I wasn’t going to go this route but, I feel I need to explain at least to the loyal readers that I have had that like the title says “It’s time to Simplify things a bit”.

A lot has happened in the past year which has made a big impact on my decision. Some for the good and some for the bad but hey we deal with what ever is thrown at us right. I will be spending more time with my family and as much time in and around whitetails as physically possible, after all it is still my passion/obsession. I still will be blogging but on a smaller scale meaning more simplified.

I hope this makes sense to all of you and if not you can always email me and I will try to respond as best as I can. After emailing some friends I felt I needed to go a bit more into detail which is partly the reason for this final post here on Tails and Trails.

I appreciate the time spent with Skinny Moose and all there help, after all they were the ones that got me started. It’s a great network and a great group of people.

So long, take care, happy hunting & be safe out there!

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Now this is a beautiful animal that any hunter would not mind harvesting, especially me. Not much more can be said except you need to read the complete story.

By: Rick Kratzke

After five hours of tracking through heavy snow, Derek Scheidegger’s persistence paid off with a monster buck most hunters see only in their dreams.

It is said that persistence pays.

And when it comes to deer hunting, that phrase often is directly tied into putting in a lot of time on stand. However, with Derek Scheidegger of Brodhead, it applies a little differently. In this case, it applies to being aggressive and tracking down a deer in order to get a shot. That persistence paid off big in December 2007 when he was lucky enough to track down and shoot a huge 17-point non-typical Green County buck during Wisconsin’s gun season.

The morning of Dec. 4, 2007, would be one to remember for Scheidegger. The hunter woke up around 5:15 a.m. and headed out to his tree stand. With temperatures less than 20 degrees and snow expected later in the afternoon, it felt like a perfect day for deer hunting.

As he crested a small hill, Scheidegger saw what appeared to be antlers just inside the woods. He was stunned to be so close to the big buck. The deer was bedded on the other side of a brushpile, but Scheidegger could see some of his antlers showing.

After sitting for almost two hours, Scheidegger decided to try something that had worked for him before — still-hunting. The ground had been snow covered for some time and as Scheidegger still-hunted along a creek bottom, he began thinking the tactic wasn’t such a great idea.

“The snow had a thick layer of ice on top, making walking on it very loud,” Scheidegger said. “I started to think that walking was too loud and still-hunting wasn’t going to work, when all of the sudden, I heard a deer splashing down the creek about 50 yards away. I tried to run, but it was too icy. I just stood there hoping to see it, then I did, and it was a big buck running.”

Scheidegger fired his slug gun, but it was a clean miss. At this point, most hunters probably wouldn’t consider following a deer running at full speed. What’s the point in following the big buck? There’s no way he’ll let me catch him.

Apparently, those thoughts never crossed Scheidegger’s mind.

“I figured I could track him in the snow,” he said. “So I got on his track and started.”

Read Complete Story:

Story from: Wisconsin Sportsmen

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I think this is a good idea because it will give deer in these area’s a chance to get to the size and maturity that they deserve. I don’t think that Virginia would have done this if they didn’t feel there was potential for those area’s.

By: Rick Kratzke

Four wildlife management areas and one state forest have been set aside as trophy areas for deer. Will they produce the desired results?

Photo By: Ron Sinfelt

Over the past decade, bowhunters here in the Mountain State who concentrate their efforts on trophy bucks have focused on the four southern counties of Boone, Mingo, McDowell and Wyoming. After all, these four counties have been closed to gun hunting for a number of years now. And numerous trophy bucks have come from this area over the past 20 seasons.

In addition, there have been a respectable number of wallhangers that have been taken from many of the other surrounding counties that border these four areas. Simply put, this region of the Mountain State is pretty tough to beat if you are an avid bowhunter.

If you are a trophy gun hunter, chances are you’ll head for one of the more remote areas in the state, such as places in Randolph, Webster or Pendleton counties. You might even head south to one of those counties in the southern coalfields region where gun hunting is permitted.

PUBLIC LAND OPTIONS
Now there is another option that is open to you. There are four wildlife management areas (WMA) and one state forest where they have implemented a 14-inch or wider antler spread restriction (ear tip to ear tip), and also instituted an annual bag limit of one antlered deer for all seasons combined. These areas were first opened in 2006, so this quality deer management approach is still in its developmental stages. (Continued)

The four WMAs include: Beech Fork (7,531 acres), Bluestone Lake (18,019 acres), Burnsville Lake (12,579 acres) and McClintic (3,655 acres). The state forest is Coopers Rock (12,713 acres). Combined, these five areas take in almost 55,000 acres of public land where the focus is to produce better than average bucks. Let’s face it, if you are an avid whitetail hunter, a rack with a spread of 15 to 18 inches is a pretty decent buck and would qualify as a “trophy” in most parts of the Appalachian Region.

