Deer hunting

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A Neolithic painting of deer hunting from Spain Valltorta (escena de caza).png
A Neolithic painting of deer hunting from Spain
A Roman mosaic depicting the goddess Diana deer hunting Bardo Diane chasseresse.jpg
A Roman mosaic depicting the goddess Diana deer hunting

Deer hunting is hunting deer for meat and sport, and, formerly, for producing buckskin hides, an activity which dates back tens of thousands of years. Venison, the name for deer meat, is a nutritious and natural food source of animal protein that can be obtained through deer hunting. There are many different types of deer around the world that are hunted for their meat. For sport, often hunters try to kill deer with the largest and most antlers to score them using inches. There are two different categories of antlers. They are typical and nontypical. They measure tine length, beam length, and beam mass by each tine. They will add all these measurements up to get a score. This score is the score without deductions. Deductions occur when the opposite tine is not the same length as it is opposite. That score is the deducted score. [1]

Contents

Hunting deer is a regulated activity in many territories. In the United States, a state government agency such as a Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) or Department of Natural Resources (DNR) oversees the regulations. In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to use bows or rifles chambered in bores smaller than .243 caliber (6mm) for hunting. [2]

New Zealand

New Zealand has had 10 species of deer (Cervidae) introduced. From the 1850s, red deer were liberated, followed by fallow, sambar, wapiti, sika, rusa, and whitetail. The introduced herds of axis and moose failed to grow, and have become extinct. In the absence of predators to control populations, deer were thought to be a pest due to their effect on native vegetation. From the 1930s, the government employed professional hunters to cull the deer population. Market hunting for deer hides was a significant activity during the 1940's and 50's, and meat hunting from helicopters continues today, with the main market for wild venison being Europe. Deer hunting in New Zealand is a popular recreational activity, organised and advocated for at the national level by the New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association. [3]

United States

A New Hampshire deer hunt circa 1910 NewHampshireDeerHunt.jpg
A New Hampshire deer hunt circa 1910

The two main species of deer found in the United States are mule deer and white-tailed deer. Mule deer are mostly found west of the Rocky Mountains, but can also be found as far east as parts of North and South Dakota, while whitetails generally occur only to the east of the Rockies. [4] Mule deer have a black-tipped tail which is proportionally smaller than that of the white-tailed deer. The male deer or bucks grow antlers annually. The mule deer have taller skinnier tines on their antlers where white-tailed deer typically have shorter thicker tines. White-tailed bucks are slightly smaller than mule deer bucks. Whitetail deer excel in various habitats including forests as well as suburban territories, and are very much adaptable to multiple environments. [5] Both of the species lose their antlers in January, and regrow the antlers during the following summer beginning in June. Although both species are found in the United States, where they are found is vastly different. Mule deer are found in the western United States in the foothills of the mountains.

As their antlers become fully developed, they will start to shed their velvet. Velvet is vascularised tissue that is a furry skin-like material that covers the growing antlers. If the antlers are damaged while they are in velvet they can cause nontypical features due to the soft nature of the antler tissue while growing. [6] The velvet will fall off of the deer when their antlers start to harden in late summer to early fall to get ready for mating season in the winter. If the velvet doesn't fall off on its own they will make a "rub" on a small tree. This is when they rub their antlers to both mark territory and to take the remaining velvet off.

Mating season (referred to as the "rut") is, typically, a good time for hunting deer and which usually takes place at the end of October and leading into November. [7] During this season, the bucks are often up on their feet more to try and "lockdown" does.

