UNDERSTANDING THE RUT By: Travis Travillian (Pro Staff at Kentucky Outdoors Shop) September 19, 2015
October through late November and the cold winter coming soon mean’s love is in the air, Whitetail deer will begin the “RUT”. Buck’s will be aggressive and nosey. Many hunters think it’s an easy way to kill the biggest buck in the woods or the farm… And they are right. Many bucks let down their guard and will chase down that HOT beautiful doe to the ends of the earth if they have too. They will come up on a competitor and fight to the death for dominance. But be cautious, if you use attractant’s like doe urine; make sure you don’t get mistaken for her or it will be a bad day. Get your tools out and be prepared, a great deer call like “THE CAN” or “THE ORIGINAL LONG CAN” made by PRIMOS can really aid you in luring over that monster buck that’s a few hundred yards away. A few loud grunts’ and a rattle-bag with TINK’S #69 in the air and you’ll have him in love, Liquid in your hands. Companies are pumping out new products better than the last every year. New technology and even better prices every year they put out the merchandise at your local outdoors store. If you really want that BIG 12 get ready and be PATIENT. Wildgame Innovation’s has AMAZING products like “ACORN RAGE” that will absolutely bring in the deer, of all sizes. The way they have the drift scent with the powdered acorns and chestnuts really improves you’re chances. Get the doe’s in and let it be. A big buck will follow them in.
I am going to break down each phase of the “RUT” starting with
ThePre-Rut, As the temperatures begin to fall the bucks shed the antler velvet and begin their sparing matches. These are not always life and death fights but simply a push and shove affair where bucks get rid of some frustration and test their competitors and fight for dominance. It’s almost a sick joke on the bucks from Mother Nature that they are ready to breed but the does aren’t. At this time bucks still live together in bachelor groups. TheChasingPhase, About three to four weeks after the Pre Rut the chasing phase blends in. The mature bucks begin now to leave the buck groups and lead a life in solitude, beginning to follow the does around, chasing them day and night. At about this time the does begin to produce pheromones as the estrus nears. It is believed that this pheromones
advertising the estrus cycle causes bucks to produce more male hormones. At first bucks follow the does in some distance, shadowing the does. While there may be several bucks that follow a doe, it will be the dominant bucks that follow the doe at a close distance. As the doe nears her full estrus cycle the bucks chase becomes more intensified and heated. TheRut, The estrus period, where a doe is most fertile, only lasts about 24 hours. The doe will now stand still for the buck rather than run away from him the moment he tries to come very close to her. She will now tolerate that buck when he begins to mount her. After breeding the buck will stay with that doe throughout her estrus period before he goes off to find a new estrus doe, commonly referred to as “doe in heat”. Bucks breed several does in a very short time frame. Not all the does come in heat at exactly the same time or day.
ThePostRut The post rut is the same as the Rut but very much less intensive as the first rut because most of the does have already been breed and the competition is very slim. Bucks are still wandering about and checking out doe feeding and bedding areas to find the last unbreed doe.
If a doe has not been breed the first time, she will come back in heat again after 28-30 days. Researchers have found that some does can go through six to seven estrus cycles in a mating season. But in reality most does are breed the first time around. It is the few does that repeat their estrus cycles in 28-30 days that lead up to the post rut.
Exhaustion, Will overcome the bucks and after they done what they needed to do they will rest up and take a good nap. The RUT is a short lived but physically exhausting few weeks, but it’s worth it.
