The Finished Product (warning graphic material attached)

After all this time, you've made it to the end. You've shot your deer, gutted it, and now you're at the final stage. Skinning the deer and receiving the meat, that is the overall point of hunting deer. If not, you're not hunting deer, you're just shooting. So, you have a couple of different options at this point. One, skin the deer and retrieve the meat yourself, this option is free. Two, skin the deer yourself and take the meat and carcass to a butcher and have them process the deer. This is the lesser pricy option. Or three, you can take the deer from the field straight to the butcher and have them skin and process the meat. Of course this cost money but is very convenient. For your knowledge I'm going to explain option one. As with the last blog over gutting a deer, it is easier to show skinning the deer and retrieving the meat rather than explain it.

That is the process of skinning the deer. Now would be the point where you could choose option two and have the meat taken to a butcher to be processed. Once again however i'm going to show you how to do this yourself. You may choose to watch the video attached or skip to the picture and see the different cuts of a deer.

All these choice of cuts can be eaten as shown or you can turn these into different forms. Although deer has a wonderful taste and is hard to distinguish from beef, you may still choose to turn it into jerky, slim-jims (these are my favorite on the go snack), salami, or even create mixtures with beef. By mixtures I mean ratios such as 20% beef and 80% deer meat. This would be ground up meat and it can be any ratio you choose. These are great to make burgers, or anything used with ground beef.

To anyone who is unsure about the taste of deer meat, please go to my contact section of my blog and email me. I would be happy to send meats to have you try. Hunting is an exciting sport that doesn't guarantee a win in the end so the reward of the meat is the best part. Well that and seeing that 12 point buck hanging on your wall as a trophy of your hard work and patients.

Gutting a Deer (warning graphic material attached)

We left off with finding the recently shot deer last blog and now it's time for gutting the deer. In an early blog post when I mentioned what to have packed in a bag, I said a good knife, I prefer Buck knives with a gutting edged blade, plastic bags such as Walmart bags, and latex gloves if wanted. Now from personal experience, someone has told me many times how to gut a deer but I never quite understood it until I watched someone do it and I completed the task by myself. So, to help you best understand I've provided a video for you to watch. This video may be graphic to some so please contact me if you prefer not to watch this video and I will explain how to process is done. 

I have chosen this specific video because this hunter uses a nice sharp knife, also a saw but I find that a sharp, well built knife does the same job, and latex gloves as I mentioned above. The only comments I would add to this video is, I take all the guts and place them in a bag so that i'm not leaving them out in the field. Lastly, I take other plastic bags and fill them with ice or snow and tie them up. With those bags I can place them in the deer carcass to keep the meat cold while I transport the deer back to where I plan to skin the deer and retrieve the meat.

Seconds Before the Shot

It's time, you've called in the big buck in the field and you're ready to take the shot. You pull the gun up to take the shot and you're gun is moving everywhere. What do you do now? Where do you shoot?  Your heart is racing and it won't slow down. Well, here are some tips I can give you seconds before you shoot that big buck.

That's take a step back to when you see the deer. As said back earlier in some of my first blog posts, your gun has a ballistics chart. Meaning your gun and ammunition will only shoot so far before the bullet starts to drop. So knowing how your gun is set up and the yards at which your gun is zeroed in at is your first step. Determine how far away the deer is and adjust your shot to that. If the deer is farther than 300 yd and looks as if it may be coming your way, my suggestion would be to pull it in a little closer to create a better opportunity for a shot.

The next step is the placement of your crosshairs in reference to the deer. Let's just assume that the deer is standing at 200 yd and your gun is sighted in at 200 yd. Where do you place the crosshairs on the deer? You want to place them halfway down the deer, just behind the front legs. That is where the heart of the deer lies and will most likely drop the deer instantly and if not will keep the deer from running too far away. Here is an example.


Now, you have buck fever during all of this, and it's exciting! Your adrenaline is through the roof and your anxious, however you need to make a clean shot. Here is the best tip for shooting anything whether thats a deer or a coke can out at the range. First take some deep breaths and slow down your heart. Next take in one deep breath and let out half the air from your lungs out. Finally take your time, aim, and slowly pull the trigger. The perfect shot will come when the gun goes off by surprise. This prevents you from jerking the trigger and pulling your sights off target.

