WHY SCOUT FOR DEER AFTER THE SEASON
Locating Dead Deer with Bob Zaiglin
Editor’s Note: Sportsmen across Alabama know
Don  Taylor
of Birmingham, Alabama, as an avid deer and turkey hunter,
and Dr. Bob Sheppard of Carrollton, Alabama, as a bowhunting
instructor. Bob Zaiglin, a wildlife biologist from Texas,
has done extensive research in managing and hunting
trophy white-tailed deer and is a nationally-recognized
expert for his rattling and calling techniques. These
three longtime outdoorsmen know the importance of Scouting
for deer after the season.
“I’ve also discovered some dead trophy deer
before while hunting sheds,” Bob Zaiglin notes.
“One season, I picked up both sides of a 14- point
buck that scored 176 points non-typical on the Boone
and Crockett scale. A shed hunter will find that these
dead deer will includ e
not only deer that may have been wounded during hunting
season, but also some deer that have died of natural
causes. Remember, you're hunting sheds after the rut.
During the rut in regions with big deer, the trophy
bucks usually will be beaten-up badly during mating
season. They may have had to fight on a daily or a bi-weekly
basis, and the bigger, dominant buck must fight more
often to prove his dominance. These big old bucks are
not invincible. They may develop an infection after
being pierced by the antler of a rival. In this weakened
condition, they can be attacked and killed by predators
like coyotes.
“A buck can lose as much as 25 percent of his
body weight during the rut. The rut also coincides with
the worst weather of the year. After deer season in
inclement weather, deer will concentrate heavily around
food sources. Also, some deer, especially trophy deer,
simply die of old age. They have escaped hunting pressure
through the years and eventually die of natural causes
just like humans d o.
Too, deer are accident-prone. Sometimes they'll kill
themselves by running into a tree or hang up on fences
and die. Heat affects deer adversely the same as drought,
and whitetails are susceptible to various parasites
and diseases. The main reason you find these dead deer
when hunting sheds after the season is because you are
in the woods at the time the deer generally die off.
Shed hunters also may find one of the most-discouraging
sights in all of nature - two bucks with antlers locked
in combat, both deer dead. When a hunter discovers two
locked racks, the first thing he knows is that the sex
ratio of the herd is probably approximately one buck
for each doe, because bucks fight more and therefore
lock horns more often when there are fewer does.”
TOMORROW: DETERMINING THE
CONDITION OF THE HERD BOB ZAIGLIN
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