BY LARRY WEISHUHN

BY LARRY WEISHUHN
I WAS GIVING A SEMINAR in Wisconsin
when a voice shot up from the back of the room.
“Where is it you’ve hunted whitetails,” the
attendee asked.
Before I could even answer, he piped up again.
“You have only hunted in Texas,” he said. “So
what could you know about hunting Wisconsin?”
I smiled.
“Where in Wisconsin are you from?” I asked.
“Near Iola,” he replied.
I wish I had a photo of his face when I
answered.
“Hunted there several times when I was a field
editor with Deer & Deer Hunting. I also hunted
close to Green Bay. I missed a big 10-point there,
and still have nightmares about that buck.
“I’ve hunted in Minnesota with Tony Knight
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Summer 2012
| 59
when he owned Knight Rifles, and in Iowa, too. In fact, I
shot a buck next to Paradise Lake. It was 28 inches wide
with main beams of 30½ and 31½ inches long. That buck
reminded me of a buck I shot in northern Michigan with
my .44 Mag. — a big 10-point. Southeast a bit, I’ve hunted
Pennsylvania. I shot two really good bucks there. One was
with a 20-gauge slug gun. South of there, I’ve hunted several
times in Ohio and Illinois.”
Next, I admitted one of my favorite whitetail states is
Kentucky — I used to hunt Ohio River bottoms where Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky join. And I almost forgot to
mention Arkansas and Oklahoma.
“In Oklahoma, I’ve shot three big bucks,” I added. “I
hope to shoot a few more there in the future. I have hunted
and shot whitetails in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South
Carolina and New York.
“Out west, I’ve hunted Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado
and Montana. In Canada, I’ve hunted from Anticosti Island
west to the eastern edge of British Columbia. Far South, I’ve
hunted several Mexican states including Sonora, for Coues
whitetail — one of my favorite animals. Oh, and you’re
right, I’ve hunted whitetails in my home state of Texas.”
I paused.
“Thanks for helping me recall some the whitetail hunts
I’ve done throughout North America. Speaking of that, I
almost forgot, I’ve hunted whitetails in New Zealand as
well.”
I get tickled about my hunting whitetails in Texas exclusively. I live in the middle of some of the best big whitetail
hunting in the world — the brush country of South Texas.
But, I seldom get to hunt close to home.
In that regard, I’ve been fortunate and blessed. I came
along as a research/wildlife biologist/hunter in the 1960s,
before the great interest in white-tailed deer began. Fellow
Texans, writer John Wootters, and photographer Jerry
Smith started it. Two old friends of mine, Al Brothers and
Murphy Ray wrote their classic book, “Producing Quality
Whitetails” and fueled the interest. From there, I helped
develop many of the quality management techniques we
now use to produce quality habitat and deer.
Yet, as a child of 1950s, the chance of taking a deer in our
area was slim. Those few who bagged a deer were community heroes. I nearly dragged the hair off of my first buck
showing it around in our rural community. That was in
1961.
Looking back, I can say I’ve lived during the Golden
Years of the Whitetail — as both a hunter and as a wildlife
biologist.
Hunting through North America and setting up more
than 1.5 million acres under wildlife management programs
as a biologist, I’ve learned a lot about whitetails. However,
the most important lesson is that I still learn something
new every time I go into the field. I know I still have a lot to
learn. Here are some tips I can share:
Never Guide the Guide
I’ve hunted a lot on my own, but I’ve also hunted guided
hunts. I guided on the properties I managed as a wildlife
biologist in Texas and other states.
I knew the habits of the local deer, yet frequently a client
would believe he knew more about those local deer than I
did. After letting those clients hunt the way they wanted,
60 | S u m m e r
2012
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without success, I’d suggest a few things
and they were soon successful in taking
mature bucks.
Bottom line: If you trust someone
enough to book a hunt with them, trust
their knowledge on how and where to
hunt.
Don’t Look for Excuses Not to Hunt
“It’s too hot.” “It’s too cold.” “It’s raining.” “It’s too windy.” “The moon is full.”
Excuses are just that. Remember,
all deer, particularly mature bucks, are
individuals just like we are. Some might
like hot weather when it should be cold,
or when prefer walks in the rain. Don’t
let weather keep you from the woods,
but try to understand how it influences
deer behavior to better your chances.
Hunt Where Others Don’t
If you want to kill big bucks, you have
to find deer that aren’t being continually
targeted by other hunters. That might
mean a secret spot very close to a major
highway, a relatively open field, close to
camp or any other places others do not
go.
Hunt When Others Won’t
I love hunting during the middle
of the day, when everyone is back at
camp. I’ve shot some monstrous bucks
between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
while campmates were back in camp.