The last thing you do after shooting the deer is watch carefully! This is the most important step in my personal opinion. Chances are the deer isn't going to drop to the ground instantly and it's going to run, run fast and far. Watching the deer carefully will help you when tracking down the deer. Head towards the last place you saw the deer run to and start scouting for blood trails.

Take your time and be patient when searching for your deer. Call for help if needed. Once you find your deer, the fun begins. We will pick up on gutting the deer in the next blog. Be sure to come back and check it out!

Podcast: Deer Calls

What to Bring to the Field

You're ready to head out to the field to hunt, but what do you bring with you? Well, obviously you want to bring your bow and gun, even extra arrows or ammunition, but do you bring anything else? Depending on how much you're willing and able to carry, I personally would say yes.

When I go out to hunt there is always a few things I take out with me in addition to myself and my gun. I will take out a seat, since i don't hunt out of a tree stand, a hunting blind, and a backpack full of useful items.

The seat I take out with me is a small and simple three legged chair that keeps me off of the cold wet ground and prevents me from making excessive noise on the ground with leaves and twigs. This seat usually fits in my backpack but if not, it does have a strap that i can attach to my bag if needed.

A hunting blind, although not necessary, can be a huge perk. This is basically a pop up tent that is camouflaged and allows you to sit inside. It has windows that has zippers or velcro to be lowered in the direction towards the field or where you intend to shoot a deer. The perks of a hunting blind include warmth on windy or cold days, noice reduction, and best of all coverage from any movement you make within the blind. If you're not able to carry out a hunting blind or do not have anywhere to set one up, the next best thing to take out with you is a camouflaged, burlap sac type material, that allows you to see through the holes and pin up around you to provide partial coverage and warmth.

Lastly, I carry a backpack that is camouflaged and chalk full of useful tools and things i deem necessary in the field. This includes items such as:

• Hunting knives,
•  For gutting a deer or removing tree branches in the way
• Hand warmers
• Extra ammo
• Extra clothing, gloves, or a stalking cap
• First aid kit and small survival kit if you're caught in a bad situation
• Portable battery pack to recharge a phone
• You never know if you need to call for help or share your location with someone
• Thermos of hot water, tea, or coffee to keep you warm
• Water bottle
• Flashlight
• Zip ties
• Useful for attaching deer tag to deer once shot
• Map of the area
• Pen and Paper
• GPS if available
• Compas 
• Trail markers
• Useful for when you're alone in the field and helps lead people to your location
• Can also be used mark blood spots when you're searching for a deer you shot
• Plastic bags
• Can place guts of the deer in bag and not just leave in field
• pack with ice or snow to place in the deer to keep meat cold and fresh
• Latex gloves 
• If you're worried about diseases when gutting a deer and don't want blood on your hands
• Deer calls
• Scent-a-way spray bottle

These are in no particular order and may be added to or taken away depending on the type of hunt I'm on. If i'm taking a multiple day trip, i may have a bigger bag with a sleeping bag, food, and fire starters to make my life easier. As said earlier, I find these items necessary for a hunt, however, others might choose more or less. The overall goal is to finish your hunt with a deer so whatever you need to achieve that goal, go with that and overall have fun. 

What is Rut?

In order to receive a complete understanding deer hunting you need to understand what the rut is. This will help you as a hunter understand what those deer signs mean and the best location to hunt. So, lets begin by explaining what the rut is.

The quick and dirty definition of the rut is, the time frame, usually in the fall, when the deer are breeding. Now, why is this important to you as a hunter? Well, the rut helps you gage the times when you're most likely to see more activity of bucks. Those deer signs for example, such as scrapes and rubs, are caused by the rut. With that in mind let's talk about the stages of rut.

Pre-Rut:
Mostly feeding occurs in both bucks and does during this stage. Most likely the deer will be feeding early morning or late in the evening, and bedding down during the day. Does will collect in family packs while bucks will mingle with other bucks or does. Towards the end of pre-rut testosterone levels start to rise and you see early-rut signs in bucks occur.

Early-Rut
Does begin to go into heat, or become fertile. During this time bucks will separate from others and become more territorial and aggressive. During this time bucks are more reckless and you may see more during the daytime and even as roadkill due to negligence.