There are many different types of strategies employed when deer hunting. These strategies often depend on the time of year too. One of the most successful early and late season strategies is hunting over a food source. The hunter must know his state laws for baiting or feeding deer while hunting, as each state differs, and policies may also vary within a given state. [lower-alpha 1] This can be done multiple ways. One way that can be very successful if done correctly is by growing a food plot. Some of the popular food plots for deer are clover, alfalfa, turnips, and radishes. [9] Another way as mentioned before is baiting deer. This is often done with corn or a mineral block, such as a salt-lick, and where the hunter sits perched in a higher elevation some distance away, awaiting the deer's visit. [10] If this were done at night, a miner's acetylene lamp, or an electric spotlight, was placed near the mineral block so as to see the animal when it approaches. Another strategy is hunting a "rub" or "scrape" line. This strategy is often used closer to the "rut" season. [7] Bucks often travel in the same areas over and over again. This tactic would be used to try and catch a buck up on its feet going from bedding to food or vice versa. Placing a tree stand on the trail or using a ground blind is another tactic used by bow and firearm hunters to camouflage themselves while hunting deer.[ citation needed ]

Other ways of hunting deer include the stalking and still-hunting methods. This way is very difficult for a beginner, as well as an experienced hunter. This takes quite a bit of practice to become successful at. All conditions must be right for this method to work. A hunter must be quiet, the ground must be soft, there cannot be crunchy leaves on the ground, etc... . People often use tracking when trying to stalk deer. This works best with fresh snow as you can see the deer tracks that are recent. Another method used when hunting is simply sitting and waiting for a deer, whether in a tree stand or a ground blind. This method is very difficult for some people because of how long a hunter must sit still for hours at times. There is a combination of these hunting methods which has been used by most hunters. This method is called "driving". In "driving", there are people who try to move deer in a certain direction by walking through the woods in the direction they want the deer to move. While they are trying to move deer, people are sitting in a certain place that has been designated and expected for the deer to move through. The people shooting try to shoot the deer as they go through that area. This method is very successful in getting deer on their feet to move. [9]

The Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians of North America traditionally made use of the decoy method of hunting the white-tailed deer.

They hunt like all their neighbors with the skin and frontal bone of a deer's head, dried and stretched on elastic chips; the horns they scoup [ sic ] out very curiously, employing so much patience on this, that such a head and antlers often do not exceed ten or twelve ounces; they fix this on the left hand, and imitating the motions of the deer in sight, they decoy them within sure shot.

—  Bernard Romans, Natural History of East and West Florida [11]

The motion of the deer that was imitated was the manner in which it feeds and looks around in a very natural way.

State government regulation

Methods of pursuing game for wild meat and corresponding seasons are subject to regulation by state governments and therefore vary from state to state. A state government agency such as a Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) or Department of Natural Resources (DNR) oversees the regulations.

Deer hunting seasons vary across the United States. In game zone 3 in the state of South Carolina, deer hunting season starts August 15 and runs through January 1. Some seasons in states such as Florida and Kentucky [12] start as early as September and can go all the way until February like in Texas. The length of the season is often based on the health and population of the deer herd, in addition to the number of hunters expected to be participating in the deer hunt. The duration of deer hunting seasons can also vary by county within a state, as in Kentucky. [12] In the case of South Carolina, the season varies by SCDNR region. Each region has multiple counties. The DFW will also create specific time frames within the season where the number of hunters able to hunt is limited, which is known as a controlled hunt.

The DFW may also break the deer-hunting season into different time periods where only certain weapons are permitted: bows only (compound, recurve, and crossbows), modern firearms (rifles and shotguns) or black-powder muzzleloaders. (Some states, such as Kentucky, [12] consider only compound and recurve bows as "bows" for hunting regulation purposes, and have special seasons for crossbows.) [13] For example, during a bows-only season, in many areas a hunter would be limited to the use of a bow and the use of any firearm would be prohibited until that specific season opens, and in some areas a crossbow can only be used during a dedicated season for that weapon. Similarly, during a muzzleloader season, use of modern firearms is almost always prohibited. However, in many states, the archery season (at least for compound and recurve bows) completely overlaps all firearms seasons; in those locations, bowhunters may take deer during a firearms season.