Read Complete Story:

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With deer season right around the corner and side jobs and outdoor projects going plus regular work on top of that I am getting a bit worn out. Deer season is my time of year meaning that when it comes it’s my chance (usually) to get out and enjoy my passion. It is my get-a-way, a time for me to get with nature and take a long awaited deep breath.

This past year has been quite hard on me physically and mentally so I need this time in the woods more than ever this coming season. Eleven months ago I was told I had Lyme Disease again but, worse this time and I have had complications and problems ever since. To many to get into but I will say it is Degenerative.

I don’t plan to let it get me down even though it is obviously slowing me down. Thinking positive and having a wife that is very understanding is a plus. It looks like I will be having lab work done every two weeks now because of the medications they have me on but I am getting used to it.

I took on a sort of “Handy Man” status for the single mom that lives next door for a couple of reason. One reason is that the doctors are telling me to stay as active as possible which will help with the joints and I have had so many projects piling up around the house that I needed to start getting something done. The neighbor is a nice lady who also understands (being a pharmacist) so she has been keeping me plenty busy and paying me a decent rate so I can keep up with my own projects.

I still can’t but realize that my time of year is right around the corner and it is needed more than ever this year. I have to say though that our house at least from the outside is looking pretty good as well as the neighbors house which gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Once bad weather sets in I have a list of inside projects to work on so that should keep me occupied during the winter months as long as the funds are there if you know what I mean.

Before I forget I just wanted to tell everyone “Good Luck” in the coming season and hope everyone is successful and safe while hunting.

By: Rick Kratzke

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There is always a need to learn more about the whitetail deer. They are the most adaptable creature that I know of. By keeping track of the big bucks it will give an indication of how well they are doing in a specific area as well as help to determine habitat and herd population.

By: Rick Kratzke

Staff report Hunters no longer have to wonder why Alabama doesn’t have its own recognition program for big bucks killed in the state.

The Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division of Alabama’s conservation department has developed a new records and recognition program for white-tailed deer taken in Alabama — the Records of Alabama’s White-tailed Deer.

The demand for information on the largest bucks harvested in Alabama led to the development of the new program, according to a department press release.

The program will allow Alabama’s deer hunters to have their deer scored by trained wildlife personnel. A scoring session will be held in conjunction with the Southern Deer &Turkey Expo at the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Aug. 23 in Dothan.

For more information on this scoring session, call 334-347-1298.

By providing Alabama’s deer hunters a program to have their deer’s antlers measured and recognized, the RAWD program will be able to showcase the many exceptional deer produced in the state each year. The hunters also can compare deer taken in their region to deer from other areas of Alabama, as well as other states in the Southeast.

The RAWD program is open to antlers from all free-ranging bucks legally taken or found dead in Alabama, regardless of the year the deer was taken or found. The antler scoring system used for the RAWD program is identical to that used by the Boone &Crockett Club.

The minimum scores for the program are 140 net typical and 165 net non-typical. The minimum entry scores are high, but that is by design. If a deer has been officially scored for Boone &Crockett, Pope &Young or Longhunter’s purposes, sportsmen can bring the official score sheet with their mount to a RAWD scoring session.

From: AL.com

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This I feel deserves a jail sentence if the offenders are ever caught. It shows the disrespect for wildlife that some people have. It is a shame that some people can do this and it really makes me mad to think about it. I would like to know how these people would feel if they were in the deer’s place and someone was shooting at them with a pellet gun for no reason.

By: Rick Kratzke

Yearling deer, like this one pictured near Butler Park, have been turning up dead in the 23rd and Minnekahta area of Hot Springs, victims of apparent pellet gun fire. The cases are under investigation. Curt Nettinga/Hot Springs Star

HOT SPRINGS – The deer are dropping like flies in one particular Hot Springs neighborhood. In the residential area around Minnekahta Avenue and 23rd Street, 18 deer, many of them yearlings, have been removed by Animal Control Officer Dave Green since the beginning of 2008.

Green originally suspected a colic-like condition whereby the deer consume the fresh green grass, which is indigestible to the young animal’s systems. “They get bound up, and they die,” he said.

