Can you name the number one spectator sport in North America? It’s not baseball, figure skating or racing. It’s bird watching. That’s right, more people are watching birds than football and hockey combined. With so many people hoping to see a bird they’ve never seen before, it’s not surprising to see a clamoring for the latest tips and tools to get the job done. Here are my top five tips for getting the most out of your birding experience.

1. Get to Where the Birds Are! This sounds obvious, but many birders spend the majority of their bird watching time and energy on poor locations. Some folk have the advantage of looking out of their windows into the back yard to observe nature’s best. The rest of us need to get moving. I would highly recommend visiting a National Wildlife Refuge. There are over 500 of them across the United States. To find one near you, visit http://refuges.fws.gov/
2. Know What Species to Expect. There are approximately 900 species of birds in the United States and recognizing each of them is nearly impossible. So when you visit an area, do a little research first. You may find that perhaps only a few species actually inhabit that particular area. With a little preparation, you will be able to more readily identify bird species from each other. Keep a list of successfully viewed species — we’ll call this tip number two and a half.
3. Get a Great Pair of Binoculars. Spending time and money to get to the right place can be totally wasted when your binoculars are inadequate. If you have an inexpensive pair of binoculars you are not getting the most out of your viewing. Today’s technologies come at a price and they provide crucial benefits in wildlife viewing. For instance, image stabilization will keep your view from shaking-very important when watching from a long distance. Other cool features include anti-fogging, low-light viewing and wide-view characteristics. Additionally, binoculars with built-in digital cameras enable you to identify birds once you get home. These benefits will definitely enhance your bird watching. A great pair of binoculars will turn a mediocre experience into a great one. You can count on it!
4. Practice Before You Go. A key to viewing wildlife, and especially birds, is to have the ability to very quickly put your binoculars on target. Many people have difficulty finding a full moon in a pair of binoculars-but alas-learning to focus on a bird in a bush or track a bird in flight is easy for someone who has practiced prior to their outing. Try this before you go; lower your binoculars to your side and very quickly raise them to find and follow a jet airliner across the sky. After only a few attempts, you’ll get good at quickly acquiring your target. Quite often, birds are visible for only a few seconds, practice to become proficient.
5. Take Someone with You. Life is always better when shared. Not only do you get to spend time out of doors with someone you like, but they might alert you to the “Number One Sight of the Day.” Share your birding experiences with your friends and family. Pass the birding excitement to a child.

The best part about wildlife viewing is that you the viewer, control almost every aspect of the experience. The more you are prepared, the more rewarding your time in our backcountry will be. Follow these 5 simple tips to get the most out of birding.

Get Outdoors!

The deer management techniques that we use on our property have changed a lot over the past thirty years in relation with the changing deer herd. Whitetail deer numbers in the entire state of West Virginia have grown considerably and our land has been no exception.

We started shooting does in 1997 after the pictures from our scouting camera revealed that we were overloaded with does. Since then we have shot 22 does and only 7 bucks. Three of these bucks, two 8-points and one 10-point are the three largest antlered bucks that we have taken in the last thirty years. We had noticed that there were larger antlered bucks when the deer population had just started to climb in the eighties and then antler sizes began to decrease as the deer numbers grew too high and we were shooting the young bucks each year.

All of this made us realize that we needed to lower the deer population by shooting does and letting the young bucks grow up.

We are currently doing several different things in an attempt to have a well-balanced, healthier deer herd on our farm. These include:

• Harvesting does.
• Letting young bucks grow up.
• Planting food plots to help boost the nutrition.
• Mineral licks.
• Keep records on the deer harvested and a log of the bucks seen during hunting season.
• Leave an area of sanctuary during the hunting season so that the deer are not pressured.
• Provide a limited amount of shelled corn with automated wildlife feeders.
• On some occasions we also cut down trees to provide browse in the winter and fertilize plants growing along the edges, especially the honeysuckle.

The Results

Since changing our hunting strategies we have noticed some changes for the better. We have seen bucks fighting, which we had seldom seen in past years and bucks have started reacting to calling, particularly grunting. We are finding shed antlers now; sheds are hard to find when they’re just spikes. Also the numbers of bucks as compared to does caught on our scouting camera pictures has increased dramatically. This tells us that our buck to doe ratio is improving.