BEST DEER ATTRACTANTS By: Travis Travillian (Pro Staff at Kentucky Outdoors Shop) September 19, 2015
Deer attractants come in all shapes and sizes. I use a mixture of them from Acorn Rage to 3 Day Harvest. Let me tell you. THEY WORK! I moved in a house with a big field and woods in the back and a ¼ acre farm pond. I have lived there for over a year and before I started using Deer attractants I didn’t see a deer. I bought a 40lb bag of Wildgame Innovations Deer Corn, Acorn Rage lick block and a bag of Evolved Habitats Deer Cain. I created a station close to my wood line and the pond. I bumped the whole bag of corn out and tore up some dirt and retrieved some pond water in my 5 gallon bucket to mix my Deer Cain into. After I poured it out on the fresh dirt I set up my Game-Trail Camera and left. The next day I looked out my kitchen window and too my amazement I had a deer in the station. Every day for 2 weeks I seen deer back there eating and I was totally impressed. So now I want to say THANK YOU to Evolved Habitats and Wildgame Innovations for creating such wonderful
products! I’m sure that there is a lot more deer attractant out in stores, but I trust Wildgame Innovations, They get great reviews and it takes out the guessing game, they make sure they sell clean and trusted products and they do. I can now feel comfortable knowing I have a better chance of getting a deer than I did before. For a product to work so fast and effectively is why I am telling you what the Best Deer attractants to go out and buy are. It’s worth every dime I spend when I go buy deer feed. Now since I sell hunting supply online all I have to do is click and it gets shipped to me, with my work and family schedule it’s great to know I don’t have to take time and have to spend more money and run out my gas just for 1 or 2 items. Scent drift, Aerosol they work. All you need now is the patience. Don’t be the 15 minuet hunter and leave. Get out and wait for them. Call, Rattle they will come. With great products out, there is no reason you can bring out that monster buck.
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Kentucky's Deer Restoration Restoring Kentucky’s deer population took patience and some good old-fashioned ingenuity. (Note: Former Kentucky Afield magazine writer J.B. Garland first published this story in 1998. Although some information may be dated and some personnel have changed, it provides a glimpse into Kentucky’s deer restoration efforts.)
Morning light had not yet pushed away the shadows when the deer trapping crew drove up to the tennis courts at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park. It was cold that January morning and the resort was closed for the winter, but Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Deer Coordinator John Phillips and crew had a special purpose for being there. Usually trapping crews used box traps, tranquilizer darts or net traps to capture deer, but the state park offered a unique opportunity.
would be transported to other counties and released to establish new viable deer herds.
Today’s crew had been baiting the tennis courts for several weeks, leaving both gate doors open. A week before the trapping was to take place, one of the doors was shut. Finally, this morning, the crew approached the courts and shut the other door trapping the feeding deer inside. The capture was made easily, but the deer still had to be tagged and loaded onto trucks where they
Six years later, Powers was bow hunting on the Paintsville Lake Wildlife Management Area when he took a monster of a deer. According to its ear tag, it was the same buck that he captured on the Lake Cumberland park’s tennis courts. The buck was a nontypical that scored 200 7/8 on the Pope and Young
Greg Powers, a member of the trapping crew, cornered a young button buck. Grabbing the deer’s front legs, he wrestled it to the ground so another member of the crew could tag it. Powers took a good look at the deer after it was loaded on the truck; it wasn’t the last time that he would see it.
scale, the second highest Pope and Young Club entry from Kentucky.
seasons were too liberal, ultimately undoing much of what previous stocking had established.
By the time Powers took his record deer, hunting had become a realistic pursuit all over the state. But fewer than 50 years before, Kentucky didn’t allow deer hunting because of low populations, and just 20 years before it was still rare to bring home a deer from a hunt. Concerned sportsmen had taken action but deer restoration took time to be successful.
In the 1960s and 1970s, deer stocking intensified. Seasons grew more restrictive to protect the state’s herd. Much of the state’s current deer population originated from deer trapped at Ballard WMA and Mammoth Cave and moved elsewhere in the state between 1963 and 1974.
