First of all, as Whitetail (WT) hunters we are if nothing else – optimistic. Face it; if we weren’t we wouldn’t brave freezing cold temperatures or rainy days that turn into sleet for the chance of putting a big buck down (BBD) on the ground. So I will concede with the starting fact that maybe I am overly optimistic, but lets look at the hardcore facts. With a large portion of the country experiencing a drought you would think that I would have a lower than average expectation for the coming year. Here’s where that frame of reference is wrong. With drought conditions the acorn crop will be down, again a bonus for the WT hunter. This means that deer will have to forage harder to find their daily allowance of calories. This gives us an advantage if we put out feeders or plots that we can control and water. In my 45 years of deer hunting I have always seen more deer in dry stricken years than in years that have had more than enough rainfall.
This means that most hunters will see more deer when afield this year, however this doesn’t mean more big bucks will be shot. In fact often times this means more deer taken, but the big ones are big for a reason. When more deer are presented to the average hunter they can often talk themselves into taking a buck they are happy with, but if pressed may wish they would have held off. If we can all learn to let them walk and be happy with taking the does out of a deer population we will reap a reward that is beyond words as far as satisfaction. If you doubt this just watch “The Crush” and see how Lee Lacowski has improved his deer herd over the course of 3-5 years. If we can learn to practice self-restraint we are essentially doing what managers are doing on high fence properties, that is controlling our deer herd population. But that is another topic for which I can rant forever.
As for now, I will stick to my prediction of a great year for us whitetail hunters in 2011. Remember, hunt safely, hunt hard and if you get the chance take a kid along and introduce them to hunting and the wonder of the outdoo0rs.
God bless and happy hunting!!!
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