I'm starting this thread to share my life’s learning’s in hopes that what I share may make you more effective and successful as whitetail deer hunters. This is going to be a long running thread where I'm going to cover topics about everything I have learned from almost 40 years of obsessive whitetail deer hunting. I'm not going to read anyone’s response to any of the post until I'm completely through with the thread, It could take months to write. I will write about things you've read about and many you have not. Hopefully, I will have something to share with every one of you that will make you more successful as whitetail deer hunters. As my hunting career is winding down I wanted to make sure what I learned was passed along. A basic outline of what I want to cover is outlined below. Keep in mind that I tend to get off course at times so bear with me. I'm not a professional writer, so please forgive me on my grammar. Hunting whitetail deer to me is like playing the ultimate game of chess to maximize your chances of success. I want to cover many of these topics of interest in no particular order.
*Stages of the rut and hunting each
*Strategic stand placement
*Reading deer sign and behavior
*scrape lines
*Calling deer
*Gimmicks use
*Hunting pressured deer
*Hunting from the ground
*Bedding areas/feeding areas/travel corridors
*Equipment selection
*Baiting
*Playing the wind
I'll add in some short stories along the way to reinforce what I'm trying to project. Read the thread if you want, if you’re not interested in what I have to say just don't read the thread. It is going to be my little project for the summer and early fall.
*Stages of the rut and hunting each
*Strategic stand placement
*Reading deer sign and behavior
*scrape lines
*Calling deer
*Gimmicks use
*Hunting pressured deer
*Hunting from the ground
*Bedding areas/feeding areas/travel corridors
*Equipment selection
*Baiting
*Playing the wind
I'll add in some short stories along the way to reinforce what I'm trying to project. Read the thread if you want, if you’re not interested in what I have to say just don't read the thread. It is going to be my little project for the summer and early fall.
A Little Introduction about Myself
I'm not sure exactly what led me into obsessively hunting whitetail deer but I suspect it is because of my oldest brother Bob. I'm one of 6 boys and I'm the youngest and Bob is the oldest. I always sort of idolized Bob because he paid attention to me. Bob liked to hunt and would always take me with him. I started reading about whitetail deer hunting back in the early 70's with magazines like Field and stream and Outdoor Life. There weren't many deer around my house in the early 70's so I had to read about the grand adventures of Fred Bear. The mid 70's to 80's brought on an explosion of the deer population as well as reading material. I started reading about modern day whitetail hunting experts such as Myles Kellar and the Benoit's. I basically read every magazine and book I could get my hands on. The big buck hunting really took off in the 80's. I read much material from some great hunters such as Dick Idol and David Morris as well as Chuck Adams. Educational and entertaining magazine really started popping up such as; Deer and Deer Hunting, North American Whitetail, Easton. I have read the writings of many other well-known and not so well known authors and have learned much including; DR David Samual, Charles Alshiemer, Bobby Worthington... I more or less revolved my entire life around hunting deer or learning about them. A condition of my employment, marriage, and career was that I got to have my vacation off to deer hunt whenever I wanted and no hassles from anyone. I would break my back at work and around the house doing things to compensate for my obsession. Enough about me, I'll move right into the thread. I learned through trial and error how to master my equipment. I’m my early years I would study ballistic charts and could quote trajectory/energy/velocity of hundreds of cartridges out to 500 yards. I took up reloading metallic cartridges and got obsessed with accuracy of rifles for many years and having the flattest shooting most accurate rifle I could afford. Most of my earliest years of hunting in the 70's and 80's were with rifles in the state of W.Va. That's not saying I didn't bow hunt because I did but my only real focus was to fill tags and get to gun hunting, that is where the majority of my small bucks came from. No real big bucks were around my house. The 1990's I learned of a giant buck in a magazine that was “The walking world record ". What fascinated me about this buck was that it hailed from WV, my home state. I immediately went from hunting bucks to hunting trophy bucks. I purchased copies of the P&Y/B&C record books and made up charts where the big bucks were coming from out of my home state. Unfortunately I learned that only 7 B&C class bucks had ever come out of my state at that time. So at that time measures were taken to start focusing on trophy bucks. This took place in the 90's sometime. The buck that started the whole trophy thing was the current WV state record Jerry Hill buck. I eventually branched out to other states where there are more hunt able numbers of record class deer. So the very first bit of advice is; IF YOU WANT TO KILL A RECORD CLASS DEER YOU HAVE TO HUNT WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO LIVE AND GROW IN HUNTABLE NUMBERS. This will be the best advice I can give you if you are after a trophy buck. I will move on to my next topic when I get some time to write again. There is grass to mow and cars that need washed. My first little buck was a 5 pointer, that's half the rack beside those freaky little racks. The bottom photo is the Jerry Hill buck. So in these two photos’ you see the extremes of what I was hunting early on compared to what I wanted to hunt.
