Hunting/Shooting, Myths and Misconceptions

303carbine said:
The shortening of the day is the biggest contributor to the rut. Cold spells happen when the days get shorter and closer to winter and this makes some believe that the cold snap brought the rut on.I get tired of trying to explain this to many long time hunters as they have ideas that are change or influence. Newbies are usually eager to learn and I encourage them to gather as much information from as many sources as possible rather than listen to old wives tales.
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Sir, what you say is correct about hours of daylight but........Bucks will Rut harder if it is cool weather because they can......so the old long time hunters ain't wrong either really. Cool weather inceases there endurance.
 
I had a guy tell me once that my .270 is crap in the bush and his 30-30 bullets will literally go around branches. Afterwards I read an article in Outdoor Life by Jim Carmichael about bush busting cartridges. He said none of them are that good at shooting through brush but he did do a test with many different cartridges. The one that actually deflected the least was the little 6.5x55mm. Apparently because of it's faster rate of twist.
 
Had a gun-shop owner tell me that he killed a wolf at 175 yds with a 17 hmr. I laughed.
He also customizes stevens model 200 by placing 5 pounds of lead in the butt and 2.5 pounds in the forestock to make the guns more accurate. He paints them and then sells them for 150 bucks over cost.
 
Republic of Alberta said:
Yes I have never seen a deer run for miles and miles in the summer:rolleyes:

Cough.. BS.. cough
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Didn't put much time in it but here ya go----southern states to boot.

"As most dedicated deer hunters have observed, colder weather — with early-morning frosts and daytime highs hovering in the 40-degree range — usually begin early in November in North Carolina, falling well within the state’s
1 1/2-month-long rut window.

With whitetails having insulated fur pelts, warm weather can make them uncomfortable if they move a lot, Stanford said. So during warm weather, deer usually remain in secluded areas — swamps or forests — to take advantage of shade. It stands to reason when temperatures drop, whitetails are more likely to wander, which makes them more likely to be seen by hunters. The onset of winter’s colder temperatures usually occurs during the first two or three weeks of November which is, once again, inside the rut window.

Not only that, deer hunters probably are reinforced in thinking cloudy days result in more deer movement than bright days. That may be true because clouds keep sunlight from raising the air temperature, thus clouds mean colder days — and deer can move in comfort.

“Temperatures surely can increase activity of deer during daylight hours,” Stanford said. “When it cools off, individuals may see more deer.

“When the (daytime) temperature gets into the 30s and 40s, deer can walk around more without getting too hot.”

However, just because deer seem to move more when it’s colder doesn’t mean the weather caused the rut to kick in; it only means the rut coincided with cooler temperatures. The rut still will occur at the same time each year, cool weather or not. During recent years, Tar Heel hunters have continued to kill bucks that were chasing does the same weeks in October and November, even though the state experienced warm weather. It’s just that when the weather heats up, more of the chasing and rutting behavior occurs at night when the mercury level falls.

In essence, deer don’t postpone the rut just because it’s hot outside"

(North Carolina Sportsman)

I could post up alot more if ya want.
 
horshur said:
It’s just that when the weather heats up, more of the chasing and rutting behavior occurs at night when the mercury level falls.
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It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that deer are generally nocturnal that you would see deer more in the early morning or late evening or that the rutting is going on after dark, would it?

If deer are only active at night cuz it's cooler, why don't you see deer all over the place in the winter during the daytime?

.
 
Cub......that article quoted a state bioligist????. Not sure why you guys are so thick about this though???? During favorable weather during the muley rut in BC interior it is not uncommon to see 20 mule deer bucks a day 80-100 deer.
Frankly I see deer all day long in the winter also........but it's different cause winter survival demands them to limit activity to conserve energy stores.

Lots more going on than meets the eye----I know where I will be on the coldest day of Novemeber;) . Strike while the iron is hot.
 
bedrock said:
Don't know about a stone in a moose heart but it does have a bone in it. I had it in my hand this week, contrary to what a biologist may say.
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Maybe you were so excited after shooting the moose. That you got it mixed up with your bone:runaway:

Dave.
 
horshur said:
Didn't put much time in it but here ya go----southern states to boot.

"As most dedicated deer hunters have observed, colder weather — with early-morning frosts and daytime highs hovering in the 40-degree range — usually begin early in November in North Carolina, falling well within the state’s
1 1/2-month-long rut window.

With whitetails having insulated fur pelts, warm weather can make them uncomfortable if they move a lot, Stanford said. So during warm weather, deer usually remain in secluded areas — swamps or forests — to take advantage of shade. It stands to reason when temperatures drop, whitetails are more likely to wander, which makes them more likely to be seen by hunters. The onset of winter’s colder temperatures usually occurs during the first two or three weeks of November which is, once again, inside the rut window.

Not only that, deer hunters probably are reinforced in thinking cloudy days result in more deer movement than bright days. That may be true because clouds keep sunlight from raising the air temperature, thus clouds mean colder days — and deer can move in comfort.

“Temperatures surely can increase activity of deer during daylight hours,” Stanford said. “When it cools off, individuals may see more deer.

