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239 results
- Counties · Harvest historyUnion led Louisiana's 2024-25 reported deer harvestLDWF prints only a top 20 of reported deer. Statewide reported harvest rose from 88,256 in 2020-21 to 143,527 in 2024-25. The 2024-25 hunter survey is a separate 239,000.
- Counties · Harvest historyWMU 9H led the 2025 deer harvest and WMU 8R led densityDEC calculated 8,177 deer in WMU 9H and 17.1 deer per square mile in WMU 8R. Both are 2025 estimates from reports and checks, not a raw count or your odds.
- Counties · Harvest historyCedar Creek led 2025-26 WMA check-ins with 795 deerCedar Creek WMA had 795 of the 2025-26 WMA check-in deer. Hunter totals are hunt-row counts, and the success percent is deer divided by hunters on one hunt.
- Counties · Harvest historyZone 4B led Connecticut's 2025 deer harvest per square milePrivate-land shotgun and rifle success was 46% in zone 4B, with 1.7 deer per square mile. Zone 5 had the largest harvest in that season at 584 deer.
- Counties · Harvest historyCamp Blanding led 2025-2026 WMA deer checksFWC check-station and sign-out rows put Camp Blanding at 193 recorded deer in 2025-2026. The rank is a station count, not a herd score or a personal odds sheet.
- Habitat · Mast and natural foodUpper Peninsula Black Bears Stayed Longer at Summer Deer CornCollared Upper Peninsula bears made more frequent, longer and more nocturnal visits near summer deer corn. A small comparison detected no range or step change.
- Habitat · Cover and beddingSwedish Female Brown Bears Avoided Likely Moose-Kill Ground by DayCollared female brown bears in south-central Sweden avoided likely moose-kill ground, most strongly by day, and selected young forest in daylight.
- Timing · Movement and migrationYa Ha Tinda summer ranges split encounters from elk in the scatIn one Alberta elk herd, cougar risk ranked highest to the east, wolf and coyote risk at home, and bear encounters in Banff, where bear scats held elk less often.
- Timing · Movement and migrationMoose with more winter-range fire were likelier to leaveIn central British Columbia, collared cow moose with more winter-range fire were likelier to migrate, yet most migratory moose-years had no winter fire.
- Habitat · Cover and beddingBeetle-killed pine tracked adult goat survival in the Black HillsAmong 17 deaths of 47 marked adults, puma predation was the largest share. Puma abundance was not among the model terms described. The top model carried a positive beetle-kill term.
- Timing · Movement and migrationBighorn water visits peaked in hot months; lions came year-roundCameras at 105 waters, 2009 through 2016, caught most bighorn visits in four or five hot months. Sheep and lion visits were essentially unrelated at Mojave and Chihuahuan sites.
- Timing · Movement and migrationWyoming pronghorn crossed turbines and paused farther in springCollared Wyoming females kept migrating through wind facilities. Spring and winter stopovers sat farther from turbines. Fall routes ran closer than habitat predicted.
- Timing · Movement and migrationCold Nights and Long Routes Raised Montana Doe Migration OddsCollared does in three northwest Montana herds were more likely to leave summer range on colder nights, in wetter weeks and when their route was longer.
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryIsle Royale Wolves Used Beaver-Lodge Areas Most in FallCollared Isle Royale wolves used ground near active beaver lodges most in fall, peaking in October, but the collars could not tell a pass from a hunt.
- Habitat · Cover and beddingAtlanta Coyote Pup Dens Sat Near Cover and Off Heavy PavementTwenty pup-confirmed Atlanta dens sat near mapped cover and away from heavy pavement. Distance to the nearest building was not significant.
- Habitat · Cover and beddingAlabama spring turkeys roosted where the pig rank was lowerOn seven adjoining east-central Alabama properties in spring 2022, turkeys' daytime points, roosts, and nests sat below the random pig rank. No step-length link was detected for breeding hens.
- Timing · Movement and migrationPredators matched on gobblers; harvest split by statePredators selected the same gobbler movement traits in Georgia and South Carolina. Harvest favored birds near access in Georgia and far from it in South Carolina.
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryMore Bi-State Nest and Brood Map Area Ranked Low for SurvivalOn Bi-State nesting and brood maps, about 729 square miles ranked high or moderate for use and low for predicted survival, versus about 531 square miles ranked well for both.
- Habitat · Cover and beddingHens kept using two California-Nevada burns where survival fellMedian female survival fell about 40 percent, and nest survival 79 percent, relative to unburned ground. Birds still used the 2016 and 2017 burns. Wide intervals included increases.
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryPlains sharp-tailed grouse leks tracked surrounding grasslandA southern Saskatchewan model ranked grassland in the roughly 3-mile square centered on plains sharp-tailed grouse leks above the pixel under them.
- Timing · Movement and migrationChilko bull trout fed hardest on smolts and peak spawnIn the 2021 Chilko sample, 71% of spring fish with food and 47% of peak-spawn fish with food beat a modeled daily maximum. No summer fish did.
- Timing · Movement and migrationMale smallmouth nested closer than a random draw on one closed lakeOn one closed lake, returning males' mean moves were about 1,050 to 1,350 feet (320 to 412 m) shorter than a random draw. Six to 18 percent of them reused the exact nest.
- Habitat · Mast and natural foodLa Grange bass ate silver carp under 4 inches in summer 2015Bass in La Grange in 2015 ate silver carp of 1.3 to 4.0 inches, only in June through August. Fall diets in this sample had none. Population control was not tested.
- Habitat · Cover and beddingFlooded Arkansas Swamp Rabbits Shifted to Uplands and LeveesSix radio-tracked swamp rabbits in one Arkansas bottom used different ground when it flooded. Four moved to adjacent uplands and two to creek levees.
- Timing · Movement and migrationAdrian fox squirrels tracked dawn and spent about 7 hours outSeasonal averages for 14 collared fox squirrels on a developed site in Adrian, Michigan, put the first nest exit 1.5 to 2.2 hours after dawn and time out of the nest near 7 hours.
- Timing · Movement and migrationA Third of Studied Mississippi Bucks Used Separate RangesTen of 30 GPS-tracked adult bucks on two Mississippi floodplains used separate ranges. A dated log can show a buck left and returned, not that he has a second range.
- Timing · Movement and migrationFarmland on potential paths went with longer dispersalIn a Minnesota collar study, natal farmland did not detectably predict which young deer left, but more farmland on potential paths went with longer dispersals.
- Timing · Movement and migrationShared range predicted which Illinois doe groups came closeIn Illinois GPS data, shared seasonal range best explained association between neighboring doe groups, with a Carbondale fawning exception and a weak rut crop signal.
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlinesMinnesota firearms deer opens Nov. 7, CWD rule narrowsYour 2026 firearms close is Nov. 15, Nov. 22 or Nov. 29 depending on the permit area. CWD sampling is mandatory opening weekend only in the surveillance block.
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlines2026 Wisconsin gun deer season is Nov. 21 to 29DNR lists the nine-day gun season as Nov. 21-29, 2026, with muzzleloader through Dec. 9 and a holiday hunt in 48 farmland counties. Collar data put the breeding peak earlier.
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlinesThree Sundays fall in Pennsylvania's Nov. 28 to Dec. 13 deer seasonRegular firearms deer runs Nov. 28 through Dec. 13 and includes Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13. Migratory birds stay closed on Sunday, and twelve WMUs got more antlerless licenses.
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlinesIowa shotgun deer seasons open Dec. 5 and Dec. 12Gun 1 is Dec. 5 through Dec. 9 and gun 2 is Dec. 12 through Dec. 20. Late bow and muzzleloader start Dec. 21, and both January antlerless seasons end Jan. 24, 2027.
- Tactics · Scouting and camerasBucks check many scrapes once each, and most visits come at nightCameras on 107 Tennessee scrapes logged 3,063 visits. Bucks made 73% of them and a median of 4.5 scrapes each, most buck and scrape pairings were one visit, and 67% of all visits came at night.
- Tactics · CallingLoud rut rattling drew 1.7 Texas bucks a session, and the rattler saw 43%On the Welder refuge, 171 sessions drew 111 bucks. Loud sequences in rut week drew 52 bucks in 30 sessions, 60% of all responders were first seen downwind, and the person on the ground saw 48 of 111.
- Timing · RutGPS bucks on rut excursions were back in 6 to 40 hoursOn a Maryland farm, 20 of 32 collared adult bucks left their range for a mean of 10.5 hours. Mississippi bucks made similar short trips, while a third of them kept a second range they moved to in any month.
- Timing · RutMature pen bucks lost a fifth of their weight with feed always availableAdult bucks in a South Dakota pen study ate far less at peak rut and lost 20 percent of their weight by mid-December with feed always there. Our rule is to hunt the best food left.
- Habitat · Mast and natural foodDeer picked white oak acorns first in Georgia trials, so start therePenned Georgia does ranked white oak acorns highest and northern red oak lowest. Red oak nuts carry more tannin and hold until spring, so they are the backup once white oak litter is shells and caps.
- Tactics · Scouting and camerasDeer notice the flash and keep coming, and card checks may cost photosGerman red and roe deer reacted more to 850 nm infrared than 940 nm black flash, yet photo rates held. In North Carolina, unmasked camera checks came with fewer whitetail photos at one of two sites.
