The mythos behind the Whitetail
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daniel craig
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I’ve talked to many people who are absolutely convinced that they need 300winmag rifles for 100 yard deer hunting because deer go down hard. It’s as if people equate a deer not spontaneously being skinned and processed after their shot to deer being too tough for the gun they have.
daniel craig
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The truth is a lot of hunters take ****ty shots and don’t want to have to walk 100yards to go get a deer.
daniel craig
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Funny you should say that, as a NY hunter I’m thinking about going back to my slug gun. Most of the deer I’ve ever harvested have been inside of 100 yards, many inside of 50. Slugs are cheaper than my rifle rounds right now too.
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rdnktrkr
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They've gotten so bad around here I started using buckshot to get more than 1 wound channel before the property was clearcut, now I'm still trying to figure out what I need to use. I lost one to the coyotes last year using a rifle when it doubled back while I was tracking it at dusk. I know I couldn't have made a bad shot
Armored farmer
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if you're bored with drop-flopping deer at 200yds with your scoped rifles, get yourself a recurve or flintlock and have a season.
buck460XVR
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I have, but not lately. Half a century ago when I started hunting deer, they were mythical creatures. This is because the majority of folks that hunted them, knew virtually nothing about them other than they lived in the woods and bred in November(around here). Even the most die hard deer hunters never spent any other time in the woods observing them other than the week deer season. Around here deer were at about 1/3 the numbers they are now. Less time spent observing less deer. Wasn't til the 1970s, that folks actually started to study deer to learn more about them. Was about then that folks actually learned that deer had a language and communicated by sound. The effect of scent and color on deer was observed. Life expectancy of wild animals was determined to be short enough that the old "legend of the hills" didn't live for generations like my grandpa told me. Growing up I heard lots of stories about bucks that lived so long they could no longer grow horns and grew long beards. It was the beard on a spike that told you if it was really old instead of just a runt. Most everyone that missed a spike, missed one with a beard. Never did see a bearded one dead. Deer that would actually go in water deep enough they could go underwater and hold their breath till hunters passed. Deer that would make dens like bears and hide in them when they heard gunshots.......and yes, deer just so dam tough, they couldn't be killed. Much has been learned about deer in my lifetime, more than known in all the time up till then. There isn't much left to mystery anymore. Like with anything in life, the more knowledge we have, the less we rely on myth and legend. Deer are no exception.
Telum Pisces
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Buddy shot a huge Russian boar a few years back right in the "shield." He was using a 7mm Mag. It ran off after the first shot only for it to come back towards him about 2 minutes later. He put a second round into him and it fell over right there. When we pulled that critter out of there, we found the first bullet lodged into the "shield" only about 2.5" inches behind the hide! I have hunted my fair share of pigs and most are the European decent. Every now and then we come across a Russian boar and man those suckers have one heck of an armor plate. It's head or neck shots when I can for those critters.
Random 8
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Not exactly mythological, but they are truly remarkable animals. They can prosper from the great Canadian Shield spruce/fir region to the high desert of New Mexico to the sawgrass and jungle of the Everglades. They have not only survived being #1 on the menu for all large 2 and 4 legged predators on the continent since the great ice age, but have flourished through deforestation and urban encroachment.
As for their individual properties, they do have an uncanny ability to appear and disappear without warning. I could swear the ones on my property can read a calendar and know when to go full-on nocturnal. Their natural camouflage and ability to sense danger is superb. Add in the kind of cover they call home in my part of the country, and it can make them a tough animal to harvest.
I've never found them especially hard to kill so long as a well placed bullet or arrow has the ability to penetrate. This can be an issue with our Northern deer. They have a pretty heavy fat cap around the shoulders and rib cage, and sport a thick layer of hollow guard hairs by November. I always recommend any high velocity round use a premium bullet. The cup and cores do excellent work below 2800fps. When souped up on adrenaline, they have a remarkable ability to cover ground into heavy cover dead on their feet. I personally shot one 3 times in the chest cavity with a .280 Rem while watching it run as if unaffected across a sidehill towards a willow thicket. A fourth shot to the base of the skull anchored the animal short of the thick stuff. The internal organs were soup. I've also witnessed them shrug off a .243 soft point to the shoulder, needing an additional shot to anchor them. They are an animal I shoot until they quit moving, and target the CNS whenever practical. Trailing a shot deer 100 yards into an alder swamp, then dragging it out is no fun.