Stages of the Rut
There have been several different models of staging the whitetail rut. As far as my hunting goes, I will attempt to discuss the stages I have traditionally had some experience with; the pre rut, rut and post rut. I realize many hunters are allowed to hunt through the summer months for velvet antlered deer. I have never been exposed to that so I will leave that for others to discuss/address. If I were to guess the most effective strategy for hunting velvet antlered deer it would revolve around evening hunts around water holes and food sources. It has been my experience from glassing at this time of the year that bucks are extremely predictable in their patterns, showing up in the same corner of a field for weeks on end. This is the time of the year that I traditionally start taking drives in my truck and on my 4 wheeler around the countryside to glass these fields and water holes for groups of bachelor bucks while on the side working on fine tuning my equipment. Keep in mind that while you may be seeing these bucks on a routine basis that comes October and November the deer you are observing may be miles away. It is a good time to get an idea of what exactly the herd you’re hunting looks like and very fun to see large groups of velvet bucks. To make good use of your time I'd be on the lookout for what your mast production looks like. Take notes and try to differentiate between white oak and the other oaks. Deer have a preference once these start to drop and you'll want to be prepared to capitalize. Any time you’re talking effectively hunting deer you have to know several thing before the hunt even begins or you very well could be wasting your time or at the very least not maximizing your chances of success. You'll want to know; the stage of the rut, food/water sources, bedding areas, hunting pressure, weather. I'm going to propose that a man would have a much higher chance at success if he would vary his /her hunting strategies based upon these factors which change almost daily. The next entry I'll discuss the pre rut and what activity you'll see in the field and propose a few hunting strategy's I've learned over the years to maximize your chances. Keep in mind that I generally hunt out of a tree stand only several days a year.
Pre Rut
For my definition purposes, I'm going to define the pre rut as the time frame from the time the velvet falls off the deer’s antlers to the time that the scrapes leaf over initially. Try to keep in mind that even though I'll mention time frames they are not for all parts of the whitetail deer’s range. In the North things happen a little earlier and in the South they happen later. Around central United States the bucks generally shed their velvet the first week of September and most have shed by September the 14th.
The bucks tend to stick together at this time and you'll start to see some light sparring taking place. Most of the bucks I've seen shed their velvet has happened over a very short time frame, usually less than one day. You'll roughly get one week to check out the bachelor groups in hard horn before they pull the old disappearing act. This is the time frame when hunters that have been watching a certain buck get very frustrated. The buck they have been observing in the greenfields and food plots come up missing.
This frustrated me for years until I inadvertently solved the mystery while doing some preseason squirrel scouting. I had lost track of a group of 11 bucks that I had been watching in a greenfield about a 1/2 mile away. I was setting in a group of white oaks watching the grey squirrels cutting away like crazy when I noticed several deer moving toward me. Low and behold it was the bachelor bucks. They fed heavily on the acorns and lay down between snacks. I watched them for several days from an elevated position on the hill above.
