Expert predicts early November will be this season's most abundant period for whitetail.

By Don Mulligan

Deer expert Charles Alsheimer predicted the peak time for deer hunting this year will be from Nov. 3-10.

Last month, the Bath, N.Y., resident held a whitetail deer hunting seminar at the Lakeview Christian Center. It was the second consecutive year he spoke at the event, and like last year, Alsheimer delivered a wealth of valuable information about the life and habits of America's most popular big-game animal.

Alsheimer, one of the most recognized figures in the whitetail deer hunting world, has been a field editor for Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine since 1981. He has written five books on the subject. His most recent book, "Whitetail: Rites of Autumn," showcases his award winning photography, as well as his most recent research into whitetail deer behavior.

Alsheimer began the seminar by demonstrating what he described as the three best deer vocalizations a hunter can use to attract a deer.

Using a deer call he designed, he demonstrated the three: a bleat, a doe grunt and a tending buck grunt. The doe grunt is higher pitched than the buck grunt. Both can be either short, staccato notes or a couple of seconds long, Alsheimer said.

The main thing to remember, he said, is that all deer sound different. There may be several very different sounding deer in the same herd, so hunters shouldn't worry too much if they don't sound exactly as they intended.

Of the three calls, he said the tending buck grunt will produce the best results if used during the breeding phase of the rut. It is the sound a buck makes when he is in the presence of a doe in estrous, and tells any other buck within earshot that there is a doe ready to be bred. It is a long series of short brief grunts, that resembles a ticking sound.

Tracking the rut

The majority of the seminar consisted of Alsheimer's whitetail photos, along with specific tips for planning a successful deer hunt based on his most recent research findings.

To help hunters be more efficient when they hunt, Alsheimer's research pinpointed the whitetail deer's most active times of the day. Based on hits from 15,000 trail timers, he determined that deer are most active at 7:30 a.m., with 4:30 p.m. being the second most active time. His research also revealed that deer are least active from midnight until 3 a.m.

But the most important information he offered regarded timing and structure of this year's rut.

"Despite deer seasons being set at the same time every year to intercept the whitetail rut, we now know it does not occur at the same time every year, and can vary by as much as three weeks," he said.

Alsheimer said the seeking phase of the rut is triggered every year by the second full moon after the autumnal equinox. This is called the rutting moon, and this year it occurs on Oct. 28.

During the seeking phase, bucks are most vulnerable to rattling, decoying and calling near well-traveled corridors as they start ranging in search of the first receptive does.

Seven to 10 days after the beginning of the seeking phase, Alsheimer said the chasing phase begins. This is when bucks are the most visible and vulnerable. The first does are starting to come into estrous, and bucks feel a sense of urgency to get in on the action.

With this in mind, he predicted the best week for hunters to be in the field this year.

"If I only had one week to hunt this year, it would be from Nov. 3 to Nov. 10," Alsheimer said. "That is when the peak of the chasing phase occurs above the 35th latitude in North America, overlapping with the tail end of the seeking phase, as well as the beginning of the breeding phase."

Once the breeding phase is in full swing, Alsheimer said deer movement is greatly curtailed. Bucks that would have covered 4,000 acres or more in search of a doe in estrous now have one in tow, and won't leave her side.

Because does move only a quarter of the distance bucks do, they cause the bucks that are with them to be a lot less visible than they were during the seeking and chasing phases, he said.

To find out about upcoming events at Lakeview Christian Center, call (317) 243-9396.

Alsheimer's new book can be purchased at www.charlesalsheimer.com.

--IndyStar