Full-Rut
This is the time when a majority of does are in heat. Deer can be seen moving during all parts of the day. Bucks are very aggressive at this time, can be called more easily, and are territorial. However, that's also not stopping bucks from moving further from their home in order to seek out other does. Scrapes and rubs can be seen often and you'll even see broken antlers from bucks fighting each other. This is a hunter's best time to be out in the field. I've talked about how I prefer rifle season, but here in Kansas, full-rut usually happens during archery season, so, pick up that bow if you want to have the excitement and deer activity during rut.

Post-Rut
Around this time breeding has concluded and a majority of deer break off. Things go back to normal and deer will go back to their normal life cycle of being seen mostly in the early morning or late at night.

Second-Rut
About a month after rut, the does that are unbred go into heat a second time. During this time a hunter will get a second chance to pull in a buck due to their increase in activity once again. Although, it's not as prominent as the first full-rut, it gives hunters another last minute chance.

Late Season
During this time, bucks become rare to see and the time has come close to an end. However, don't count this time out because the very last day of buck season last year, December 11th 2016, i was persistent and went out to hunt that day. It was late season, but I ended up with a buck that night.

 I was more than excited that night but did find one thing to complain about. As I explained earlier, during full-rut, bucks become aggressive and may fight. Looking at the left antler of my buck in the first picture, you can see the broken antler which may have happened during rut.

So overall, rut is a great tool to understand if you want to become a deer hunter because It helps you gage the time frame of when bucks are out and searching for does. Although keep in mind once again that rut is not an end-all-be-all for shooting bucks. Remember, it's called hunting and not shooting.

You're Under Surveillance

While you might think that shower you took last night after work or that cup of coffee you needed to start off your morning hunt is just another daily routine, keep in mind it's foreign to wildlife. Trust me, you are loud, obviously seen, and you stink badly.

Be Quiet

It might be an obvious statement, but when you are out on your hunt you can NEVER be too quiet. Every leaf you crunch and every twig you snap draws a deer's attention straight towards your direction. Although a deer's hearing is relatively similar, still better however, to a human's hearing, a deer is better at honing in on the location. Deer will hear you walk straight up to your hunting location and avoid you at all costs. Your best bet as a hunter is to quietly and quickly get to your spot and sit quiet the rest of your hunt. You will scare off nearby deer at the beginning, but as the hours pass other deer won't hear you if you're quiet... unless you're moving excessively.

Be Still

There are many reasons why hunters wear the colors they do. For example, while it might look stupid for a hunter to wear bright blaze orange out hunting, it does serve a point with a helpful, unaware bonus. The blaze orange is obviously seen by humans. This provides safety during rifle season so you know not to shoot in that direction. However, many are unaware that deer cannot actually see most of the red scale. Confused? Well, let me ask you this, can you see ultraviolet light? Just as humans don't see UV light, which deer can see clear as day, deer don't see blaze orange.

Moreover, wearing camouflage helps hunters blend in with the surrounding. Yet that doesn't mean that moving around while looking like a tree doesn't draw attention to your direction. Deer pick up on movement very well, however, nothing will beat a deer's sense of smell.

Be Dirty
Quite literally I do mean be dirty. You want to smell like the Earth itself. Smelling like shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, mint toothpaste, those all give away your location to a deer. When it comes to a deer's sense of smell, a whitetail deer has up to 296 million olfactory receptors while humans have up to five million Here are some helpful tips to mask your scent from deer. Although there are many brands out there, my preference is Scent-a-Way. Scent-a-Way sells anything and everything to cover your scent. This includes detergent to wash your hunting clothes in and shampoo and soap for showers. There is also a spray bottle to cover your gun, boots, bags, etc. in out at the field. On top of wanting to smell like the wildlife, the best way to mask your scent from deer is to position yourself downwind. If you're downwind from the deer, it is less likely to be smelt and avoided.

Signs of Deer

You're out in the field and you're looking for the best place to hunt. As I briefly stated in the last post, there are some signs you should look for when positioning yourself in the field. However, what exactly are those signs and what do they look like? Here is a quick list of signs you need to keep your eyes out for.