I started taking note while driving along the interstate I wasn't seeing half the buck I normally do. I got to looking deep into the woods and started picking them out. They were all feeding on white oaks. I also noted that at this same time the deer were replacing their summer coats with winter coats. The bucks began only moving when it was cool early and late. They almost always would water immediately after raising from their beds and before they lay down for the day. So there you have it, a guy wishing to kill a September buck would do well to hunt over/near water or white oaks. A well placed stand downwind of a white oak that is actually being fed on is a sure bet.
Keep in mind that the deer will quickly clean up the acorns and move on to the next. There usually is a mad dash to eat the acorns after a rainstorm or a heavy wind for obvious reasons. The water hole is a good place to start on extremely dry/hot days. I have seen a few apple trees start dropping at this time and the buck have them high on their list of desirables. So September and early October one would do well to hunt near water/apples/white oaks. Try to remain mobile and be prepared to jump trees if you need to. I'll move into the scraping phase of the pre rut with my next post.
The bucks tend to stick together at this time and you'll start to see some light sparring taking place. Most of the bucks I've seen shed their velvet has happened over a very short time frame, usually less than one day. You'll roughly get one week to check out the bachelor groups in hard horn before they pull the old disappearing act. This is the time frame when hunters that have been watching a certain buck get very frustrated. The buck they have been observing in the greenfields and food plots come up missing.
This frustrated me for years until I inadvertently solved the mystery while doing some preseason squirrel scouting. I had lost track of a group of 11 bucks that I had been watching in a greenfield about a 1/2 mile away. I was setting in a group of white oaks watching the grey squirrels cutting away like crazy when I noticed several deer moving toward me. Low and behold it was the bachelor bucks. They fed heavily on the acorns and lay down between snacks. I watched them for several days from an elevated position on the hill above.
I started taking note while driving along the interstate I wasn't seeing half the buck I normally do. I got to looking deep into the woods and started picking them out. They were all feeding on white oaks. I also noted that at this same time the deer were replacing their summer coats with winter coats. The bucks began only moving when it was cool early and late. They almost always would water immediately after raising from their beds and before they lay down for the day. So there you have it, a guy wishing to kill a September buck would do well to hunt over/near water or white oaks. A well placed stand downwind of a white oak that is actually being fed on is a sure bet.
Keep in mind that the deer will quickly clean up the acorns and move on to the next. There usually is a mad dash to eat the acorns after a rainstorm or a heavy wind for obvious reasons. The water hole is a good place to start on extremely dry/hot days. I have seen a few apple trees start dropping at this time and the buck have them high on their list of desirables. So September and early October one would do well to hunt near water/apples/white oaks. Try to remain mobile and be prepared to jump trees if you need to. I'll move into the scraping phase of the pre rut with my next post.
I got to thinking that some of you guys may not have any white oaks in September and early October. I guess you guys need to find your preferred food source and set up ambushes along travel corridors from feeding/watering areas to bedding areas. I have not hunted out West during the pre-rut so I won't have any definite advice to add, just merely guessing based upon what I have seen on TV and heard and read.
It appears many guys out Montana along the Milk River have fairly good early season success glassing food plots and green fields from distance and elevation and merely setting up in ambush downwind along the travel corridors you observe the deer using. Just keep in mind that white oaks are like candy to deer. If you've ever tasted a white oak they are a little like a chestnut and are much sweeter than red/pin oaks. The red oaks are just plain bitter. I guess they are high in nutrients and the deer know that.
Now would be an excellent time to tell you about a little trick I have used very successfully on a couple bucks. As soon as I'm driving down the road and run over some nuts and hear the popping under my tires I know the nuts are falling. I take feed bags, a rake, and my 4 wheeler to the woods and fill up several bags full of white oaks every year. I store them in my out building with my whole corn for use in November after all of the white oaks are gone and the deer are starting to rely on red oak and brows.
Another early season delicacy that deer like is a little green colored, banana tasting, paw paw which is fairly common here in the North East. I have also seen them hit watermelon/pumpkin pretty consistently once they figure out what it is. Persimmons come on after the first frost and around here that's usually in mid to late October along with the majority of the apples.