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Homework First
I love traveling to hunt whitetails.
I do all I can to ensure success. When
I’m researching a property, that includes
learning the average age of bucks taken
each of the past five years and the fawn
survival rate experienced during the last
three to seven years. That gives me an
idea of the presence — or lack thereof
— of mature bucks in an area. I also
check there hasn’t been a disease problem (such as EHD) during the past three
to five years.
I look for outfitters who maintain
good harvest records, including the ages
of bucks taken each year. I determine
if the population (census data available
through the DNR) is expanding, is stable
or declining. That data gives me an idea
of the fawn survival rate, the buck-todoe ratio and the density of the herd.
I hunt for mature bucks, and that
information gives me an idea of what
to expect, or even if I want to hunt a
specific area.
Why the Effort?
Hunting white-tailed deer is an ever
evolving sport. I’ve come to realize, just
about the time I think I’ve got them
figured out, they’re going to teach me a
whole new lesson. But, therein lies the
fun. Isn’t it grand?
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Mr. Whitetail’s Take
on Whitetail Slam
Texas native Larry Weishuhn is one of the
world’s most respected wildlife biologists,
outdoor writers and television personalities.
A Texas A&M graduate in wildlife science,
Weishuhn was involved in some of the
pioneering research projects in white-tailed
deer management. Since the early 1970s, he
has established quality wildlife management
programs on more than 15 million acres
across North America, and also has contributed to management programs in Austria,
New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and
Zimbabwe.
Coined the nickname “Mr. Whitetail”
by noted hunting author Wayne J. Fears,
Weishuhn has authored more than 2,000
magazine articles and a half-dozen books on
whitetail hunting. Beginning a TV and Video
career in the mid 1980s he has continued to
be a recognized authority, building a career
educating TV viewers in innovative hunting tactics as well as wildlife management
practices.
Larry recently registered several of his
whitetail trophies with Whitetail Slam and
had this to say about the quest.
“I love the concept,” Weishuhn
exclaimed. “A whitetail slam has been long
overdue. The map and the regions of the
eight subgroups are spot on. Of course there
are other recognized subspecies in several
territories, but for the purpose of a Whitetail
Slam, the map is perfect.
“I am really close to achieving your ultimate slam too, and I aim to get it. Having
taken a wild whitetail in seven of the eight
territories, all I need is the Northwest
Subgroup. Maybe I will get him this season
and be the first to register an Ultimate
Whitetail Slam.
“Finally whitetails are being recognized for
their uniqueness and individuality!”
Summer 2012
| 61
BY TOM MIRANDA
Membership
has its Privileges
THE MISSION OF
WHITETAIL SLAM is to
enable all hunters to have
a big game Slam they can
pursue, and to feature their
accomplishments and love
of hunting in many ways
— online, on television and
in our magazines. Enabling,
educating, and entertaining
hunters and making them
better in the field is a major
part of our mission.
The WhitetailSlam.com
website was built to be
the home-base for all hunters who are
interested in pursuing a Whitetail Slam
or Ultimate Whitetail Slam. It’s also
designed for whitetail hunters who just
want to join the community to learn,
interact, use our tools or perhaps win a
dream hunt and be filmed for our television show.
There are two ways to join Whitetail
Slam. First, you can join the Whitetail
Slam community even if you don’t have
a buck to register. Sign up free by entering only your email address and get the
Whitetail Slam weekly newsletter full
of tips, techniques and hunting reports
from all eight Slam Zones. You’ll also
62 | S u m m e r
2012
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gain online access to the forums and
our weekly gear giveaways.
Second, if you have ever harvested
at least one buck of any size, you can
register that buck and begin your quest
for a Whitetail Slam or Ultimate Whitetail Slam.
Registration of your first buck is
FREE (for a limited time) and other
bucks can be registered for a one-time
administrative processing fee of $24.95.
Your buck registration is immediate
and has many benefits.
Here’s how it works:
1. Harvest a buck or enter bucks from
years past, from any or all eight Whitetail Slam sub-groups. (Any legal buck
qualifies.)
Register any four buck subgroups
and earn a Whitetail Slam. Register all
eight buck subgroups for the Ultimate
Whitetail Slam.
Hunters achieving a Whitetail Slam or
Ultimate Whitetail Slam will be honored
with a framed certificate of achievement and entered into the Whitetail
Slam archive and annual publication
in the year they register their Slam.
They will receive an official “Slammer”
achievement package commemoratwww.deeranddeerhunting.com
ing their successful completion of the
Whitetail Slam or Ultimate Whitetail
Slam. These successful hunters may
also be recognized on Whitetail Slam
TV, in the magazine, on the website,
or in other Whitetail Slam features for
their accomplishments and dedication
to mastering the skills of the hunt.
