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Deer hunting is the activity or sport of pursuing deer which began as early as 7,000 BC. There are numerous types of deer throughout the world that are hunted, with the white-tailed deer being the most common in North America. Deer hunting has become essential in North America due to its dense deer population. In the United States, deer cause around 1.5 million vehicle accidents, 130 vehicle related deaths, and over $1 billion in insurance claims.

Contents 1 Deer 1.1 North America 1.2 United Kingdom 2 Method 2.1 North America 2.2 United Kingdom 3 Time 4 Weapons 5 Tools 6 Cold Weather Deer Hunting 7 Reference 8 See also 9 External links

There are numerous types of deer throughout the world.

The deer most sought after in North America, east of the Rocky Mountains, is the white-tailed deer. West of the Rockies, the mule deer is the dominant deer species. The most notable differences between the two, other than distribution, are the differences in ears, tail, antler shape, and body size. The mule deer's ears which are proportionally longer than the ears of a white-tailed deer, and resemble that of a mule. Mule deer have a black-tipped tail which is proportionally smaller than that of the white-tailed deer. Buck deer of both species sprout antlers; the antlers of the mule deer branch and rebranch, while white-tailed bucks have one main beam with several tines sprouting from it. White-tailed bucks are usually smaller than mule deer bucks.

There are six species of deer in the UK: red deer, roe deer, fallow deer, Sika deer, muntjac deer, and Chinese water deer, as well as hybrids of these deer. All are hunted to a degree reflecting their relative population.

There are four common methods of hunting deer:stalking, which consists of following signs and trails of deer; stand hunting, waiting where deer are likely to travel (including tree stands); still hunting, alternatily walking silently and waiting concealed in the pursuit of game; and line drives, which consists of flushing deer toward a line of hunters. Scouting and stalking involves following deer sign. Common sign to pursue include rubs, scrapes, and tracks. Scrapes are places where bucks scratch the ground and urinate below low hanging branches on the edge of fields. Bucks do this to mark territory and attract female deer. Deer tracks may tell you the size, age, and species of a deer. Rubs are marks on the trunks and low branches of trees which indicate where bucks have rubbed the velvet off their antlers; this leaves a tell-tale mark because it takes the bark off the tree where the deer rubbed. Another purpose for this action is that it marks territory with a visual signpost.

Another method of deer hunting, although illegal in most states, is dog driving. A dog is let loose and used to drive deer out of their bedding area to where the hunter may get a shot. The next five paragraphs are Terry Jones’ accounts of “dog driving”(www.louisianafolklife.com).

Traditionally the deer dog was a long-legged walker, a blue tick, or a redbone. Today this breed of big dog has been mainly replaced by the beagle or the short-eared black and tan. These dogs are smaller and cheaper to maintain. They do not eat as much and they will stay in a smaller pen. These dogs are slower, too. They will not run as far and they are easier to catch at the end of the hunt. The driver, the one who owns the hounds, picks a place to hunt and assigns everyone a location. A stander is a hunter with no dogs. This hunter is put in a designated deer-crossing, a place where the deer are known to cross. Deer crossings may be dirt roads, old logging roads or just a spot in open woods. The driver walks the dogs through the woods to jump a deer and run it to a stander. The deer will lie in the woods, and unless the dogs stumble across it, the driver could walk right on top of the deer and never know it was there. The odds are mainly in favor of the deer. Only a few of its exit routes may be covered by the standers This opens up many windows of escape for the deer. The old belief that a deer is always ran down and caught by the dogs is not true. The deer have no trouble staying in front of the dogs, and since no two deer run alike, the drivers have to be ready for anything. The deer runs as far out in front of the dogs as he wants to unless he is hurt or injured severely. Even then, the dogs bay the deer and keep it surrounded until the hunter gets to them. They do not attack the wounded animal. The deer eludes the drivers many of the times. They run way out in front of the dogs to listen and smell for danger. After they get out of the designated hunt spot most of the drivers spend good quantity of time looking for the hounds. Some hounds will return to the location they are cast from. However, some hounds may run forty miles or so before getting caught. If the hound is wearing an identification collar, the person who catches the dog may notify the owner. The kill of the deer is only a minor part of the thrill the hunter gets from dog-driving. Most dog hunters enjoy the race of the dogs they have trained and raised more than killing the deer. Some hunters save their vacation time for the season and those who own their own businesses will sometimes shut it down. Cutting the shirt tail of someone who has missed a deer is an old tradition of dog hunting that has almost been forgotten. The tradition of smearing blood on the face of a hunter who just took his first deer has also almost been forgotten.