Some states also have restrictions on hunting of antlered or antlerless deer. For example, Kentucky allows the taking of antlerless deer during any deer season in most of the state, but in certain areas allows only antlered deer to be taken during parts of deer season. [12]

United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland

A depiction of deer hunting with hounds from a 15th-century version of The Hunting Book of Gaston Phebus Hart Hunting.jpg
A depiction of deer hunting with hounds from a 15th-century version of The Hunting Book of Gaston Phébus

The term "deer hunting" is used in North America for the shooting of deer, but in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the term generally refers to the pursuit of deer with scent hounds, with unarmed followers typically on horseback.[ citation needed ]

There are six species of deer in the UK: red deer, roe deer, fallow deer, Sika deer, Reeves muntjac deer, and Chinese water deer, as well as hybrids of these deer. All are hunted to a degree reflecting their relative population either as sport or for culling. Closed seasons for deer vary by species. [14] The practice of declaring a closed season in England dates back to medieval times, when it was called fence month and commonly lasted from June 9 to July 9, though the actual dates varied. [15] It is illegal to use bows to hunt any wild animal in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

UK deer stalkers, if supplying venison (in fur) to game dealers, butchers and restaurants, need to hold a Lantra level 2 large game meat hygiene certificate. Courses are run by organisations such as the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and this qualification is also included within the Level 1 deer stalking certificate. If supplying venison for public consumption (meat), the provider must have a fully functioning and clean larder that meets FSA standards and must register as a food business with the local authority. [16]

Professional stalker standing next to a red deer stag shot on Ardnamurchan Estate in the Scottish Highlands Professional stalker standing next to red deer stag Ardnamurchan Estate Scotland darker 01.png
Professional stalker standing next to a red deer stag shot on Ardnamurchan Estate in the Scottish Highlands

The vast majority of deer hunted in the UK are stalked. The phrase deer hunting is used to refer (in England and Wales) to the traditional practice of chasing deer with packs of hounds, currently illegal under the Hunting Act 2004.

In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there were several packs of staghounds hunting "carted deer" in England and Ireland. Carted deer were red deer kept in captivity for the sole purpose of being hunted and recaptured alive. More recently, there were three packs of staghounds hunting wild red deer of both sexes on or around Exmoor and the New Forest Buckhounds hunting fallow deer bucks in the New Forest, the latter disbanding in 1997.

The practice of hunting with hounds, other than using two hounds to flush deer to be shot by waiting marksmen, has been banned in the UK since 2005; to date, two people have been convicted of breaking the law. [17]

There is one pack of stag hounds in the Republic of Ireland and one in Northern Ireland, [18] the former operating under a licence to hunt carted deer. [19]

Australia

In Australia, there are six species of deer that are available to hunt. These are fallow deer, sambar, red deer, rusa, chital, and hog deer. [20]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ For example, Kentucky bans any type of baiting, defined as "grain, feed, mineral blocks, salt blocks, and other baits used to attract deer" within the Jackson Purchase, the state's only region where chronic wasting disease has been detected. Baiting is legal elsewhere in the state. Food plots, as well as feed stations and mineral blocks for domestic livestock, are legal even in the Purchase, and hunters may use products that deer do not consume. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deer</span> Family of mammals

A deer or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae. Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae and Capreolinae. Male deer of almost all species, as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year. These antlers are bony extensions of the skull and are often used for combat between males.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antler</span> Extensions of the skull found in animals of the family Cervidae (deer)

Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on males, with the exception of reindeer/caribou. Antlers are shed and regrown each year and function primarily as objects of sexual attraction and as weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venison</span> Deer meat

Venison originally meant the meat of a game animal but now refers primarily to the meat of deer. Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible, including the internal organs. Venison, much like beef or pork, is categorized into specific cuts, including roast, sirloin, and ribs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tailed deer</span> Species of hooved mammal