Foot Prints
It seems so obvious, but foot prints are the number one key knowing if deer are in the area. Not only will it help you know deer are there, but even the size of the print will help you gage if they are most likely doe or even better, bucks.

Beddings
We all have to sleep, deer usually sleep together and what you will see in the tall grass is an area pressed down. A deer will sleep in his/her spot and over time this grass becomes compressed, creating a "bedding area".

Trails
Trails are exactly what they sound like. They are deer trails. Paths that the deer travel on constantly. They are worn down to minimal grass or mostly dirt and they are sure signs that a deer travels through this area.

Droppings/Urine
Droppings and urine are another way to see if deer are in the area. The easiest to find is droppings. They are just a pile of round balls that are seen around the field but easiest to find near the trails. Urine on the other hand is harder to find, however, it's best seen in the winter when the urine is either frozen or there is snow on the ground with a yellow color surrounding the melted snow.

Rubs/Scrapes
Rubs and scrapes are the BEST signs for deer hunting if you're looking for bucks. They usually happen during the time of rut, but i'll talk about that in a future post. For now just know that rubs are where branches are either broke or where the bark has been pealed off the tree or branch. Scrapes are where a buck has cleared a spot on the ground, revealing dirt. You can usually see foot prints near these spots.

Creek Crossings/Field Crossings
Both creek and field crossings are the ideal spots where deer either cross a creek or enter a field. If bow hunting try to stay close to these areas because you're more likely to see a deer enter through this area. Creek crossing work best for bow hunters since you're more capable of shooting arrows in brush. If you're rifle hunting, i'd suggest you find those entry points for a field and cover that spot from a distance. You're biggest strength is being able to mask your scent over the distance of the field you're hunting.

Blood
Lastly blood, when a deer has been shot, blood is obviously leaving their body. When they move they create blood trails, this not only helps you find the deer after you shot it, but also helps other hunters know deer are in the area. Another blood sign is a huge pool of blood. This is a spot where a deer has been gutted and cleaned before being taken out of the field. Same as before, this tells hunters deer are in the area. However, be warned, this could also be a sign that deer are more cautious and that they are avoiding that area. Vice Versa though, deer are curious and they may go check out what happened there. Seeing blood is not necessarily a bad thing but do know anything could happen.

A helpful tip if you see any or all these signs. Do you're best not to disturb the area. Deer are VERY cautious animals and your sent will turn them away and you won't ever see a deer. Moreover, another helpful tip is that all these signs help you gage time. Did it just rain and those foot prints are fresh? Or are they dried up and crusted from weeks ago? Is that blood fresh from the morning and you're hunting at night? Did it just snow and there is melted snow with a yellow coloring around it? All these signs are sure fire ways to tell you deer are in the area AND how long ago they were there.

Here is a helpful test to show you not only what each of these signs look like, but get you use to noticing them out in the field. Most of these are obvious but you may not have realized what each sign looks like until you see a picture of each. Match up these words to their pictures. The answers will be posted at the bottom of the blog.

A: Foot Prints
B: Bedding
C: Trail
D: Urine
E: Droppings
F: Rubs
G: Scrapes
H: Creek Crossing
I: Field Crossing
J: Blood

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.














A: 3
B: 9
C: 1
D: 5
E: 8
F: 6
G: 10
H: 4
I: 7
J: 2

Where to Hunt

You've purchased and obtained your permits and you've practiced with your equipment. So, what's next? Well, it is now time to decide where you're going to be hunting. This will depend on what type of hunting you are going to be doing and what's available for you. Because I live in Kansas, I will be using my state as an example. I'll first show you regions to hunt near you, then, where to hunt, specifically out in the field.

Where to Hunt: Region

To begin, lets check out this website: Ksoutdoors
Save this website to refer back to. Here, you can find out all hunting seasons, permits needed, helpful information, where to hunt, and more.

On the left side of the page, scroll down until you see where to hunt. Next run your mouse, or click on your region, for Topeka, Ks, select the NorthEast region.

Here, you will see places that are either public land granted by the government or private property that is being leased out by their owners. For people who do not own their own land and need to hunt elsewhere, this is the website for you. These lands for public hunting do come with a stipulation. Most say archery hunting only. Do your due diligence to see if you can rifle hunt in the area you head out to. 

