UNDERSTANDING THE RUT

By: Travis Travillian (Pro Staff at Kentucky Outdoors Shop)

September 19, 2015

October through late November and the

cold winter coming soon mean’s love is in the

air, Whitetail deer will begin the “RUT”.

Buck’s will be aggressive and nosey. Many

hunters think it’s an easy way to kill the

biggest buck in the woods or the farm… And

they are right. Many bucks let down their

guard and will chase down that HOT

beautiful doe to the ends of the earth if they

have too. They will come up on a competitor

and fight to the death for dominance. But be

cautious, if you use attractant’s like doe

urine; make sure you don’t get mistaken for

her or it will be a bad day. Get your tools out

and be prepared, a great deer call like “THE

CAN” or “THE ORIGINAL LONG CAN”

made by PRIMOS can really aid you in

luring over that monster buck that’s a few

hundred yards away. A few loud grunts’ and

a rattle-bag with TINK’S #69 in the air and

you’ll have him in love, Liquid in your

hands. Companies are pumping out new

products better than the last every year. New

technology and even better prices every year

they put out the merchandise at your local

outdoors store. If you really want that BIG

12 get ready and be PATIENT. Wildgame

Innovation’s has AMAZING products like

“ACORN RAGE” that will absolutely bring

in the deer, of all sizes. The way they have

the drift scent with the powdered acorns and

chestnuts really improves you’re chances.

Get the doe’s in and let it be. A big buck will

follow them in.

I am going to break down each phase of the

“RUT” starting with

ThePre-Rut,

As the temperatures begin to fall the bucks

shed the antler velvet and begin their

sparing matches. These are not always life

and death fights but simply a push and shove

affair where bucks get rid of some

frustration and test their competitors and

fight for dominance. It’s almost a sick joke

on the bucks from Mother Nature that they

are ready to breed but the does aren’t. At

this time bucks still live together in bachelor

groups.

TheChasingPhase,

About three to four weeks after the Pre Rut

the chasing phase blends in. The mature

bucks begin now to leave the buck groups

and lead a life in solitude, beginning to

follow the does around, chasing them day

and night. At about this time the does begin

to produce pheromones as the estrus nears.

It is believed that this pheromones

advertising the estrus cycle causes bucks to

produce more male hormones.

At first bucks follow the does in some

distance, shadowing the does. While there

may be several bucks that follow a doe, it

will be the dominant bucks that follow the

doe at a close distance. As the doe nears her

full estrus cycle the bucks chase becomes

more intensified and heated.

TheRut,

The estrus period, where a doe is most

fertile, only lasts about 24 hours. The doe

will now stand still for the buck rather than

run away from him the moment he tries to

come very close to her. She will now tolerate

that buck when he begins to mount her.

After breeding the buck will stay with that

doe throughout her estrus period before he

goes off to find a new estrus doe, commonly

referred to as “doe in heat”. Bucks breed

several does in a very short time frame. Not

all the does come in heat at exactly the same

time or day.

If a doe has not been breed the first time, she

will come back in heat again after 28-30

days. Researchers have found that some does

can go through six to seven estrus cycles in a

mating season. But in reality most does are

breed the first time around.

It is the few does that repeat their estrus

cycles in 28-30 days that lead up to the post

rut.

ThePostRut

The post rut is the same as the Rut but very

much less intensive as the first rut because

most of the does have already been breed

and the competition is very slim. Bucks are

still wandering about and checking out doe

feeding and bedding areas to find the last un-

breed doe.

Exhaustion, Will overcome the bucks and

after they done what they needed to do they

will rest up and take a good nap. The RUT is

a short lived but physically exhausting few

weeks, but it’s worth it.

BEST DEER ATTRACTANTS

By: Travis Travillian (Pro Staff at Kentucky Outdoors Shop)

September 19, 2015

Deer attractants come in all shapes and

sizes. I use a mixture of them from Acorn

Rage to 3 Day Harvest. Let me tell you.