I'm sure some of you guys have some other foods that are unique to your locale that the deer like. The bottom line is early in September and October your best hunting strategy is to hunt the food and water sources. That will lead us into my next topic of the scraping stage. That sounds fun but don't get too excited.
It appears many guys out Montana along the Milk River have fairly good early season success glassing food plots and green fields from distance and elevation and merely setting up in ambush downwind along the travel corridors you observe the deer using. Just keep in mind that white oaks are like candy to deer. If you've ever tasted a white oak they are a little like a chestnut and are much sweeter than red/pin oaks. The red oaks are just plain bitter. I guess they are high in nutrients and the deer know that.
Now would be an excellent time to tell you about a little trick I have used very successfully on a couple bucks. As soon as I'm driving down the road and run over some nuts and hear the popping under my tires I know the nuts are falling. I take feed bags, a rake, and my 4 wheeler to the woods and fill up several bags full of white oaks every year. I store them in my out building with my whole corn for use in November after all of the white oaks are gone and the deer are starting to rely on red oak and brows.
Another early season delicacy that deer like is a little green colored, banana tasting, paw paw which is fairly common here in the North East. I have also seen them hit watermelon/pumpkin pretty consistently once they figure out what it is. Persimmons come on after the first frost and around here that's usually in mid to late October along with the majority of the apples.
I'm sure some of you guys have some other foods that are unique to your locale that the deer like. The bottom line is early in September and October your best hunting strategy is to hunt the food and water sources. That will lead us into my next topic of the scraping stage. That sounds fun but don't get too excited.
Scraping Stage of the Pre Rut
Scrapes/rubs start to show up in earnest in October. You guys have seen them dotting the sides of pasture fields and logging roads. They seem romantic to us because we know that the animal causing these marks on the ground and on the trees are made by the animal we are after. Scrapes can tell us many things about the deer that made them.
We can observe scrapes/rubs and tell which way the deer was standing/traveling when he made the sign. A buck will generally make scrapes as he travels along a certain route early in the season on the way to food or water sources which means just about anywhere. A buck almost always signs every scrape with one lone front foot stomp. Look closely and you'll see this print near the center of just about every scrape. This print can give you an idea of the physical size of the buck that made the track. A large hoof print of greater than 3" long from the tip of the hoof to the back of the rounded portion of the track is generally the track of a larger bodied buck. The dirt will be thrown in the opposite way he is going and usually he'll make rubs on sapling as well. If you notice closely the rubs will be generally facing the way the dirt is thrown.
I have a theory about hill country bucks that I haven't read much about in reference to rubs in the early season. I feel that the biggest buck in a given area will take over the highest point in regards to rubs. I'm not referring to hills like Ohio or Illinois; I'm referring to the Allegheny's. Rubs are a way for deer to communicate with all members of the herd as well as strengthening the neck in anticipation of battle. Bucks will walk up to a tree and scrape up and down on the tree with his antlers intermittently rubbing his forehead on the tree and sometimes licking it. You can get an idea about the size and rack characteristic by observing these rubs. Generally speaking all bucks rub small trees and occasionally a small buck will rub a big tree. However the damage done to a large tree by a small buck is marginal at best. What you’re looking for to find a large buck is a group of big trees (3+", preferably 6+" ) that are really damaged. A large racked buck will rub higher on the tree than smaller bucks.
Most of the larger bucks that I have pursued or taken were rubbing about knee to chest level high on me and I'm about 5' 10". The depth of the tine marks gives you an idea of the physical size of the buck that made the rub. To get an idea of how large the rack is one must try to decipher the brow guard marks and the tine marks. The two side by side marks going up and down the tree in the center are usually made by the brow guards/tines. They usually start low around the mid shin level and go up to about your waste. There should be marks on the side of the tree above these center/brow tine marks. These marks are usually made by the G2-4's ( top tines ). I try to find the highest brow tine mark ( center of the rub ) and the highest top tine mark ( side of the tree ) and measure the distance between the two. This gives you much valuable information such as how tall the rack is and how long the points are. The presence of shredding of the bark suggests sticker points usually around the bases. A few trees can be misleading.