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseDeer with CWD shed prions in urine, and lure rules differ by stateLab studies found prions in urine from CWD-infected whitetails, with detection tied to genotype and disease stage. Virginia and Vermont ban natural urine lures, and Pennsylvania lifted its outdoor ban for 2026-27.
- Tactics · After the shotLead fragments reach well past a two-inch trimMinnesota sheep tests found lead up to 18 inches from the exit and Wyoming processor scans found metal in 32 percent of ground packages. Copper bullets left no detectable lead in sampled muscle.
- Tactics · After the shotExtension sheets cap a hanging deer at 40°F and split on the daysWisconsin and four extension services hold a hanging carcass at or below 40°F. Hang times run from 2 days to 2 weeks, and the long holds assume a steady cooler in the low to mid 30s.
- Timing · Movement and migrationFemales den before male black bears, and nuts move the dateCollar and telemetry work puts females in dens before males. In northern Maine a scarce beechnut crop moved most females from mid to late November into mid to late October.
- Timing · Movement and migrationEarly dabblers leave near freezing while mallards wait for snowMissouri counts show pooled dabblers falling as days neared freezing while mallards held until a cold and snow score passed 7.2. Tagged mallards left most often after snow days.
- Timing · Movement and migrationShot ducks shift to closed water, and in Mississippi rest days added noneDanish refuge trials raised dabbling duck counts 4 to 50 fold. On three Mississippi areas four hunt days a week showed no detectable drop in ducks from two.
- Counties · Population trendsFewer winter hens drove Iowa's 17 percent pheasant dropIowa's August routes fell to 22.6 birds while brood sizes held steady, which points at winter hen loss. Compare hens with brood size before you pick a region, and know South Dakota quit its brood count in 2020.
- Tactics · Scouting and camerasRubs clump on small smooth stems, and fresh ones drew far more doe checksMaine rubs clumped on stems no thicker than 3.3 inches. Three tame Georgia does responded to rubs under 2 days old in 17 of 29 meetings and to older rubs in 1 of 24.
- Timing · Weather and windWinter scores flag fawn risk for the next fallMinnesota and Wisconsin score cold days and deep-snow days on different cutoffs. In collared Upper Peninsula does, the date the snow left mattered more to survival than the running score.
- Counties · Population trendsIn audit simulations a changed buck harvest rate flipped the deer trendWisconsin and Pennsylvania expand the buck kill into a herd figure using harvest rates and sex and fawn ratios. Pennsylvania says its output tracks trend and was never meant as a headcount.
- Tactics · Scouting and camerasA photo model aged 4.5 bucks too old before the rut and too young afterTested on wild known-age bucks, a photo ratio model got 0 of 7 four-and-a-half-year-olds right before breeding and 2 of 14 after. Splitting yearlings from older bucks held up far better.
- Tactics · Stand safetyNew York found 117 of 125 hunters mistaken for game wore no orangeNew York firearm investigations from 1989 to 1995 found 117 of 125 mistaken-for-game victims without hunter orange. The same files still show line-of-fire and self-inflicted injuries.
- Counties · Population trendsRemoving one doe group held deer down 5 years in an unhunted herdA 1991 model said removing a doe family could hold deer down for as many as 10 to 15 years. The one field test we found saw 5 years in an unhunted Adirondack herd and work on young hunted herds suggests faster refill.
- Timing · RutPlatte bucks cast from December into April, so plan repeat shed walksFresh casts in central Nebraska averaged 9 to 13 March, yet casting ran from late December to a buck still antlered on 20 April. Colorado and Wyoming close some public land until May.
- Timing · RutTennessee elk bugled most from 23 September to 10 OctoberSeven recorders on one Tennessee WMA in 2021 caught the most bugles from 7 to 9 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Oregon and Montana collar studies found hunters push elk away from open roads.
- Tactics · Shot placementEarly steel loads lost more hit ducks than lead, even inside 35 yardsIn 1980 to 1981 Louisiana marsh counts No. 4 steel lost about 31 of every 100 ducks it hit against 23 for No. 6 lead. Scoring cripples per shot hid most of that gap.
- Counties · Population trendsNorthern grouse still cycle while Pennsylvania stays 25 percent downMinnesota and Wisconsin drumming still rises and falls about every 10 years. Pennsylvania flush rates since West Nile virus spread statewide in 2002 average 25 percent below the years before it.
- Timing · Weather and windFall turnover evens lake temperature weeks before deep oxygen recoversOn a monitored Minnesota lake in 1998 temperature matched top to bottom by early November while deep oxygen sat near half of saturation. Near-full recharge came in December.
- Timing · Weather and windA rapid barometer fall is less than an inch of water to a fishThe weather service's rapid hourly fall equals about 0.82 inch of water while one foot of depth is 14.7 times that. A 2013 Lake Bemidji tank trial found no significant pressure effect on perch feeding.
- Habitat · Mast and natural foodVirginia Bear Harvest: Acorns and Season TimingIn Virginia’s earlier records, poor mast accompanied a higher archery share of bear harvest. That association weakened in the later comparison. Hunters need to understand what the survey measures and which harvest totals supply the denominators.
- Counties · Harvest historyMaine Bear Hunting Methods: What the 2025 Harvest Report ShowsChoosing among bear hunting methods using reported harvest and guide shares.
- Counties · Harvest historyPennsylvania Bear Hunting in 2024: How the Harvest Split Across SeasonsComparing season segments, opening-day harvest and Wildlife Management Units.
- Regulations · Draws and tagsMinnesota Bear Hunting: 2025 Permit Results, Food Surveys and a Dated Bait RuleReading permit-area results alongside the natural-food survey and bait rules.
- Counties · Harvest historyIdaho Bear Harvest in 2024: Spring, Fall and Method by UnitComparing spring and fall bear harvest in named general-hunt units.
- Counties · Harvest historyWisconsin Bear Hunting: What the 2025 Zone Results ShowComparing state-authorized harvest across six bear zones, with separate totals for other harvest categories.
- Counties · RankingsMichigan Deer Counties Ranked: Arenac and Hillsdale Lead the FDR IndexArenac and Hillsdale share a displayed score of 65.9. Clinton leads Michigan's separate Trophy Index. Search every county and see why those rankings disagree.65.9shared top score, provisional FDR Index
- Counties · RankingsIndiana Deer Counties Ranked: Ohio, Putnam and Franklin Take the LeadOhio County leads the provisional FDR Index at 78.7. Steuben led the 2024 reported harvest. Find your county and compare the different leaders.78.7Ohio County, provisional FDR Index
- Counties · RankingsWisconsin Deer Counties Ranked: Adams Leads, Buffalo Is Forty-FifthAdams leads the provisional FDR Index at 72.4. Buffalo scores 99 on the separate Trophy Index but ranks forty-fifth in the composite. Compare all 72 counties.72.4Adams County, provisional FDR Index
- Counties · RankingsMinnesota Deer Counties Ranked: Four Counties Score 100, Houston Follows at 97Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka and Washington lead the Trophy Index. Houston, Wabasha and Winona also place high. Find your county in the full Minnesota ranking.100four counties share the top Trophy Index score
- Counties · RankingsOhio Deer Counties Ranked: Jefferson Leads the FDR IndexJefferson scores 87.3, ahead of Belmont and Hocking. Coshocton leads the official 2025-26 harvest instead. Search all 88 counties and compare the evidence.87.3Jefferson County, provisional FDR Index
- Counties · RankingsIowa Deer Counties Ranked: Appanoose Leads the Composite, Warren Leads the Trophy IndexAppanoose scores 71.8 and Louisa 71.5. Clayton led reported harvest, while Warren leads the Trophy Index. Compare the three views of Iowa deer country.71.8Appanoose County, provisional composite
- Counties · RankingsKansas Deer Counties Ranked: Wyandotte and Johnson Lead the Trophy IndexWyandotte scores 100, Johnson 96 and Riley 92. The county ranking highlights trophy concentration while leaving permits and property access as separate decisions.100Wyandotte County, Trophy Index
- Counties · RankingsMissouri Deer Counties Ranked: Henry Leads, Worth Stands OutHenry leads the provisional FDR Index at 69.4. Worth places fifth and carries a Trophy Index of 87. Search every Missouri county and St. Louis city.69.4Henry County, provisional FDR Index
- Counties · RankingsKentucky Deer Counties Ranked: Kenton Leads the Trophy IndexKenton leads at 99, but 36 Kentucky counties score at least 90. See the full Trophy Index ranking and how it differs from the harvest-density report.99Kenton County, Trophy Index
- Counties · RankingsOklahoma Deer Counties Ranked: Osage Leads Total Harvest, Pittsburg Leads ArcheryOsage led private-land deer harvest at 5,062 in 2025-26. Pittsburg led the private-land archery count at 1,364. Search all 77 counties with public harvest kept separate.5,062Osage private-land deer harvest, 2025 to 2026
- Counties · RankingsTexas Deer Counties Ranked: Collin Leads the Trophy IndexCollin, Tarrant and Grayson lead this acreage-adjusted comparison. Maverick and Kleberg also place near the top. Search all 254 counties and see what the score measures.