THEY WORK! I moved in a house with a

big field and woods in the back and a ¼ acre

farm pond. I have lived there for over a year

and before I started using Deer attractants I

didn’t see a deer. I bought a 40lb bag of

Wildgame Innovations Deer Corn, Acorn

Rage lick block and a bag of Evolved

Habitats Deer Cain. I created a station close

to my wood line and the pond. I bumped the

whole bag of corn out and tore up some dirt

and retrieved some pond water in my 5

gallon bucket to mix my Deer Cain into.

After I poured it out on the fresh dirt I set

up my Game-Trail Camera and left. The

next day I looked out my kitchen window

and too my amazement I had a deer in the

station. Every day for 2 weeks I seen deer

back there eating and I was totally

impressed. So now I want to say THANK

YOU to Evolved Habitats and Wildgame

Innovations for creating such wonderful

products! I’m sure that there is a lot more

deer attractant out in stores, but I trust

Wildgame Innovations, They get great

reviews and it takes out the guessing game,

they make sure they sell clean and trusted

products and they do. I can now feel

comfortable knowing I have a better chance

of getting a deer than I did before. For a

product to work so fast and effectively is why

I am telling you what the Best Deer

attractants to go out and buy are. It’s worth

every dime I spend when I go buy deer feed.

Now since I sell hunting supply online all I

have to do is click and it gets shipped to me,

with my work and family schedule it’s great

to know I don’t have to take time and have

to spend more money and run out my gas

just for 1 or 2 items.

Scent drift, Aerosol they work. All you need

now is the patience. Don’t be the 15 minuet

hunter and leave. Get out and wait for them.

Call, Rattle they will come. With great

products out, there is no reason you can

bring out that monster buck.

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Kentucky's Deer Restoration

Restoring Kentucky’s deer population took patience and some good old-fashioned ingenuity.

(Note: Former Kentucky Afield magazine writer J.B. Garland first published this story in 1998. Although

some information may be dated and some personnel have changed, it provides a glimpse into Kentucky’s

deer restoration efforts.)

Morning light had not yet pushed away the shadows

when the deer trapping crew drove up to the tennis

courts at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park. It was

cold that January morning and the resort was closed for

the winter, but Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Deer

Coordinator John Phillips and crew had a special

purpose for being there. Usually trapping crews used

box traps, tranquilizer darts or net traps to capture deer,

but the state park offered a unique opportunity.

Today’s crew had been baiting the tennis courts for

several weeks, leaving both gate doors open. A week

before the trapping was to take place, one of the doors

was shut. Finally, this morning, the crew approached

the courts and shut the other door trapping the feeding

deer inside. The capture was made easily, but the deer

still had to be tagged and loaded onto trucks where they

would be transported to other counties and released to

establish new viable deer herds.

Greg Powers, a member of the trapping crew, cornered

a young button buck. Grabbing the deer’s front legs, he

wrestled it to the ground so another member of the crew

could tag it. Powers took a good look at the deer after it

was loaded on the truck; it wasn’t the last time that he

would see it.

Six years later, Powers was bow hunting on the

Paintsville Lake Wildlife Management Area when he

took a monster of a deer. According to its ear tag, it was

the same buck that he captured on the Lake

Cumberland park’s tennis courts. The buck was a non-

typical that scored 200 7/8 on the Pope and Young

scale, the second highest Pope and Young Club entry

from Kentucky.

By the time Powers took his record deer, hunting had

become a realistic pursuit all over the state. But fewer

than 50 years before, Kentucky didn’t allow deer

hunting because of low populations, and just 20 years

before it was still rare to bring home a deer from a hunt.

Concerned sportsmen had taken action but deer

restoration took time to be successful.

Concern for dwindling wildlife populations in

Kentucky began before the turn of the century when, in

1894, the Kentucky legislature passed a law making it

illegal to kill a buck, doe or fawn between March 1 and

September 1. In 1912, sportsmen convinced the

legislature to take further action and form a Game

Commission. The commission recommended closing

the state to deer hunting. Deer hunting did not reopen

until 1946.

The first modern-day deer hunt actually came because

of one Isaac Bernheim. In 1929, Bernheim brought 15

red deer (a close relative of elk) from Europe and

released the giants on his property, which he managed

as an example of conservation in Bullitt County. The

red deer herd grew so large that local farmers began

complaining. In January 1946, it was red deer, not

whitetails that became the focus of the first legal deer

hunt in Kentucky since before World War I.

