deer research

Deer Movement is a Mystery. Stop Trying to Solve It.

Sep 30, 2020 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

7 antlered bucks at one time. That’s what I was watching on the afternoon of November 17, 2018. One by one they entered a large food plot from different directions, all of them yearlings to…

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What Scientists Learned that Changed How They Hunt Mature Bucks

Aug 26, 2020 Dr. Jacob Haus, Dr. Jacob Bowman and Joe Rogerson

As professional white-tailed deer biologists, we are constantly prodded by friends and family for some type of insider information that could help improve their odds of encountering mature deer. It is always a tough question…

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Now You See Him: 9 Things We Know About Deer Excursions

Nov 6, 2019 Matt Ross

Nothing about whitetails ever seems routine, does it? Just when you think you’ve got ‘em figured out, they seemingly throw another curve ball in the grand scheme of World Series play we call “hunting.” But that…

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Which Deer Visit Feeders and When? New Research is Out

Sep 11, 2019 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

When Georgia first legalized hunting deer over bait in the southern half of the state in 2011, my dad felt compelled to install corn feeders on our family farm simply to compete with the expected…

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3 Studies, 3 Strikes for the October Lull

Oct 18, 2016 NDA Staff

Do whitetails really go into a movement slump in the pre-rut? If not, what’s behind the “October Lull” phenomenon that many hunters say they witness? NDA’s Kip Adams tackled these questions in a recent article…

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Chasing An Explanation for the South’s Odd Rut

Jan 19, 2016 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

No matter what month of the year you read this article, it’s likely that somewhere there’s a whitetail in rut. In January, that somewhere is Alabama, Mississippi and parts of Louisiana. They’ll be rutting in…

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10 Tips for Rattling More Bucks

Nov 1, 2015 Matt Ross

It’s November, and over the next few weeks millions of deer hunters will be hitting the woods in hopes of taking home a giant. Many will attempt rattling but will fail to see any response…

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How Fast Can a Stand “Recover” From Hunting Pressure?

Dec 16, 2014 Clint McCoy

It’s simple: Deer respond negatively to hunting pressure. Their avoidance of heavily hunted areas is undeniable, as my graduate-level research at Auburn University documented. But exactly how long does it take for a specific stand…

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GPS Reveals Early Season Buck Movement Patterns

Aug 25, 2014 Clint McCoy

You hear it all the time: A hunter gets a bunch of trail-camera photos of a buck early in the season and then, poof, the deer pulls a Houdini and disappears for the rest of…

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Is the “Lockdown Phase” a Myth?

Oct 30, 2013 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Some hunters believe they witness an “October Lull” or a peak-rut “Lockdown Phase,” when mature bucks suddenly stop moving or hole-up with an estrus doe. Researcher Andy Olson did not see evidence of either in…

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