The Whitetail Advantage Book Review
Learn more about how to get into a buck’s core areas with the Whitetail Advantage book
Hunters may not have the largest library of book resources available to them but there is one book that I recently finished that both impressed me and taught me a few things that will definitely help come fall.
Whitetail Advantage is an informational book covering everything from how deer see to what affects deer movement. Written by Dr. David Samuel and Robert Zaiglin, it dives deeply into the biological make up of deer and how it correlates to the behaviors a whitetail will display. Some of the most intriguing chapters in this book are the chapters covering rubs, scrapes, and how home range impacts hunting. You can pick up a copy on Amazon here.
The book Whitetail Advantage by Dr. David Samuel and Robert Zaiglin is a great reference for hardcore deer hunters
How to Hunt Rubs
The chapter covering rubs goes into how traditional rubs (rubs that are used year after year) are hot spots for big bucks. These rubs are focal areas for communication between dominant bucks and non-dominant bucks, as well as does. A study was conducted using trail cameras placed on nine different traditional rubs showing that 50% of the bucks that showed up had eight points or more, while only 27% of the bucks had were six or less. The rest of the deer that showed were does who visited the rubs and also rubbed their bodies against them leaving behind scent from their glands. This could be a source of communication between the bucks and does that indicates when a doe may be coming into heat. Another finding during these studies was that out of eight mature bucks that have used this particular rub, four of them have returned to use it again in following years.
What does the above information mean? That traditional rubs can be a hot spot for deer and big bucks year after year, so make sure that you continue to set up on a known rub, especially during the pre-rut and chasing phase of the rut.
How to Hunt Scrapes
The scrapes section was full of valuable information including the answer to the questions, “what time of day do deer visit scrapes?” This section of the book is important because many hunters spend a lot of time using scrapes as their go-to areas. In the studies conducted in Whitetail Advantage, they found that 85% of bucks visit scrapes at night, but that the times of 8:45 AM to 10:15 AM is also a frequent occurrence of scrape visits. It was also noted the a buck will circle downwind of the scrape, to scent check it, rather than coming right up to it. This could be useful when it comes to stand placement. Be sure to place stands down wind of traditional scrape sites, or when you set up near one.
When it comes to home ranges there are many different things that can come into play. A home range is where a deer will spend the majority of their time. This area needs to have a good bedding area, food source and protection or a sense of security. A home range can vary in size depending on the habitat available.
One example of a home range may include good cover and a good food source. This home range may be a smaller area, since the deer there do not have to travel far to get what they need. Another “rule” of home ranges is that a does home range is roughly one-third the size of a bucks home range.
When targeting a buck in his home range, keep in mind that hunting funnels and bedding sources near his home range will increase your chances of catching him on his fee. The core area, where he will spend up to half his time, is much smaller, but is the best spot to kill him during daylight hours. Scouting in and out of season will help you learn where a buck’s home and core ranges are and the paths to get close to those.
If you’re interested in learning more about whitetail behavior, pick up a copy of Whitetail Advantage: Understand Deer Behavior for Hunting Success on Amazon for $16.00.
The Whitetail Advantage Understanding Deer Behavior for Hunting Success- Book Review
Serious hunters will love the info available and the amount that they’ll learn from this book. Keep following MorningMoss to learn more about whitetail hunting tactics that are coming soon.