It cost $10 for hunters to participate. If they were lucky

enough to kill a deer, they had to pay an additional $15

for a tag. Although hunters took fewer than 30 deer, the

hunt successfully scattered the herd.

However, scattering the existing herds of white-tailed

deer would not be enough to establish a statewide deer

population. So the Kentucky Division of Game and

Fish, now the Kentucky Department of Fish and

Wildlife Resources, received deer from Wisconsin to

begin a white-tailed deer restoration program.

Department personnel relocated most of these deer to

Christian, Crittenden, Livingston and Ballard counties.

Ballard Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and

Mammoth Cave received stockings of Kentucky deer

and Wisconsin deer, and later became trapping sites.

Stocking would be the method to establishing a

statewide deer herd. Unfortunately, before 1945 there

was little work done in the area of biological wildlife

management. Wildlife management was largely limited

to law enforcement. As a result, early deer hunting

seasons were too liberal, ultimately undoing much of

what previous stocking had established.

In the 1960s and 1970s, deer stocking intensified.

Seasons grew more restrictive to protect the state’s

herd. Much of the state’s current deer population

originated from deer trapped at Ballard WMA and

Mammoth Cave and moved elsewhere in the state

between 1963 and 1974.

Robert Willis set up the first deer check stations in

1976. Willis and John Phillips, a biologist with the

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources,

met at Kleber Wildlife Management Area the day after

the deer season ended. Willis and Phillips hand-sorted

all the deer check cards to tabulate the year’s deer

harvest.

By the 1980s, the western two-thirds of the state had

enough deer to open a season. Statewide, more than

40,000 cards from check stations were compiled using a

scanner. Still, many eastern counties didn’t have viable

deer herds. Deer transplanted to eastern Kentucky faced

additional problems of rugged terrain and dogs. These

elements, not poachers, were the major obstacles to the

growth of the herd.

When Phillips became Kentucky’s deer program

coordinator in 1978, he began defining the differences

in deer populations from east to west across the state.

He determined that counties could have a season if

there was more than one deer a square mile. So instead

of putting 50 deer in a county, he proposed putting 500

deer in each county. His theory was successful. During

the 1980s and 1990s, Phillips and his crews trapped and

released around 12,000 deer.

Charlie Wilkins remembers the intensity of the program

during those years. He came on as manager of the

Ballard Wildlife Management Area in 1985. During the

winter months, deer trapping was a seven-day-a-week

job for Wilkins and his crew, which consisted of 11

men. The object was to trap as many deer as possible

and transport them as quickly as possible. The labor

was time-intensive and work-intensive.

From the first restrictions on hunting in 1894, to nearly

statewide seasons in 1997, the torch has been handed

down. It took dedication to raise Kentucky’s white-

tailed deer population from fewer than 2,000 in 1945 to

a statewide herd of more than 450,000 today. The

state’s last deer stocking will occur in Perry County in

1999.

The 2015 deer season kicks off on 9-5-2015 and stops 1-18-2016. This is 136 days of Archery Whitetail Deer Hunting.

It's a great way for the State Of Kentucky to manage these herds of deer. Archery is at the TOP of my list. I am a hunter

and I love the sport and Deer Jerky... But just sitting in the stand listening to nothing but world and wildlife waking up

at 6am I can’t find a better way to live.

August, 15th 2015 Squirrel Season began. I use Squirrel season as an excuse to go Deer Scouting and find my next

hunting area. Buy a couple 50 lbs bag of corn and a mineral lick and I’m ready to go. I try to stay up to date with new

Camouflage and Deer Calls, Scents etc. But I think my Dedication and time put in the woods I’m going to be hunting is

a more valuable assets and tool than anything hanging on a wall.

The products I buy and use are Primo’s Can call's, Real Tree Hardwood Camouflage, Wildgame Innovations Feed

products, Bone Collector products and carry my trusty sidekick(S&W SR9) and my Marlin Lever-Action 30/30. You

cannot beat that folks.