Concern for dwindling wildlife populations in Kentucky began before the turn of the century when, in 1894, the Kentucky legislature passed a law making it illegal to kill a buck, doe or fawn between March 1 and September 1. In 1912, sportsmen convinced the legislature to take further action and form a Game Commission. The commission recommended closing the state to deer hunting. Deer hunting did not reopen until 1946. The first modern-day deer hunt actually came because of one Isaac Bernheim. In 1929, Bernheim brought 15 red deer (a close relative of elk) from Europe and released the giants on his property, which he managed as an example of conservation in Bullitt County. The red deer herd grew so large that local farmers began complaining. In January 1946, it was red deer, not whitetails that became the focus of the first legal deer hunt in Kentucky since before World War I. It cost $10 for hunters to participate. If they were lucky enough to kill a deer, they had to pay an additional $15 for a tag. Although hunters took fewer than 30 deer, the hunt successfully scattered the herd. However, scattering the existing herds of white-tailed deer would not be enough to establish a statewide deer population. So the Kentucky Division of Game and Fish, now the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, received deer from Wisconsin to begin a white-tailed deer restoration program. Department personnel relocated most of these deer to Christian, Crittenden, Livingston and Ballard counties. Ballard Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and Mammoth Cave received stockings of Kentucky deer and Wisconsin deer, and later became trapping sites. Stocking would be the method to establishing a statewide deer herd. Unfortunately, before 1945 there was little work done in the area of biological wildlife management. Wildlife management was largely limited to law enforcement. As a result, early deer hunting
Robert Willis set up the first deer check stations in 1976. Willis and John Phillips, a biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, met at Kleber Wildlife Management Area the day after the deer season ended. Willis and Phillips hand-sorted all the deer check cards to tabulate the year’s deer harvest. By the 1980s, the western two-thirds of the state had enough deer to open a season. Statewide, more than 40,000 cards from check stations were compiled using a scanner. Still, many eastern counties didn’t have viable deer herds. Deer transplanted to eastern Kentucky faced additional problems of rugged terrain and dogs. These elements, not poachers, were the major obstacles to the growth of the herd. When Phillips became Kentucky’s deer program coordinator in 1978, he began defining the differences in deer populations from east to west across the state. He determined that counties could have a season if there was more than one deer a square mile. So instead of putting 50 deer in a county, he proposed putting 500 deer in each county. His theory was successful. During the 1980s and 1990s, Phillips and his crews trapped and released around 12,000 deer. Charlie Wilkins remembers the intensity of the program during those years. He came on as manager of the Ballard Wildlife Management Area in 1985. During the winter months, deer trapping was a seven-day-a-week job for Wilkins and his crew, which consisted of 11 men. The object was to trap as many deer as possible and transport them as quickly as possible. The labor was time-intensive and work-intensive. From the first restrictions on hunting in 1894, to nearly statewide seasons in 1997, the torch has been handed down. It took dedication to raise Kentucky’s whitetailed deer population from fewer than 2,000 in 1945 to a statewide herd of more than 450,000 today. The state’s last deer stocking will occur in Perry County in 1999.
The 2015 deer season kicks off on 9-5-2015 and stops 1-18-2016. This is 136 days of Archery Whitetail Deer Hunting. It's a great way for the State Of Kentucky to manage these herds of deer. Archery is at the TOP of my list. I am a hunter and I love the sport and Deer Jerky... But just sitting in the stand listening to nothing but world and wildlife waking up at 6am I can’t find a better way to live.
August, 15th 2015 Squirrel Season began. I use Squirrel season as an excuse to go Deer Scouting and find my next hunting area. Buy a couple 50 lbs bag of corn and a mineral lick and I’m ready to go. I try to stay up to date with new Camouflage and Deer Calls, Scents etc. But I think my Dedication and time put in the woods I’m going to be hunting is a more valuable assets and tool than anything hanging on a wall.
The products I buy and use are Primo’s Can call's, Real Tree Hardwood Camouflage, Wildgame Innovations Feed products, Bone Collector products and carry my trusty sidekick(S&W SR9) and my Marlin Lever-Action 30/30. You cannot beat that folks.