The white-tailed deer, also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia, where it predominately inhabits high mountain terrains of the Andes. It has also been introduced to New Zealand, all the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean, and some countries in Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Romania and Serbia. In the Americas, it is the most widely distributed wild ungulate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mule deer</span> Deer indigenous to western North America

The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rut (mammalian reproduction)</span> Mating season of ruminant mammals

The rut is the mating season of certain mammals, which includes ruminants such as deer, sheep, camels, goats, pronghorns, bison, giraffes and antelopes, and extends to others such as skunks and elephants. The rut is characterized in males by an increase in testosterone, exaggerated sexual dimorphisms, increased aggression, and increased interest in females. The males of the species may mark themselves with mud, undergo physiological changes or perform characteristic displays in order to make themselves more visually appealing to the females. Males also use olfaction to entice females to mate using secretions from glands and soaking in their own urine. Deer will also leave their own personal scent marking around by urinating down their own legs with the urine soaking the hair that covers their tarsal glands. Male deer do these most often during breeding season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game (hunting)</span> Wild animals under pursuit or taken in hunting

Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products, for recreation ("sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, though most are terrestrial mammals and birds. Fish caught non-commercially are also referred to as game fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red deer</span> Species of hoofed mammal

The red deer is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa; being the only living species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red deer have been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. In many parts of the world, the meat (venison) from red deer is used as a food source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chital</span> Species of deer

The chital or cheetal, also known as the spotted deer, chital deer and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, male chital reach 90 cm (35 in) and females 70 cm (28 in) at the shoulder. While males weigh 70–90 kg (150–200 lb), females weigh around 40–60 kg (88–132 lb). It is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. The abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears, and tail are all white. The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly 1 m long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medieval hunting</span> Aristocratic hunting practice

Royal hunting, also royal art of hunting, was a hunting practice of the aristocracy throughout the known world in the Middle Ages, from Europe to Far East. While humans hunted wild animals since time immemorial, and all classes engaged in hunting as an important source of food and at times the principal source of nutrition, the necessity of hunting was transformed into a stylized pastime of the aristocracy. In Europe in the High Middle Ages the practice was widespread.

Hunting strategy or hunting method is any specific techniques or tactics that are used to target, pursue, and hunt an animal. The term mostly applies to humans catching and killing wild animals, but can also be used in ethology and nature documentaries to describe predation strategies adopted by carnivores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big–game hunting</span> Hunting of large animals

Big-game hunting is the hunting of large game animals for trophies, taxidermy, meat, and commercially valuable animal by-products. The term is often associated with the hunting of Africa's "Big Five" games, and Indian rhinoceros and Bengal tigers on the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California mule deer</span> Subspecies of deer

The California mule deer is a subspecies of mule deer whose range covers much of the state of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term hunting with no qualification generally refers to hunting with hounds, e.g. normally fox hunting, stag (deer) hunting, beagling, or minkhunting, whereas shooting is the shooting of game birds. What is called deer hunting elsewhere is deer stalking. According to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) over a million people a year participate in shooting, including stalking, shooting, hunting, clay shooting and target shooting. Firearm ownership is regulated in the UK by licensing. Provisions exist for those without a Firearm or Shotgun certificate to shoot under the supervision of a certificate holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deer rub</span>

A deer rub describes the abrasions caused by a male deer rubbing his forehead and antlers against the base of a tree. Easy to spot in areas with high deer populations, hunters use them to find ideal locations for hunting. They appear in the late summer or early fall, when male deer rub the velvet off their newly acquired antler growth or during rut season. The area between the forehead and antlers contains a large number of apocrine sweat glands, and leave a scent that communicates a challenge to other male deer while also attracting potential mates. The size of the rub usually varies with the size of the deer.

