There’s no denying the power of white-tailed deer, and especially whitetails with huge antlers. These beasts, alive and mounted, make hunter’s sweat, tremble, gasp for air—and spend money. In fact, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rates big game hunting as the most popular pursuit of hunters, and deer account for more than 80% of that billion dollars-plus spending action.
What’s not to like about elusive whitetails? They are graceful, they are stunning with white and brown contrasts, and they are elusive. No beast of forest and field is more difficult to hunt, and a wary buck with a few years of avoiding hunter danger becomes nearly impossible to see or shoot at.
Now that deer numbers are at or near all-time high numbers in America, and hunting seasons are longer in places like North Carolina, it’s easy to find time to hunt whitetails. The only challenge could be deciding on a place to hunt. Successful hunters often walk further away from roads, stay on stands longer, and out-think other deer hunters to find success.
If you need more proof of the power of whitetails, take a stroll down the aisles of shows such as the Midwest’s popular Field & Stream Deer and Turkey Expos. You’ll find row after row with booths overflowing with methods to chase, kill, call, observe, feed, photograph, field dress, process, preserve, cook, and mount a deer. You can read about deer in magazines or books, or on websites, and then there are so many hours of deer hunting video footage that you could not possibly watch them all in your lifetime.
But we still love deer and we can’t get enough of them. We’re a nation addicted to whitetails!