A good percentage of whitetail deer hunters simply hate coyotes. They dislike even the thought of a coy dog killing a fawn, yet these same hunters will not blink a eye and will shoot any deer that presents itself—even that same fawn! I know the majority of “hunters” are not like this, but there are some killers out there that live my the mantra “if it’s brown, it’s down.” If it sets foot on their food plot it is BLAM! At least coyotes are selective hunters, right?

I don’t like to think about coyotes killing deer, but these photo above shows that coyotes kill bucks, does and fawns too. Instead of hating wiley coyote, I think a better understanding of the circle of life and predator/prey relationships is needed here. It is not the predators against prey, but it is simply the way nature works.

Deer predators keep deer populations in check, and probably like this buck, weed out the weak. It’s probably safe to assume that this buck was not in great shape, was probably ill or diseased. Coyotes just keep the herd strong. Hunters, however, usually look for the strongest, fittest, with the largest antlers. Whitetail hunting has progressed over the years. Many hunters involved in deer management programs also cull the weak, the physically inferior, but many hunters just want the best that Mother Nature has to offer.

If you look at the whole series of “coyotes kill buck” photos, it is hard to believe only two coyotes did that. There was never more than two on camera at a time. It did take them while to kill this nice buck, and it was spectacular that it all happened right in front of a game camera. The coyotes started (at least on camera) at around 10:00 pm and the buck was not down until around 3:00 am. This is how nature works. It’s the real world. Deer hunting is about killing deer, celebrating the harvest and using it wisely. Hunters are no different that coyotes.

When bucks who have not established an order of dominance meet in the fall, visual cues often occur that result in dominance being established by the big buck. The meeting is usually initiated by one of the bucks initiating an aggressive posture toward the other, which is characterized by laying back the ears, erecting hair, and lowering the head. Though many meetings between bucks result in little to no contact, a fight can break out if the threatened buck also assumes a similar “bring-it-on” posture. Though most skirmishes end rather quickly, bucks can fight to the death.

In the case of these three Ohio bucks, the whole event can be chalked literally chalked up to a freak accident in nature. With two bucks already fighting for dominance, I don’t understand why the third did not go after the doe. One of these bucks was a 130″ class, one was a 140″, and the biggest was about 170″. I have a feeling the two smaller bucks both had it bad for the bigger buck and thought they could tag-team him. Turned out they were right/wrong. I suspect whitetail hunting on the property is not quite a good as it was a few days ago.

The big buck I was hunting had been on my game camera for some time, but then he disappeared for 2 weeks prior to the opener and I was deflated. At this point in the season, I was chalking up the missing buck to some other lucky deer hunter. But I remained diligent because, like my grandfather always said, “You just never know what will step out of the woods at any moment and turn a boring hunt into the hunt of a lifetime.” He’s gone now, but I take that to heart.

The morning started off bad — my alarm didn’t go off! As a result, I got to the blind late… around 8:15 am. As I got the blind things got better. I found 2 doe eating around the feeder, so I had to sneak around the back way to get into my stand. I was able to make it happen and thought my whitetail hunting trip was definitely looking up.

I was not in the deer stand 15 minutes when “my” came out of the brush — from exactly where I came in! I could not believe it. The buck stood just inside the trees trying to figure out whether to walk out into the opening or not. But he took a little too long to decide. Little did this mature buck realize that he was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time! The last time I was whitetail deer hunting at the lease I cut a shooting lane in the brush and the buck was standing right in the middle of it. Anybody want to guess on the buck’s score?

“I got in the deer stand this morning shortly after the sun started coming up I made a few grunts right into the hunt. Not 5 minutes later I heard something walking close by and I look out to my left. There he was, a mature buck, only 30 yards from my stand. The big buck started walking away just cruising around and wouldn’t stop for me, so I had to shoot on the walk.

I am not going to lie and say this shot was the best shot ever, but it might be my luckiest. The heavy whitetail dropped in his tracks and it was my first kill with my T/C Encore Endeavor — and my first true trophy, at least in my eyes. I couldn’t be happier with this solid buck and I can’t wait to get him on the wall.

Those of you that hunt in or near Stephens County, I suggest you make a trip out there as soon as possible. As you can see, his neck is full-blown and I would say the deer rut is on! The buck just came straight in to the grunts looking for trouble.”

I’d say this whitetail buck found more trouble than he was looking for! And I really like the fact the hunter used some deer vocalizations while whitetail hunting. Many hunters neglect the big advantage that today’s deer calls give them. I think every hunter should carry rattling horns, a grunt call, and a doe bleat call on them at all times. If you really want a show, get yourself a deer decoy. Learn how and when to use these deer hunting tools and they will work.