The presence of large rubs on aromatic staining trees such as Sumac or hemlock can be the work of 110 class bucks. It seems just about every deer in the woodlot has got to work over these trees. However, beware if they are deeply gouged or rubbed real high a small buck doesn't do that. I hunted a large buckmin Ohio that tormented me for years until I finally got him.
I saw him standing by the road about 4am on the way into my hunting site. He was a good 165 class 10 point in his prime. I scouted that area and found his rubs high on the ridge above where I saw him. He probably rubbed 40 pines 12-18" in diameter and pretty well tore them up. I caught him several years later late getting back to his bed in the swamp. He had gone downhill but still was very impressive for an old deer. So what have we covered??
I've suggested that you look for scrapes signed with a hoof print 3+" long. I made the remark that most of my big bucks have rubbed from knee to chest high. Don't trust a sumac or hemlock to judge a buck rack size unless it's gouged deeply. I've also told you how to measure the height of a deer rack by looking at a rub. I suggest that if you live in hill country go to the highest point and look for giant rubs. My Ohio rub line buck is below.
We can observe scrapes/rubs and tell which way the deer was standing/traveling when he made the sign. A buck will generally make scrapes as he travels along a certain route early in the season on the way to food or water sources which means just about anywhere. A buck almost always signs every scrape with one lone front foot stomp. Look closely and you'll see this print near the center of just about every scrape. This print can give you an idea of the physical size of the buck that made the track. A large hoof print of greater than 3" long from the tip of the hoof to the back of the rounded portion of the track is generally the track of a larger bodied buck. The dirt will be thrown in the opposite way he is going and usually he'll make rubs on sapling as well. If you notice closely the rubs will be generally facing the way the dirt is thrown.
I have a theory about hill country bucks that I haven't read much about in reference to rubs in the early season. I feel that the biggest buck in a given area will take over the highest point in regards to rubs. I'm not referring to hills like Ohio or Illinois; I'm referring to the Allegheny's. Rubs are a way for deer to communicate with all members of the herd as well as strengthening the neck in anticipation of battle. Bucks will walk up to a tree and scrape up and down on the tree with his antlers intermittently rubbing his forehead on the tree and sometimes licking it. You can get an idea about the size and rack characteristic by observing these rubs. Generally speaking all bucks rub small trees and occasionally a small buck will rub a big tree. However the damage done to a large tree by a small buck is marginal at best. What you’re looking for to find a large buck is a group of big trees (3+", preferably 6+" ) that are really damaged. A large racked buck will rub higher on the tree than smaller bucks.
Most of the larger bucks that I have pursued or taken were rubbing about knee to chest level high on me and I'm about 5' 10". The depth of the tine marks gives you an idea of the physical size of the buck that made the rub. To get an idea of how large the rack is one must try to decipher the brow guard marks and the tine marks. The two side by side marks going up and down the tree in the center are usually made by the brow guards/tines. They usually start low around the mid shin level and go up to about your waste. There should be marks on the side of the tree above these center/brow tine marks. These marks are usually made by the G2-4's ( top tines ). I try to find the highest brow tine mark ( center of the rub ) and the highest top tine mark ( side of the tree ) and measure the distance between the two. This gives you much valuable information such as how tall the rack is and how long the points are. The presence of shredding of the bark suggests sticker points usually around the bases. A few trees can be misleading.
The presence of large rubs on aromatic staining trees such as Sumac or hemlock can be the work of 110 class bucks. It seems just about every deer in the woodlot has got to work over these trees. However, beware if they are deeply gouged or rubbed real high a small buck doesn't do that. I hunted a large buckmin Ohio that tormented me for years until I finally got him.
I saw him standing by the road about 4am on the way into my hunting site. He was a good 165 class 10 point in his prime. I scouted that area and found his rubs high on the ridge above where I saw him. He probably rubbed 40 pines 12-18" in diameter and pretty well tore them up. I caught him several years later late getting back to his bed in the swamp. He had gone downhill but still was very impressive for an old deer. So what have we covered??