I've always dreamed of killing that giant buck, like everyone else. But if you're like me, you can’t afford those expensive hunting trips. But you have to keep your head in the game. This website is a work in progress. It's more like the perfect country and western song you’re going to see Picture’s and Video's of Buck's, Does’, Turkey, Elk, Black Bear and even Coyote's Southern Kentucky has a list of Big Game Animal's to choose from. This fall and Winter I'm going to film some Hunt's and Adventures and take you along for the experience. Introduce you to my Family.
Staying legal is a priority. If it's in season, it will be hunted. If it's brown it's down. These are My Whitetail Obsession’s so come with me and enjoy the Great American Outdoors.
-Travis Travillian
Predator Hunting In Kentucky By: Travis Travillian (ProStaffer at Kentucky Outdoors Shop) Predator hunting takes patience. You have to disappear and observe your surroundings. You must utilize patience and skill's you thought you never had. Predator hunting often involves sitting still for long periods of time while only using your eyes to scan the terrain in front of you. Even the most attractive calls that may be a dinner bell to bobcat's, coyote's or fox's you still must maintain stealth like approach. At times you will have predators come racing in to for a kill, but more often than not they will take a cat like approach, come in from downwind and have their sharp eyes keyed in on you. Predator hunting often requires being tactical and sometime's having the ability to setup several different times or even bounce around to different properties quickly. Coyotes can cover miles each day in search of food. A coyote that has left its sign today could be 10 miles away by tomorrow. Not every hunt will end in success. To say the least, predator hunting is downright hit or miss, but there are usually a few things amateurs start out doing wrong and that is most often over-calling and setting up with the wind wrong. These are most likely the 2 biggest factors at failure for amateurs. Bobcats are vicious animals unlike the cowardly Coyote. They will fight you tooth and nail. So you had better make the shot count the first time. Or you could be the one being stalked and hunted. Kentucky also has Mountain Lions but they'll see you before you see them. The skittish Red Fox is a beautiful animal that is hard to sneak up on, just like the Coyote you'll have to be a smooth operator.
LYNC at Predator Down wrote this
Think like a Coyote First off let’s think like a coyote. Why does a coyote need to move about? To hunt, defend their territory, breed, etc. Since they rely heavily on their nose or olfactory stimuli, the biggest factor that limits their movement is wind speed. Because of this, when the wind picks up coyotes seek cover. Now, that being said lets talk about other factors to consider when deciding when the best time to coyote hunt is. If you want to maximize your productivity on stand you might be asking when is the best time to coyote hunt? What effects does temperature, barometric pressure and moon phase have on coyote hunting and how can you use them to your advantage? If you have the luxury of choosing which days you would like to get out calling, then answers to these questions will help you know when the most productive times would be to be out in the field.
Temperature Coyotes are no different than any other animal. When it is hot, they like to stay cool. They will do most of their hunting during the night when it’s cooler. This isn’t to say that you can’t call them in on a hot summer morning, because it happens, but when the temperature is cooler they are more responsive. So just what is a good temperature? I have found when the temperature stays below 65 degrees I can call all day long and still have success. As soon as it gets above this temperature coyote activity declines.
Barometric Pressure
What about barometric pressure? This is something that I haven’t taken the time to capture specific numbers on, but I can tell you that it does affect coyote movement. Just before a storm the air pressure will drop and after the storm the pressure will rise again. Mississippi State University did a research project on carnivore ecology and found that coyote activity decreases as the pressure decreases and increases as the pressure increases. So that being said, the best time to hunt would be after a storm instead of before. My theory is that the prey animals hunker down before a storm and come out as soon as it is over. On the other hand I remember a morning of calling as a light snow storm was rolling in and the coyotes were active. We had to leave at noon, but had responders on six of the ten stands. So if you have the time, hunt both before and after, but if you are like the rest of us, you go whenever possible.