As for their individual properties, they do have an uncanny ability to appear and disappear without warning. I could swear the ones on my property can read a calendar and know when to go full-on nocturnal. Their natural camouflage and ability to sense danger is superb. Add in the kind of cover they call home in my part of the country, and it can make them a tough animal to harvest.
I've never found them especially hard to kill so long as a well placed bullet or arrow has the ability to penetrate. This can be an issue with our Northern deer. They have a pretty heavy fat cap around the shoulders and rib cage, and sport a thick layer of hollow guard hairs by November. I always recommend any high velocity round use a premium bullet. The cup and cores do excellent work below 2800fps. When souped up on adrenaline, they have a remarkable ability to cover ground into heavy cover dead on their feet. I personally shot one 3 times in the chest cavity with a .280 Rem while watching it run as if unaffected across a sidehill towards a willow thicket. A fourth shot to the base of the skull anchored the animal short of the thick stuff. The internal organs were soup. I've also witnessed them shrug off a .243 soft point to the shoulder, needing an additional shot to anchor them. They are an animal I shoot until they quit moving, and target the CNS whenever practical. Trailing a shot deer 100 yards into an alder swamp, then dragging it out is no fun.
ridgerunner1965
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around here what ive noticed is since we have a lot more row crops like corn and soybeans, the deer get fatter.
a deer shot from above from a tree stand with a bullet exiting the brisket loaded with fat, the fat and hair will seal off the wound and not leave a blood trail. ive seen this several times.
even a big fat deer shot broadside with a heavy covering of fat will not bleed like like your normal skinny deer.
i once punched 3 shots clean thru a big 12 pt with a 243 at about 280 yrds. even tho his lungs were soup, he never left a blood trail.
his fat sealed off the wounds, i found him about 50 yrds from the first shot site.
a deer shot from above from a tree stand with a bullet exiting the brisket loaded with fat, the fat and hair will seal off the wound and not leave a blood trail. ive seen this several times.
even a big fat deer shot broadside with a heavy covering of fat will not bleed like like your normal skinny deer.
i once punched 3 shots clean thru a big 12 pt with a 243 at about 280 yrds. even tho his lungs were soup, he never left a blood trail.
his fat sealed off the wounds, i found him about 50 yrds from the first shot site.
1976B.L.Johns.
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Bangs and bowstring twangs...........hmmmmmm, I hear a new song in the makin'.
Gotta remember that one.
troy fairweather
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I may just have them around here, well across the state line in Jersey. Because I hear them guys in groups unload all there shotguns for one deer and will never hit it.
Random 8 said:
Coloration, combined with nerves of steel, they do blend in quite well. This one crossed a sendero about 300 yards from me and stood just out of view where he entered the brush. He let me walk within 7-8 feet of him, snap this picture and walk on without so much as blinking an eye. Think I would have spotted him if I hadn't seen him enter the brush?
I'll admit that deer hunting has lost it's shine after half century of deer hunting
I'd rather hunt coyotes, watch deer, and take their photos these days.
Regards,
hps
courtgreene
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Those are some great pictures. Almost legendary.
Nature Boy
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I find it’s the old does that are the smartest.
Back around 1984 I was traveling west on highway 10 east of Steven`s Point Wisconsin. I was behind an 18 wheeler looking for a stretch of road to pass.
For those of you who know this area it is a lot of woods and a lot of deer. As the semi and I go down the road I see a doe run out of the woods and right into the rear wheels of the tractor. The doe hit the rear wheels head on and was spun around 180 degrees. She got caught in the wheels for just a moment but
in that moment a big chunk of her rear backside was ripped right off from the tail to about a foot or so along the spine. That deer managed to run full bore back into the woods. I did not think a ting like that was possible but deer are tough and the will to live is strong. This happened in summer and day light .