2. Enter details and a photo of your
buck(s) online. You will appear in the
rotator on the homepage, so please use
a good, clear photo. (We will honor and
reward the best photos of each year, so
if you are taking photos, try to get some
in the field rather than in the truck or
meatpole.)
3. Set up your personal Slam Page
featuring one or more buck from any
subcategory to personalize with photos,
stories, strategies, gear and tactics
used. Your Slam page is all about you,
so customize it any way you like and
feature all the gear or other stuff you
love about hunting. Connect with other
slammers using our internal Slammer
mail system, right from their Slam page
photo.
4. Enter online to win our monthly
free hunt giveaway. Each month,
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you can enter your email address on
our contest page for a chance to win
hunts for any of the eight Slam Bucks.
Winners might be selected to be filmed
by Tom Miranda Outdoors for WhitetailSlam TV on NBC Sports and Sportsman Channel.
5. Each Week you can view our giveaway on the contest page, and enter
online for a chance to win. Only those
who enter to win will be included in the
drawing, so be sure to visit the contest
page weekly to enter. Odds will be
excellent, because we will draw from
only those who enter the contest for
that week.
6. Use our free classified section to
sell anything you want. Anyone can
buy from the classifieds, but only hunters who have registered a buck can post
ads.
7. Use Hunt Swap. Hunt Swap is a
free service in our classifieds section
where you can post your land for a swap
with Slammers from another area. It’s
a great, low-cost way to travel to hunt.
Once you post a detailed description
of your land, list the Slam buck areas
you want to trade for, specify states of
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choice (some tags are guaranteed), and
all other preferences. You can connect
privately with other Slammers to work
out dates and details of your own swaps.
Hunt Swap is a completely free service
that will help enable like-minded folks
to be able to hunt distant places that
they have had the chance to learn about
through connecting with other Slammers. Access is difficult to get these
days, and being able to hunt on private
land is in many ways sometimes better
than even hunting with an outfitter. The
pressure is lower, and many landowners manage land very well for quality
herds. Verifying with the owner that he
manages and hunts it the way you want
is all part of the fun and the adventure.
Any time a HuntSwap occurs, The
Whitetail Slam TV team will screen
both parties in hopes of filming both
hunts for the same episode on NBC
Sports Network and Sportsman Channel.
As you can see, there is something in
Whitetail Slam for everyone. So go to
whitetailSlam.com now and go for the
Slam!
Summer 2012
| 63
THAT’S
AN ODD
LOOKING
BUCK
BY CY WEICHERT
TRAVELING THROUGHOUT
THE VAST STATES and provinces
of North America, we see deer in fields
that, from afar, all appear much the
same. However, hunters enjoy hunting
bucks partially for the simple reason
that deer antlers display uniqueness
and individuality born from the habitat, nutrition, genetics and sometimes
the mishaps of each buck. No two
bucks are the same, but — in the words
an old Adirondack camp guide who
mentored me as a boy — “I never met
a single buck I didn’t like.”
Last spring I was visiting my boyhood
friend Eric who now lives in Philadelphia. He has a modest trophy room
filled with deer mounts. He brought
me there to see the buck he had shot in
New York the previous year, but as he
pointed to that buck and began to tell
the story, I was completely distracted
by a short haired, short nosed, silverhaired 8-point that looked completely
different from the other bucks.
“Where’d you get that odd looking
buck?” I asked.
“Montana,” he said. “Up in the little
snowy mountains while I was elk hunting. Isn’t he cool looking?”
I asked if Eric thought the buck was
part mule deer or some sort of beautiful
mutant.
“You know, it is weird,” Eric replied.
“There were a lot of whitetails on the
ranch. “On the hoof, they all seemed
to be the same deer I hunt back here.
64 | S u m m e r
2012
Even after I killed him, he seemed just
like every other whitetail I had ever
field-dressed. But he sure sticks out like
a sore thumb among these long-nosed,
long-haired brown bucks from back
East, doesn’t he?”
“He sure does, and he sure is beautiful and unique,” I replied.
So is a whitetail just a whitetail wherever he might grow?
This is the question the Whitetail
Slam experience will answer for every
adventurous hunter.
The habitat, the terrain and the
genetic adaptations of bucks in differ-
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ent lands create a whole
new adventure and a whole new specimen than we can get in our Back 40.
I have an impressive collection of
buck mounts from New York and
Georgia, but I plan to Hunt Swap my
way around the continent during the
next few seasons and harvest a buck
from each of the eight Whitetail Slam
territories.
Even if I don’t get the Ultimate Slam,
I can’t wait for Eric to come and visit
and see the next one of my bucks on the
wall. I’m hoping he’ll say “isn’t that an
odd looking buck!”
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