John Weiss - The Whitetail Hunters Almanac: More Than 800 Tips and Tactics to Help You Get a Deer This Season

Books by John Weiss

Advanced Bass Fishing , E. P. Dutton, 1976

Advanced Bass Fishing , Stoeger Sportsmans Library, 1977

Hunting Gear You Can Make , Outdoor Life Book Club, 1978

The Whitetail Deer Hunters Handbook , Winchester Press, 1979

Trail Cooking , Outdoor Life Book Club, 1981

Care & Cooking of Fish & Game , Winchester Press, 1982

Trail Cooking , Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982

Outdoor Cookery , Outdoor Life Book Club, 1983

Venison! , Outdoor Life Book Club, 1984

Advanced Bass Fishing , O utdoor Life Book Club, 1985

Advanced Deer Hunting , Outdoor Life Book Club, 1987

The Advanced Deer Hunters Bible , Doubleday, 1993

The Outdoor Chefs Bible , Doubleday, 1995

The Panfishermans Bible , 1995

The Whitetail Hunters Almanac , Lyons Press, 2000

Planting Food Plots for Deer and Other Wildlife , Outdoorsmans Edge Book Club, 2002

Butchering Deer , Outdoorsmans Edge Book Club, 2004

Surefire Whitetail Tactics , Outdoorsmans Edge Book Club, 2006

The Bass Anglers Almanac , Lyons Press, 2011

Copyright 2000, 2013, 2017 by John Weiss

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover photo credit: John Weiss

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-1901-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-1906-4

Printed in the United States of America.

Dedication

For my daughter, Lisa McQuerrey, herself a magazine writer and book author, whose son Jack, age 11, already has taken two deer.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

It was in 1972 that I saw the publication of my first feature magazine article. It was a piece about whitetails, bought by Field & Stream , and for many weeks after, I found it curious that my favorite hunting hat no longer fit. In the years since, Ive been fortunate to see the publication of more than 1,900 additional magazine articles, virtually all of them illustrated with my own photography. Moreover, this is my eighteenth book on assorted outdoor subjects.

Obviously, since the Field & Stream article appeared, Ive come to know countless editors in the outdoor publishing world.

This particular aspect of my career has been somewhat paradoxical. It was Socrates who observed that one does not accomplish much without having his words and ideas regularly honed by flinty critics, and this is especially true in the world of publishing. In fact, most of the editors Ive had the privilege of working with over the years have repeatedly demonstrated their skill with very sharp pencils. However, in the final analysis, Ill also confess that virtually all of these talented editorial techniciansbut especially Jay Cassell, who edited the book youre now holdinghave made me look a lot better in print than I do when trying to figure out the nuances of computers and other office electronics.

The point of all of this personal background is to set the stage for this book and make it clear from the outset that one cannot possibly see the publication of almost 2,000 magazine articles and numerous books without having lived the words one has put down on paper. One must have experienced the topics one writes about and have traveled extensively. And perhaps most importantly, one must have worked alongside many experts in the tremendously diverse field of deer hunting. To me, this is typically more rewarding than actually stringing together an assemblage of words because my travels have taken me in pursuit of whitetails in nearly every state where the species lives. Ive also hunted most of those Canadian provinces that whitetails call home. Ive even reveled in the experiencein laboratories under the supervision of biologistsof bottle-feeding abandoned newborn fawns, artificially inseminating does, and doing blood cultures.

But when it actually comes to the pursuit of whitetails, Ive rarely hunted alone. Ive always been in the company of someone from whom Ive been able to soak up information like a sponge. The list of these individuals is lengthy and includes many of the countrys foremost deer biologists associated with research institutions, universities, and state and provincial wildlife departments. On the list are also the innovated designers of hunting equipment, including all of the major deer call manufacturers, archery equipment makers, ballistic technicians, and design engineers associated with centerfire rifle, slug, shotgun, and blackpowder arms companies. Ive also shared deer camps with owners of major camo manufacturers, most of whom first began work on their revolutionary clothing designs at kitchen tables, using Magic Markers to experiment with patterns on bed sheets. Ive met researchers from deer scent and decoy companies; these truly display inventive minds. Finally, and often the most memorable, there are the unvarnished woodsman typesamong them, guides and outfitterswho have a special knack for living in the outdoors. Most of them can slip and slide as unobtrusively as a wisp of wood smoke; they dont at all mind bathing out of a bucket for weeks at a time; and they often have the uncanny ability to know where a big buck will show up and whenoften before the buck itself knows. Youll meet many of these individuals in the coming chapters and will become privy to their insights and skills. So no matter where you live, how you like to hunt, or with what specific type of equipment, I am confident that the knowledge and insight of my frequent field companions will be highly beneficial to your success.

John Weiss

Chesterhill, Ohio

September 4, 2013

Introduction

I have been hunting whitetails for thirty-six years. My articles about deer hunting have appeared in Deer and Deer Hunting, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, Field & Stream, Petersens Hunting, and a host of other magazines. For the past thirty years, I have been hired by many outdoor show promoters to appear as their featured whitetail-hunting lecturer. My long-time column in Whitetail Hunting Strategies , The Deer Doctor, has generated thousands of letters from readers over the years. My book Whitetail Strategies is considered the last word about common sense deer hunting tactics. In other words, I know quite a bit about whitetail deer and how to hunt them. The reason I have sung my own accolades above was not to brag about myself, but rather to advise you, the reader, of my expertise in this area. Its because of my extensive knowledge of whitetails that I wanted to write this foreword for John Weisss newest book and to acknowledge him as a premier whitetail deer hunter and communicator.

John Weiss is the author of fifteen books, including classics such as The Deer Hunters Bible, The Whitetail Hunters Guide, and The Venison Cookbook. He has written countless deer hunting articles that have appeared in hundreds of magazines. He is a profound outdoor communicator. Still, John is not only a seasoned outdoor writer and hunter; he is a qualified whitetail expert who has a unique understanding of his quarry. Few other experts can bring the type of sharp focus to an article or book that John can. John writes articles and books that readers find interesting and useful; the type of tactics that you can apply on your very next deer huntsuccessfully. He shares this vast and extensive knowledge in an easy-to-read and understand manner within the pages of this book. With a down-to-earth approach, He provides readers with practical hunting information, which will help every hunter see and take more bucks the next time afield.