For those of you who know this area it is a lot of woods and a lot of deer. As the semi and I go down the road I see a doe run out of the woods and right into the rear wheels of the tractor. The doe hit the rear wheels head on and was spun around 180 degrees. She got caught in the wheels for just a moment but
in that moment a big chunk of her rear backside was ripped right off from the tail to about a foot or so along the spine. That deer managed to run full bore back into the woods. I did not think a ting like that was possible but deer are tough and the will to live is strong. This happened in summer and day light .
jmohme
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There is nothing mythical about Whitetail Deer.
The secret to a successful hunt is all in the blind.
Most deer hunters overlook this and instead spend the money they have budgeted on fancy rifles, optics and ammo.
Deer scents, and camouflaged clothing accented with florescent orange to finish off the stealthy appearance.
If you really want to bring in the nicest bucks for a clear shot, build your blind out of a pristine luxury car with spotless chrome, bright headlights, and for that extra assurance that you will attract the ultimate trophy, a pair of deer whistles on the bumper.
It also helps if you leave the cammo at home and dress like you are going to a formal event.
Now just sit back in the AC while listening to some tunes and wait. They will practically throw themselves at you!
Happy Hunting!
The secret to a successful hunt is all in the blind.
Most deer hunters overlook this and instead spend the money they have budgeted on fancy rifles, optics and ammo.
Deer scents, and camouflaged clothing accented with florescent orange to finish off the stealthy appearance.
If you really want to bring in the nicest bucks for a clear shot, build your blind out of a pristine luxury car with spotless chrome, bright headlights, and for that extra assurance that you will attract the ultimate trophy, a pair of deer whistles on the bumper.
It also helps if you leave the cammo at home and dress like you are going to a formal event.
Now just sit back in the AC while listening to some tunes and wait. They will practically throw themselves at you!
Happy Hunting!
Robbins290
Member
I have been using a 5.56 nato in the past few years. After 3 deer, none of them ran off. I noticed the myth thing is mostly from immature hunters that does not take it seriously. Deer are not hard to kill if you do that part. 4 rounds from a 300 win mag with horrible placement can lead to a missed deer with a good blood trail. Or a 22 mag in the heart can drop it (In Maine 22 mag is the smallest caliber to use on deer)
Officers'Wife
Member
Whitetail's aren't mythical they are simply intelligent. Hunting them is pitting your intelligence against theirs. Those that win have venison in the freezer, those that lose give the deer mystic qualities.
Ernie Bass
member
LOL, I was just getting ready to put one of my favorite Deer pics on this thread. Yes Deer are very Mystical.
Pic I was going to submit was hps1, just love that Pic! Hell, many like Ghost! By the way. Look at this photo by hps1, and then back up in your chair and stare at it..
You may spend hours sitting for a Deer and the whole time they have be watching YOU. I have seen them do so many strange things. Fascinating, beautiful creatures.
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++++^ I hunted a 5000+ acre ranch that had 13 lease members. Their management program, which was coordinated w/state game biologist, consisted of flying the ranch twice/year. Game quota was set, based on the helicopter surveys. Only mature bucks & does were allowed and each lessee had a quota of does to be harvested in order to be "invited" back next season. Quota was usually 3-4 does/year, one trophy buck and one management buck, but one year doe requirement was 6 ea. That's right total of 78 does! Talk about smart does!!! It quickly became obvious that it behooved the hunter to get his does out of the way early on because the does become very scarce after a week or two.
Regards,
hps
troy fairweather
Member
We had this massive buck around for years, I was still to young to legally hunt. This deer was a monster, every bit of 16 points and near 300lb. We seen him 4 times, only a quick glimpse and he would be gone. Never did hear anyone shooting him or finding the horns. I looked the farm every year for his sheds and never found one.
rdnktrkr
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I stood and talked to a doe and 2 spots yesterday for about 15min, they just stood and listened, when they left they eased into the woods and blended in within 6ft.
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