Moon Phase And lastly, what about the moon phase? One thing I like to do is keep a log of the days I go out calling, how many I called in, shot, etc. I went back through the years of data with the moon phase in mind to see if there was a trend indicating which phase was the best for coyote calling. As I did so I found that the moon phase didn’t seem to have an affect on the movement of coyotes. There weren’t any trends that corresponded to the moon. So in answer to the question what is the best time to coyote hunt, I think if I were to describe the ideal day of calling it would be one that has minimal wind, cooler temperatures, overcast skies, and just after a storm. But since those days don’t come around all the time, just make the most of and enjoy those days when you can get out in the field.
Tree Stand or Ground Blind? By: Travis Travillian (Pro Staff at Kentucky Outdoors Shop) September 19, 2015
So I couldn’t decide if I wanted a ground blind or a tree stand. I’m not big on heights so I was leaning towards a ground blind. I got too looking online and found the same exact question on Field and Stream’s website.
Tree stand or ground blind Question from: The Compound For bow hunting and deer hunting in general would I be better with a ladder stand or a ground blind? Sometimes I hunt private land and sometimes it’s public Reply from ChrisUng I'd say it all depends on the terrain, the cover and the time of day you are hunting. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. A complete hunter would keep either option in his bag of tricks. Personally I favor tree stand hunting as you'll have a better field of view to pick up the movement of incoming deer. With an elevated vantage point, you'll have a greater peripheral field of view and will be able to watch more than one animal at a time. (Often important when focusing on a buck that's with a few lady friends). I primarily hunt stands of hardwoods either over a mast crop or along travel routes adjacent to bedding areas. Often times I have several trails within shooting range and in a tree stand it's easier to get a shooting lane to more areas. It's also better for rattling/calling as your sounds will carry further. Make sure you practice shooting from an elevated platform as your angular distance is actually greater than the linear, and your arrow will fall less than you'd think (aim low). Ground blind hunting can also be very effective, especially where hanging a tree stand (or carrying one in) isn't practical. They are a godsend for setting up shop in a hedgerow along active crop fields, as well as in overgrown stuff like CRP fields. In cold weather,
you can get away with running a propane heater and not have to worry about additional movement while trying to keep yourself comfortable. The movement of your draw cycle is also less of an issue when in the shadows of a blind. On that note, be advised that many of the blinds on today's market are quite crammed inside. So if you're planning on bow hunting from one of the smaller models, you'd better practice shooting from a kneeling or sitting position. Happy hunting.
From nyoutdoorsman30-06 If you’re on private property and know of a good spot for deer a ladder stand is better (in my opinion) but if you’re on public land a ladder stand may be hard to get in there and inconvenient so a blind would be good. If you’re in a blind you may have to practice shooting from it more than practicing from a tree stand. I find it much easier to shoot from a tree stand than a blind. Most of all it depends on what your comfortable shooting in and what kind of land you’re on.
From Ross McClintock There are times when I like both. Depends on the location, waterhole, trail, open country, woods.
From elijahsamuelburnett thanks for the advice. The spot I’m at is fairly thick too so a stand would probably off better views. Any suggestion for brands of stands
From 007 If you do go with a ladder, make sure it's high enough and with enough concealment. I tried a 12' a few years back and I might as well have had a neon sign over my head.
From tyler.josiah.hall
From yetihunter1
On private land where you can map deer movements and patterns, you can't go wrong with tree stands. On public land I like to stay mobile with a ground blind, just in case it gets to crowded or hunting pressure changes deer patterns. Hope this helps!
Ladder stands are great but only on private land. I prefer tree stands over blinds and climbing stands over ladders on public land. For the ladder stands and the blind, I would put them out at the least a week before you head out because I have spooked some nice deer because it was unfamiliar.
