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Drury Outdoors Talks About the Key Factors That Affect Whitetail Behavior

January 19, 2025

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Mark Drury explains the key factors that influence whitetail behavior, advice for beginning hunters and the benefits of onX Hunt and his new DeerCast hunting app.

What if the forecast could tell you where the whitetail will be the night before you head out into the field? What if you could look at a new swath of public hunting ground and know intuitively where the whitetail will be?

Missouri-based Mark Drury, co-owner of Drury Outdoors and a lifetime hunter with 40+ years of whitetail hunting experience, is a firm believer that it’s possible. In his “Thirteen” video series, he talks about 13 different indicators that dictate whitetail behavior and patterning. In a recent phone interview with onX, he noted three factors he always looks for when evaluating a potential hunting location:

– Bed- Food- Water

Food, he reiterated, is perhaps the most important factor.

“Whitetail are slaves to their stomachs,” he shared. “Really focus on your food plots. Befriend a local farmer or someone at the local co-op—they will know crop timing, what sprays and fertilizers to use and more.” That farmer or co-op member may end up being your best friend in the plot-planning game. Consider possibly calling up your local Farm Service Agency office and asking for information; usually they are more than happy to help.

Food is a moving target: a whitetail’s preferred source differs by both region and time of year and can also change on a day-by-day basis. If a deer is feeding on beans and then acorns suddenly start to drop, they’re likely to shift to eating acorns, therefore changing current eating habits and—most likely—movement patterns.

See also 7mm-08 Remington for Black Bear Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Black Bear Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the 7mm-08 Remington a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for black bear hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the 7mm-08 Remington is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest black bear. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the black bear, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the black bear in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop 7mm-08 Remington Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a black bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the 7mm-08 Remington within the ideal range of suitable calibers for black bear hunting?” our answer is: Yes, the 7mm-08 Remington is A GOOD CHOICE for black bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber 7mm-08 Remington Animal Species Black Bear Muzzle Energy 2450 foot-pounds Animal Weight 340 lbs Shot Distance 150 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a 7mm-08 Remington? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a 7mm-08 Remington round is approximately 2450 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male black bear? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male black bear is approximately 340 lbs. [Click Here to Shop 7mm-08 Remington Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in black bear hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for black bear to be approximately 150 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the 7mm-08 Remington. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the black bear being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether 7mm-08 Remington is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest black bear - and to this question, the response again is yes, the 7mm-08 Remington is A GOOD CHOICE for black bear hunting. [Click Here to Shop 7mm-08 Remington Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting black bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

Mark is a steady user of onX Hunt as a tool to manage his food plots. “I absolutely love onX,” he shared. “I like using it to establish the size on all of my food plots. By calculating the correct acreages, it really helps estimate seed and fertilizer needs, which helps reduce costs. No need to guess anymore.”

Pending the time of year, a good water source and potential bedding spots may overtake the need for food.

“At certain times of year, water, food or bed may be the most important,” Mark noted. It’s up to the hunter to problem solve in certain areas—and to look for opportunities. “If they’re lacking cover or food, you can help provide it.”

Another crucial factor for whitetail hunters is weather. “It’s a big one,” commented Mark. “Weather influences whitetail behavior and movement on a minute-by-minute basis.” It’s this level of importance that helped inspire Mark, along with his brother Terry, to develop the DeerCast hunting app. It also inspired us to create our own deer hunting weather and forecasting capability in onX Hunt. Utilizing current weather reports and weather forecasting, DeerCast helps whitetail hunters predict deer movement in the field.

One of the last key factors Mark looks at is overall rut interpretation and dynamics. What does the herd ratio look like? For example, a high doe-to-buck ratio can lead to a prolonged, less-defined rut. Take some time to research the herd you’re hoping to hunt—game cameras are your friend here.

And perhaps most of all: don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and just learn. As a child, Mark lived in a rural town of roughly 400 residents. His father didn’t hunt, but he knew he wanted to be outside.

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“Since the time I was little I just wanted to be in the woods,” he shared. “I took up hunting myself—that’s just what people did in our town; how they approached things. It was a lot of learning by trial-and-error.”

It was that same learning process that has now led to a 40-plus-year career as a whitetail hunter. “Hunters can never stop learning; you need to go at it with an open mind—hunting keeps us learning,” Mark added.

That same spirit of learning dictates the hunting lifestyle, for both first-year and seasoned hunters. Mark notes that 25 years ago, hunting media was largely limited to print magazines such as Field & Stream and Outdoor Life; now it’s easy to find all manner of information online.

His advice for new hunters? “Sit there and soak up as much as possible online—and never stop wanting to learn.”

It’s savvy advice for hunters of all levels, backgrounds, and locales.

header image: Donn Vidosh

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