king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated April/May 2008 - Index

was wondering, at this time of
year, if I should hunt high or low?
I was also wondering if you could
give me some helpful hints on
spotting game.
Jeremy – Colorado Springs, CO
A. The Colorado second season
takes place when most mule deer are
heading out of the higher country
towards their wintering ranges. The
problem is that they could be found
anywhere on the unit, depending
on what the weather has been like.
If you have snow, cover different
elevations in search of fresh deer
tracks in the snow. This will give
you a good idea if you should focus
high or low. Traditionally, where the
mid-elevation aspen parks give way
to oak and pinyon forests are a good
elevation to start. A technique that
has increased my odds at spotting
game through my binoculars is
to make myself comfortable and
place my highest-quality binoculars
on a tripod. When my optics are
completely still and I’m relaxed,
I can spend more time behind my
glasses and pick out the slightest
movement.
Q. I am hunting blacktail deer on
the coast and I haven’t been seeing
very many deer. What can I do to
make my hunt more successful in
the coming years?
Chase K. – Coos Bay, OR
A. Chase, if you are not seeing many
deer in the area you are hunting, it
may be time to look for an area with
more deer activity. In the coastal
region, where you fi nd deer one year
may be different the next year since
many of the deer inhabit logged
units. When a logged unit matures,
deer will eventually look for greener
pastures - possibly another fresh
logging unit with plenty of deer
forage. Look to the ground for deer
activity. If you see trails littered
with fresh deer sign, your chances
Low cedar forests surrounding higher country hold some of the best
bucks around. How do you go about hunting them in these thick areas?
are good that you have some good
bucks around. You may need to change
your hunting technique so that you are
waiting for the buck in his own comfort
zone (in the thick stuff). Many serious
blacktail hunters are hunting from tree
stands over major trails to ambush their
trophy blacktail.
Q. Will mule deer and whitetails
breed with each other? If so, what
type of offspring would they have?
Tracy Hanna – Fowlerville, MI
A. Yes, it is possible for mule deer
and whitetails to hybridize and
occasionally it does happen. There
are enough differences between a
mule deer and whitetail, in terms of
breeding behavior and language, that
they don’t comprehend each other
very well. However, sometimes these
communication barriers break down and
breeding occurs. Consequently, most
hybrids are hopeless. They suffer from a
mixture of features and escape strategies
5MR.MULE DEER5
from both species which severely
handicaps their ability to survive.
Studies have shown that they don’t
survive very well in the wild.
Q. During the winter months, why
do I always see the deer feeding
right next to the road? Is there
something that attracts them to the
grass that close to the road?
Bill Jenson – SLC, UT
A. Have you ever noticed that there
seems to be more vegetation along
a roadside than anywhere in the
vicinity? Precipitation, in form of
water or snow, collects along roads
providing additional moisture to
stimulate more plant growth. The
deer go wherever there are groceries.
One other possibility that is largely
unstudied is whether road salt
attracts deer like a giant salt block. In
addition, the salt melts the snow and
ice exposing the roadside vegetation
prematurely.
April/May 17
PHOTO: GREG WILSON