I've always dreamed of killing that giant buck, like everyone else. But if you're like me, you can’t afford those

expensive hunting trips. But you have to keep your head in the game. This website is a work in progress. It's more like

the perfect country and western song you’re going to see Picture’s and Video's of Buck's, Does’, Turkey, Elk, Black

Bear and even Coyote's Southern Kentucky has a list of Big Game Animal's to choose from. This fall and Winter I'm

going to film some Hunt's and Adventures and take you along for the experience. Introduce you to my Family.

Staying legal is a priority. If it's in season, it will be hunted. If it's brown it's down. These are My Whitetail Obsession’s

so come with me and enjoy the Great American Outdoors.

-Travis Travillian

Predator Hunting In Kentucky

By: Travis Travillian (ProStaffer at Kentucky Outdoors Shop)

Predator hunting takes patience. You have to disappear and observe your surroundings. You must utilize patience and

skill's you thought you never had. Predator hunting often involves sitting still for long periods of time while only using

your eyes to scan the terrain in front of you. Even the most attractive calls that may be a dinner bell to bobcat's, coyote's

or fox's you still must maintain stealth like approach. At times you will have predators come racing in to for a kill, but

more often than not they will take a cat like approach, come in from downwind and have their sharp eyes keyed in on

you.

Predator hunting often requires being tactical and sometime's having the ability to setup several different times or even

bounce around to different properties quickly. Coyotes can cover miles each day in search of food. A coyote that has

left its sign today could be 10 miles away by tomorrow.

Not every hunt will end in success. To say the least, predator hunting is downright hit or miss, but there are usually a

few things amateurs start out doing wrong and that is most often over-calling and setting up with the wind wrong.

These are most likely the 2 biggest factors at failure for amateurs.

Bobcats are vicious animals unlike the cowardly Coyote. They will fight you tooth and nail. So you had better make the

shot count the first time. Or you could be the one being stalked and hunted. Kentucky also has Mountain Lions but

they'll see you before you see them. The skittish Red Fox is a beautiful animal that is hard to sneak up on, just like the

Coyote you'll have to be a smooth operator.

LYNC at Predator Down wrote this

Think like a Coyote

First off let’s think like a coyote. Why does a coyote need to move about? To hunt, defend their territory, breed, etc.

Since they rely heavily on their nose or olfactory stimuli, the biggest factor that limits their movement is wind speed.

Because of this, when the wind picks up coyotes seek cover. Now, that being said lets talk about other factors to

consider when deciding when the best time to coyote hunt is.

If you want to maximize your productivity on stand you might be asking when is the best time to coyote hunt? What

effects does temperature, barometric pressure and moon phase have on coyote hunting and how can you use them to

your advantage? If you have the luxury of choosing which days you would like to get out calling, then answers to these

questions will help you know when the most productive times would be to be out in the field.

Temperature

Coyotes are no different than any other animal. When it is hot, they like to stay cool. They will do most of their hunting

during the night when it’s cooler. This isn’t to say that you can’t call them in on a hot summer morning, because it

happens, but when the temperature is cooler they are more responsive. So just what is a good temperature? I have found

when the temperature stays below 65 degrees I can call all day long and still have success. As soon as it gets above this

temperature coyote activity declines.

Barometric Pressure

What about barometric pressure? This is something that I haven’t taken the time to capture specific numbers on, but I

can tell you that it does affect coyote movement. Just before a storm the air pressure will drop and after the storm the

pressure will rise again. Mississippi State University did a research project on carnivore ecology and found that coyote

activity decreases as the pressure decreases and increases as the pressure increases. So that being said, the best time to

hunt would be after a storm instead of before. My theory is that the prey animals hunker down before a storm and come

out as soon as it is over. On the other hand I remember a morning of calling as a light snow storm was rolling in and the

coyotes were active. We had to leave at noon, but had responders on six of the ten stands. So if you have the time, hunt

both before and after, but if you are like the rest of us, you go whenever possible.

Moon Phase

And lastly, what about the moon phase? One thing I like to do is keep a log of the days I go out calling, how many I

called in, shot, etc. I went back through the years of data with the moon phase in mind to see if there was a trend

indicating which phase was the best for coyote calling. As I did so I found that the moon phase didn’t seem to have an

affect on the movement of coyotes. There weren’t any trends that corresponded to the moon.