- Counties · RankingsNorth Carolina Deer Counties Ranked: Randolph Leads the 2025-26 HarvestRandolph led total deer harvest at 5,349. Watauga ranked forty-second by total but first in the printed antlered-buck rate. See both columns for all 100 counties.5,349Randolph County total deer harvest
- Counties · RankingsSouth Carolina Deer Counties Ranked: Orangeburg Leads, Anderson Has the Higher RateOrangeburg led the 2024 adjusted county harvest estimate at 10,976. Anderson led harvest per square mile of deer habitat at 22.7. Compare all 46 counties.10,976Orangeburg adjusted harvest estimate, 2024
- Counties · RankingsPennsylvania Deer Counties Ranked: Allegheny Leads, Potter Ranks Fifty-SeventhAllegheny scores 100 on the Trophy Index. Beaver and Delaware follow at 98, while Potter scores 50. Search every county and compare the full range.100Allegheny County, Trophy Index
- Timing · RutBuck Testosterone: Why His Routine Changes During the RutResearch on buck testosterone, local rut timing, age, feeding, and the difference between searching and breeding.
- Timing · RutHow Fewer Receptive Does Shape the Second RutHow fewer receptive does can concentrate second-rut activity and how to hunt current food sources, covered approaches and fresh breeding behavior.
- Counties · County pagesIllinois county pagesOne page per Illinois county with its harvest history and the FDR Index.102County pages
- Counties · County pagesMissouri county pagesOne page per Missouri county with its harvest history and the FDR Index.114County pages
- Counties · County pagesWisconsin county pagesPages for the Wisconsin counties Fully Drawn Research ranks, with harvest history and the FDR Index.61County pages
- Counties · County pagesOhio county pagesOne page per Ohio county with the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index.88County pages
- 99County pages
- Counties · County pagesIndiana county pagesOne page per Indiana county with the provisional FDR Index.92County pages
- Counties · County pagesMichigan county pagesOne page per Michigan county with the provisional FDR Index.83County pages
- Counties · Public land and accessIllinois public landPublic hunting land in Illinois, with a page for each tract.
- Counties · RankingsHow the FDR Index scores a countyThe index Fully Drawn Research uses to score counties, and what goes into it.
- Counties · Harvest historyMinnesota's 2025 Archery Deer Harvest Was 50.2% Crossbow; Kentucky Reported 46.3%For 2025, Minnesota's deer registrations totaled 14,939 taken by crossbow versus 14,838 by vertical bow. Crossbow shares in the preceding seasons were 43.8% and 48.2%. Kentucky has stayed around 46% beginning in 2021. A two-year assessment by the Minnesota DNR detected no herd impact to date.50.2%of Minnesota's 2025 archery deer were taken with crossbows
- Regulations · Rules and policyWhat Collision Data Tell Us About Deer Hunting Near CitiesAcross six counties near Chicago, deer-vehicle crashes per billion vehicle miles dropped 25% to 57% during 36 years; Illinois' median county finished 4% above its starting rate. Those figures cannot explain the decline's cause, but they give towns five questions for evaluating local deer management.−57%McHenry County deer-collision rate, 1989 to 1993 against 2020 to 2024
- Counties · Public land and accessNovember Buck Ranges in Pennsylvania Average Almost 1,920 Acres; Public Hunting Units Across Four States Mostly Fall Below 640For collared bucks occupying broad stretches of forest, Penn State reports a September average of nearly 400 acres and a November average of nearly 1,920. Median public hunting units measure 83 to 168 acres across Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Ohio.1,920acres, the average November buck range in Pennsylvania
- Habitat · Mast and natural foodAfter an Acorn Shortfall: Deer Harvest in Missouri's Wooded CountiesOver recent seasons, Missouri counties with greater forest cover recorded larger shifts in registered deer harvest between seasons, matching MDC's descriptions of acorn production. Among 113 counties, those in the highest forest third had median changes of 19 to 24 percent across each of the three latest season pairs; those in the lowest forest third changed less than 5 percent.73%of Missouri's 2024 to 25 decline came from its most-forested third
- Regulations · Rules and policyThree Counts of Indiana Deer Hunters in One Season: 128,732 to 204,160For 2024, Indiana's DNR gives three different deer-hunter totals. Hunters outside the annual-license tally accounted for a quarter of registered deer. National totals also differ according to what they count.128,732to 204,160: three counts of Indiana deer hunters in one season
- Habitat · Mast and natural foodCorn Acreage Does Not Measure Nutrition: Illinois Counties and Big BucksIn Mississippi State's feeding experiments, Lower Coastal Plain bucks reared on the same high-quality diet reached the size of wild Delta bucks, whose antler scores are 25 inches greater than those of wild Lower Coastal Plain bucks. For Illinois counties, the relationship between cropland and big-buck density ranges from -0.44 to +0.40 as the divisor changes.+32%antler score gain for bucks raised on one diet for two generations
- Counties · Harvest historyButton Bucks for Each 100 Does: A Rough Harvest Clue to Fawn ProductionThe Iowa harvest reported by hunters yielded 16.6 button bucks for each 100 does in 2024, below the 20.7 average for 2007 to 2016. Learn to calculate your county's ratio and judge the role of chance.16.4button bucks per 100 does in Iowa, 2022 to 2024, down from 20.7
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseAmong Wisconsin's 21 Counties Without a CWD Detection, Median Testing Was 60 Deer for 2025Since 1999, each county has tested at least 371 deer. During the 2025 CWD year, county samples ranged from 20 to 183. Ten missed the 59-deer cutoff for excluding 5% prevalence; all missed the 299 needed to exclude 1%.60median deer tested in 2025 in Wisconsin counties with no CWD detection
- Regulations · Draws and tagsColorado Elk and Deer Draws, 2023 to 2025: The Gaps in First-Choice OddsAmong Colorado adults applying as residents, first-choice hunts resulted in licenses at rates of 51.7% for elk and 53.1% for deer. Second-choice rates were 18.8% and 9.9%, while most combinations of hunt and year awarded resident adults no licenses at that choice.51.7%of Colorado resident adults drew a first-choice elk hunt, 2023 to 2025
- Timing · Movement and migrationYearling Buck Travel and Forest Share Across 575 Midwest CountiesA Penn State meta-analysis connects young bucks' travel distances with surrounding forest. Among counties with land-cover data, 443 out of 575 have forest shares below 35 percent, a category whose study areas had a 17.3-mile average.17.3 milesaverage young buck dispersal where forest cover is under 35%
- Tactics · ScentYour Smell Travels as a Ragged Ribbon Instead of a ConeThe wind arrow marks a bearing within a fan of directions. Measurements from three woodland towers put that fan at about twice the width during light winds compared with a breeze. Within it, odor comes in pulses.1.7 to 1.9×wider wind direction spread in light air than at 5 m/s or more, three towers
- Tactics · Shot placementTest Farther Shots to Find Your Bowhunting Limit, and Log Every ArrowNine arrows landing consecutively within a 10-inch circle establish only a lower limit of 72% for your actual hit rate with 95% confidence. Follow a printable log for testing progressively longer distances, with the math behind it and the results and gaps from three archery studies.90.2%lower confidence limit on hit rate after a streak of 29 hits
- Timing · Weather and windOctober Slowdowns and Cold Fronts: Evidence From Deer Collars and 29,777 Archery KillsThe collar research we could examine offers little evidence of movement changes tied to cold fronts or temperature. Minnesota's 2025 archery records show much larger kill counts on Saturdays than Tuesdays. Across these files, clock time and calendar timing account for bigger differences than fronts.2.31×Saturday against Tuesday archery kills in Minnesota, October 2025
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseCWD Areas: A Hunter's Plan for Cooling, Sampling, Transport and Carcass WasteWild CWD appears in the USGS county records for 37 states, including 76% of Nebraska's counties. Here is the sequence to follow after a kill, using agency-published timing and three studies that inform venison handling and carcass disposal.37states with wild CWD detections, per the USGS release
- Tactics · Stand safetyTree Stand Falls: What the Evidence Says About Staying AttachedSurveys, hospital records and a state report provide the fall figures we can check, but their counts measure different things. We compare them without combining them. Guidance from three state agencies shares these steps: wear a safety harness before climbing, maintain three contact points, use a haul line and tell someone your planned location. Wisconsin also recommends a ground-level lifeline connection and a foot strap.1 in 4of Wisconsin bowhunters have had a fall or near fall
- Tactics · ScentScent Claims Under Review: What the Tests ExaminedOur digitized readings of the Georgia playback study's published figure give modeled fleeing probabilities of 58% at first exposure to human speech and 19% to 27% for carnivore calls, with uncertainty of about one percentage point. Here, seven claims about managing scent are grouped by their measured results and their limits for hunters.58%modeled chance deer ran at first human speech, Georgia study
- Counties · Public land and accessWalk-In Properties: Acreage, Hunting Rules, and Parking ChoicesAcross four state layers, walk-in properties have median sizes of 104 to 195 acres. Many restrict hunting to turkeys or small game. Among the three states with measurable parking distances, most mapped lots lie farther than 400 meters from the property.28.4%of Kansas walk-in tract records list exactly 160 acres
