kevin January 27th, 2010

It’s tough for me to get out into the woods and deer hunt this time of year. It’s been a long, hard 5 months or so of hunting: scouting since the summer, bow hunting since October, muzzleloading and rifle hunting in November and December.

Not to mention weeks of duck season, which now even it is on its last leg. Unfortunately, the next hunting season I get excited about isn’t until April. But maybe most deterring is the fact that by the time the last weeks of bow season roll around, there are probably more antlers on top of the leaves than on the top of deer heads.

Of course, that isn’t to say all deer have already lost their antlers (shedding occurs at various times over several weeks), but knowing the monster buck in your area could potentially look more like “Bambi” than “Ol’ Mossy Horns” does take some of the excitement (and motivation) out of getting up early and climbing into your stand..

However, I still like to be in the woods when possible, and there is still one kind of hunting that tides me over until turkey season: deer antler shed hunting.

While your story of finding that giant antler shed may not be quite as exciting as your tale about tagging a monster B&C, deer antler shed hunting can be an exciting experience in its own right, and it offers a lot of insight leading into next year’s Arkansas deer hunting season.

Come inside the Arkansas Hunting Forum to discover facts and antler shed hunting tips, as well as find out how antler shed hunting can increase your overall hunting success next season.

• Arkansas Deer Hunting
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kevin November 17th, 2009

Today’s column has to do with the latest poll question: “If you could only deer hunt during one time period, which would you choose: during the rut or during the first week of the season?

The most obvious choice, judging by the results so far, is the rut. After all, during this time period, the deer are — for lack of a better term — crazy. As hormones of whitetail bucks rage, usually around mid to mid-late November, the urge to breed and protect their territory increases, causing them to make a number of mental mistakes. Leaving  home territories, showing themselves in open, unprotected spaces, and growing increasingly more visible during daylight hours are just a few of the opportunities the normally illusive whitetail bucks will present to hunters.

Another aspect of the rut that excites hunters are the many  strategies that can be utilized with great effectiveness such as rattling, grunting, mock scrapes, urine scents, etc — techniques that usually are not a big part of early or late season. Adding to the excitement, it’s not uncommon to see multiple bucks you’ve never seen before — even if you’ve scouted the area for months — as bucks travel miles in pursuit of does in estrous.

With all of that being said, my favorite time to hunt is still the first week of the season … well, in most cases anyway. Considering all of the benefits above, you think I’m crazy, right?

Allow me to rationalize.

Come inside the Arkansas Hunting Forum for the rest of the column and a detailed look at phases of the rut, as well as tips and tricks for rattling, grunting, etc during the pre, peak and post rut stages.

• Arkansas Deer Hunting
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ducktape October 20th, 2009

Arkansas Outdoors Online member, “Wesbob”, bagged himself a nice 12 point buck over the weekend. He sent us the pictures and the story below. If you want your Arkansas deer hunting story to be shown on our site, just sign up in our Arkansas Deer Hunting Forum and tell us your story. We’ll post your story and photos on the main page so you can really rub it in to your hunting buddies, friends and family.

Wesbob’s story:

There is an 8 point that has been frequenting my bow stand, but has never stepped out during the daylight hours. On Saturday evening, I loaded up my Primitive Weapon, TC Encore Endeavor loaded with 150 grains of triple 7 and a 223 grain power belt bullet. I climbed back into my bow stand to give the buck one more chance to mess up. Around 6:00 that evening, the wind totally died and I had deer coming from every direction. I saw a flicker of a tail about 60 yards out, by the time I got the gun up he had vanished; he was headed away from me. I found a small hole in the woods about 100 yards out that I knew this deer would have to pass through if he stayed on the same trail. It felt like an eternity, but two or three minutes later, I spotted him. I was leaning out of my hang-on stand, holding the gun free-handed in my left hand and saw his head through the scope. It was time to shoot or never see him again. I took the shot and could see the belly when the smoke cleared. I had no idea how big he was, but I was as excited as I have ever been when I grabbed the rack for the first time.

