This is my column for today. You may or may not agree with it but I thought it might be interesting reading this time of year.
Copyright John l. Sloan-2014
First Choice.
I can still smell, sometimes, even see it. The clean crisp smell of late autumn, the smell of the leaves as I gathered some kindling. The dusty smell of the one room cabin, the ashes in the old wood stove and the shallow, muddy river. I had use of the place and permission to hunt the farm for a couple weeks and I had come to kill the genetically best of the breed.
We had not met yet, he and I. I had no idea what he looked like or where he was. I just knew where he would be. Not the exact day, time or location but in general, where he was going to be. I intended to be there because I knew exactly what he was coming for. It had been decided many million years earlier.
All animals, including humans, are programmed to select the best of the available breed when it comes time to mate. Given free choice, the female of the breed decides. It is almost always that way with deer.
It was a long bottom that ran beside the shallow, muddy river, dividing it from the picked beans. Every now and then, a tuning fork shaped hollow ran off the bottom. The year before, I had found one loaded with white oak trees. It does not matter how many beans or corn fields are handy, when the oaks start dropping that is where the deer go. It was in one of the hollows that I met the matriarch doe and her twins. They were leading a family group of about eight does and fawns. Now, a little over a year later, I was looking for that doe. I knew she would be the key. She would pick out the fittest of the bucks and I was going to try and pick him out, too. I knew it was not likely he would have the biggest antlers. But, he would be the best of the crop genetically. The dominant buck.
I had to look for three keys that doe would be ready to attract the best buck. First, she had to have dispersed her fawns-made them function on their own, away from her. That had happened. Second, she had to have begun to distance herself from the family unit and started traveling and feeding somewhat on her own, alone. That was about to happen. And third, she had to have slightly altered her usual traveling pattern. That is the key I was watching for and hoping I could intercept. I was looking for the mature doe, traveling alone.
Once that third thing happened, she would be prime bait for a mature buck. In most instances, this would happen and she would be bred before the rut really heated up. It would be before the �chase� phase really began, prior to seeing numbers of bucks traveling, looking. It would not be unusual to see three or four bucks following her around. But earlier, only the dominant buck would be in attendance. That mature buck would find her before the majority of the bucks really started moving. By then, she would have been bred and would not be receptive. She would have made her selection. My goal was to intercede and I had two weeks to do it.
I had, in a two day period, hung nine stands, spread along the bottom and low ridges that separated the bottom from the picked bean fields. I would move among those stands watching and waiting. I thought of that as I lay, worn out in the comfortable bed, after my huge supper of steak and baked potato. I stretched and smelled the shallow, muddy river just outside the door. Tomorrow, the hunt would begin.
Six days went by. Each day, I saw her and the twins that I named Mic and Mac. They were together but not together. The twins were in the family unit. Madame was somewhat separate. Time was running short. I had passed up three bucks that I probably should have shot. I was getting nervous. Then, on a frosty morning, I saw the family unit, filtering into one of the tuning fork hollows. As usual, Mic and Mac were in the lead, their stomachs controlling their actions. The various does and fawns followed. The Madam was not with them.
Bingo.
Within minutes I was out of the stand and moving. My next location was on an old tractor road in a bottleneck between the beans and the river. I had been saving that location and one other just for this occasion. I settled into the stand at 9:30 on that cool morning and saw nothing.
The next day I was back and in the same stand at dawn. At 10:30, she came walking through, stopping, looking back and waiting. One minute later, he followed, nose the ground. The arrow caught him perfectly, right behind the shoulder and two inches above the belly line.
We aged him at between and five and six years old and he had 10-points. He was scarred from fighting and heavy. By far, not the biggest deer, antler-wise, I have ever killed but quite possibly the best genetically. I have no way of knowing. I do know, he was the doe�s first choice.
So, if you have been watching the does this year, see if you can pick out the matriarch and remember the three factors involved in this story. (1) Identify the matriarch doe. (2) Notice when she begins to distance herself from the family unit. (3) Note when she leaves the others and travels alone and have at least an idea where she goes. Then, get on her and stay with her. It can payoff big time. Now is the time for it to begin to come together. Look for the lone, mature doe. Watch her as closely as you can.
