John's Journal...


Deer Hunting Tips to Take More Bucks

Day 3: Take White-tailed Deer by Leaving Home

Editor’s Note: Fifty-one year old Joe Shults of Newport, Tennessee, is a member of several Pro Staffs for outdoor companies and is a member of the Drury Outdoors “Dream Season: The Journey” TV show (https://www.druryoutdoors.com). When Shults was out of work due to a factory closing, he hunted and fished often. He realized there wasn’t a sporting-goods store for miles from his home, so he opened one.

Click for Larger ViewClick for Larger ViewToday, I've hunted every province in Canada except British Columbia. I also hunt Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and Colorado. I've taken elk, mule deer, whitetails, black bears and more wild hogs than I can count. I think about the only big game animal in North America that I haven’t hunted is the Shiras moose.

In 1982, my hunting buddy, David Caughron, started going out of town to hunt. Back then, we primarily hunted Texas, Wyoming, and Montana, some in Georgia and also Tennessee, our home state. I've been asked, “You’ve got so many deer in Tennessee where you live, why did you start hunting away from your home state?” I explain, “You're right. We do have large numbers of deer where I live, but we don’t have very many really-big bucks.”

Click for Larger ViewClick for Larger ViewI live about 16 miles from the North Carolina/Tennessee border and about 60 miles from the Virginia/Tennessee border in east Tennessee. Another reason David and I started hunting away from home was because we had heard and read about the rut but never had seen it when hunting close to home. So, when we went to Texas, we learned and saw what the rut was all about and also learned how to call and rattle deer. We saw plenty of 9- and 10-point bucks there. We never had spotted bucks that big at home. Where I live the buck-to-doe ratio is about 20 does for every buck, so the bucks don’t have to compete for does. We've actually seen 1-1/2-year-old bucks breeding does around the end of February and the first of March in Tennessee.

To get John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBooks and print books on hunting deer, “How to Hunt and Take Big Buck Deer on Small Properties,” “How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows,” “PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property,” “How to Take Monster Bucks,” “How to Hunt Deer Like a Pro,” and “Bowhunting Deer: Mossy Oak Pros Know Bucks and Bows,” or to prepare venison, “Deer & Fixings,” click here on each. Or, go to www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the name of the book, and download it to your Kindle, and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.

For information on making jerky from your deer to provide a protein-rich snack, you can download a free book from http://johninthewild.com/free-books.

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About the Author

John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.

Tomorrow: Don’t Move or Panic When a Big Buck Deer Is Close - Watch His Eyes


Check back each day this week for more about Deer Hunting Tips to Take More Bucks

Day 1: Find the Best Deer Hunting Spots and Get Permission to Hunt Them
Day 2: Kentucky Has White-Tailed Deer, Elk and Bears to Hunt
Day 3: Take White-tailed Deer by Leaving Home
Day 4: Don’t Move or Panic When a Big Buck Deer Is Close - Watch His Eyes
Day 5: Texas Deer Management Can Help You Produce More and Bigger Bucks

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Entry 849, Day 3