However, a new circumstance came to light recently when Green removed a young deer from property of one homeowner in the area.

Under the deer’s right front foreleg at the juncture of the torso was a small hole, and there was a considerable amount of blood on the grass. “I’m going to examine this one,” said Green as he hauled the animal to his pickup bed.

Examination by Green revealed the deer had been shot with a pellet gun. As he recovered more deer from the neighborhood, he discovered more wounds in the same location, under the front foreleg. “Whoever this guy is, he said, “He’s a really good shot.”

While a pellet shot would not down an adult deer, the young ones are susceptible and succumb to the shot that turns out to be deadly.

County game official D.J. Schroeder said, “Some of those more powerful pellet guns are not much less velocity than a hunting rifle.” Schroeder also said that the younger deer with lighter hides are suffering a “horrible, painful death” through internal bleeding, which can take a number of hours.

An investigation has been launched by the Hot Springs Police Department. Chief Bob Evans said, “We are actively working on resolving this incident between Game, Fish & Parks, the ACO, and the police department.”

By Karen Yekel - Hot Springs Star

Read complete story:

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This is a problem that I have heard of occasionally but never realized it was as big a problem as I thought. They are very cute and I can see why people would want to have them as pets but, what they don’t know that a lot of us do is when they hit that certain time of year and they can basically change their whole demeanor.

By: Rick Kratzke

In the past year, wildlife authorities say, there have been five instances in which “pet” deer, illegally removed from the wild, have turned up in neighborhoods and parks in Northwest Florida.

Not only is the practice of taking deer out of the wild to make pets out of them illegal, they say; deer, as they grow, present a serious danger to people.

In the most recent incident, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Investigator Jerry Shores had a call from park personnel at Falling Waters State Park in early July when a young buck deer with velvet-covered antlers showed up with the word “PET” shaved into its hair. The 70- to 80-pound deer liked to approach people and be fed.

“It’s pretty obvious someone had tried to make a pet of it, then when it got bigger they either released it or dumped it in the park,” Shores said. “The problem is when its antlers harden in a couple of months, its disposition can change in a second and he can attack people.”

Shores said he’s still trying to determine where the deer came from. The responsible person will face charges.

On May 8, a Santa Rosa County woman took her 4-year-old daughter outside to pet a doe sporting a collar around its neck. The deer had walked up to an Allenton home. Everything seemed fine at first, but without warning, the deer went up on its back legs and began flailing away with its front legs at the child.

“The little girl got knocked down, but fortunately, she wasn’t seriously injured,” Shores said.

Although the deer ran off into the woods, it came back later. FWC officers were able to track the deer to a nearby residence, where the owner admitted taking the deer out of the wild last summer.

Shores said the homeowner was charged with allowing captive wildlife to endanger human safety.

Arlo Kane is an FWC wildlife biologist and knowledgeable about deer behavior. He said many people don’t realize deer, as they grow and mature, become dangerous.

“Bucks, particularly during the fall, have a high level of the male hormone testosterone, and in the wild they fight and spar with other deer. In captivity or as a pet, a human becomes the opponent,” Kane said. “There are many, many accounts of people being seriously injured or killed by these deer they consider pets.”

Even does in captivity can be trouble.

“Does will stand up on their hind legs, as was the case in Santa Rosa County, and flail with their front legs. A child, or even an adult, who is unaware can be injured. The hooves are basically a doe’s only weapon.”

A huge problem now is what to do with pen-raised deer. Years ago, most state parks had few deer and were willing to take them but that’s no longer the case. Because of concerns about safety and liability issues, fewer places are willing to take them.

Anyone who has information about deer being illegally kept as pets, or about other violations of wildlife or fish laws, can call the Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). Callers can remain anonymous and may be entitled to a cash reward.

Article from: Wakulla.com

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I do not use a crossbow for deer hunting although I probably could get a permit to do so with my disability. A friend of mine Andy from “The Connecticut Hunting n Shooting” website hunts with a crossbow and with out that would not be able to otherwise. I personally don’t have a problem with anyone hunting deer with a crossbow. In Connecticut the only way you could use one for hunting is because of a disability that has been signed off by a physician.

By: Rick Kratzke

The critics are traditional bow hunters. One of their traditions is to have a collective seizure any time someone uses the word “crossbow” in polite conversation.

