BANKS BLOG

Starting now and continuing through April, deer will be shedding their antlers as they discard the current year’s set to regrow a new pair throughout the spring and summer. Head out and collect these antler sheds this spring and discover clues about the herd’s health.

In February, the temperatures are still cold and there is still snow on the ground, so the deer will conserve their energy during this last winter push and hold onto their vital fat stores until it’s over. They’re starting to drop their antlers, so as you continue to offer them bedding and food sources, start looking for antlers on the ground around your property.

As we begin to close out the winter months and look toward spring, now is a good time to start thinking about the deer herd’s health. Spring is the season for fawn births and antler growth. Late winter into spring is when deer shed their antlers and begin to grow new ones. So, by keeping your herd healthy now, you’ll set them up with a solid nutritional base as they go into this formative season.

Most hunters know that an overhunted area is an underpopulated one. Spending too much time in one spot or having too many hunters in an area too often will lead to hunting pressure. Deer can sense this pressure and will learn not to return to it during hunting season. That said, once that pressure cools down, the deer will start migrating to those areas again and the pattern can start over. Learn more, below, about how a deer’s behavior changes post-season when the hunting pressure drops.

Like many animals, and certainly many humans, deer hunker down and stay in one place to stay warm during cold temperatures. Winter can be a great time to observe the deer herd’s path because you can scout them and follow them without worrying about interfering with hunting pressure. Check out our tips, below, on how to scout bedding areas when everything is frozen.

Keeping your feeders stocked during the winter months can help provide the deer herd with nutrition when their natural food sources are unobtainable. If you continue to feed your deer herd even during the off season, you’ll keep the deer on your property and create a dependency that will last well into next season. Check out our tips, below, for how our Feedbank Gravity Deer Feeders can help keep deer close this winter.

Deer have adapted their lifestyles to accommodate the harsh winter months. Their normal food sources might be completely buried in snow, so they’ve not only adapted to eat branches and other shrubs, their bodies have become conditioned to conserve energy and not expend unnecessary calories. Below, we’ve got some ways that deer survive Midwest winters and how Banks Outdoors products can fit into that lifestyle.

As we enter the last week of hunting season in Minnesota, it’s a great time to reflect on what you learned throughout the 2025 hunting season and how you can improve for next year. As you venture out to your Stump blind for one more hunt before the New Year, set aside some time in the blind to take stock and make notes for the next deer season and go into 2026 with fresh ideas, a clear direction and action items to help make the most out of next year’s hunt.

We’re in the last couple weeks of deer hunting season here in Minnesota and many hunters will be out in the woods, braving the cold, and preparing to harvest some wild game for their holiday dinner table. While some hunters only focus on harvesting bucks, proper doe management can be beneficial to keeping the ecosystem in order with an appropriate ratio of bucks to does. Check out this week’s blog for some “FYI’s” about the importance of harvesting does.

We’re in the last month of deer hunting season here in Minnesota, with the season ending on Dec. 31. The weather has been below 30 degrees for a while here, which means we are officially below freezing temps. It’s important to stay safe as you venture out into these conditions, which means staying as warm as possible. Our Banks Outdoors products can help with that. Learn more about how our accessories can keep you warm during these freezing December hunts.

Mild fall weather is giving way to harsh winter temperatures, taking with it the wild bucks that are doing nothing but searching for does. Now that rut season is on the decline as we enter December, you’ll need to adjust your hunting strategy to account for the cool down of the reproductive energy you saw throughout the fall months. There’s still time to harvest that buck you’ve had your eye on all year before the season closes on Dec. 31. Here are some tips on how to adjust your hunting strategy as the rut season, and hunting season, comes to an end.