It may not always get the attention that it deserves in the whitetail hunting world, but there are some big bucks in East Texas. This region is usually blessed with high amounts of rain and a whole lot of high quality food. Sure, many areas of East Texas are hunted hard, but the areas that are managed for deer make for whitetail hunting dreams. I received this lucky hunter’s story in an email:

“I have been trying to get this whitetail buck since 2007. I have never had a daylight picture of this deer until this year. Yesterday morning, I saw some good activity, but only smaller bucks. At 1:00 pm, I climbed out of my tree to get some lunch and check my game camera. From the photos, I saw that this big buck had been working the scrape behind me 2 days earlier, at 7:15 am.

I also saw that I had a buck skirt me during the morning by using a trail about 50 yards behind the stand I was hunting. When I went back that afternoon, I decided to hunt an old stand that I have not used in 2 years. It overlooked the trail. At 4:30 pm, an 8 point came out on the trail. Then, I noticed this guy walking about 30 yards behind him.

You can see what happened next. After 4 years of cat and mouse with this big East Texas buck, it was a dream come true to finally put my hands on him. We green scored this mature buck at 155 4/8 inches. Here are some harvest pictures of him along with some past years trail came pics.”

Texas is known for great whitetail hunting and big bucks. Although much of the attention gets focused on South Texas, any part of the state has the potential to deliver big deer. And it happens every year with big bucks seemingly popping up out of nowhere. This year it looks like a Wood County hunter will get his day in the sun. Check out the story by the hunter who harvested this big Wood County buck.

“I harvested this buck on the early morning of October 31, 2010 in Wood County, Texas. The deer was taken by bow on a private low-fence farm from about 16 to 17 yards out. I was hunting in a stand that my dad and I hung in an oak tree at the edge of a small meadow. I had seen almost every decent buck I had on my game camera walk by that particular tree the year before, so I gave it a shot.

The buck came in following two does, but I could not make out what he was. By the time I realized he was a shooter, he took off after the does again and as he stepped into the middle of the meadow where there was more light I realized he was more than just a shooter. My heart sank, but luckily the does led the monster buck straight back in. As soon as he came in I pulled back and took the shot. At that time, I still did not realize what he was. I didn’t get too nervous until after the shot when he ran off. When I realized what had just happened I began to shake uncontrollably.

I waited an hour for help to arrive and we then recovered this Wood County monster quickly by the help of the farm manager’s lab. As soon as I pointed in the general direction that he went, the dog took off and found it in 2 minutes. When I saw him in the ditch, I was speechless. I’m still not sure I believe it. I had gotten many pictures of this buck the year before, but they were all at night. On top of that, I never believed he would walk out during the daytime. I guess it goes to show that anything can happen and big whitetail bucks can be anywhere, even in the Northeast Texas.

The Wood County Game Warden officially green scored him. He grossed 191 6/8. I had originally scored him at 189, so this was great news. Either way though, he is a buck of a lifetime.”

After hearing this hunter’s story, I am really amazed. This is a great buck that just about every bowhunter dreams about. But he was smart about it. He got some good information off his game camera, set up in a good spot, and hoped for a little luck. You have got to love hunting the rut!

It is not unheard of for most mammal species to occasionally be different colors. It’s all based on their genes. Most animals of the same species end up looking much like each other, but sometimes those recessive genes show up. Many times hunters and non-hunters alike will report seeing albino deer, but melanistic black deer are even more rare. Melanistic deer are, of course, not what a normal whitetail deer should look like!

I received the images of the melanistic black fawn displayed on this page via email. The photos of this black fawn were taken from the website of  photographer Richard Buquoi of R.M.Buquoi Photographics. Mr. Buquoi obviously specializes in nature photography because these photos are amazing. He obviously knows how to use a camera.

Someone asked Mr. Buquoi about the origin of these photos and he stated:

“I can understand the curiosity from people of the highly melanistic black fawn images that we have on our website. They are a rare phenomenon to see. We’re always happy to find someone  who enjoys viewing our images as much as we enjoyed taking them. I took the photos of the black fawn near  Austin, TX. That area of central Texas seems to have a concentration of black “white-tailed” deer, although it is still  extremely rare to find them. This is a wild deer, but resides in a greenbelt near a neighborhood. I took the images  when the deer were roaming through the neighborhood.