So in answer to the question what is the best time to coyote hunt, I think if I were to describe the ideal day of calling it

would be one that has minimal wind, cooler temperatures, overcast skies, and just after a storm. But since those days

don’t come around all the time, just make the most of and enjoy those days when you can get out in the field.

Tree Stand or Ground Blind?

By: Travis Travillian (Pro Staff at Kentucky Outdoors Shop)

September 19, 2015

So I couldn’t decide if I wanted a ground

blind or a tree stand. I’m not big on heights

so I was leaning towards a ground blind. I

got too looking online and found the same

exact question on Field and Stream’s

website.

Tree stand or ground blind

Question from: The Compound

For bow hunting and deer hunting in general

would I be better with a ladder stand or a

ground blind? Sometimes I hunt private land

and sometimes it’s public

Reply from ChrisUng

I'd say it all depends on the terrain, the cover and the

time of day you are hunting. Both have their advantages

and disadvantages. A complete hunter would keep

either option in his bag of tricks.

Personally I favor tree stand hunting as you'll have a

better field of view to pick up the movement of

incoming deer. With an elevated vantage point, you'll

have a greater peripheral field of view and will be able

to watch more than one animal at a time. (Often

important when focusing on a buck that's with a few

lady friends). I primarily hunt stands of hardwoods

either over a mast crop or along travel routes adjacent

to bedding areas. Often times I have several trails

within shooting range and in a tree stand it's easier to

get a shooting lane to more areas. It's also better for

rattling/calling as your sounds will carry further. Make

sure you practice shooting from an elevated platform as

your angular distance is actually greater than the linear,

and your arrow will fall less than you'd think (aim low).

Ground blind hunting can also be very effective,

especially where hanging a tree stand (or carrying one

in) isn't practical. They are a godsend for setting up

shop in a hedgerow along active crop fields, as well as

in overgrown stuff like CRP fields. In cold weather,

you can get away with running a propane heater and not

have to worry about additional movement while trying

to keep yourself comfortable. The movement of your

draw cycle is also less of an issue when in the shadows

of a blind. On that note, be advised that many of the

blinds on today's market are quite crammed inside. So

if you're planning on bow hunting from one of the

smaller models, you'd better practice shooting from a

kneeling or sitting position.

Happy hunting.

From nyoutdoorsman30-06

If you’re on private property and know of a good spot

for deer a ladder stand is better (in my opinion) but if

you’re on public land a ladder stand may be hard to get

in there and inconvenient so a blind would be good. If

you’re in a blind you may have to practice shooting

from it more than practicing from a tree stand. I find it

much easier to shoot from a tree stand than a blind.

Most of all it depends on what your comfortable

shooting in and what kind of land you’re on.

From Ross McClintock

There are times when I like both. Depends on the

location, waterhole, trail, open country, woods.

From elijahsamuelburnett

thanks for the advice. The spot I’m at is fairly thick too

so a stand would probably off better views. Any

suggestion for brands of stands

From 007

If you do go with a ladder, make sure it's high enough

and with enough concealment. I tried a 12' a few years

back and I might as well have had a neon sign over my

head.

From tyler.josiah.hall

On private land where you can map deer movements

and patterns, you can't go wrong with tree stands. On

public land I like to stay mobile with a ground blind,

just in case it gets to crowded or hunting pressure

changes deer patterns. Hope this helps!

From ChrisUng

A lot of guys will swear by certain brands of tree

stands, but I'm not one of them. I look for something

that's well built, easy to hang (or climb with), and isn't

too terribly difficult to carry to your spot.

If you're going to go the route of using a climbing

stand, you can't go wrong with a Summit, API or even a

Lone Wolf, but you'd spend a small fortune in doing so.

Those brands are all made of aluminum and are lighter,

though not by much. Take a look into some steel stands.

Even though they're a few pounds heavier, you can find

something decent for upwards of $100 cheaper!