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Copyright John l. Sloan-2014
First Choice.
I can still smell, sometimes, even see it. The clean crisp smell of late autumn, the smell of the leaves as I gathered some kindling. The dusty smell of the one room cabin, the ashes in the old wood stove and the shallow, muddy river. I had use of the place and permission to hunt the farm for a couple weeks and I had come to kill the genetically best of the breed.
We had not met yet, he and I. I had no idea what he looked like or where he was. I just knew where he would be. Not the exact day, time or location but in general, where he was going to be. I intended to be there because I knew exactly what he was coming for. It had been decided many million years earlier.
All animals, including humans, are programmed to select the best of the available breed when it comes time to mate. Given free choice, the female of the breed decides. It is almost always that way with deer.
It was a long bottom that ran beside the shallow, muddy river, dividing it from the picked beans. Every now and then, a tuning fork shaped hollow ran off the bottom. The year before, I had found one loaded with white oak trees. It does not matter how many beans or corn fields are handy, when the oaks start dropping that is where the deer go. It was in one of the hollows that I met the matriarch doe and her twins. They were leading a family group of about eight does and fawns. Now, a little over a year later, I was looking for that doe. I knew she would be the key. She would pick out the fittest of the bucks and I was going to try and pick him out, too. I knew it was not likely he would have the biggest antlers. But, he would be the best of the crop genetically. The dominant buck.
I had to look for three keys that doe would be ready to attract the best buck. First, she had to have dispersed her fawns-made them function on their own, away from her. That had happened. Second, she had to have begun to distance herself from the family unit and started traveling and feeding somewhat on her own, alone. That was about to happen. And third, she had to have slightly altered her usual traveling pattern. That is the key I was watching for and hoping I could intercept. I was looking for the mature doe, traveling alone.
Once that third thing happened, she would be prime bait for a mature buck. In most instances, this would happen and she would be bred before the rut really heated up. It would be before the �chase� phase really began, prior to seeing numbers of bucks traveling, looking. It would not be unusual to see three or four bucks following her around. But earlier, only the dominant buck would be in attendance. That mature buck would find her before the majority of the bucks really started moving. By then, she would have been bred and would not be receptive. She would have made her selection. My goal was to intercede and I had two weeks to do it.
I had, in a two day period, hung nine stands, spread along the bottom and low ridges that separated the bottom from the picked bean fields. I would move among those stands watching and waiting. I thought of that as I lay, worn out in the comfortable bed, after my huge supper of steak and baked potato. I stretched and smelled the shallow, muddy river just outside the door. Tomorrow, the hunt would begin.
Six days went by. Each day, I saw her and the twins that I named Mic and Mac. They were together but not together. The twins were in the family unit. Madame was somewhat separate. Time was running short. I had passed up three bucks that I probably should have shot. I was getting nervous. Then, on a frosty morning, I saw the family unit, filtering into one of the tuning fork hollows. As usual, Mic and Mac were in the lead, their stomachs controlling their actions. The various does and fawns followed. The Madam was not with them.
Bingo.
Within minutes I was out of the stand and moving. My next location was on an old tractor road in a bottleneck between the beans and the river. I had been saving that location and one other just for this occasion. I settled into the stand at 9:30 on that cool morning and saw nothing.
The next day I was back and in the same stand at dawn. At 10:30, she came walking through, stopping, looking back and waiting. One minute later, he followed, nose the ground. The arrow caught him perfectly, right behind the shoulder and two inches above the belly line.
We aged him at between and five and six years old and he had 10-points. He was scarred from fighting and heavy. By far, not the biggest deer, antler-wise, I have ever killed but quite possibly the best genetically. I have no way of knowing. I do know, he was the doe�s first choice.
So, if you have been watching the does this year, see if you can pick out the matriarch and remember the three factors involved in this story. (1) Identify the matriarch doe. (2) Notice when she begins to distance herself from the family unit. (3) Note when she leaves the others and travels alone and have at least an idea where she goes. Then, get on her and stay with her. It can payoff big time. Now is the time for it to begin to come together. Look for the lone, mature doe. Watch her as closely as you can.
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