The two fawns in the photos are twins, but only the one is black. The images being circulated were taken in May 2010 and I again captured some images of them about  seven weeks later which I added to our website. They are going to be published along with an article about  “Melanism” in “Deer and Deer Hunting” magazine due out in September 2010.”

Please check out the photographer’s website for more great photos of this and other animals.

The exotic license price was even reasonable. Although it went up $8 from the previous year. I was successful in harvesting two decent axis bucks. I also got to see many native game species of whitetail and Rio Grande turkey, as well as additional exotics moving and feeding on well-managed food plots during my hunts.

I was totally enamored with the state and with the efforts and ethics of the hunters I have encountered in my travels there. The game management is second to none, as is the Texas pride. I have been hunting over 25 years and New York’s game management and state pride is a joke compared to the way it is handled in Texas.

Response: Wow, it sounds like you have been having one heck of a time down in Texas! I was fortunate enough to be born and raised in Texas and we do have some fantastic hunting opportunities. Everyone thinks of Texas when it comes to whitetail hunting, but Texas is blessed with numerous game and non-game wildlife species.

Not only does Texas have great whitetail hunting from end to end, but outstanding mule deer, pronghorn, exotic ungulates, pheasant, turkey, quail, and feral hogs. We also have great hunting for migratory bird species such as mourning and white-winged doves, ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes. There is a little something for everyone down in Texas!

A perfect deer hunting trip always ends with the hunter harvesting a big white-tailed buck, but as we know most hunts do not end that way. However, Bob Coombs had anything but a perfect hunting trip, or season for that matter, but he ended up harvesting the biggest buck every harvested in the state of Georgia with a crossbow. Coombs had watched the deer for several years, and although this article is older, pay attention to how the hunter tracked this animal and finally put himself in position to harvest this monster whitetail.

Source: “The first time I saw Brutus was early in bow season of 2004. He was very wide, but all I saw was just a blur of antlers. I didn’t see him again until very late that season. The rut had died down, and a bachelor group of seven bucks got back together. The leaves were off the trees, and the bucks were about 80 yards away, so I got a very good look at Brutus. He was about a 160-class buck, and very wide with tall tines, but he didn’t have all the split tines that he would grow the next season. The smallest buck, a little forkhorn, put his antlers down like he wanted to challenge Brutus. The other bucks just watched. That was a really cool thing to see, and I saw Brutus really well. It was just awesome.

Then on November 15, I had a crazy encounter with the buck. I saw Brutus at about 3 p.m. He was about 100 yards away and not moving in my direction. I decided to move to a stand that was above him on the hillside. I circled around about 300 yards in a big arch. As soon as I got situated in the other stand, I saw a doe, and immediately behind her was the giant buck. She led the buck down into a dry creek bed, and I felt this would be a good opportunity to make a move to another stand that was closer to them. It was 4 p.m., and I had to move fast. When my feet hit the ground, I looked over my shoulder to see a woman, her daughter and three dogs cresting the hill about 30 yards away. I ducked and ran down the hill straight toward where I had spotted the doe with the buck on her tail. The trespassers and their pack of dogs kept coming toward me, and I didn’t want to have to run them off or even talk to them with the buck right there. I had to quickly move deeper into the woods. I hunkered down in a farkleberry cluster for about 10 minutes while they continued their nature hike.”

Read the rest…

Whitetail hunting can be a safe and effective way to control white-tailed deer populations in urban and suburban areas. However, not all areas are willing to allow hunting to keep deer numbers in check. Many places that once banned hunting are now looking at expanding harvest opportunities for sportsmen. Of course, not all towns and cities are the same. Too many deer can be a big issue, but people that are too narrow-minded can make a big issue even bigger.

When the issue of overpopulation becomes an issue, deer control by some method is warranted. The trapping and removal of deer is very time consuming and, as a result, expensive. Direct harvest, on the other hand, through either gun or archery can help keep local deer densities at managable numbers. However, the killing of animals does not come without critism. 

Source: “For a decade or so, towns, villages and counties in the New York region, similarly concerned about too many deer, have dispatched bowhunters and sometimes sharpshooters to cull the herds. But now the cull is getting bigger, as one of the largest local jurisdictions — Westchester County — allows culling for the first time in its own parkland, and a few towns and villages within that county are considering similar moves. What’s more, these places, more densely populated than many of the communities that currently authorize such culling, are focusing on bowhunting rather than shooting, for safety reasons. That preference is prompting criticism from animal-rights groups, who see bowhunting as particularly cruel.”