Where to Hunt: In Field 

It is now time to scout out the field you chose to hunt in. Here is when you choose what kind of hunter you are because, archery and rifle hunters will take two separate paths here. Let's begin with archery.

With archery, you need to hunt close to where you believe your deer will be walking or eating near. You want to be able to have a deer walk 50yd or closer without noticing you. With a tree stand you can do just that. However, you need to be placed in a field or on a deer trail where the deer are walking to either eat or go back to their bedding. More things you have to account for is wind, noice, and sight because these will prevent deer from walking anywhere close to you. Archery takes skill. Take the time to do more research on where to place yourself in a field as a archer. 

On the other side of the spectrum is rifle hunting. Although it's not a walk in the park, rifle hunting is much easier to find a place in a field with higher chances of taking down a deer. It's possible to hunt with a bow on the ground, but uncommon, however with a rifle you can hunt on or above ground with no problems. The advantage you have with a rifle that makes hunting easier is the distance. Being 200+yd away from your target allows your scent, noice, and sight to be more lenient while hunting. There can be some upsides and downsides to both though.

The greatest advantage you have as a bow hunter is the ability to hunt deep in the woods because your bow only reaches out 50yd max with accuracy. That is a disadvantage too. The other disadvantage is that your tree stand will need to be set up in advanced before hunting. The only exception to this is if you have climbing tree stand. Whereas as a rifle hunter, you use the open area, such as a field to your advantage. Vice Versa, the woods make rifle hunting more difficult.

With this knowledge given to you, understand where you can hunt legally in your region, but also take the time to scout out where to hunt in your field or woods! The great thing is you can move around and try different spots both within your region and out in the field. Just keep in mind hunting is hunting not shooting. Don't expect a deer to just walk right out in front of you, patience is key and will pay off. To put this last statement in perspective, I hunted the same field and the same spot every week all last year during the season. It wasn't until the very last day of the season that I shot my buck. So, don't just move constantly hoping to find a deer. Let them find you. Go out and scout your fields now! 

Equipment

As we come to the end of the first week of archery season, it's time to start talking about equipment. Don't feel pressured that you're rifle or especially your bow isn't sighted in because there is plenty of time left for both. So, let's get to it.

Archery

To begin, there are two types of bows:

Recurve:

This bow is much more simplistic compared to a compound bow. Although it is lightweight and easier to carry, the downside is that it relies on much more practice hit a target and requires much more strength to pull back the single stringed bow. 

Compound Bow:

Compared to the last bow, this one is much more complex and more expensive. The nice things about these bows are that they require less strength to pull them back. Due to the pulley system, the weight is distributed amongst the strings allowing for easier pull back. There is also more attachments that can be added to this bow including: a quiver (arrow holster), sights, and/or even a whisker biscuit which holds the arrow steady while drawing the bow back.

The main materials you need for a bow would be arrows, arrow heads which there are two types, practice and hunting tips, sightings (for a compound bow),a quick release which isn't necessary but very helpful, and lastly a target. The best way to learn to hunt with a bow is to practice daily. I would honestly recommend a compound bow as a starter bow because of the fact that its easier to use and you add sights. To set up the sight on a compound bow you usually have three to four pegs. Each peg should represent a yards away from you. So, for example, the top peg may be used for a deer at 20yd while the bottom one my be 50yd. To sight your bow, look down a peg at the yards you want and release the arrow. If you're too high lower the peg and vice versa.

Now go out and practice with your bow! If you want a challenge try aiming for this nearly impossible challenge that every hunter hopes to complete. I've only completed this challenge once in my life and it was a great feeling! So, here it is, as you shoot your first arrow at your target, you want to be so precise that you complete a Robin Hood. This is when your second arrow is in the exact same spot that it actually hits the second arrow dead on. Yeah you waste two arrows but its a great feeling knowing that you're that good!

Rifle

As i've said earlier in this blog, rifle season is my favorite season. Although its not as challenging, thats actually what can make it more exciting to novice hunters. Deer have a great sense of hearing and smell so being able to take down a deer 300yd away makes it easier and more enjoyable.