- Counties · Public land and accessState Walk-In Access or a Paid Lease? Where Owner Liability ChangesFederal grants fund some state walk-in programs, while hunters pay for private leases. Four state laws handle those payments differently; Kansas accounts for 94.6% of the walk-in acreage mapped across four states.$2,000recreational-use receipts that trigger Wisconsin's payment test
- Counties · Public land and accessDo Montana Elk Escape onto Private Land? The Answer Differs Between Two HerdsFor both herds, the fraction of archery-season fixes on closed land exceeded that land's fraction of the range. Still, public hunters could access the ground containing most fixes in three of four herd-seasons. The clearest differences between the two herds concern how much ground was closed and where it lay.32%of archery-season elk fixes were on closed land covering 3% of the range
- Tactics · Scouting and camerasDeer Eyes Lose Small Details While Their Ears Favor Higher PitchesTests measured visual acuity at 4 to 6 cycles for each degree, with peak hearing sensitivity within 4 to 8 kHz. These limits describe what deer eyes and ears can detect. Testing involved no garments, detergents or field distances.4 to 8 kHzrange of peak hearing sensitivity in deer
- Timing · Movement and migrationWhere Do Deer Go Under Pressure? Shifting Ranges, Protected Cover, and Places Hunters SkipAcross pre-rut and post-rut periods on a hunted property in South Carolina, a doe's range center shifted 90 meters, while a buck's shifted 685. Refuges raise another question: their value to nearby hunters depends on the amount of surrounding forest.685 metersshift in buck range centers, pre-rut to post-rut, South Carolina
- Timing · Weather and windHow Much Faith Should Deer Hunters Put in Weather Data?Temperature has the strongest evidence, drawn from one herd in South Carolina. Pressure showed opposing activity relationships across sexes and seasons. Cold-front samples remain too small to guide a sit. Changing the definition can space front alerts four days apart or ten days apart.0.57modeled daytime activity of breeding-season females at 50 F, 0.31 at 86 F
- Tactics · Scouting and camerasWhy Camera Photos Can Mislead a Deer SurveyThe usual survey estimates the rest of the herd from bucks recognizable as individuals. Accuracy requires females and males to trigger pictures equally often per deer. Equipment varies too: manufacturers list trigger delays of 0.1 to 1.0 seconds.142herd estimate a worked camera calculation gets from 4,891 images
- Tactics · Shot placementWounding Estimates Span 4% to 50%: Where Shot Angle FitsEach estimate uses a different tally and denominator: struck bucks in Oklahoma, struck deer in Maryland, and Minnesota survey respondents. The bow research we located that evaluated shot angle included 61 deer, leaving hunter-education advice as the guide for choosing an angle.4% to 50%range of wounding estimates across studies
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseEHD and CWD: Recognizing the Differences in DeerThe time of year, physical signs and circumstances in which deer are discovered distinguish hemorrhagic disease from chronic wasting disease. County harvest figures cannot distinguish the diseases: decreases of at least 15% from the preceding season were about equally common in Wisconsin's 11 highest-CWD counties and the 50 other counties examined.63Illinois counties with a harvest drop of 15% or more in 2013
- Counties · Population trendsDeer Ages from Teeth: Agreement, Accuracy and Missed YearsSouthern Texas trials with deer of documented age gave adult jawbone estimates 43 to 51% exact-year accuracy. Among 1,292 Iowa bucks, jawbone and cementum estimates matched the yearling-or-adult category roughly 90% of the time.90%match between jawbone and cementum yearling or adult calls, Iowa bucks
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryFawn Deaths, Coyotes and the Results of TrappingAcross a review covering 29 populations, predators accounted for the most fawn deaths. A South Carolina experiment reduced an index based on coyote scat by 78%, but survival of fawns reached 51%, 20% and 43% over three years. Identify what limits recruitment before spending on removal.80%of fawn deaths were coyote kills before trapping at Savannah River
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryA Field That Grew Corn Last Year Probably Holds Beans This FallAcross Illinois, soybeans followed corn on about 76 out of every 100 acres, while corn followed soybeans on about 82 out of every 100 acres. Use those chances to interpret older aerials and crop maps, then check harvest timing before heading into the field.82.9%of Illinois corn and soybean acres switched crops year to year
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryDoes the Pond on Your Map Still Have Water? Consult County Drought History Before Hanging Your StandWhen the reporting week closed 13 October 2025, severe or more intense drought covered a quarter or greater share of land in 50 Illinois counties out of 102. Throughout June to August, the weekly count never exceeded 3. Here's how county drought history helps you assess a pond marked from imagery.50Illinois counties with qualifying D2 or worse drought, week ending 13 October 2025
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryBefore Studying the Woods, Check the Layer: Pixel Width, Image Age, and Leaf StatusBefore using an aerial to judge bedding cover, identify the layer, check its year, and divide the feature's width by a pixel's width. Our inventory contains 910 leaf-off county tile sets and has 2024 as its median year label; output at zoom-19 covers about 9 inches per pixel.0.51of a pixel: the width a 12-inch feature spans in a 23.6-inch pixel
- Regulations · Rules and policyHow Antler Point Rules Altered Buck Harvests in Pennsylvania and MississippiThe harvested bucks became older in both states. Mississippi public hunting areas saw fewer bucks taken per 1,000 acres, along with lower gross antler scores among bucks of the same age. Because the studies followed different outcomes, their findings do not form a like-for-like scorecard.64%Pennsylvania yearling survival after antler point rules, up from below 20%
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryCheck Soil Maps Before Offering to Buy Deer LandBetter feed in Mississippi State's trials erased a 25-inch difference in antler scores across soil regions. Our source review found nothing connecting a parcel soil map with antler score. Eight federal layers available at no cost still describe growing potential and flood exposure, while county context offers clues about neighboring plantings.+28 inchesantler score gained by Lower Coastal Plain bucks on one shared diet
- Habitat · Food plotsCheck an Opening for Shade Before Purchasing SeedAt a latitude of 40 degrees north, trees 70 feet tall shade a strip 115 feet deep at midday on November 15. That exceeds the depth of a square quarter-acre plot. Evaluate shade before acreage, layout and seed choice with figures from Ohio State and Missouri plus land-cover records spanning 575 counties.2.00times the tree height: midday shade on December 21 at 40 degrees north
- Habitat · Food plotsBuying Lime, Fertilizer and Seed from a Soil Report: Cost for 1,000 Forage PoundsConvert a food plot lab's application recommendations into product amounts by accounting for what each purchase supplies. Calculations using examples published by Alabama extension and Mississippi State cover lime, fertilizer and seed, including the least expensive seed for producing 1,000 forage pounds.1.54 tonsof 65% bulk lime to meet a 1 ton recommendation
- Habitat · Cover and beddingHinge Cuts and Deer: What One Paired Camera Study FoundAcross 4 locations, deer detections increased on treated ground and decreased on untreated ground. These results come from a conference abstract that leaves the cutting methods unexplained, preventing landowners from repeating the treatment.2.6×post-cut detection ratio on treated ground against untreated, fawning season
- Counties · Harvest historyIs the Deer Decline Real? A Seven-State County LookTwo states saw steep harvest drops, two changed little, and a third gained. “The deer decline” can mislead: harvest can reflect herd size, antlerless permit rules, weather or disease shocks.−32.8%Iowa reported harvest, 2006 to 2024
- Counties · Harvest historyIowa, County by County: Two Decades of the Most Coveted DrawNon-residents prize Iowa for its limited draw and big-buck reputation. Yet reported harvest dropped 32.8% between 2006, Iowa DNR's earliest comparable year, and 2024. The county map shows nearly universal but sharply unequal declines.−32.8%Iowa reported harvest, 2006 to 2024
- Counties · Harvest historyThe Buck-to-Doe Fingerprint: Reading Management Intent from the HarvestA state's antlered/antlerless harvest ratio tracks shifts in the kill over its own history. It alone cannot prove intentional herd reduction. Interpretation stays within that state; comparisons across state borders are invalid.0.60Iowa buck-to-doe harvest ratio in 2005, down from 1.10 in 2001
- Counties · Harvest historyBuying Deer Ground: An Independent Read on County QualityLand ads use trophy prospects to support their asking price per acre. Buyers can test the pitch against an independent source of evidence: county harvest and trophy-tier data from FDR.#68Will County's approximate rank on the FDR Index, despite its big-buck reputation
- Regulations · Draws and tagsThe Non-Resident Point Game: Building and Spending Points for Midwest WhitetailWestern big-game point tactics misread the drawings for nonresident whitetail hunters in two Midwest states: Iowa and Kansas. Learn to collect points and use them deliberately.6,000Iowa non-resident licenses, against more than 10,000 applications
