BANKS BLOG
Discover expert hunting tips, blind selection guides, and land management strategies from Banks Outdoors. From beginner basics to advanced techniques - everything hunters need to know.
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.
How to Use Feeders to Support Herd Health Before Spring Arrives
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.
Post-Season Deer Behavior: What Changes After the Hunting Pressure Drops
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.
Winter Feeding Strategies: Keeping Game Close With Gravity Feeders
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.
How Deer Survive Harsh Winters in the Midwest (And What It Means for Hunters)
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.