Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Muzzleloader milieu
Hunters enjoy great weather for good outdoor fun
With the cold temperatures that settled across the state on Oct. 16, deer hunters were excited about opening day of muzzleloader deer season.
Hunters expected deer to be very active in the cold morning temperatures, but as deer often do, they defied expectations. Because of the bright full moon, deer fed during the night and rested until mid-morning. They fed for a couple of hours and retired for the afternoon before getting active again in the evening.
Kenn Young of Clarksville, the state’s unofficial but highly respected deer hunting historian, wrote in a social media post that an examination of his records suggest that the rut has been occurring earlier over the last few years. Mike Romine of Mabelvale, a member of the Old Belfast Hunting Club in Grant County, said from his recent observations, he believes that statement might be accurate.
On Saturday, for example, he watched two bucks at the edge of a pine thicket. One was mature, but not one that Romine wanted to shoot. The other was young.
“That little one challenged the bigger one, and they locked up,” Romine said. “They went at it hard. The big one finally put the little one on the ground and dragged his head through the dirt for a little while. He finally got loose and took out of there. That big one was right behind him, prodding him in the butt.”
Romine shot a remarkable video of deer feeding near his stand. Two doe browsed contentedly, but they suddenly jerked their heads around. About a minute later, a buck appeared at the edge of a thicket. It pawed at a scrape, and then stood on its hind legs to rub scent on a high branch. The does continued feeding. The buck joined them briefly before leading the does into the thicket.
“I thought about taking him, but then I thought, ‘If I do that, then I’m going to have to clean a deer,’” Romine said. “He ain’t going anywhere. He might bring in a big boy to run him off.”
Romine also reported missing a coyote. A bobcat made a brief appearance, as well.
“How cool is that, to be able to sit out there and see something that 95% of the people will never see?” Romine asked.
Mike Stanley of Highland killed a mature 8-point buck in the Sylamore area Tuesday, about a quarter of a mile from the White River. He said the buck was definitely in rut.
“Our rut begins up here earlier than it does down south,” Stanley said. “I could smell him 20 yards away. In hunter terms, he was ‘rutted up.’”
Stanley said it took him an hour to drag the buck 150 yards uphill. Stanley’s sons finally arrived to help him get it to a game cart on the ridgetop.
“It was dark in the woods, and I was watching this narrow bench about halfway down to the hollow,” Stanley said. “All I could tell was that it was a mature buck, but I couldn’t get a clear shot. I was tracking bits and pieces of him in my scope as he walked until suddenly, he reared up on his back legs to work a licking branch. He literally lifted himself into my crosshairs, and I touched it off at the point of his shoulder.”
Stanley returned to the woods on Wednesday, more for the experience than for the hunt.
“Gorgeous sunrise in Sylamore, and a boss gobbler hammering at crows, a pileated woodpecker,” Stanley wrote in a text message. “It has the cathedral feel to it. We heard the gobbler fly from the roost. Turkey season is only six months away!”
Mike’s son, Michaiah Stanley of Seymour, Iowa, was featured in a magazine article several years ago for a massive buck he killed with a muzzleloader in the same area. He nearly had a repeat performance on Wednesday morning.
“A big 10-point got by him trailing a doe, and then about half an hour later, he called in another good buck,” Mike Stanley said. “He said it saw him shift for the shot and got out of there.”
Acorn production is spotty around the state. A source near Camden said that water oaks are dropping a lot of acorns in his area, and some white oaks are producing well. Stanley said the acorn crop is tremendous in the Ozarks.
“Deer should winter well,” Stanley said. “It has the deer really scattered, and a lot of hunters are frustrated, but overall, it’s best for our wild critters.”
Oaks are dropping very few acorns in a portion of Hot Spring County.
Stanley said he and his sons saw bucks and does on Saturday between 9-11:30 a.m. That coincided with Saturday’s solunar tables.
“Moon phase may not always be this accurate, but these (deer) were all moving unpressured by human influence,” Stanley said. “It was mostly young bucks, except for one possible shooter that was after a doe.”
Muzzleloader deer season ends today 30 minutes after legal sunset. However, you may still use muzzleloading firearms and archery equipment during the modern gun deer season, and also Dec. 29-31 during the private land antlerless-only modern gun hunt. Killing one deer with modern gun, muzzleloader and archery qualifies hunters for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s coveted Triple Trophy Award.