found a map that shows how much of the country is participating in the QDMA. They have banquets throughout the year to help generate money for the different programs they offer to there members. At the banquets they have raffles, play games and even live auctions for merchandise  Like guns, hunting knives, that are donated by individuals and business in the area.

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