– Terry Jones, Dog Driving, [www.louisianafolklife.com]

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

There are also numerous factors that play a role in deer movement, but the one thing that may usually be counted on is the movement of deer 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset when the deer are going to or leaving their feeding ground. The main factors in deer movement are precipitation, wind, hunting pressure, rut, and lunar movement. Deer will stay in their bedding area during times of heavy rain or snow, and when the storm stops, the deer usually start moving. Trees and brush are usually dripping with rain or snow, which causes noise, makes the deer nervous and causes them to move after a storm; they will also start moving if the storm lasted through their feeding period. Wind blowing in the woods may become very noisy, making the deer nervous and causing them to start moving. The rut, which is a month long period when bucks mate with does, causes deer to be more active and do things that they would not normally do. The last factor in deer movement is the position of the moon. Whenever the moon is directly overhead, or below foot, deer seem to be more active in general.

Many different weapons are permitted during certain times of deer season. These include bows, crossbows, rifles, shotguns, pistols, and muzzleloaders.

Archery season usually opens weeks or months before a state or locality's gun season and ussually is permitted for several weeks or months afterwards. Modern compound bows and recurve bows are used, as well as some primitive recurve and longbows by historical enthusiasts when permitted. Crossbows are often reserved for disabled hunters who are unable to draw a bow. Most bows and crossbows offer an effective accurate range of 30-40 yards.

Rifles, shotguns, and pistols are all commonly used for hunting deer. Most regions place limits on the minimum caliber or gauge to be used; rimfire rifles and centerfires under .22 caliber are often prohibited due to ethical concerns, although they have been used to hunt deer and larger game in some cases. Some areas of the United States prohibit rifle hunting altogether; most firearms hunters in these areas use 10, 12, or 20 gauge shotguns with buckshot or slug loads. Handguns are also prohibited in many deer hunting situations, but hunters in some areas have success with .357 magnum, .41 Magnum, and .44 Magnum revolvers and larger calibers such as the .500 S&W Magnum and .454 Casull. Specialty hunting handguns like the Thompson Center Arms Contender and Encore are capable of firing many big game cartridges like the .30-06 Springfield and .45-70. Large caliber semiautomatics (such as the Desert Eagle, LAR Grizzly, and many 10mm Auto pistols) also deliver enough power to take deer.

Muzzleloader hunting is also a common practice. Modern muzzleloading rifles equipped with synthetic stocks, telescopic and fiber optic sights, in-line ignition systems, advanced conical or sabot bullet designs, and black powder substitutes such as Pyrodex are much more effective than the muskets of generations past. However, many traditionalists still use wood stocked, iron sighted rifles with round lead balls and traditional black powder charges.

Hunting deer with more primitive weapons, such as thrown spears, is uncommon in industrialized nations. Alabama, for instance, permits spear hunting during its archery season.

A few things every hunter needs are camouflage, deer stand/blind, weapon, nets, waterproof boots, knife, tags, orange clothing, and a permit. Camouflage has been used for ages and while it is very important, it is not essential. There are two different types of deer stands, ladder stands, and climbers. Ladder stands are ladders with a platform on top of them chained to a tree. Climber stands are platforms with a seat that may be carried on your back and then placed usually about 4-8 feet off the ground on a tree. No hunter may take down a deer easily or legally without using certain weapons when they are permitted. Waterproof boots are not essential but they come in very handy, especially since deer do not always fall down where you shoot them and may run for a few miles into unfamiliar woods. Knives are essential for skinning and field dressing deer. Tags and permits are required to hunt deer legally; they may be purchased from local sporting good stores.

Cold weather deer hunting requires the hunter to prepare properly and make sure he or she has the right clothing and equipment for prolonged exposure to the elements. Humans must maintain a stable body temperature while cold weather hunting. When away from external sources of heat, our only heat source is that which we produce internally. This inner warmth primarily comes from burning food, or the oxidation of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are available to us in the form of raisins, chocolate, candy, sugar, and fruits.

The best way to dress for cold weather hunting is to wear clothing that preserves your body heat while allowing body moisture to evaporate freely. This is accomplished through layering, or wearing alternate layers of clothing to provide insulation and ventilation.

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