Jerry Davis/Backtag: Here's a course on deer hunting 101

Most hunters probably do not share much with non-hunters about what they do to fill the many voids when deer are no where to be seen.

Here’s a glimpse of what might go on in the woods, sort of deer hunting 101.

Once a hunter becomes comfortable in a stand, leaning against a tree, or seated on a bucket or chair, it’s time to be aware of sights and sounds of deer and nature in general. During eight hours on a deer stand, a hunter might see deer for just a few minutes during that day.

What occupies the remainder of the day, maybe as much as seven or more hours?

Part of the answer depends on the weather.

Weather is critical to a hunter’s success and enjoyment. Of the many elements making up weather, air movement is one of the most critical to hunters, and deer.

Complete calm, not a hint of breeze, as was the case in many areas when the 2009 season opened, could be perfect. Hunters can hear woodland sounds; human scent is not carried toward approaching deer; and hunters are likely to be more comfortable.

The negatives might be that hunters become too comfortable, remain seated and do not disturb bedded deer. Many hunters see and get shots at deer because other hunters move through nearby forests and fields. Even someone a mile away might be the cause of a deer coming past another hunter’s stand.

Temperature is also critical for hunters’ comfort, and deer movement. Personal preference comes into play much of the time, but a morning near freezing is a good starting point. Deer are more apt to move normally, than if the temperature is 10 below zero, or 60 degrees above.

But a hard freeze, temperatures in the low 20s, can also be favorable. Deer walking on frozen leaves are usually easy to hear. Damp, pliable leaves make very little sound when they are stepped on by a deer or a hunter. Of course wind will muffle these advantages.

Snow is preferred by many hunters, but unlike comments made by non-hunters, it is not usually called tracking snow, but sighting and safety snow. A snow backdrop makes a brown animal very visible. And other hunters are easier to see, too.

Walking might be more difficult because of slippery conditions, but sliding a deer carcass, if there is snow covering the soil and forest duff, is a lot easier.

Hunters watch for other wildlife, including squirrels and birds, fox and raccoons. An observant hunter is likely to see up to four woodpecker species, downy, hairy, red-breasted and pileated. The downy is smallest, the pileated the largest and most noisy. Each bird makes a different call and an observant hunter could distinguish between male and female woodpeckers of each species based on the amount of red feathers.

Three common squirrel species live in Wisconsin woods, the tiny red, medium-sized gray and large fox squirrels. A squirrel, a hunter and a deer each make different sounds when they walk over dry oak leaves.

Hunters might, if they get bored, even begin studying tree bark and attempt to separate red, black, bur and white oaks from one another.

Not everything in a November woods is brown or white. There are plenty of evergreen objects, too. Mosses, some ferns and the stems of a few plants remain green throughout the winter months.

Yes, there is enough going on in a Wisconsin woods to occupy an observant deer hunter when deer are not present, which is usually most of the day.

The more observant a hunter is, the more likely he or she will recognize a deer, regardless of how hidden it may try to be.

Observant hunters are likely to see the horizontal line of the back of a deer moving among the trees.

These careful observations of nature help fill a day in the woods and help fill a freezer, too.