- Counties · Public land and accessHow Crowded Is That Public Land? The Variable Nobody MapsMap apps mark public ground but seldom list annual hunter-trips. Of twelve states we track, we found site-level trip totals only in Illinois: use runs from packed lots to near solitude, and some of the quietest tracts still yield deer.13×gap in use per acre between the busiest and quietest Illinois public sites
- Counties · Harvest historySpring 2026 Turkey Harvest Rose in All Seven Southeast States We TrackEach of the seven states we track reported an increase in spring turkey harvest. Their combined count climbed from 136,121 birds in 2025 to 158,927 in 2026, a gain of 16.8%. Kentucky, North Carolina and Arkansas each recorded their largest total for the years covered by our data.158,927spring turkey reports across seven Southeast states in 2026
- Counties · RankingsThe Best Spring Turkey Counties in Kentucky, 2000 to 2026Spring turkey reports for 2026 put Graves County ahead (778), followed by Muhlenberg (746) and Breckinridge (662). Kentucky's harvest of 36,448 rose 18.9%, barely passing the 2010 total of 36,097.778birds reported in Graves County in 2026, the most in Kentucky
- Counties · Harvest historyOklahoma's Fall Turkey Estimate Is Down 76.8% Since 1986Oklahoma hunter surveys estimate 2,490 fall turkeys for 2024, a 76.8% decrease from 10,755 for 1986. Spring harvest is down 76.5% since its 2006 high. Most of fall's decline had happened by 1988.−76.8%Oklahoma fall turkey estimate since 1986
- Counties · Harvest historyForest, Not Corn: Deer Harvest per Square Mile in Five Midwest StatesDuring 2020 to 2024, Iowa's top county quarter by forest share had 7.0x the deer registrations for each square mile of its bottom quarter. Wisconsin's gap was 1.3x: a strong forest-share filter in Iowa, a weak one in Wisconsin.7.0×Iowa harvest density, most-forested quarter of counties against least
- Counties · RankingsThe County That Kills the Most Deer Isn't Always Top per Square MileClayton topped Iowa's county harvest for 24 straight seasons, spanning 2001 to 2024. Its per-square-mile rank is 3 among 99 counties. Marathon topped Wisconsin in 21 out of 66 seasons; its per-square-mile rank is 26 among 60.5.28registered deer per square mile in Van Buren County, the Iowa leader
- Counties · Harvest historyOhio's Bow Counties: Where Archery Takes Most of the DeerDuring 2024, 95.4% of Cuyahoga County's registered deer were taken with crossbow or longbow, compared with 23.6% in Wyandot. Ohio's statewide share was 45.8%; 26 counties out of 88 exceeded half.95.4%of Cuyahoga County's 2024 deer came by archery
- Counties · Harvest historyMinnesota's 2025 Gun Season: 44.9% of Firearm Deer Came in Two DaysMinnesota's 146,341 firearm deer registrations for 2025 list Nov. 8 or 9 as the kill date for 44.9%. Permit-area adult-male shares range between 41.2% and 86.2% of registered deer, describing harvest rather than herd sex ratios.44.9%of Minnesota's 2025 firearm deer came in two days
- Regulations · Draws and tagsIowa's 2026 Nonresident Deer Draw: Gun Beat Bow in All 10 ZonesIn all 10 Iowa zones, the 2026 nonresident draw gave gun applicants a percentage point edge of 6.4 to 43.2 over bow. More important, a guaranteed draw required bow points of 2 to 6 versus gun points of 0 to 2.10 out of 10Iowa zones where gun applicants beat bow applicants on success
- Counties · Harvest historyMontana Elk Harvest Is Up 17.2% While Mule Deer Harvest Is Down 43.4%Statewide Montana estimates put elk harvest 17.2% higher and mule deer harvest 43.4% lower from 2004 to 2025. Per elk taken, hunters killed 2.79 mule deer in 2004 versus 1.35 in 2025.+17.2%Montana elk harvest, 2004 to 2025
- Counties · RankingsDuck Country and Goose Country Are Different MapsOnly 5 states place in both the duck top 10 and goose top 10. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey estimates put Maryland at duck rank 31st and goose rank 4th. Choose the bird before choosing the state.5 statesshare a top 10 spot on both the duck and goose lists
- Counties · RankingsBest Spring Turkey Counties in Tennessee: Maury Leads by a Wide MarginIn 2026, Maury County's reported spring turkey tally was 1,441, about 1.7 times runner-up Hickman's. Tennessee's reported harvest rose from 29,060 in 2025 to 35,061, still below the 40,129 recorded in 2020.1,441birds reported in Maury County in 2026, the state's top
- Counties · RankingsBest Spring Turkey Counties in North Carolina After 50 Years of ReportsWith 853 reported turkeys, Duplin County topped North Carolina's spring 2026 harvest. The statewide count reached 25,034 from 144 in 1977, setting the high across 50 springs.25,034North Carolina spring turkey reports in 2026, a 50 season peak
- Counties · RankingsBest Spring Turkey Counties in Georgia: 159 Counties, No Runaway LeaderWith 372 spring turkeys reported in 2026, Floyd County topped Georgia. The ten leaders account for just 19.6% of 12,629 statewide; 2026 remains below the 14,716 reported in 2020.19.6%of Georgia's reported birds came from the ten leading counties
- Counties · RankingsBest Spring Turkey Counties in Virginia: Southampton and Bedford Nearly TieSouthampton County logged 679 spring turkeys in 2026, topping Bedford County by 16 (663). Virginia hunters reported 24,103 birds, a 17.2% increase that left the total 344 below the 2023 peak of 24,447.679birds reported in Southampton County in 2026, the state's top
- Counties · RankingsThe Best Turkey Counties in Missouri: Franklin Led All 10 SpringsAcross Missouri, Franklin County topped the reported turkey harvest for each regular spring season of 2016 to 2025, totaling 8,728 birds. Seven counties appear in both the regular and youth top tens.8,728birds reported in Franklin County across ten springs, the most
- Counties · RankingsBest Deer Counties in Ohio: Coshocton Leads Per Square Mile at 13.20Coshocton County led Ohio with a seasonal average of 13.20 registered deer per square mile during 2020 to 2024, a rate 13.1 times Fayette's, the state's lowest. No season changed which eight counties led.13.20registered deer per square mile in Coshocton County, the Ohio leader
- Counties · RankingsIowa's Best Deer Counties per Square Mile: Van Buren by a HairFor 2020 to 2024, Iowa’s highest county registration rate was Van Buren County’s 5.28 deer per square mile. Next came Allamakee at 5.22, then Clayton at 5.21. The county median was 1.65; Calhoun placed last with 0.24.5.28registered deer per square mile in Van Buren County, the Iowa leader
- Counties · RankingsMichigan's Deer-Crash Hotspots: Eight Counties Never Left the Top QuarterFrom 1997 to 2024, Huron, Sanilac, Alcona and five additional counties placed among the highest quarter for deer collisions relative to miles driven each year, even as the median county rate dropped 33.0%.3,393.7crashes per billion vehicle miles in Huron County, 2024
- Counties · RankingsLaramie Peak Led Wyoming's 2025 Elk Bull Harvest With an Estimated 783Among Wyoming's 103 hunt areas, Laramie Peak (area 7) led the 2025 bull harvest at an estimated 783. Six kept top-10 ranks annually, 2021 to 2025, including the Non-herd unit, the state's catch-all.783estimated bull elk taken in Laramie Peak in 2025, the top area
- Counties · Harvest historySix Wyoming Mule Deer Areas Have Stayed in the Buck Harvest Top 10 Since 2021An estimated 651 mule deer bucks put Southeast Wyoming (area 15) first in 2025. Six of 126 areas held top 10 ranks each season from 2021 to 2025. Totals reflect deer, hunter counts and licenses.651estimated bucks taken in Wyoming area 15 in 2025, the top area
- Counties · RankingsBest Spring Turkey Counties in Arkansas: Sharp Led 2026, Fulton Finished First Most OftenArkansas's leading county in 2026 was Sharp County, where hunters checked 511 spring birds. The state logged 13,646, its largest count since 2013. Fulton County won most often: 5 times across 14 seasons.13,646Arkansas spring turkey reports in 2026, up 19.7% on 2025
- Counties · Harvest historyWest Virginia's Best Spring Turkey Counties: Mason Has Led 8 of 11 YearsIn 2026, Mason County again topped West Virginia with 523 spring turkey checks, leading in 8 out of 11 seasons. The statewide 12,006 is a 12.3% rise, still 281 shy of 2018's 12,287.8 of 11seasons Mason County finished first in West Virginia
- Counties · RankingsMichigan's Best Spring Turkey Counties: Saginaw in 2024, Allegan Over TimeMichigan's spring turkey survey put Saginaw County on top in 2024 with 1,297 birds. Allegan County led in 8 out of 23 seasons; survey margins cannot distinguish the pair.1,297estimated spring turkey take in Saginaw County in 2024
- Counties · Harvest historyIowa Turkey Counties: Spring and Fall Are Two Different HuntsIowa's reported turkey harvest declined 69.4% in fall from 2007 to 2025 and increased 33.2% in spring. Clayton County tops each season, with six counties shared by the top-ten lists.−69.4%Iowa fall turkey take, 2007 to 2025
- Counties · RankingsBest Missouri Deer Counties per Square Mile: Jefferson Leads at 7.91With 7.91 deer registered per square mile as its seasonal average for 2021-22 to 2025-26, Jefferson County led Missouri's 114 counties. Eight of the ten highest counties are 100 miles or less from St. Louis.7.91registered deer per square mile in Jefferson County, the Missouri leader
- Counties · Harvest historyIowa's Deer Harvest Is Two Series, and the 2005 Peak Can't Be ComparedIowa DNR warns that estimates through 2005 cannot be compared with later harvest. Reported totals begin in 2006: a 32.3% decline to 101,919 by 2025, with harvest staying within 99,414 to 109,600 from 2013 onward.−32.3%Iowa reported harvest, 2006 to 2025
- Counties · RankingsBest Duck Hunting States by Ducks per Hunter: California Leads at 27Hunters in California take an average of 27 ducks each season, compared with 25 in Louisiana and 22 in Arkansas. Louisiana leads the states in duck hunter count at 73,800. Texas and Minnesota both have large numbers of hunters, with seasonal averages of 16 and 9 ducks per hunter, respectively.27ducks per hunter in California, the highest of 49 states