If you're planning on using a fixed position hang-on

style stand, get one that's best suited to your frame (if

you're a big guy like me, using a little tiny platform is

NO FUN, especially on a long sit). For my fixed stands

I use climbing sticks rather than screw in steps.

Sportsman guide dot com has some really great deals

on steel climbing sticks and fixed position stands.

If you prefer a ladder (easiest and some say safest), like

007 said, make sure you get one that's tall enough.

Ladders are often very conspicuous, so you'll likely

have to pick a spot where you can camouflage the stand

to break up its awkward silhouette.

You can also find some really good deals on craigslist,

but you always run the risk of buying damaged or

stolen goods there. Use your best judgment.

Now, WHATEVER you choose, make sure you buy a

good full body harness, and keep yourself safely

strapped in from the moment you step off the ground til

the moment you return. Tough guys need not apply, no

deer is worth a 20 foot fall.

From elijahsamuelburnett

Thank for the input! I also have issues with the small

platforms that’s why I would prefer a ladder stand. I

shot from a hang on and wasn’t comfortable shooting

from it at all. I have a couple of spots that would be

good with a ladder stand and would be easy to conceal

one

From yetihunter1

Ladder stands are great but only on private land. I

prefer tree stands over blinds and climbing stands over

ladders on public land. For the ladder stands and the

blind, I would put them out at the least a week before

you head out because I have spooked some nice deer

because it was unfamiliar.

From NJBuckhunter

i would recommend a tree stand because if your hunting

public where someone can see your ground blind

because its more visible and have thoughts about taking

it that’s like throwing cash in the trash. Ground blinds

can also carry some human odors on the same level as

the deer so that may giveaway your hunting spot to

deer. I don’t know I just prefer tree stands because they

have a better view of the land.

From bowhunter138

I would use a tree stand unless you have a place on your

own property where you could leave a ground blind or

permanent blind up year round.

From CoastieJim82

Either is good i have both a tree stand and a ground

blind. and i have seen deer with both. I have had a deer

come within 20 yards of my ground blind. It’s all about

your scent control.

From delweaver

Yeah I agree with coastiejim82 I have used both and

have seen deer come close to both as long as you

practice good scent control

From scottGinNJ

I hunt private property and have used ladder stands for

years with success, always a good choice if set up

properly and I always have one or two up and ready.

The last couple of years I have been trying different

strategies (motley during bow season)just as

experiments, ground blind, tripod, and hunting in

natural cover (standing corn fields/blown down trees

etc.) on the ground. All have worked to take deer. Notes

from my hunting experiments: Ground blinds are great

for nasty weather but damage easily and can be hard to

see/shoot out of. Tripod (lightweight 12') is easy to set

up almost anywhere and the swivel seat is awesome but

it is low and must be hidden well. Natural cover is fun

and lets you easily try different spots but you must be

mindful of wind/scent. Time in the field hunting is what

matters most for getting deer, that and a lot of practice

shooting from different positions.

After reading and thinking to myself. It’s all

about what you want, how you feel the most

concealed and effective. I decided to build a

ground blind out of wooden pallets.

Covering the inside and making it better for

the upcoming winter months. Some tree

stands you have to manually walk it up the

tree and most have ladders. In the winter

with Ice and snow I’d rather not take a

chance on getting hurt out in the woods. I’ll

be on the ground and best of all no cold. I

can block the wind. And most of all I’m

100% concealed.

Winning Online Contest’s

By: Travis Travillian (Pro Staff at Kentucky Outdoors Shop)

September 19, 2015

I wanted to take a moment to tell you that you are missing out. I was once that person that seen

online contest every now and then. I would enter but never got anything, I figured out that I

could Google “ONLINE HUNTING CONTEST 2015”.

By doing this I found 100’s of contest from gear giveaways to winning hunting trips. I have

entered a lot and hopefully I will be fortunate enough to WIN. I know some might be spam, you

never know unless you try.

I want everyone to get that chance to win that all expenses paid trip to any place in the world to

do what we do best. HUNT! I hope that I get to really soon. I know I cannot afford a hunting

trip out of state. That why sponsors and teams come up with these promotions to help people

out. It’s a WIN WIN situation, for you and them.

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