Now as with bows there are thousands of different rifles to choose from. Different calibers, different brands, even different models of the same gun. To make this as simple as possible I'm going to focus on one brand and the same model. The Remington 700, the rifle that i carry. To also make this as simple as possible the same gun can come in different calibers. Caliber refers to the bullet size. Look at these three guns:

These three guns are the exact same brand and model however, they are all different caliber guns. While one might be a .3006 (my gun), the other might be a .308 caliber. The difference in bullet size can make one bullet faster, .3006, while the other one might be slower but more powerful, .308. This is just a matter of preference. This also changes the sighting. 

For a rifle there are only three main materials you need for your gun. The scope (which isn't necessary but you reduce your distance dramatically, the bullets, and the gun itself. In order to sight in your gun you must shoot the same round of bullets through your gun. To make this as simplistic as possible, bullets may have more gun powder in some than others. This refers to the grain of the bullet. Maybe you're shooting a 165 grain or a 180 grain. It makes a difference. To help you understand how ballistics play into sighting here is a video that explains it better than reading. 

Finding your ballistics for your gun and bullet grain is as easy as looking it up on google. Take that knowledge and go out and practice! All this practice with bow your bow and/or rifle will pay off this season as you'll have a better chance of hitting your target and taking down your deer. 

Here is a fun video to watch and give you a good laugh to as of why you should practice!

Permits and Materials

            Being already three days into archery season for deer, it’s time to start getting ready for the hunt. However, where do you begin? Well, that all depends on are you going to hunt with a bow or a rifle. Like I said, archery season is already open. In fact, it’s the longest season, from September 11^th to December 31^st, excluding the extended antlerless season in January. Rifle season is only from November 29^th to December 10^th. No matter the case, here are the permits and materials needed to start your hunt.

            Assuming everyone reading this is over the age of 18, that’s the legal age to buy a rifle, we need to discuss permits and paperwork that you must have and carry. In order to hunt by yourself, there is a class that you must take. Hunter’s Education is a class that not only teaches hunters of safety precautions with their gun, but also how to be safe around other hunters. At the end of this class you receive your personal hunter’s identification number.

Using this number, you can now purchase a hunting license that is good for a year.

Yet, there is still one more permit you need to purchase and that is a deer tag. This will be tagged to the deer once you kill it.

So, in order to hunt this season, have your hunter’s education, hunting license, and deer tag with you at all times this season.

            Obviously, there is another material that is needed to hunt at the bare minimum. Yes, a bow for archery season or a rifle for rifle season. There are many choices when it comes to what bow or rifle to carry, but I will go over equipment setup in the next blog. Now, I also understand there is a list of other materials that make hunting easier on yourself, and that will also be stated in a future blog that I’m excited to get to. Stick around and keep reading because next week I’ll be going over the bulk of the season and that is setting up your bow and/or rifle.

See you next week,

Brenen

The Season's IntoBUCKtion

Tomorrow, September 11^th, starts the season of wearing camouflage and hunter’s orange. For everyone who is and isn’t aware, deer season here in Kansas is beginning. That means seize your rifle, muzzleloader, bow, or crossbow, and be ready to follow me as I talk about this year’s deer season.

            To preface, this blog will not be for the avid hunter, as they will already know all I’m going to cover and more. Instead, this is for novel hunters or, for those like me, they’ve hunted as a kid with their parent, lost interest, and just recently decided to pick up deer hunting again.

            As stated earlier, deer season launches tomorrow, however this muzzleloader and archery season. I personally do not have the understanding and know how of muzzleloaders and the season, so, my primary emphasis will be on rifle season and a short post or two about archery. Throughout these blogs I will be covering materials and permits needed to hunt, how to set up your equipment, places to hunt here in Kansas, what exactly you’re hunting for. For example, are you hunting for mule or whitetail deer? Are you more interested in a buck or a doe? These are just a few of the subjects I plan to explain throughout the season.

            The reason I’m covering this topic is the same reason why I’m the right person to cover it. I’m in your boots, still new to this on my own. It’s only been two years of deer hunting on my own and just last year of taking down my first buck. My goal throughout this is to express information to everyone reading that was passed down to me from my father years ago. I plan on posting every Thursday, right before the weekend so you can go out and hunt or practice with the information I’m giving you.

Good luck and,

Tis’ the Season: Deer Season