I've suggested that you look for scrapes signed with a hoof print 3+" long. I made the remark that most of my big bucks have rubbed from knee to chest high. Don't trust a sumac or hemlock to judge a buck rack size unless it's gouged deeply. I've also told you how to measure the height of a deer rack by looking at a rub. I suggest that if you live in hill country go to the highest point and look for giant rubs. My Ohio rub line buck is below.
In my last post I really didn't cover scrapes very much because I got off track and focused on rubs. I did say that you can tell the direction of travel by looking at a group of scrapes and which direction the soil was tossed. You also can tell the body size of the buck that last visited scrape by his signature front hoof stomp. A front hoof track of greater than 3", in the North, usually means a mature whitetail buck. Scrapes do provide a hunter with some valuable, usable information but they are not all they are cracked up to be.
Many guys will set up on scrape lines and set for days on end without seeing the deer their after. Recent research has suggested that the majority of scrapes are made at night. This information correlates with what my hunting experience has been. In the early fall deer are focused on packing on pounds for the upcoming winter. They will shift their bedding and feeding areas based upon food availability. That is why the woods are full of scrapes in October of varying ages of use.
A buck will make scrapes on the way to and from a food source. If you have a set food source that they are using like a food plot you can probably use this information but it will be tough since most of the activity takes place at night. However, if you have varied food sources the scrapes will be all over the place and are not pattern able. In other words they are made at random at night when a buck is going to a certain area to feed and that food source may be gone in a few days causing the buck to change travels again thus an entire different set of scrapes. A bucks bedding area can change at this time of the year creating more confusion.
Deer don't like to move much during the daylight because normally this time of the year it's still pretty warm and they have on their winter coats. They will generally bed where it is cool and near water and the preferred food source. So if you’re starting to get frustrated with what I'm suggesting you should. Hunting scrapes can often be futile. However, occasionally there will be a year with mast failure and you have the deer locked into a steady source of food the scrapes can be used. You more or less must backtrack the scrapes from the food source a hundred or so yards and set up in ambush on the downwind side. You’re counting on the buck leaving his bed early and walking by your stand before it gets too dark to shoot. There is one scrape that you definitely can use the week before the scrapes leaf over in November in my hunting area.
This scrape I refer to as a breeding scrape. The closer it gets to November the scrapes go from little scratches on the ground to some serious foot stomping and dirt throwing. The big boys will hit these scrapes sometimes in the daylight but again mostly at night. However, the big boys start cruising between known doe groups. You would initially think they would tear these scrapes up as they travel. It has been my experience that they don't hit these scrapes during the daylight but ( get on your thinking caps ) skirt them down wind and scent check them. That is obviously good information on planning your attack. Don't set up on the scrape line, setup down wind. You might ask how far down wind?
I'd get downwind from 40 to 150 yards and look for trails with big rubs if you’re after a big buck. Set up downwind of these scrapes because the big boy won't hit them during the daylight but will scent check them from the downwind side as he cruises between doe groups. The little guys go nuts this time of the year and will stupidly hit the scrapes during the daylight. If you’re not able to get in the woods to follow the scrapes all you have to do is to start observing the roadways for the first signs of an increase in the number of road killed bucks. That tells you they are starting to cruise. There is one type of scrape if you’re lucky enough to find immediately before the full blown rut starts that a mature buck will visit and work over in the daylight.
These scrapes I refer to as breeding scrapes. I usually find one or two breeding scrapes every year and if it wasn't for me scouting on foot the majority of the day I would only have found several in my life. They are located in the thickest of cover and can be of very large size. I have seen them 15' across with tons of various sized tracks in them and tore to pieces. The problem presents that they are in extremely thick cover which arrows don't like. I once found one in the bottom of a valley where 5 different ravines channeled into one. You couldn't hunt it because the scrape was covered up by mountain laurel.