Check out the pictures and share your story in the Arkansas Deer Hunting Forum

• Arkansas Deer Hunting
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kevin October 1st, 2009

Greetings from the tree stand! We are going to give this type of live update a try this year. What can I say, with the iPhone, anything is possible!

Nice low 60’s morning here in Central Arkansas. The cloud cover is heavy and the skies are looking more ominous; I’m guessing rain is on the way, though I’ve not checked the radar with my weather channel app yet. A guy would think the deer would be moving like crazy this morning, as there wasn’t any moonlight last night.

I’ve seen 3 does this morning, one solo and a another with its yearling. I also have two squirrels one tree over that is driving me insane! No big bucks, but did get a nice photo of the first doe. If I can’t shoot anything with my Hoyt, I always like having my Nikon handy. The game and fish forecast is whispering in my ear to stay on the stand until at least noon, so I’m going to stick with it.

E-mailed the doe photo to Matt back in the office; he’ll attach it to the post for all of you guys to see. Good luck to everyone, and if you get a big one post some pics in the forum!

• Arkansas Deer Hunting
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kevin September 30th, 2009

Check out ArkansasOutdoorsOnline.com in the news via today’s Outdoor Wire Newsletter presented by Remington:

New iPhone Apps Cater to Hunters, Fishermen

For over 35 years, sportsmen around the world have trusted Datasport Inc’s reliable and accurate game and fish forecasts to increase their success in the woods and on the water. Now, thanks to two new iPhone applications, hunters and fishermen can receive the forecasts directly on their mobile phones.

The HuntCast and FishCast apps are simple, to-the-point applications that allow users to select a date from a calendar and view the forecast graph for that date. The graphs predict “excellent “good,” and “fair” hunting times, and also include the current moon phase. There is no need to enter location data, as the forecasts are accurate in the entire Northern Hemisphere.

Continue reading the full press release at TheOutdoorWire.com.

• Arkansas Deer Hunting , General Arkansas Hunting
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kevin July 26th, 2009

It’s the middle of summer and bow hunting fever is upon me.

Early? Yeah, I know, it’s almost August, the heat index is still about 105 and the mosquitoes are still biting hard. But the fact is, it’s been five long months since I’ve taken my Hoyt to the woods, 148 days since I decked out in camo and climbed up into a tree, and even longer since I drew back on my last buck.

Surely there are others out there feeling the craving as bad as I.

Fortunately, there are a few things we can do RIGHT NOW to tide us over until October 1, as well as help improve our chances for a more successful Arkansas bow hunting season.

Never Too Early to Scout - The thick foliage of summer actually makes heavily traveled deer paths more visible, so now is a great time to scout for oft-used trails. In order to limit intrusion (and limit the chances you step on a copperhead) start by scouting for entrance/exit trails between wooded areas and clearings and/or fields. Pay special attention to whether or not a particular trail is linking a bedding area and food source. If it is, this is a good place to start focusing on for buck movement and potentially a good preliminary spot for one of your early stands.

Check out the rest of these preseason Arkansas bow hunting strategies in the hunting forum.

• Arkansas Deer Hunting
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ducktape February 24th, 2009

There are some new proposals being recommended for next years Arkansas deer season. Implementation of a new telephone check system would add convenience for hunters and cut costs for the AGFC, but it could also potentially take away business from some smaller check station locations.

Check stations would be eliminated, and a system of checking deer by telephone would be launched. The current practice of checking by Internet would be continued.

Also, a change of dates for the fall turkey season (from Oct. 10-16 to Oct. 26-Nov. 1) is possible, as well as new antler restrictions in some zones. The new proposals will be voted on in the March or April Arkansas Game and Fish Commission meetings. We will have the outcome of those AGFC meetings up as soon as we know something. Keep checking back.

Check it out the full report in the Arkansas Deer Hunting Forum

• Arkansas Deer Hunting
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