A Little Info

[Steve D]

Deer Are Getting Ready for Fall – Are You?

The shortening day length triggers hormonal responses in antlered bucks that cease antler growth and begin the antler hardening process. Cooler temperatures also mean that deer need to fatten up and grow their winter coat to maintain body temperature. Now is a good time to inventory food resources to determine what will be available for food in the upcoming months. Fall food plots and standing agricultural crops provide high quality forage, making them attractive places for deer to feed. However, GPS studies have shown that deer may avoid these areas during daylight hours with as few as 2 to 3 hunts, so give yourself some options as you set your stands and plan your hunting spots. If mast crops are abundant in your hunting area, seeing deer may be more difficult, as deer may not need to travel very far to find food.

Here are some wild foods to look for while scouting:

• Apples – Deer love apples, and often scrapes can be found under low branches, making apple trees great locations to set up trail cameras to observe the deer using your area.
• Acorns – White oak acorns are preferred over red oak acorns, but all acorns are tremendous sources of fat and carbohydrates. White oak acorns usually drop early in the season, and because they sprout during the fall, they are not available very long. Red oak acorns usually drop later in the season and remain dormant until the following spring.
• Beech nuts – Beech nuts are high in fat, but good crop years are sporadic.
• Clover – Clover is tolerant to cold weather. When all of the grass is dead and dried, clover will still be green and delicious.
• Young forest – Recently logged areas are usually rich in stump sprouts, forbs, and brambles. These areas also serve as bedding cover, making them some of the most valuable areas on a hunting property. Scrapes on grown-up logging roads can be great places to set up trail cameras to observe deer.

As you observe deer in coming weeks and anticipate your fall hunts, remember that the decisions you make this year will affect your harvest options in the future. When you and your hunting companions choose to Let Young Bucks Go, you’ll have greater opportunity to see and take older, larger bucks.

For NY bucks to get bigger bodies and larger antlers, they simply need to get older.

Your choice makes a difference!