So I have discussed scrapes from the early season where bucks make them from and to feeding areas to bedding areas. You can only effectively hunt them if you have a set food source. I have suggested that if you’re in the cruising stage of the pre rut you can hunt scrape lines downwind on large rub lines if you’re after a mature buck and probably along the scrape line on younger bucks during that two week period immediately prior to the scrapes leafing over. I'd like to discuss my most effective and exciting hunting method with my next post. Calling in bucks immediately before the rut. I know I still haven't covered all the stages of the rut but this is exciting stuff and fits right in with the timeframes immediately before and after the pre rut comes to an end.
Many guys will set up on scrape lines and set for days on end without seeing the deer their after. Recent research has suggested that the majority of scrapes are made at night. This information correlates with what my hunting experience has been. In the early fall deer are focused on packing on pounds for the upcoming winter. They will shift their bedding and feeding areas based upon food availability. That is why the woods are full of scrapes in October of varying ages of use.
A buck will make scrapes on the way to and from a food source. If you have a set food source that they are using like a food plot you can probably use this information but it will be tough since most of the activity takes place at night. However, if you have varied food sources the scrapes will be all over the place and are not pattern able. In other words they are made at random at night when a buck is going to a certain area to feed and that food source may be gone in a few days causing the buck to change travels again thus an entire different set of scrapes. A bucks bedding area can change at this time of the year creating more confusion.
Deer don't like to move much during the daylight because normally this time of the year it's still pretty warm and they have on their winter coats. They will generally bed where it is cool and near water and the preferred food source. So if you’re starting to get frustrated with what I'm suggesting you should. Hunting scrapes can often be futile. However, occasionally there will be a year with mast failure and you have the deer locked into a steady source of food the scrapes can be used. You more or less must backtrack the scrapes from the food source a hundred or so yards and set up in ambush on the downwind side. You’re counting on the buck leaving his bed early and walking by your stand before it gets too dark to shoot. There is one scrape that you definitely can use the week before the scrapes leaf over in November in my hunting area.
This scrape I refer to as a breeding scrape. The closer it gets to November the scrapes go from little scratches on the ground to some serious foot stomping and dirt throwing. The big boys will hit these scrapes sometimes in the daylight but again mostly at night. However, the big boys start cruising between known doe groups. You would initially think they would tear these scrapes up as they travel. It has been my experience that they don't hit these scrapes during the daylight but ( get on your thinking caps ) skirt them down wind and scent check them. That is obviously good information on planning your attack. Don't set up on the scrape line, setup down wind. You might ask how far down wind?
I'd get downwind from 40 to 150 yards and look for trails with big rubs if you’re after a big buck. Set up downwind of these scrapes because the big boy won't hit them during the daylight but will scent check them from the downwind side as he cruises between doe groups. The little guys go nuts this time of the year and will stupidly hit the scrapes during the daylight. If you’re not able to get in the woods to follow the scrapes all you have to do is to start observing the roadways for the first signs of an increase in the number of road killed bucks. That tells you they are starting to cruise. There is one type of scrape if you’re lucky enough to find immediately before the full blown rut starts that a mature buck will visit and work over in the daylight.
These scrapes I refer to as breeding scrapes. I usually find one or two breeding scrapes every year and if it wasn't for me scouting on foot the majority of the day I would only have found several in my life. They are located in the thickest of cover and can be of very large size. I have seen them 15' across with tons of various sized tracks in them and tore to pieces. The problem presents that they are in extremely thick cover which arrows don't like. I once found one in the bottom of a valley where 5 different ravines channeled into one. You couldn't hunt it because the scrape was covered up by mountain laurel.
So I have discussed scrapes from the early season where bucks make them from and to feeding areas to bedding areas. You can only effectively hunt them if you have a set food source. I have suggested that if you’re in the cruising stage of the pre rut you can hunt scrape lines downwind on large rub lines if you’re after a mature buck and probably along the scrape line on younger bucks during that two week period immediately prior to the scrapes leafing over. I'd like to discuss my most effective and exciting hunting method with my next post. Calling in bucks immediately before the rut. I know I still haven't covered all the stages of the rut but this is exciting stuff and fits right in with the timeframes immediately before and after the pre rut comes to an end.
