Dr Dave Samuel - The Whitetail Advantage: Understanding Deer Behavior for Hunting Success

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2008 David Samuel; Robert Zaiglin

Published by

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All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008925076
ISBN-13: 978-0-89689-681-9
ISBN-10: 0-89689-681-1
eISBN: 978-1-44022-494-2

Designed by Heidi Bittner-Zastrow
Edited by Derrek Sigler
Printed in China

DEDICATION

Over the years Ive been away from home a fair amount, either bowhunting or serving on board and committees pushing education and the values of wildlife and wildlife management. My wife Cathy made this possible and thus, this book is dedicated to my biggest supporter and the best helpmate that a husband ever had.

I also want to dedicate this to all the hunters and friends who have given me strength and support during the recent times as Ive dealt with a serious health issue. Your continued prayers and support sustain me. You make me proud to be a member of a hunting community that comes together in times of need. God bless you all.

Dr. David Samuel

I dedicate this book to my wife Jan. For 29 years she has been my principal supporter and source of inspiration. Secondly, I would like to thank all my fellow deer biologists who constitute the number one source of research on whitetail deerthe Southeast Deer Study Group.

Bob Zaiglin

CONTENTS

FOREWORD
by Dr. Dave Samuel

Ive spent my life hunting and studying wildlife. For 30 years I was a wildlife professor at West Virginia University. While there my graduate students conducted a number of research projects involving white-tailed deer, but my love for whitetails started long before my professorial career. Ive been fascinated with them since I was a kid, in fact I vividly remember my first day hunting (age 12) and seeing that first deer up close and personal.

My twin brother and I went on our first hunt (squirrels) with my father on State Game Lands near Rainsburg, Pennsylvania. For some strange unremembered reason, that year the season did not open until 9 AM. We arrived about an hour before that legal hunting time, so my brother and I went for a short walk near the parked car. We hadnt gone one hundred yards when we spotted a gray squirrel, and picked out a log to sit on. Some rustling leaves caused me to turn to the right, and there, not twenty yards away was an eight-point buck.

Dr. Dave with a Coues deer. Coues are a hard-to-huntsubspecies of whitetailfound in the Southwest.

The hearts of two twelve-year-old boys could be heard beating yards away. As Aldo Leopold once wrote, any woods-loving boy whose heart doesnt jump out of his chest at the sight of a buck that close isnt quite normal. He walked closer and soon was only fifteen feet away, feeding on red maple twigs. When he winded us, snorted, and ran, my brother and I were left with an indelible image that is still vivid 55 years later. To this day the magic and excitement I felt that morning has been the defining reason I huntto feel that rush, the thundering heartbeat, the shortness of breath and the tingling feeling of being so close to such a majestic creature. So began my first hunting day in the woods.

While a professor and bowhunter, I also started another careeroutdoor writing. I just completed my 36th year as Conservation Editor of Bowhunter magazine and have also written the whitetail column for Petersens Bowhunting. I also presently write the Know Whitetails column for the Whitetail Journal and do the Ask Dr. Dave About Whitetail Deer for www.sportsmansguide.com.

Samuels Iowa buck. Look at that mass!

Zaiglins 1987 buckgross scored 184 inches.

Zaiglins first drop-tine buck,taken in Mexico, was awardedfirst place-Mexico division bythe Freer Muy Grande contestin 1989.

While a professor, wildlife researcher, and outdoor writer, I studied deer in the field, observed them from my treestand, and read hundreds of scientific articles published in wildlife journals on whitetails. For many years I attended the Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting, an annual event where the top deer biologists present the latest information on these great animals. More recently I attend the annual convention of the Quality Deer Management Association.

I used the information garnered from the above to develop talks for deer seminars, banquets, programs for church game dinners, and stories for magazines. I discovered that hunters were very interested in the latest scientific information, when presented in a way that would help their hunting success. Information included such things as: at what age do bucks have their largest antlers? Does the moon affect buck movements? Does rattling really work? Do older bucks do all the mating? How effective are mock scrapes? Do yearling bucks that disperse ever return to their original home range? How do I find a deers core home range, and why is it important? etc., etc.

Invariably after a presentation, hunters would ask me, Where then can I get all this neat information? Id then explain that I got some from scientific journals, some from talking to deer biologists, and some at the Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting or at the Quality Deer Management Associations annual convention. Id then tell them that there was no one place where that information was available. Not until now.

Three years ago, I realized that a book covering the latest deer research, especially research that provided clues to making a hunter more successful, was needed. And thus, the idea for this book was born. When it came time to start this project, I realized that I couldnt do this alone. First, I didnt have enough good photographs to do such a book. Second, I needed someone who worked with deer, understood deer, and could write about deer, and who could help pull this book together.