Romania has a long history of hunting and remains a remarkable hunting destination, drawing many hunters because of its large numbers of brown bears, wolves, wild boars, red deer, and chamois. The concentration of brown bears in the Carpathian Mountains of central Romania is largest in the world and contains half of all Europe's population, except Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting in New Zealand</span>

Hunting is a popular recreational pursuit and a tourist activity in New Zealand with numerous books and magazines published on the topic. Unlike most other developed countries with a hunting tradition, there are no bag-limits or seasons for hunting large game in New Zealand. Hunting in national parks is a permitted activity. The wide variety of game animals and the limited restrictions means hunting is a popular pastime which has resulted in a high level of firearms ownership among civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyulaj Hunting Hungary</span> Hungarian state-owned forestry and hunting company

Gyulaj Forestry and Hunting Private Limited Company is one of Hungary's 22 state owned forestry and hunting companies. Its online marketing brand name is Gyulaj Hunting Hungary. Besides forest management one of its main business activities is big game management carried out in professional and traditional near- nature way. Its game management branch activities include receiving international hunting clients for purpose of hunting for local big game species. Its business premises are located in Tamási, South- West Hungary in Tolna County. Among the Hungarian state-owned forestries Gyulaj Plc is the leader by its highest rate of incomings from hunting section compared to the total annual incomings of the company. By this performance Gyulaj Forestry and Hunting Plc is a key player of the Hungarian big games management and hunting. Its legal predecessors and different hunting grounds look back at a rich hunting history and performance: a heritage that has been kept alive until today. Gyulaj Forestry and Hunting Plc has been operating in the legal form of a private limited company since November 3, 2005. With its center in Tamási it presently does forest management on nearly 23,500 hectares state forestland and quality game management on nearly 30,000 hectares in South-West Hungary.

Australia has a population of about 26 million while the Commonwealth Government estimating there are 640,000 recreational hunters in the country. There are around 6 million legally owned guns in Australia, ranging from airguns to single-shot, bolt-action, pump-action, lever-action or semi-automatic firearms.

The James Jordan Buck is the 2nd highest scoring typical white-tailed deer ever harvested by a hunter in the United States and the third-highest scoring in the world. James (Jim) Jordan was a 22-year-old hunter from Burnett County, Wisconsin when he shot the record buck on November 20, 1914. The Jordan Buck measures 206 1/8 net typical points under the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system.

References

  1. ↑ SPENCER, ERIC (September 21, 2021). "How to Score a Deer: The Antler Scoring System". Ambush Hunting Blinds. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Deer Act 1963 Chapter 36". The National Archives. Schedule 2: "Prohibited Firearms and Ammunition". 1963. Accessed March 2, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Hunting today". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  4. ↑ "Mule Deer vs Whitetail - A Full Rundown". February 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ Bajwa, Qasim (May 16, 2024). "Types of Hunting in the USA". gunnersreview.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  6. ↑ "What Causes Some Deer to Have non Typical Antlers?". December 13, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "White-Tailed Deer | National Geographic". Animals. March 12, 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "CWD Surveillance Zone". Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Whitetail Deer Hunting Information". www.the-whitetail-deer.com. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  10. ↑ Edward A. Freeman, How to Hunt Deer , chapter 1
  11. ↑ Romans, B. (1775). A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida. New York: Printed for the author. p.  66. OCLC   745317190.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Deer Hunting". Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  13. ↑ Wexel, Mike (January 14, 2017). "Deer Hunting Season in the United States". Peak Wilderness. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ Naturenet: Shooting, Hunting and Angling Seasons. Naturenet - Countryside Management & Nature Conservation.
  15. ↑ Forests and Chases of England and Wales: A Glossary. St John's College, Oxford.
  16. ↑ The Wild Game Guide - Food Standards Agency Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Hunting duo appeal is turned down". BBC News. October 19, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  18. ↑ Cassidy, Martin (February 8, 2005). "Frustrations of hunter and hunted". BBC News. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Find a Debate – Houses of the Oireachtas". debates.oireachtas.ie. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007.
  20. ↑ Game Council NSW Archived May 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

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