- Regulations · Draws and tagsOregon Elk Draw Odds, 2025: 73 of 152 Hunts Drew at 50% or Better, 10 Under 5%Among 152 Oregon elk hunts for any legal weapon with first-choice applicant pools of at least 100 during 2025, 73 had odds of 50% or higher; 16 gave everyone a tag. Another 10 fell below 5%, with 18,081 of 81,892 first-choice applicants.73 of 152Oregon elk hunts drew at 50% odds or better in 2025
- Counties · Public land and accessKansas Walk-In Hunting Land, 2026-27: 952,641 Acres, Densest in Wallace CountyKDWP's 2026-27 map lists 952,641 walk-in acres across 3,554 tracts, covering 98 of 105 counties. Wallace County leads by enrolled land share (7.53%); 22.3% of the acreage has a window beginning November 1.952,641walk-in acres in Kansas for 2026 to 27
- Counties · RankingsEight Utah Elk Units Never Left the Top 10 for Bulls, 2015 to 2024Eight Utah elk units stayed among the top 10 for bulls harvested annually from 2015 to 2024. They supplied between 50.5% and 56.5% of Utah's yearly bull harvest. Manti (16B) has been first since 2021, with 1,030 bulls taken in 2024.EightUtah elk units stayed in the bull harvest top 10 every year, 2015 to 2024
- Counties · RankingsBest Kentucky Deer Counties per Square Mile: Spencer Leads at 9.69Across 2021-22 to 2025-26, Spencer County averaged 9.69 checked deer per land square mile each season, leading Kentucky's 120 counties. Fourteen counties in KDFWR's Bluegrass region make the top 20.9.69checked deer per square mile in Spencer County, the Kentucky leader
- Counties · Harvest historyKentucky's Deer Harvest, 1999 to 2025: Up 52.8% to 145,483The 2025 Kentucky deer season produced 145,483 check-ins, compared with 95,227 in 1999, a 52.8% increase. Southeast harvest exceeded twice its earlier total (+111.4%); Northeast harvest rose 6.2%.+52.8%Kentucky deer check-ins, 1999 to 2025
- Counties · Harvest historyKentucky's Crossbow Deer Harvest Reached 14,363 in 2025, 9.9% of the TotalNo crossbow deer were recorded before 2004; the 2025 season total reached 14,363. The longer season first applied in 2019, when 9,783 roughly doubled the 2018 count of 4,705.14,363crossbow deer checked in Kentucky in 2025
- Timing · Movement and migrationDeer Movement Scores vs. What the Collar Studies SupportCompare deer movement ratings and lunar claims against evidence from GPS collars. Learn what can be known about a day afield and where a scoring tool cannot give reliable answers.188collared bucks in a Wisconsin study with no significant weather effect
- Timing · RutWhy Day Length, Not Weather, Sets the Whitetail RutShorter days trigger a series of hormone changes that puts does in heat. Experiments, wildlife agency biologists and dates calculated from fetuses support that explanation. Cold fronts affect the activity hunters notice without shifting the timing of conception.200 daysaverage gestation used to date breeding backward from fawns
- Timing · RutWhitetail Breeding Dates by Latitude and StateFor Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Illinois, breeding-date measurements cluster during early to mid-November. Across Florida, Mississippi and Texas, dates extend from August to February. Begin with the closest measured herd.13 Novemberpooled median for adult does in Pennsylvania, 1999 to 2006
- Timing · RutMoon Phase and the Rut: What Conception Dates ShowFetal data from Pennsylvania, Mississippi and New Brunswick show stable breeding dates as full moons shift by weeks. Collar research in Oklahoma and Mississippi found no lunar effect worth using to plan hunts.3,507pregnant Pennsylvania does examined for conception dates, 1999 to 2006
- Timing · Movement and migrationWhen Whitetails Move: What Collar Studies Say About Sunrise and SunsetCollar research in Michigan, Oklahoma and Wisconsin shows whitetails moving most at daylight's edges, including during the rut. The changes during peak rut, and the limits of what collars reveal about your wind.188collared bucks tracked through the rut in southwest Wisconsin
- Timing · Movement and migrationDeer Move Less by Day on Sunday Than Friday: An Alabama Collar StudyGPS-collared Alabama deer showed no weekend effect when days were grouped. Separating them revealed a 17 percent daylight movement decline between Friday and Sunday that lasted until Wednesday.−17%drop in daylight movement, Friday to Sunday, in an Alabama collar study
- Timing · Movement and migrationWhat Collar Studies Show Hunting Pressure Does to Whitetail MovementCollar research spans assigned levels of hunting that reduced movement and Georgia does that showed little response. The differences are not explained by hunter counts alone.37adult bucks tracked in a study with assigned hunting levels
- Habitat · Mast and natural foodEarly Successional Deer Habitat: What the Research MeasuredExtension publications and field research report figures on sunlight, logging, fire and deer browsing. See what the sources measured, where they worked, and which findings a landowner can apply in other woods.1,000+pounds of forage per acre in young forest, about 100 under closed canopy
- Habitat · Mast and natural foodNative Browse Is the Diet. A Food Plot Is the Supplement.Missouri reports deer nutrition needs by life stage, while Mississippi State gives test results for common native plants. Comparing both sets of information alongside Missouri's seasonal chart shows which plants support deer through the year.600+plant species found in Missouri deer diets
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryWhat a Leaf-On Aerial Can and Cannot Tell You About CoverA photo taken during the growing season records vegetation tops for that day. Assign each dark area to one of five classes. Use a winter view or a walk along its downwind boundary to determine whether it qualifies as cover.20 yardsthe chest-level sight line used to judge whether a dark patch is cover
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryYour Pin Is Older Than the Field: Check Two Image DatesA pin you saved makes a statement about the land as it was last year. Check the date of the image beneath it, compare it with another dated image, and complete a brief worksheet before hunting that spot again.15 to 50 yearsof regrowth a woodlot can need after a timber harvest
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryA Map Feature Is Not a Deer: Rank the EvidenceTerrain views, aerial images and wind overlays reveal what a spot could offer. Six evidence rungs distinguish map drawings, sign, recurring sign and individually recognized animals, helping you see what you actually have.Sixevidence rungs, from a map drawing to a recognized animal
- Tactics · Scouting and camerasA Zero Is Data. Keep Sightings, Sign, Camera Effort, and Weather Apart.Keep a scouting log with separate columns for weather, camera-nights, sign, and live deer sightings. Save walks that turn up nothing, and never convert counts into an invented probability of occupancy.703Tennessee plots searched in a pellet group study the guide cites
- Counties · RankingsThe Illinois Whitetail County ReportEach of the 102 counties receives an A to E tier using two decades of harvest data, herd-condition measures, and trophy signal. Edgar holds the top spot statewide. Western counties along the rivers no longer command the lead their reputation implies.A to Ea tier for every Illinois county
- Counties · Harvest historyTwenty Years of Illinois HarvestThe statewide deer take dropped 15% after its 2005 high, bottomed out sharply in 2013 and regained some ground as chronic wasting disease reached 28 counties.−15%Illinois harvest, 2005 to 2024
- Counties · Harvest historyThe Rise and Fall of the Golden TriangleThe Triangle earned its reputation for mature bucks rather than high deer numbers. Since 2005, Pike's total harvest has dropped 48%, while its mature-buck harvest has declined 39%. Bucks 2.5 years and older still represent 77% of its buck harvest. Adams has fared better, with mature-buck harvest down only 6%.−48%Pike County total harvest since 2005
- Counties · RankingsBig-Buck Geography: Does Trophy Production Follow the Rivers?Illinois's largest bucks are said to favor the Mississippi and Illinois bottoms. County Trophy Index comparisons reject that belief: within 20 miles, counties average 49.9; beyond 50 miles, they average 50.4.49.9mean Trophy Index near the big rivers, 50.4 beyond 50 miles
- Counties · Public land and accessPublic vs. Private: Where Illinois Deer Are Actually KilledAcross the country, private land supplies 88% of harvested whitetails. Illinois's reporting public areas yield about 3% (2024: 5,248 deer out of 171,320), leaving about 97% elsewhere. Which tracts lead in deer killed per acre?3.1%of the 2024 Illinois harvest came from reporting public grounds
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseTwo States, Opposite Bets: How Wisconsin and Missouri Manage CWDWisconsin ramps up CWD efforts with extensive sampling and generous antlerless harvest rules. For 2026 to 27, Missouri drops its CWD zone, antler-point limits and separate CWD firearms portion. Here is how their policies compare.83counties in Missouri's CWD zone for 2025 to 26
- Counties · RankingsThe Quiet Champion: Why Indiana Punches Above Its SizeSince 2016, Indiana has topped the country for trophy-buck records by square mile, despite being a fraction as large as its famous neighbors. Its one-buck limit can let bucks live longer, when they can produce bigger antlers.Since 2016Indiana leads in trophy-buck records per square mile
- Regulations · Rules and policyThe Rifle Line Falls: What SB 280 Changes for IndianaIndiana's 2025 law ended all rifle-cartridge limits and the public/private gun split. More reach in woods may boost harvest efficiency, which would pressure the one-buck rule, called social rather than biological by Indiana DNR..219-inchminimum bullet diameter for deer rifles under SB 280
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseThe Two-Disease State: Mapping Michigan's Bovine TB and CWDMichigan's fight against both deer diseases is rare among states: bovine tuberculosis is entrenched within its northeast Lower Peninsula, while chronic wasting disease surveillance spans the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula.18Michigan counties with confirmed CWD as of February 2026