From ChrisUng From NJBuckhunter A lot of guys will swear by certain brands of tree stands, but I'm not one of them. I look for something that's well built, easy to hang (or climb with), and isn't too terribly difficult to carry to your spot. If you're going to go the route of using a climbing stand, you can't go wrong with a Summit, API or even a Lone Wolf, but you'd spend a small fortune in doing so. Those brands are all made of aluminum and are lighter, though not by much. Take a look into some steel stands. Even though they're a few pounds heavier, you can find something decent for upwards of $100 cheaper! If you're planning on using a fixed position hang-on style stand, get one that's best suited to your frame (if you're a big guy like me, using a little tiny platform is NO FUN, especially on a long sit). For my fixed stands I use climbing sticks rather than screw in steps. Sportsman guide dot com has some really great deals on steel climbing sticks and fixed position stands. If you prefer a ladder (easiest and some say safest), like 007 said, make sure you get one that's tall enough. Ladders are often very conspicuous, so you'll likely have to pick a spot where you can camouflage the stand to break up its awkward silhouette. You can also find some really good deals on craigslist, but you always run the risk of buying damaged or stolen goods there. Use your best judgment. Now, WHATEVER you choose, make sure you buy a good full body harness, and keep yourself safely strapped in from the moment you step off the ground til the moment you return. Tough guys need not apply, no deer is worth a 20 foot fall.
i would recommend a tree stand because if your hunting public where someone can see your ground blind because its more visible and have thoughts about taking it that’s like throwing cash in the trash. Ground blinds can also carry some human odors on the same level as the deer so that may giveaway your hunting spot to deer. I don’t know I just prefer tree stands because they have a better view of the land.
From bowhunter138 I would use a tree stand unless you have a place on your own property where you could leave a ground blind or permanent blind up year round.
From CoastieJim82 Either is good i have both a tree stand and a ground blind. and i have seen deer with both. I have had a deer come within 20 yards of my ground blind. It’s all about your scent control.
From delweaver Yeah I agree with coastiejim82 I have used both and have seen deer come close to both as long as you practice good scent control
From scottGinNJ From elijahsamuelburnett Thank for the input! I also have issues with the small platforms that’s why I would prefer a ladder stand. I shot from a hang on and wasn’t comfortable shooting from it at all. I have a couple of spots that would be good with a ladder stand and would be easy to conceal one
I hunt private property and have used ladder stands for years with success, always a good choice if set up properly and I always have one or two up and ready. The last couple of years I have been trying different strategies (motley during bow season)just as experiments, ground blind, tripod, and hunting in natural cover (standing corn fields/blown down trees etc.) on the ground. All have worked to take deer. Notes
from my hunting experiments: Ground blinds are great for nasty weather but damage easily and can be hard to see/shoot out of. Tripod (lightweight 12') is easy to set up almost anywhere and the swivel seat is awesome but it is low and must be hidden well. Natural cover is fun and lets you easily try different spots but you must be mindful of wind/scent. Time in the field hunting is what matters most for getting deer, that and a lot of practice shooting from different positions.
After reading and thinking to myself. It’s all about what you want, how you feel the most
concealed and effective. I decided to build a ground blind out of wooden pallets. Covering the inside and making it better for the upcoming winter months. Some tree stands you have to manually walk it up the tree and most have ladders. In the winter with Ice and snow I’d rather not take a chance on getting hurt out in the woods. I’ll be on the ground and best of all no cold. I can block the wind. And most of all I’m 100% concealed.
Winning Online Contest’s By: Travis Travillian (Pro Staff at Kentucky Outdoors Shop) September 19, 2015
I wanted to take a moment to tell you that you are missing out. I was once that person that seen online contest every now and then. I would enter but never got anything, I figured out that I could Google “ONLINE HUNTING CONTEST 2015”. By doing this I found 100’s of contest from gear giveaways to winning hunting trips. I have entered a lot and hopefully I will be fortunate enough to WIN. I know some might be spam, you never know unless you try. I want everyone to get that chance to win that all expenses paid trip to any place in the world to do what we do best. HUNT! I hope that I get to really soon. I know I cannot afford a hunting trip out of state. That why sponsors and teams come up with these promotions to help people out. It’s a WIN WIN situation, for you and them.
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