Grant's Blog

There are 13 days until archery season in Missouri opens.  I have some stands and binds already in place, but need to put out more during the next few days.  I select where to hunt based on three criteria.  These include identifying a limited resource that deer require (food, cover, and water), will the wind be favorable during the time I should hunt that location, and can I approach the stand or blind location without spooking the deer I wish to hunt?  The answers to these are all based on M.R.I. (Most Recent Information).

For example, even though it rained 1.5” yesterday at The Proving Grounds, I didn’t notice any more water in the creek, or any of the dry ponds now holding water.  I did notice the amount of water in two of the ponds that have been holding water increased!  Hence, water remains a necessary resource for deer that is available in a limited distribution.  Hunting near water should be productive unless it rains significantly more before the season opens.

I have a stand at one of these locations and will place a ground blind near the other.  I can approach one either during the morning or afternoon as long as the wind is from the south or west.  The other location is on a bottom and I doubt I can approach it during the morning without spooking the bucks that are using that pond based on trail camera images.  However, I believe I can approach it during the afternoon.

Remember, scouting should be more than simply locating a sign around a limited resource.  It is just as, if not more important to also determine how you can approach the area with the limited resource without spooking the deer you wish to hunt and remaining undetected.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Brad and I had prepared to implement a 35 acre Rx fire yesterday.  We had fire breaks in place, plenty of water to keep us hydrated, etc.  With radios charged and drip torches in hand we hiked up the mountain.  The humidity dropped to 30% by noon and the winds were in a favorable direction at 3-7 miles and hour.

Brad began walking with his drip torch as I watched to see how the fire would react.  I watched and watched.  I’ve seen more smoke from a barbeque grill!  Even though the drought conditions are severe at The Proving Grounds and conditions were favorable for an Rx fire, we couldn’t get the area to burn.   The reason was there wasn’t enough flammable fuel.  We had burned this same area early this year in the spring.  It had responded with an abundance of forbs, native grasses, and some unwanted hardwood saplings.  Our management goal for this area is to serve as a sanctuary and provide native forage.  The fire this spring consumed most of the fine fuels and created a healthy environment for the vegetation that grew after the fire.  The number of deer beds, amount of scat, and the deer we observed while trying to ignite the area all confirmed the value of this area to wildlife.  The plants were healthy and fire resistant.

We learned another lesson yesterday.  The price of the lesson was some manpower and time that could have been spent on another project.  However, now I’ll be a better judge on the amount of fuel necessary to carry a fire.  Nothing beats the education gained by experience.  I’m a better deer and habitat manager because of the experience I gained yesterday.  I hope you have the opportunity to gain some experience related to managing and hunting deer this week.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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This past weekend I hosted a Field Day at The Proving Grounds.  Folks from 14 states and New Zealand attended.  It was a great time of sharing, learning, and fun.

We toured a good portion of The Proving Grounds stopping to discuss food plots, timber management, road management, pond establishment, stand placement, etc.  Saturday night I presented a seminar and the 2010 Hit List showing the top 20 bucks this year that we’ve photographed at The Proving Grounds.  Afterwards everyone had the opportunity to shop at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri, the #1 outdoor retailer in America, with a special VIP discount pass.

The attendees had a great opportunity to visit one on one with several well know members of the outdoor community and makers of products commonly used by hunters and deer managers.  This was a great learning event and everyone seemed to enjoy the chance to visit with other hunters and deer mangers.

That’s one aspect of deer hunting I always enjoy, learning from other deer managers.  Deer hunters from all walks of life usually have one thing in common – a love of all things deer.  I look forward to applying some of the tips I learned and hope the attendees feel the same way.

Missouri’s Bow season begins in three weeks and I’m ready to put these suggestions to work.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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It remains extremely dry at The Proving Grounds.  No rain is predicted in the seven day forecast.  I’m amazed at how well the Eagle Seed Beans are holding up.  I attribute this to the hardiness of Eagle Seed Beans and the organic content of the Antler Dirt that is apparently holding moisture from the last rain event.  There is a food plot that borders one end of my yard.  My yard is totally brown while the soybeans are green and erect.  Perfect – I like working with food plots and dislike mowing the yard!

However, the beans are beginning to wilt during the hot afternoons.  I’m sure the palatability and quality of the forage is decreasing as the drought progresses.  I’m thankful the drought is occurring now versus at the beginning of the antler growth.  Their survival or growth potential is strongly related to the quality of forage and level of stress they experience during the early summer months.

A serious drought during hunting season can provide some advantages to hunters.  The obvious advantage is that water is a limited resource that deer require daily.  There is very limited water in plants during a drought so deer are dependent on standing water.  Standing water is usually very rare during droughts so scouting should be easy!  That doesn’t mean that hunting will be easy.

Because water is limited, predators and prey are forced to frequent the same water sources.  It seems mature bucks are always alert when approaching a limited resource where predators and other competitors frequent.  I’ve started placing some cameras to monitor the few ponds that are still holding water at The Proving Grounds.  I’ll check them next week, and if the activity merits I’ll begin placing stands/blinds near the water sources.

There’s usually a bright side to every situation.  Currently, the bright side is the rare reflection of water.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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