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In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Jim Sterba, author of “Nature Wars: The Incredible Story of How Wildlife Comebacks Turned Backyards Into Battlegrounds,” placed a pretty good question to the public: “What explains the fact that we have a glut of white-tailed deer in this country, yet an estimated 85% of the venison sold in restaurants and at meat counters is imported from farms in New Zealand?”
I think most of us understand the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and how it shaped the state of conservation in America. If it weren’t for the foresight of a select group of conservationists banning the sale of free-ranging game for meat, the modern face of hunting would be much different, if there were any game to hunt at all.
But let’s consider the whitetail deer. Little more than 100 years ago there weren’t much more than 300,000 left in the wild. Today there is probably 30 million, many of which are considered nuisance animals to suburban city managers, residents and the thousands up thousands of motorists who are unfortunate to meet one on America’s roadways. It’s safe to say, the whitetail population is not only back, it’s back in a big way. Too big for some people.
So, what’s wrong with opening up the sale of game meat, with some tightly controlled regulations of course? It works in other countries, most notably South Africa where even hunter-killed free-range game animals are often sold at market by the landowners. It’s big business there, and it could be big business here. Of course, it could also spell disaster.
Among the pitfalls of adding a dollar value to deer is the threat of increased poaching. Just take a look at the headlines as giant bucks get picked off with ever-increasing frequency each fall. It’s not a stretch to see the same thing happen to does if you start hanging virtual price tags from their ears. Still, there’s little threat that whitetails will ever go the way of the passenger pigeon, which was gunned to extinction by market hunters in the early part of the last century. Any plans for commercial harvest would be tightly regulated, utilizing specially licensed shooters to cull populations of problem deer. As Sterba points out in his article, this wouldn’t be the end-all to over-population and wouldn’t replace hunting as a means to manage deer herds, but it would give wildlife biologists another tool to manage herds, particularly in problem areas.
On my recent alligator hunt in Florida, my guides were two government-contracted alligator control specialists who annually remove more than 400 problem gators from people’s backyards and swimming pools. As part of the deal with the state, they are allowed to sell the meat from any alligator they catch. So what makes problem deer any different?
This is a controversial subject, so let’s go back to my original question and take a poll:
Source: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/wild-chef/2013/10/should-we-start-selling-deer-meat
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By Mark Kenyon This past week was in my opinion, the final calm before the storm. While there were flashes of excitement, it seemed we were still a bit too early for any substantial daylight activity from mature bucks. But it’s just a matter of days now before many of us will begin seeing…
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Today’s story comes from our pal Shawn Luchtel of Heartland Bowhunter TV. If you haven’t seen HB TV yet, you owe it to yourself to watch a few of their videos. No one, I believe, captures the beauty and essence of bowhunting on film as well as the HB guys. To see their work, visit…
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Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents cited two Louisiana men for alleged deer hunting violations on Oct. 16 in Avoyelles and Rapides parishes.
Agents cited Barry B. Laiche, 17, of Marksville, and Travis Maddox, 26, of Echo, for taking deer using illegal methods, possession of illegally taken deer, failing to comply with deer tagging requirements, taking illegal deer during an open season and hunting on Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) lands without permission from land owner. Maddox was also cited for hunting without a big game hunting license.
Agents received information that Laiche and Maddox illegally killed a total of five deer on or about Oct. 7 and 8 on Grand Lake Rod and Gun Club property. Agents learned that Laiche drove his truck onto the property to retrieve the killed deer.
Agents arrived at Laiche’s residence to question him and noticed his vehicle parked in the yard. Agents found blood and hair on the tailgate of the truck and inside the bed. Agents then learned that Laiche was incarcerated in the Avoyelles Parish Jail on non-related charges.
After agents questioned Laiche, he admitted that he and Maddox did illegally kill five deer on the Grand Lake Hunting Club with a .308 caliber and 45-70 caliber rifles. Agents obtained a search warrant for Laiche’s residence and seized photos of three antlerless deer and two antlered deer and antlers from a seven point buck.
Agents then arrested Maddox and booked him into the Avoyelles Parish Jail.
Possession of illegally taken deer brings a $400 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail. Taking illegal deer during an open season carries a $500 to $750 fine and 15 to 30 days in jail. Taking deer using illegal methods brings a $250 to $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail. Failing to comply with deer tagging requirements and hunting on DMAP lands without permission from land owner each carries a $100 to $350 fine and up to 60 days in jail. Hunting without a resident big game license brings up to a $50 fine and 15 days in jail.
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Virtually all of the recent reports tell of bucks starting to cover more ground, and it won’t be long before these studs will be fully focused on finding mates. But that doesn’t mean you should stop hunting a buck’s pre-rut haunts. Many of the hottest scrapes, for example, will eventually be abandoned as the peak rut ramps up, but it’s important that you don’t abandon them too soon. As Northeast reporter Mike Bleech points out, leaf-covered scrapes can appear to have gone stale, but bucks are often still using them regularly.
Most people think that standard scrape-making procedure is for a buck is to first paw the dirt aggressively and then turn his attention to the licking branch. But my camera encounters show clearly that bucks pay far more attention to the licking branch than to the scrape itself. I’m in lock-step with Bleech here: Sure a hogged-up scrape is exciting, but if you know a buck has been working a certain area but then his scrapes seem to go dead, don’t be too quick to assume he’s gone. The buck could simply be hitting the kicking branch only. This behavior will only increase as bucks travel more and spend less time at individual scrapes. Put up a camera to find out for sure. Meanwhile, keep hunting scrapes until you have stronger evidence that the buck has switched areas, or until you see serious chasing begin.
Brandon Ray’s harvest of a giant old mule deer proved that hunting core areas can still pay off as the rut heats up. After several years of encounters with the buck, Ray knew the giant’s wheelhouse and kept hunting the area—timing his visits with the right conditions—until the buck gave him an opportunity. Science proves that, as a buck ages, his core area not only shrinks, but he becomes even more faithful to it, even when the rut begins.
Meanwhile, Great Plains reporter Draper related a tale of a great nontypical buck that was captured on one hunter’s trail cam, then picked up less than a day later over a mile away. Recent telemetry studies prove that some bucks simply travel more than others, and this buck was clearly a wanderer. However, even these hot-footed bucks return to their core areas, and often far sooner than we think. This fact emphasizes the need for patience when a buck seems to disappear (and not leave fresh sign) for a time; if you stick to a game plan that encompasses knowing a buck’s favorite haunts, as well as those of the does he pursues, you’ll have a good shot at success.
Finally (and though we’ve covered this before it bears repeating), Draper notes the dramatic affect the corn harvest can have on farm-country whitetails. When “the tree of the prairie” is harvested, it not only creates a new food source, it can force bucks to adjust to new habitat conditions. But they are not apt to make dramatic shifts in pre-harvest core areas. You’ll need to do some speed-scouting to find the latest sign, but start by looking in and around buck’s favorite haunts. Aerial photos and topo maps should reveal the next-best cover adjacent to a picked field. Go find the hottest rubs and scrapes nearby and you’ll be right back in the game.
Source: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/rut-report/2013/10/peak-rut-close-hunting-core-areas-still-pays