On the other hand, we still feel that our total deer numbers are too high. The body weights of the deer we are shooting are still low. The body weights of the three does that we shot in 1997 ranged from 65 to 85 pounds while the weights of the four does in 2003 varied from 55 to 82 pounds. Although we are not deer aging experts we do look at tooth wear to determine the approximate age of the deer. We usually look at the lower front teeth. A couple of the does that we’ve shot have had these lower front teeth worn all the way to the gumline.

Record Keeping

I believe that the records that we keep have given us a lot of valuable information. We record every buck that we see during hunting season. We include the date, time, number of points, location, person who saw buck, time, and rack width and characteristics. During the season of 2003 we recorded 87 buck sightings, of course many of these bucks showed up several times. It is neat to look back and see the bucks grow up that we have recorded. The rack characteristics are similar from year to year and allow us to identify many of the deer that we see. Most years I am able to look at this list and figure out an approximate number of different bucks that we have seen.

We have also kept deer harvest data since 1997 and I wish that I had started doing this earlier. This data includes the time, date, number of points, location, hunter, dressed weight, inside antler spread and approximate age. I think that we can tell a lot from the weight data and wish that we had kept track of the weights from the bucks that we had shot several years ago when we first got our scales. The weights of the bucks that we have shot since 1997 have ranged from 72 to 130 pounds. The 72 pound deer was a spike that my 9 year old son shot in 2002. The 130 pound buck was an 8-point that I killed in 2000. I knew that this buck was at least three and one-half years old and most likely a year or two older. I had watched this buck for the two previous years when he was a nice wide 6-point and had found one of his shed antlers in 1998. We also had a few pictures of him from our scouting cameras.

One suggestion that I would have for every deer camp would be to buy a set of scales. They provide a lot of information for the relatively cheap cost.

Whitetail deer management is not difficult, is good for the overall health of your deer herd and a lot of fun.

You can read more about our deer management at my Web site.

Much has been written about deer movement in hunting magazines and I have been intrigued by differences in deer activity over the years myself. We have all been in the woods or maybe just while driving to or from work and noticed large differences in deer activity. You will have some days when you see many deer from your tree stand and other days when, from that same stand at the same time of day, you won’t see a single deer. It is also most obvious when you drive to and from work at similar times each day and see large swings in deer activity. After thinking about these changes in deer activity, reading several articles and my hunting observations over the years I’ve found several situations that effect deer movement.

The Rut

Some would say that the rut causes the demise of more mature bucks than any other factor. There’s no doubt that deer are very active during the rut. It is an exciting time to be in the woods. The woods can explode around you at any time during the rut and at about any time of the day. All deer hunters have stories of seeing bucks on the prowl. One year a spike buck let me take three shots at him. The doe that this buck was following ran right by me. When the buck ran by I got him stopped and he just stared at me. After my first shot missed he moved a few feet and let me miss another shot. When the doe saw that I had missed, she ran him back by me again. I think that she was trying to use me to get rid of him. Fortunately I’ve learned a thing or to about shooting a bow since this episode almost twenty years ago.

Weather

I have noticed that weather conditions and upcoming storms have an effect on deer activity. Warmer than average temperatures during hunting season definitely minimize deer activity. I also have found that wind makes deer very skittish. It seems that wind messes up all of their senses. The wind causes everything in the woods to move confusing their sight as well as both masking and making noise. I would also think that their great sense of smell is also confused as well. I have spent many days out hunting on windy days where I couldn’t hear anything or tell what was or wasn’t moving it’s no wonder that the deer lay low on these days. Deer don’t seem to mind a mild rain, but when the rain is falling heavier I’ve seldom seen a lot of activity.

Changes in the weather definitely cause the deer to move. Most likely it is the change in barometric pressure that triggers deer before large storms arrive. On several occasions I have noticed deer out feeding at odd times of the day in the hours preceding a storm.

