Backyard Bucks and Waterholes

While most hunters tend to think the biggest bucks are to be found in the farthest reaches of the wilderness areas, many are realizing that the deer they were after might have been right there at home all along.

Of course it is true that unhunted places harboring really big bucks do exist in some of the less accessible, out-country areas. These places become less and less of a haven each season as the motorized hunter enters the wilderness.

Many a buck has crouched low to watch the ATV go by and gone back to the normal routine after the noisy intrusion passed by.

A stand of pines, a blackberry thicket, or a honeysuckle thicket right behind a house which is cut off from the rest of the woodlands by a cow field or other fields is ideal for deer.

You might find big bucks next to urban areas in the most unexpected places. These bucks have chosen these places to hide from hunters. There are fewer natural predators here also. Here they feel safer. The sounds of farm activity intrigue them. They like to keep tabs on the enemy. Regular activity is unalarming. Some like music and will take up residence near a regularly-played radio. Although dogs can be a formidable enemy to deer, deer might feel more at ease bedded down near dogs they know won't bother them. These dogs will keep other dogs away.

Campfire stories at any deer camp will eventually include some story about a deer being encountered in an unsuspected, nearby place. An example is one I heard about a farmer who headed off in early morning to the wilderness in search of a buck. When he returned worn-out and empty-handed, his wife said, "You should have stayed at home; that old buck got his horns stuck in the cow feeder."

WATERHOLES

During periods of drought, watering places are choice places to hunt. They are not the best selection when water is plentiful. Wounded or sick deer will go to water often, but healthy deer can do without it awhile, finding needed moisture in vegetation or snow.

Deer have definite water preferences and are quite choosy about what they drink when they can be. A mineral spring is the choice type of water source. A valley spring is ideal for a stand. The minerals found in these sources make the antlers large and firm, a fact which the bucks seem to instinctively know. Big bucks will frequent such places just as body builders go for protein supplements to health-food stores. Deer prefer sulphurous water to clear water. Water can be quite dingy in appearance yet be delightful to deer.

Deer do not hang around ponds, lakes, streams, or waterholes long because of the steady animal traffic to these locations. Does searching for bucks or vice-versa may prove an exception to this rule, but if they do hang around they will be concealed and on the alert with choice escape routes handy. Generally they just drink and leave. All the predators frequent the water, so any deer here exhibit an unmistakable wariness. Their ears move endlessly, and they spend several minutes waiting, looking, and scenting the air before each drink. In groups, one will drink and then the other.

Swimming deer are easy prey for boaters. Harassing swimming deer is strictly forbidden by law. Taking a swimming deer is subject to a strict penalty. The hunter can, however, position himself on land and harvest a deer which has reached land fully. This method of hunting is productive at some larger lakes and on rivers of larger size. The hunter positions himself across river from prime deer habitat which is certain to be invaded with hunters on opening day. This prime deer habitat is usually the low-lying side of the river, the flood plain. The hunter takes a vantage point on the high bank opposite and glasses the water for deer. When spotting his prey he plots a possible landing point for the deer and while disguising his movement positions himself for a telescopic shot.

A 200-pound live-weight deer will drink two to three quarts of water daily at average weather temperatures.

A deer which has drowned does not make good eating. Drowning can be avoided by allowing the deer to fully clear the bank before shooting.

A deer disease commonly called "blue tongue" dehydrates deer and sends them to water continuously. When deer are affected by this disease, it is usually publicized by state officials. The tongue of such a deer will be swollen and blue. These thirsty deer are discovered drowned as they died while attempting to quench their thirst. It is said that the meat of such an animal is still consumable, but I suggest that no diseased deer of any kind be eaten unless you are desperate.

Islands are good places to find deer, for they are isolated from dog packs and have fewer predators. Often island deer seem to have a generally happier attitude about things and roam more freely as a result. Islands with agricultural crops bordered by tree-lines or other cover on the banks are particularly productive. Willow thickets are great food in themselves. Farmers who take advantage of the fertile flood-plain silt soils carry their machinery by ferry to such places.

Deer are excellent swimmers. A big river or lake is no obstacle, but rather a pleasure for them to swim. Deer have been known to cross considerable distances in the water, such as the Great Lakes. The hollow hair makes them buoyant, as when a person swims with a life preserver strapped around his chest. Nature's equipment for the deer allows it to exert minimal effort to stay afloat and transfer its energy to movement. Deer can swim at a speed of 13 MPH.

When hunting pressure hits, large concentrations may flee to island retreats. Big bucks particularly favor islands for security. There are islands which are traditionally used for the rut that generations of deer instinctively head to for breeding.

Deer like to cut off their scent paths by crossing water and placing a barrier between themselves and their predators. Of course, islands are not fool-proof protection from coyotes and dogs since these animals can swim also, but they will swim reluctantly. For all these reasons, islands are good places to find deer which other hunters cannot reach. Predators do sometimes invade island herds and chase them away, but this is the exception and not generally true.

Islands in the Atlantic Ocean have sub-species of deer which are found nowhere else. These islands are generally fairly far from the mainland, making commuting by deer unlikely.

Remember that rifle bullets can travel long distances when glancing across the water in ricochet unobstructedly.