- Regulations · Rules and policyThe Baiting Divide: One State, Two RulesBaiting is prohibited throughout Michigan's Lower Peninsula and permitted under restrictions in the Upper Peninsula. The Michigan DNR ties that divide to where disease occurs.2 gallonsbait cap per site in the Upper Peninsula
- Counties · Harvest historyThe Whiplash Season: Why Missouri's Harvest SwingsMissouri reached its highest recorded harvest in 2023 to 24, dropped 15% a year later, then recovered. Acorn crops, weather and season dates help explain shifts in the harvest total.326,026Missouri's all-time harvest high, 2023 to 24
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseThe Density Paradox: Wisconsin's High-Harvest Farmland Is Its SickestWisconsin's Southern Farmland zone has high rates of harvest registration, and every license includes antlerless harvest authorizations at no cost for use in farmland zones. Southern Farmland is also the center of the state's CWD problem. That leaves a paradox: the land hunters want to hunt most is where Wisconsin most needs to reduce deer numbers.12.4deer registrations per square mile in Central Farmland, 2024
- Regulations · Draws and tagsKansas: The Permit Is the ProductKansas produces whitetails that rank among America’s largest, and non-residents must win a drawing for the chance to hunt them. Permits available only through the draw restrict non-resident access.$477.50approximate cost of a Kansas non-resident deer permit
- Counties · RankingsOhio: The Open GiantOhio delivers Kansas-quality bucks without Kansas's access hurdles: a single-buck limit, generous doe harvest, and mostly over-the-counter tags. Only the southeast's 2025 EHD outbreak marred that otherwise easy access.One buckantlered deer limit, with tags mostly sold over the counter
- Counties · Public land and accessNebraska: Buy the Corridor, Not the StateNebraska sells over-the-counter permits to non-residents, with deer quality centered along the state's river corridors. Whitetail harvest is falling, and mule deer are dropping faster than the state anticipated. Hunters still have open access as deer populations shrink.10,000cap on non-resident either-sex and buck-only permits
- Counties · Harvest historyIllinois Has Two Deer Seasons: The Archery MapIn twenty years, bows rose from 35% to 47% of Illinois's harvest. The state average masks a sharp split: archery dominates the metro northeast, varying by county; firearms lead rural southern and western counties. Methods map land and law.47%of the 2024 Illinois harvest taken by bow, up from about 35% in 2005
- Counties · Harvest historyThe Two-Tier Map: Why Half of America's Deer Data Isn't County DataSeven states track the kill location by county for every deer. Five provide harvest detail at the management unit level or coarser: four through mailed surveys and Minnesota through permit-area registration. County totals for those five are made up rather than drawn from source data.Sevenstates record harvest by county
- Regulations · Draws and tagsThe Non-Resident Scorecard: Where an Out-of-State Tag Actually PaysNine Midwest states and three questions: can you get a tag, how much does it cost, and does the state supply county-level data you can use to scout?4×spread in non-resident deer tag prices, Michigan to Nebraska
- Counties · Harvest historyWatching the Rut Happen: 132 Weekly Reports from OhioRequired deer check-ins during Ohio's hunting season yield a statewide weekly harvest pattern that builds through the November rut and jumps during gun week.132weekly Ohio harvest bulletins across seven seasons
- Counties · Harvest historyThe 2012 Fingerprint: How One Disease Summer Still Shows in the HarvestA severe hemorrhagic-disease outbreak in 2012 left a one-season dip in Midwest harvest, followed by a lower, steady level. The baseline shifted downward without starting a continuing decline.−17.4%Illinois harvest, 2012 to 2013
- Counties · Harvest historyThe Missing Counties: What Wisconsin's County Harvest Tool Leaves OutWisconsin DNR's county tool omits eleven Northern Forest counties. Its 2025 note says changed borders leave no history for new units. State totals retain their harvest; archived tables yielded their county series for 1939 to 2013.61of Wisconsin's 72 counties appear in the state harvest tool
- Counties · Harvest historyTwo Numbers, One Herd: Michigan's Reporting GapMichigan counts harvested deer through mandatory registration and estimates the harvest through a hunter survey. During the years with results from both, registration counts were 12.4% to 22.5% lower than the DNR's statewide survey estimate. Across our work, we treat these measurements separately.22.5%Michigan registered harvest below the survey estimate, 2023
- Counties · Public land and accessPublic Ground, Real Numbers: Most Listed Properties Carry No Deer FigureHunters often think herd data for public land is absent. The layer lists 4,867 properties managed by states or federal agencies; only 874 (18%) have effort, harvest or herd data. Deer figures are mostly harvest counts; density is rarest.874of 4,867 named public properties carry a deer figure
- Counties · RankingsThe Trophy-Count Trap: Why You Can't Rank States by Record-Book NumbersTrophy totals accumulated over the years reflect a state's efforts to get hunters to report more than its production of big deer. The sound use is to rank places within a state, never to compare state totals on a leaderboard.
- Timing · RutThe Rut Moves South: What Ohio's Weekly Data Says About TimingOhio's weekly county tallies show a modest, steady latitude difference: archery harvest centers roughly one to three days ahead near Lake Erie compared with the Ohio River.1.4 to 2.9 daysearlier archery peak in Ohio's Lake Erie counties than along the Ohio River
- Counties · Harvest historyKansas Without a County: Hunting a Survey StateKansas offers a dream hunt for non-residents, but its data stands apart. A hunter survey after the season estimates harvest by unit, leaving no county-of-kill count. That limit determines how to read the state.40,000permit holders sampled each year for Kansas harvest estimates
- Counties · Harvest historyThe Perishable Record: The Deer Data That DisappearsMinnesota replaces its current-season, individual-deer registration snapshot each year; North Dakota’s files for earlier years return errors; Wisconsin removed eleven counties. The fullest deer data has a limited life: save it before it disappears or lose it.186,333registered deer in Minnesota's latest season
- Counties · Harvest historyWhen Harvests Bounce Back: What Two Decades of Harvest Records Say About RecoveryAfter summer disease or severe winter weather, how did harvest respond? Recovery timing and levels varied: Illinois regained its 2011 total by 2024; by 2020, Michigan had too, then slipped. Iowa held lower. A review of past harvests.+21.6%Illinois harvest gain from the 2013 low to 2024
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlinesThe Season-Structure Atlas: How Nine States Actually Let You HuntBowhunting dates, gun seasons, legal weapon limits, and buck harvest caps across nine Midwest states, brought together for easy comparison, plus a look at which season choices quietly produce older bucks.Ninestates compared, with archery the longest season in every one
- Counties · RankingsWhere the Giants Live: One Honest Trophy Ranking, and Why Only OneRaw trophy listings put Pike, Fulton and Will atop Illinois. A complete index with duplicate records removed across sources puts Edgar first and Will in the sixties. That difference explains why we rank trophy quality for just one state.80.5Edgar County, the top index score in Illinois
- Counties · Harvest historyThe Data Hunter's Field Guide: Reading Government Deer Numbers Without Getting FooledFive traps in official deer statistics: a headline that hides a partial count, a season with the wrong label, a goal presented as a measured result, a crash map and a made-up county. Each comes with a checked example and a clue that exposes the problem.20,877North Dakota gun-season deer in 2025, often quoted as the whole harvest
- Counties · Harvest historyWisconsin's 87-Season Arc: The Rise and Fall of a Deer EmpireOur longest unbroken county harvest series, Wisconsin 1939 to 2025, covers a full cycle: postwar scarcity, a managed midcentury surge, the 615,293 high in 2000, and a 43.9% drop during intentional herd cuts and the CWD era.−43.9%Wisconsin harvest, 2000 to 2025
- Counties · RankingsThe Two Iowas: Where the Deer Are TakenIowa's nonresident reputation spans the state, but reported harvest varies widely. Driftless northeastern woods and rivers post higher totals than the heavily row-cropped northwest; largest to smallest county counts differ by ~66×.66×Iowa's top county harvest against its lowest, 2024
- Regulations · Rules and policyThe Straight-Wall Revolution: How Three States Rewrote the Gun LineIndiana, Michigan, and Ohio began replacing the eastern Corn Belt's shotgun-only firearm rule from 2014 to 2026. Straight-wall cartridges came first; two states went further and allowed full rifle use.2014year Ohio allowed straight-walled rifle cartridges
- Counties · Harvest historyThe Best Deer Data in America Is on a Military BaseDepartment of Defense installations hold controlled hunts that require check-in and publish deer data for individual properties at the country's finest reporting resolution, reaching the level of a single hunt day.1,254hunters in the field at Camp Ripley on October 31, 2020
- Timing · Weather and windThe Wind You Can't See: Thermals and the Stand That Gets Busted on a Perfect WindForecasts show one wind arrow. Wherever there is a hill, another current follows the sun: up as ground warms, down as it cools. It routinely overrules planned wind, helping explain why careful hunters still get winded. The arrow omits it.