The Moon

There have been articles written on the effects of moon phases and moon position on deer activity. I haven’t figured this one out yet but I think that there must be something to it. I have seen increased deer activity on days when I can’t use the rut or weather to explain it. Research has been conducted in an effort to determine the effects of the moon phases in relation to the start of the rut. What I have read of this information seems promising as far as predicting the start of the rut and the intensity of the rut. A few years ago there was some research into the effects of moon positioning, or in other words when the moon was high in the sky, on deer activity. I haven’t seen any further discussions on this theory in the past couple of years. I have to believe that if the oceans tides can be predicted with the moon than we might also expect the animals to be effected as well.

Most of us only have a limited number of days that we can hunt each year and the best that we can do is to take full advantage of this time. If you can plan your hunting time in advance and you want high deer activity you should plan your hunt during the rut or pre-rut when moon prediction gurus say activity will be at the heaviest and pray for the right weather. In the end, the best way to handle changes in deer activity is to be in the woods as much as possible.

So you’re thinking of starting a food plot? I found myself in that same situation about two years ago when I cleared my first plot. In the area of deer management and food plots I was like most beginners. I had no clue where to start or what my final plan was going to be.

This article can be seen as a starting point for people who are thinking of starting a food plot, and incorporating it into their current deer management plan. This article is not based on any research and I am by no means an expert in the area — this is simply what I did and what I continue to do. I would like to be able to help people start their plan by giving them some tips and thoughts. The 300 hundred-acre farm that I hunt currently has 4 food plots and more in the works. So as I try and learn new things I will add it this page, for now I will give you a starting point and some things to consider.

The first thing that must be done before anything else is plan what you would like to accomplish. Here you can simply look at the land you have available and determine how many food plots you want and what size you would like to make them. Another very important factor is location. You should try to find a location that has a nearby water supply, and provides cover from both the weather and predators. Once you have a clear plan such as where you would like to place your plots and how big you want them, clearing the plots will start.

Tree and brush removal is very labor intensive and can be quite expensive and will often lead to unfinished plots. You should find a location with the least amount of trees and brush as possible. When I look for a new area I try to locate areas that have been logged before and have grown up with thick brush (This may not be an option for some people unless your land has been logged off). I do this because most of the clearing I do is by hand with a chain saw, brush cutters, and a tractor and brush hog. Here is a tip that you could consider. Depending on how big your plot is and how big the trees are, you could try to sell the logs that are there to earn some money to help fund your project.

Ok now that you have your area picked out and cleared now is the time to prepare the site. I will tell you what I do in this stage but the final decision is yours and the situation you have. Once I have a food plot cleared I wait until new growth begins and I begin to kill the weeds. I like to go to the local garden center and buy a weed and brush killer. I use round up because you can plant two weeks after you use it. I buy the concentrate and mix it, as I need it. If you have ever seen what can happen to an area once all the bigger trees have been removed you know first hand how rapidly the under brush can grow up. This is one reason why I like to wait at least one season before I plant any thing. Once the new growth begins it is very vital that you attack the brush and keep it under control. Simply mix your brush killer in the quantity you need and spray the area well. This step is not required but I would advise you to take it. I would hate to see you spend all that time, money, and hard work on clearing the site just to have the under brush take over the newly planted food plot seed you lay down.

Once you have your plot clear and most of the brush killed off it is now time to start planting. You should have an idea by now as to what kind of seed you would like to plant. There are a lot of different types of food plot mix on the market and the final choice is yours. I have two food plots that have nothing but Ladino clover in them. I have another plot that gets a mixture of clover, wheat, rye, and turnips that gets replanted every spring. The fourth food plot that I am working on is going to be a mini apple orchard with clover and grass in between the trees. Other types of things that work well for food plots are alfalfa, corn, soybeans, lespedeza, chufa, or Milo. Another helpful tip is before you buy any seed check with your state conservation department and see if they have a program that helps private land owners acquire seed. Before you plant your plot it would be a good idea to test your soil for the proper PH level, and to see what types of nutrients you will need to add. Most garden centers have a do it yourself soil testing kit. The ones I have seen seem pretty easy to use. I use the PH meter made by Rapitest, it is simple to use and I am happy with the performance of this product. Once you have tested your soil you can plant the mix you have decided on. Fertilize the soil according to the test results and the type of mix you picked out.

You now have a food plot that is well on its way to providing your deer herd with the nutrients they need to survive. With some maintenance, your new plot will supply wildlife with food for years to come. Have Fun.