An Inside Look At Whitetails

Brad Roberts is a dedicated Nebraska bowhunter. He credits Kurt VerCauteren, also a committed bowhunter, for enhancing bowhunters' knowledge of whitetail deer.

A Nebraska scientist's deer research could put you on track for a buck this fall.

To KNOW THE exact daily patterns of one deer is a hunter's dream. The problem is, dense woodlands and standing cornfields where deer live prevent most hunters from observing exactly where whitetails are from moment to moment.

But a comprehensive study on whitetail deer has recorded such precise movements. Beginning in 1991, wildlife biologists Kurt VerCauteren and Dr. Scott Hyngstrom, then at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, trapped and radio-collared over 60 deer in and around the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge north of Omaha, Nebraska. The study area is typical of the agricultural Midwest -- the habitat is good, the deer densities high.

The biologists used two methods to catch deer on the DeSoto Refuge (see sidebar). Once a deer was radio-equipped Kurt monitored its life from his mobile tracking station, a 4x4 truck with a large antenna, radio-receiver, and assorted other scientific gadgetry. From inside the truck, he took a compass reading and bearing on the deer's radio signal and recorded this on a map. He then repeated the procedure from another location or two, and the point at which the bearing lines cross told Kurt exactly where the deer was at that moment.

He also occasionally used an antenna-equipped airplane to locate deer that disappear due to long, sudden moves. And he collected location data through direct observation of tagged deer.

Kurt located each radio-collared deer several times each week and stored their locations in computer files. He then superimposed the location information over computerized maps of the area to show where the deer spend most of their time. It's from this mapping that terms like "home range" and "core area" start to take meaning.

BY UNDERSTANDING THOSE two terms, a person can begin to understand how deer use the areas they live in. Home range is an area over which individuals or family groups normally travel. Kurt has found that several home ranges may overlap without conflict among the deer.

A core area is where a deer spends the majority of its day, usually a bedding area. Core areas may shift to different spots within a home range, but they're almost always found in wooded habitat. By defining an individual deer's movements and outlining the core area of a deer's home range, a bowhunter can set up for success.

Understandably, deer densities and populations are high in areas with abundant, quality cover. Kurt found that more than 50 percent of each individual deer's annual home range lay within wooded habitat. He also found that annual home ranges include a mix of open, grassy areas and crop fields.

Throughout the Midwest, corn is important to deer, not only as a primary food source but as cover from late summer to fall. Some of Kurt's radio-equipped deer have stayed in cornfields for three or more days at a time. One adult doe lived exclusively in corn for almost three weeks. Even detasseling machines and a crew of about 30 individuals couldn't drive her from the corn! The workers never saw the doe, even though she never left the field.

DEER PATTERNS CHANGE throughout hunting seasons. Early in the season, prior to corn harvest, home ranges are relatively small, because deer don't have to move far to find both food and cover. Thus, hunters must slink into ambush sites carefully during the early season, possibly along well-used trails. It would be best to place stands along the edges of frequented cornfields, not deep in wooded areas to avoid disturbing deer in their bedding grounds.

Kurt found that once crop harvest gets underway, especially in small areas with little permanent cover, deer may move substantial distances - up to several miles. While that movement may make deer harder to find for a time, it could work to a bowhunter's advantage. As Kurt pointed out, any activity - whether crop harvest, seasonal weather changes, or increased hunting pressure - that causes deer to move from their home ranges, makes them more vulnerable to hunters because the deer aren't familiar with their new terrain and escape routes.

After corn harvest, does' home ranges shift away from cornfields and deeper into wooded areas, where the deer seek new cover and food sources. To hunt effectively, you must find their new food sources and travel routes. You must also estimate how core areas will shift, so you can place stands as close to bedding (core) areas as possible without disturbing the deer. You want to catch the deer traveling from their bedding areas to feeding sites.

THROUGHOUT HIS STUDY, Kurt found that different individuals have different degrees of fidelity to bedding and feeding sites. Matriarchal does (those that rule separate groups of deer) have the most fidelity to their home ranges, and you can be sure their year-lings and fawns are nearby. Further, does' home ranges decrease in size when the does are in estrous, making them easier for rutting bucks to find. Pinpointing the home range of a matriarchal doe could be the key to getting a good buck.

Although doe home ranges decrease in size during the rut, bucks cover more ground than ever. The loss of crop cover and onset of the rut both spur buck movement, which makes bucks more vulnerable to hunters. Still, it's important to remember that every deer is an individual. Kurt put an ear tag on one 2-year-old 10-point in February and caught him again in March, but Kurt never saw the big buck again until a hunter harvested the deer three years later. The lucky hunter killed the buck only 250 yards from where Kurt had originally trapped the deer. The 10-point was probably there all along but was secretive and cunning enough to evade hunters and researchers who had spent many hours observing that area.

Kurt also located a 14-point monster with a very distinctive rack. He watched this buck through July and August and then lost track of the deer. Later that year, while scoring some heads at a seminar, he recognized the monster 14-pointer. Two other hunters in the group recognized the deer as well and said they had seen the buck 23 miles north of where Kurt knew it had spent its summer. However, the owner had killed the deer 16 miles southeast of the deer's summer home. This big buck obviously loved to roam.

WHAT DOES KURT Vercauteren's research mean to you as a hunter? For one thing, spend as much time as possible studying the deer you want to hunt, particularly to learn their primary bedding areas. Deer branch out from these core areas to feed -- and primary foods for deer change throughout the year. Find out what they're eating as you're hunting, and place your stand between the bedding areas and food sources. Fall foods include standing corn, waste corn, alfalfa, soybeans, milo, and sprouting winter wheat. These will almost always be preferred to browse foods such as twigs, forbs, and herbaceous plants. An exception to this rule may be acorns, especially white oak acorns.

Make a map of cover and crop fields in your area and take an educated guess as to how deer will use them. Just remember that deer home ranges and core areas shift with seasons, stages of the rut, and crop harvest. When one field that deer are using is harvested or plowed under, set up near remaining food sources. Yes, hunting wily whitetails in America's heartland can be one big puzzle. But research like that done by Kurt VerCauteren can help you put all the pieces together for many successful, rewarding hunts -- and great memories.

EDITOR'S NOTE

Adequate funding is critical for supporting research like this. Pro-bowhunting organizations like the Pope and Young Club, Professional Bowhunters Society, Nebraska Bowhunters Association, and Safari Club International played an important role in joining the University of Nebraska, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska Chapter of The Wildlife Society, and the Missouri Department of Conservation to fund this study. Your membership and participation in bowhunting organizations does help!

Catching On To Deer

Whitetails In Kurt VerCauteren's research were "persuaded to wear radio-transmitter collars after being trapped by one of two methods. When food was scarce, baited traps were set in late afternoon, then checked during the night and in the morning. When a deer was caught, a wrangler slipped inside the trap and gently, yet aggressively, wrestled the deer to the ground. A blindfold was put on the deer to keep the deer calm while a blood sample was drawn, a tag placed in the deer's ear, and then the radio transmitter was fitted. For does, the transmitter was mounted on a collar. For bucks it was located on a harness, or the animal was ear-tagged.

The second method was rocket-netting. Bait was placed in front of a net attached to four mortar charges. When deer came in to feast in front of the net, the charges were set off by an observer In a blind. Similar to hunting, researchers watched deer from afar. Anticipation ran high as the situation peaked and. the deer came in, then the rockets ignited with a boom! Everyone then ran at top speed to control the animals caught under the net. Despite the loud report and stress of being handled by people, some deer fell for this trick over and over again.

COPYRIGHT 1999 PRIMEDIA Special Interest Publications
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