To hear them tell it, crossbows are the crack cocaine of deer hunting. Putting crossbows into the hands of deer hunters is the same thing as giving crack to rodeo bulls. Nothing good can come of it.

Bow hunters are seeing red this month.

The Natural Resources Commission is considering a rule change that will make it easier for a disabled hunter to get a permit to use a crossbow during the archery deer season. That probably means that more hunters will be using crossbows to hunt deer this fall.

An advisory panel that included hunters, doctors, crossbow industry representatives, Department of Natural Resources personnel and the DNR’s Accessibility Advisory Council spent four months drawing up the regulations.

The Accessibility Advisory Council, by the way, isn’t working only to fill the woods with crossbows. The panel is working to make all the DNR’s facilities — everything from state parks to boating access sites — barrier-free and more accessible to all users. One of its members, disabled veteran Scott Severn of Caro, will be competing in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games next month after the Olympics.

The current regulation requires a hunter prove an 80% permanent disability. It’s vague, difficult and doesn’t really address whether a hunter is capable of using a conventional bow.

The new rules would grant a permit to a hunter, after certification by a doctor, who:

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Another great tip from “Buckmasters” and an all important one for if you don’t do it right you could inadvertanly scare your deer away instead of bringing them in closer.

By: Rick Kratzke

Do you sit in your stand and wonder if (and when) you should use a grunt call? The truth is that there is no set rule about the right time to use a grunt call — but there are times when you should use one.

Some of the “no-brainer” times to use a grunt include:
• When you hear a buck grunting and want to pull him in.
• When you see a buck that you know is not going to come by your stand.
• When you need to stop a buck for a shot.
• When absolutely nothing is happening and you’re about to get out of your stand.

The above instances are all situations where it would be difficult to do any harm by using a grunt call. “Blind calling” — or just sitting in your stand and making buck grunts at random — can work, but it could also have negative effects, the least of which is putting deer on a higher level of alert.

Like many other things in hunting, a grunt call is a great tool that every hunter should have — but it can be over used.

Tip from:

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I first came across Michael Waddell when he joined up with Realtree Outdoors. My impression of him is someone who loves the outdoors and who loves to hunt. He takes it very very seriously and has excelled in all aspects of it. It is good to hear that he has been named spokesman for the NWTF.

By: Rick Kratzke

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — Michael Waddell, the outdoor industry’s charismatic television show host, has agreed to become the official spokesman for the National Wild Turkey Federation.

In this new role, Waddell will represent the NWTF as host of its television series, “Turkey Call,” which airs on Outdoor Channel. In addition, Waddell will assume emcee duties at the organization’s national convention, which will be held Feb. 19 to 22, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. Members also will be treated to personal appearances by Waddell at many other NWTF events.

“I love the folks that make up this organization. NWTF is the grassroots of the hunting and conservation culture, period,” said Waddell. “And the national convention is my old stomping grounds with the calling contests and meeting all the great people who make up the NWTF and the hunting industry. No other organization celebrates the outdoors like NWTF. These people really understand the value of conservation and hunting as well.”

Waddell joined the Realtree staff in 1994 as a cameraman and producer. He moved in front of the camera hunting for Realtree before becoming host of his own show, “Realtree Road Trips,” a funny, fast-paced, award-winning hunting show that airs on Outdoor Channel. Waddell also is the official celebrity spokesperson for Outdoor Channel and was elected to serve as chair of the National Hunting and Fishing Day 2008.

Waddell grew up hunting and fishing with his father. After graduating from high school, he started competing, and winning, turkey calling contests. He gained recognition as one of the nation’s top callers, and in 1993 he won the Realtree Grand America Turkey Calling Contest. Though Waddell is a skilled hunter and caller, it was his humble, country charm that won over America’s hunters, anglers and shooters.

“Michael is truly one of us. He’s an avid sportsman with a passion for wild turkey hunting,” said NWTF CEO George Thornton. “He embodies the spirit of the NWTF as a family man, a conservationist and a person who appreciates his blessings.”

Viewers can expect to see Waddell’s energy, hunting know-how and terrific sense of humor take “Turkey Call” television to the next level. As emcee of the NWTF’s national convention, he’ll make sure attendees get a brand new show in their favorite place, Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

Waddell, who originally hails from Booger Bottom, Ga., still makes his home in Georgia. He loves to hunt and spend time with his family, wife Ashley, his three boys, Mason (8), Meyer (4) and Macoy (1) and daddy’s little girl, Addie (1).

Press Release from: The National Wild Turkey Federation

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