It's mid-August, antlers are about fully grown, and hunters can start forming conclusions about what whitetail antlers are going to look like after they harden and shed velvet. Although hunters talk a lot about genetics, that has little do do with why one season differs from another. In this week's column I detail some of the reasons one year can produce bigger antlers than another year. And this year is shaping up very well for hunters.
It looks like we have some real bruisers to chase this year. And that's not all. We have a healthy deer population in lots of places, indicated by plenty of deer being seen along the roadways, and lots of does having more than one fawn.
Find out the reasons for optimism in my August 12 column in the Jamestown Gazette, "Looking Forward to a Great Deer Season."
Photo by Steve Sherk, Jr.: Steve Sherk, Jr., a serious deer hunter in the Bradford, PA area, scouts incessantly and guides hunters to some trophy bucks on public land. He’s holding a set of shed antlers from a buck that made it through last season and it’s only one of many he has on camera this summer.
To read other blog posts from MISSION: HUNTER, CLICK HERE to go to www.EverydayHunter.com.