“When the (daytime) temperature gets into the 30s and 40s, deer can walk around more without getting too hot.”

However, just because deer seem to move more when it’s colder doesn’t mean the weather caused the rut to kick in; it only means the rut coincided with cooler temperatures. The rut still will occur at the same time each year, cool weather or not. During recent years, Tar Heel hunters have continued to kill bucks that were chasing does the same weeks in October and November, even though the state experienced warm weather. It’s just that when the weather heats up, more of the chasing and rutting behavior occurs at night when the mercury level falls.

In essence, deer don’t postpone the rut just because it’s hot outside"

(North Carolina Sportsman)

I could post up alot more if ya want.
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You show ignorace and inexperience, you cannot compare whitetails from southeren Alberta to ones form the northren Alberta, let alone ones from southern states to Canadian ones. If anyone has actualy spent time in the field in different areas they would know better than to post such a silly thing.

This is an example of how "misconseptions and myths" start right here. Just because there was a write up on something people take it to be true and then adapt it to fit what ever they want. An example.. Taylor Knock out formula used to justify cartriges shooting soft point ammo on body shots at north american game.
 
Republic of Alberta said:
You show ignorace and inexperience, you cannot compare whitetails from southeren Alberta to ones form the northren Alberta, let alone ones from southern states to Canadian ones. If anyone has actualy spent time in the field in different areas they would know better than to post such a silly thing.

This is an example of how "misconseptions and myths" start right here. Just because there was a write up on something people take it to be true and then adapt it to fit what ever they want. An example.. Taylor Knock out formula used to justify cartriges shooting soft point ammo on body shots at north american game.
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Yeh, guess your right, just inexperience.:rolleyes:
 
SuperCub said:
It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that deer are generally nocturnal that you would see deer more in the early morning or late evening or that the rutting is going on after dark, would it?

If deer are only active at night cuz it's cooler, why don't you see deer all over the place in the winter during the daytime?

.
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I do see many more deer out feeding in fileds durring day time hours durring winter. It is not uncommon to see herds of deer out feeding from 2:00 P.M. on until dark durring Jan and Feb.I believe it is because they spend the much colder night time hours in cover and feed when it is slightly warmer. Conserving energy is of prime importance in the cold.
Also a deers coat in the winter is much thicker and a good insulator. Unless he has been exercising a deer will not melt the snow in his bed. But, if he has been run he will over heat then begin to lose energy he would have been able to conserve had he not been over active.
 
How about:
"It's not 'ethical' to shoot a deer with a 'sniper rifle'". Or how about:
"We can't bring that in from our supplier."
"...why not..."
"Cause it's a sniper rifle."
"...aaand...?"
"...hold on."


Or, related to hunting:
"The deer will see you if you wear that bright orange hat."

-Rohann
 
Republic of Alberta said:
You show ignorace and inexperience, you cannot compare whitetails from southeren Alberta to ones form the northren Alberta, let alone ones from southern states to Canadian ones. If anyone has actualy spent time in the field in different areas they would know better than to post such a silly thing.

This is an example of how "misconseptions and myths" start right here. Just because there was a write up on something people take it to be true and then adapt it to fit what ever they want. An example.. Taylor Knock out formula used to justify cartriges shooting soft point ammo on body shots at north american game.
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I might as well say something...

I dont know if horshur has even ever BEEN to alberta, (but he may have a million times and I just dont' know) but I *DO* know that he knows more about BC deer , and spent more time afield than most of us combined, however, he just isn't the type to blab about it that often....Unlike many of us.

if you wish to debate what he has to say, please do so, as it will be an interstign discussion, but to suggest that horshur has little experience or is ignorant when it comes to deer behaviour is simply not true. He is more qualified than most to discuss deer behaviour in Western Canada.

Hope ths clears up any misconceptions about his 'qualifications"
 
I know most animal biologists are moving away from the 'cold weather' theory and are more apt to suggest that hours of daylight and a few other factors are more likely to be the triggers. And again - you can see where that might lead people to mistake it's about temperature. Years where there's an 'indian summer' you see more sunlight and correspondingly warmer weather. When the storms come and the temperature drops, you also see more cloud cover and darker days, which may be one of the primary catalysts for the rutt happening.

On an interesting side note - several species which exibit seasonal changes also seem to be triggered by light. My birds for example go thru the same 'spring hormone' issues (become noticably more agressive and prone to biting, start 'nesting behaviours', more molts, etc) every year regular as clockwork - and yet the temperature they live in is controlled and pretty constant.

It's also suspected that solunar conditions play some sort of role in the process.
 
Murf said:
I do see many more deer out feeding in fileds durring day time hours durring winter. It is not uncommon to see herds of deer out feeding from 2:00 P.M. on until dark durring Jan and Feb.
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I quess it depends on where you live, the amount of deer, and the type of terrain. Here in S. NB there aren't alot of farms so we don't see a huge difference in deer sighting between winter and summer. All the deer live in town anyways and those critters go 24/7 x12 months of the year. :)


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