This is the prime time of year for calling predators. The carnivores are lean and winter-hungry, and young varmints from last year will fall all over themselves trying to get to a squealing-rabbit call. A little later on, as the females get closer to whelping time, they get harder to fool, but for now, calling can be exciting sport.

Last week we spoke of aging whitetail deer on the hoof. This week we find out how to tell whether we were right last week.

Most of my hunting friends and I regard any old buck as a trophy buck, regardless of antler size. The reason is that any buck that has survived four or more hunting seasons has obviously developed all the hunter-evasion skills and is just as hard to get a shot at as one with a Boone & Crockett rack. Taking him in fair chase, then, is just as challenging and worthy of pride and admiration as collecting 200-point head.

I can hear somebody out there mumbling, “Why do I have to look for deer? I’ll just put up a feeder and let the deer look for me!”

The topic of hunting deer over corn seems to have a lot in common with religion. Many conflicting doctrines exist among hunters and are devoutly held and stoutly defended. Every true believer is convinced that his is the one true gospel, and that all others should be denied entrance, if not to Heaven, then at least to the record book.

Everybody dreams of bigger-antlered bucks on his ranch or lease. We know there are three essential elements in the big-antler equation – age, nutrition, and genetics. All are important ... but they are not equally important.