Rick Sayre likes what he's seen so far this autumn in the deer woods. Plenty of deer, and deer on the move, could mean good hunting for the modern gun deer season that opens Saturday morning.
Sayre, of Cave Springs, has earned the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Triple Trophy Award for deer hunting multiple times. It's the prize for taking a deer each with archery, muzzle-loader and modern gun. He's been hunting hard since archery season opened on Sept. 27 and on through muzzle-loader season last month. Lots of deer have showed themselves on Sayre's hunting adventures. He helped a nephew take a buck, and has killed three deer himself. One was a fine 8-point buck Sayre got with his bow.
Deer Hunting 2014
Modern Gun Season Dates: Saturday through Nov. 30 in Northwest Arkansas deer zones.
Shooting hours: 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset.
Seasonal statewide bag limit: Six in Northwest Arkansas deer zones. Only two may be legal bucks.
Zone limit: Four deer in most zones. A hunter may take four deer in one zone, but must hunt in another zone to get the statewide limit of six. Only two may be legal bucks. No more than two legal bucks and up to two does may be taken during muzzle-loader and modern gun seasons combined.
See the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission hunting regulations guide or go to www.agfc.com to read complete regulations.
Source: Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
Modern gun deer season is when the majority of Arkansas' deer hunters take to the woods. It's the season when most of the state's deer harvest is recorded. That's 213,000 deer during 2013-2014 for all methods combined. Gun season is prime hunting time because it starts during the rut, or deer mating season. Bucks are less wary when looking to mate. They roam more, and are more vulnerable to hunters.
"The rut is on," Sayre said Tuesday. "It's been going for a week and a half."
He's seen bucks chasing does several times. Deer have approached within 10 feet of him while Sayre has been hunting from the ground, not with a tree stand. Looking into his crystal ball, Sayre thinks hunters can look forward to a stellar modern gun season.
Deer have plenty to eat, he said. "Acorns are everywhere. There's lots of persimmons and they're ripe and dropping."
Ample food can make hunting difficult because deer don't have to roam far to find food. That means they pass by fewer hunters. Yet Sayre said deer are on the move in all areas of Northwest Arkansas where he hunts.
While hunting Sunday, he didn't see one deer. On other days, he has seen as many as 20.
Early Success
Mark Hutchings, regional wildlife biologist with Game & Fish, said deer hunters did well during the muzzle-loader season and first month of archery deer season. A recent permit hunt at the McIlroy Madison County Wildlife Management Area was good, with about 20 deer killed. He expects that success to carry over into modern gun season -- if the weather is good for hunting.
Weather affects Arkansas' deer harvest more than anything, Hutchings said. If it's cold and dry, hunters hit the woods in high numbers, as many as 250,000 or more statewide. A chill with a little frost gets people in the mood to hunt.
"A lot of people don't go if it's warm because it's harder to preserve the meat. Cold makes it a lot easier," he said.
The weather looks ideal for opening day on Saturday, with the temperature around freezing at dawn.
Hutchings agreed deer have plenty to eat, but termed the region's mast crop of acorns, persimmons and other food as spotty. The amount varies from place to place around Northwest Arkansas, he said. "By and large, the mast crop is good."
Safety First
Tree stands are a common tool for hunters who like to be elevated out of a deer's line of sight. They're effective, but dangerous if used carelessly. Falls from tree stands account for most hunting accidents during deer season, said Joe Huggins, hunter education coordinator with Game & Fish.
Last year Game & Fish logged 11 reports of falls from tree stands during all deer seasons. Two hunters died.
Common sense dictates most aspects of tree stand safety, Huggins said. Deer hunters know to wear a safety harness to prevent a fall. Huggins said hunters should inspect their stands carefully before use to make sure all welds are intact and there are no rusted nuts, bolts or cables. This is especially true if the stand has been in the woods during the off season.
"Don't do the inspection alone. Do it with someone. There have been times someone has climbed into a tree stand to inspect it, the stand collapsed and they weren't found for hours." Huggins said.
Share The Joy
Deer hunter Sayre would like to earn another Triple Trophy Award this season. He may not do it the first part of gun season because he is on another mission -- to share the excitement and joy of deer hunting with new hunters.
Sayre plans to take a couple of people hunting this weekend who have never been. That could increase his karma with the spirits of the hunt, a step for Sayre in earning his Triple Trophy.
Outdoors on 11/06/2014