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryReading the Ground: What LIDAR Shows That Satellite Can'tAn aerial photo captures the woods from above, showing the green treetops. The forest floor hidden under that canopy, where deer travel, stays out of view. Laser terrain mapping reveals that ground and the features that determine how a hunt plays out: a bench, a saddle, or a ditch that funnels most of a drainage through one crossing.
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryThe Sun Budget: Why a Cold-Season South Slope Is Worth More Than It LooksThe cost of winter warmth helps shape deer bedding. Low sun gives a slope facing it hours its neighbor across a draw misses. This terrain layer, the third, describes the ground's daily energy budget hunters sense but rarely measure.0 to 10 hoursof direct winter sun per day across Illinois
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseOne in Three: Wisconsin's CWD, RecalculatedWisconsin's headline figure puts lifetime positivity among tested deer at about 5%. Pooling twenty-six years masks a rising rate. In 2025 sampling-year tests, 11.1% were positive; roughly a third were positive in the southern core.35.7%CWD positivity in Richland County in 2025
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseMissouri's CWD Doesn't Creep. It Jumps.933 positive deer by kill section, 2011 to 2025. Three years: positives within half a mile of a Macon County spot. Most mapped positive counties (39 of 55) first detected CWD over 75 miles from origin; farthest about 240 miles.39 of 55mapped counties whose first detection landed over 75 miles from the start
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseThe On-Ramp: Captive Deer and the 69-County Watch ListDeer carry CWD a few miles yearly; people move it much farther. 58% of counties with infected captive facilities have wild CWD. April 2025 data record captive CWD but no wild detection in 69 counties. Start looking there.58%of captive-CWD counties also have wild CWD
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseThe Crash That Hasn't Come: CWD Prevalence vs. the Wisconsin HerdThrough 2024, Wisconsin's core had less decline in crashes than counties below 5% prevalence. Harvest dropped 7% against 3%, a small gap without a collapse. The lag still calls for caution.−6%median drop in collision rate in the highest-prevalence counties, 30% elsewhere
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryPick the Tree, Not the RidgeSpring turkey hunts fall during bare-canopy season, the year's only chance for aerial photos to show branches instead of leafy surfaces. With pixels three to six inches wide, a roost tree becomes a distinct object you can pick out.3 to 6 inchespixel size of our bare-canopy county imagery
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryThe East Bench Really Does Win the MorningA familiar turkey rule points gobblers toward slopes lit earliest. We tested it throughout an Illinois county, using each bench's visible terrain horizon. This time, the lore holds; shade occurs more often as slopes steepen.95.8%of east and southeast benches in Edgar County are in sun by fly-down
- Counties · Public land and accessHow Many Acres Share Each Parking Lot on Illinois Public Turkey GroundWe assume hunters gather near parking. To find where parking is sparse, we used maps from IDNR and USFWS to tally symbols for four big Illinois public tracts, then ranked them by acreage for each symbol.56parking symbols on agency maps at Ten Mile Creek
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryRank Your Strut Benches by Morning Sun, Not by GutOn aerial images, openings on the same ground can appear exactly alike. Yet during the first two hours after sunrise in Edgar County, benches getting the most sun receive more than double the direct sunlight of those getting the least. You can work out that difference before setting foot there.2.5×sunlight on the best bench against the worst, first two hours after sunrise
- Counties · Harvest historyWhy Deer-Crash Maps LieDeer collision totals are pitched as maps of deer density, but they map traffic. Counts alone lack a travel denominator; vehicle-mile rates account for the amount of driving.0.306correlation of Iowa county harvest with animal crashes
- Timing · Weather and windWhen to Trust Your Wind Forecast, and When It's LyingForecast wind arrows become measurably less dependable when the weather is calm, clear, and cold: the familiar perfect morning. Why forecasts for a single spot fail in the woods, and how to assess scent risk before heading in.45%of calm, clear nights had wind swing over 90 degrees off its usual direction
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryReading a Bench, Saddle, and Draw on a Topo MapThree terrain features determine deer travel routes and bedding spots: how each appears on a contour map, how deer use it, and why a large elevation interval between contour lines keeps half of them from showing up.10 or 20 feettypical contour spacing, which leaves out the most useful terrain
- Counties · Public land and accessHow to Check a Landowner Name Before You KnockWhere parcel records originate, how an app's owner name can fall two years behind, and how to confirm recorded ownership through a county-roll check in five minutes before seeking permission.30 to 300 feethow far rural parcel lines can miss the true boundary
- Counties · Public land and accessReading Public-Land Pressure: Effort, Not DistanceHunter GPS tracks show less use on difficult ground, even when distance from the road is not the only factor. Find overlooked pockets at home before you drive out by studying places to enter, terrain steepness, and how water moves, collects, and affects the ground.20 minutesto build a public-land pressure map at home
- Habitat · Cover and beddingFinding Buck Bedding in Flat FarmlandWhy bedding advice from the hills fails on level land, where deer bed instead, and how 1-meter LIDAR reveals subtle rises on seemingly empty terrain.5 or 10 feettypical contour spacing, too coarse to show a one foot rise
- Timing · RutStanding Corn and the Rut: How Harvest Timing Rewires MovementWhy deer stay in standing corn, how a newly cut field can change things in days, harvest timing from September through November or later, and how a county assessment gives you more than scouting from the road.40 acresof standing corn can hold a deer's food, bed and cover
- Counties · Public land and accessThe Permission Playbook: Asking Like the Hunters Who Get a YesBuilt from reports by high-performing hunters: parcel packets, letters, tracing LLC and trust owners, matching requests to crop timing, and guarding against lease fraud.30%reply rate one hunter reports from a mailed parcel packet
- Habitat · Land, maps and imageryLeaf-Off Aerial Imagery: What Winter Photos RevealSummer basemaps conceal trails, habitat boundaries, and tree types. Learn to check a photo's age before relying on it and see which details winter aerials reveal once the leaves fall.
- Habitat · Food plotsDesigning Food Plots and Property Layouts on a MapFollow an actual parcel map to place a plot using nearby habitat and LIDAR pinch points, judge scent risk along access paths, match acreage to browsing, and work through a location checklist.78acres in the worked example property in west-central Illinois
- Regulations · CWD and diseaseThe CWD Epicenter: Wisconsin's Southern Herd at the ThresholdDuring 2025 sampling, southern Wisconsin had 87% of CWD detections. Some southwest areas top 30% prevalence among adult bucks. DNR research sets the herd-decline threshold at about 29% in females. Spread north threatens northern herds.87%of Wisconsin's CWD detections come from the Southern Farmland zone
- Counties · Harvest historyTwo Missouris: The Cropland North and the Acorn-Driven OzarksMissouri's deer harvest tells two different stories. Northern farming counties reliably produce good harvests; results in the wooded Ozarks vary widely with the acorn crop. A strong harvest in the north can come in the very same fall as a poor one in the south.9 of 11seasons Franklin County led Missouri's county harvest rankings, 2015 to 2025
- Counties · Harvest historyOne State, Two Herds: The UP Winter Machine vs. the Ag BeltMichigan's Upper Peninsula deer herd rises and crashes according to how harsh winter gets; the southern Lower Peninsula is a steady agricultural region. A mild winter helped drive a 15 to 21% rise in UP buck harvest in 2024, while southern buck harvest stayed level. That single season captures the regional split.+15 to 21%rise in Upper Peninsula buck harvest in 2024
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlinesIllinois Deer Seasons and Deadlines, 2026 to 2027Illinois deer season dates, permit deadlines, and CWD zones for 2026 to 2027. Being checked against Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).Nov 20Firearm, 1st portion opens
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlinesWisconsin Deer Seasons and Deadlines, 2026 to 2027Wisconsin deer season dates, permit deadlines, and CWD zones for 2026 to 2027. Checked against Wisconsin DNR.Nov 21Firearm, 9-day gun opens
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlinesMissouri Deer Seasons and Deadlines, 2026 to 2027Missouri deer season dates, permit deadlines, and CWD zones for 2026 to 2027. Being checked against Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).Nov 14Firearm, november (main) opens
- Regulations · Seasons and deadlinesMinnesota Deer Seasons and Deadlines, 2026 to 2027Minnesota deer season dates, permit deadlines, and CWD zones for 2026 to 2027. Checked against Minnesota DNR.Oct 15Youth opens
- Counties · Population trendsDeer-Vehicle Collisions as a Herd-Abundance SignalAcross thirty-six years, 3,672 observations each describe a single county for a single year. Adjusting crashes to a rate for each billion miles vehicles travel gives a free stand-in for deer abundance.1,759collision density in Schuyler County, the highest