A very nice graph
Originally Posted by grizzl
“FYI. I've shared this with some AT members so I'll post the link. I follow this forage guide and have patterned deer forage by season in different states.
From Texas to the East on public land NO food plots.
I rank the food as "CANDY FOOD" and hunt these sources until depleted.
I am always on deer using this list. The grasses are the hardest to ID so Google the scientific names for PICS and Locations..
This is a good link for the scientific hunter...Locating natural food sources in order of deer's preference is my # one rule too on public no plots land. MOST important scouting there is...food sources 1st”
http://www.noble.org/Ag/Wildlife/deerfoods/toc.html http://www.noble.org/Ag/Wildlife/deerfoods/table3.html
I agree with it but that 8% acorns is the primary food source when we are normally in the woods hunting the deer. Think back about the gut piles you've had. They were full of acorns/corn/apples/persimmons... with a little sticks and things mixed in. I'm convinced that the main diet is of brows, forbes, grasses if the deer doesn't have the other selections available to them. Id like to point out that deer really like honeysuckle too. I'm not suggesting anything other than what you already said just clarifying the preferred food source when we are in the woods hunting them. By the way, always do a post motum on all the deer you take to see what they have been feeding on. That's some useful information especially if you know where those food sources are located.
My Favorite Time of the Hunting Season
My favorite time to be in the deer woods is generally the week before to the week after the scrapes have leafed over. This is the transition of the pre rut to the rut. This fortunately coincides with the timing most of us take our vacations to bow hunt. The week before the scrapes leaf over you've got a pretty good chance of rattling in a mature buck if you play your cards right. You'll know the time to rattle is right when you’re seeing bucks cruising everywhere and harassing doe to no end. Take note harassing doe and breeding/tending are two completely different things. A buck that corners off a doe and runs her around an area for a while and scent checks and moves off is not tending the doe his is just scent checking her to see if she is receptive to his advances. This is an excellent time to rattle in a mature whitetail. They have not locked themselves down on a doe yet.
I hunt in the mountainous terrain of Southern W.Va. The buck doe ratio is almost 1:1 in my area. That makes calling in mature/older deer so much easier. I'm going to recommend something that is going to pull many out of their comfort zone. I'm going to recommend rattling in buck from the ground using the team work of a few hunting buddies or solo with the increased risk of you not seeing the buck that was called in.
I like to rattle on those early November mornings when there is a heavy frost and it is dead quiet. I have the group walk and stop occasionally mimicking the sound of browsing deer. I generally find an end of a point where the sound of my rattling sequence can be heard for a long ways off. I have at least one guy go down wind about 80 yards and hide in a likely looking spot. I find a spot to hide where my calling can be heard the best. If I have another hunter with me, I'll set them upwind of me a ways in the event a buck comes in that direction. That pretty well eliminates my own personal chance at success but it's fun to watch.
Once everyone is tucked away nice, I start my call sequence with the sound of two different buck grunts ( HS Scents--True Talker ). I then do some light tree scraping with the antlers simulating the sound of antlers rubbing a tree. I then do some light antlers to the ground to paint the auditory illusion of walking mixed in with an occasional buck grunt and then throw in a doe bleat/fawn bleat with " The Can". I then proceed to start the rattling sequence. I usually start with a clash of the tines followed by some grinding and then back to some clashing of the tines mixed in with some grunts and brush breaking. I end with a furious pounding of the antlers to the ground/breaking of brush simulating a fleeing buck followed up by a dominate buck grunt. This is all topped off with a soft roll of “The can” or a doe bleat. Always be prepared to shoot quickly.
I usually set up in the middle of a laurel bush and have several limbs broken off for shooting lanes. I hang my bow on one of these broken off limbs stubs with an arrow knocked and pointing in the direction I anticipate the buck coming from. I always range several landmarks to use as references when I need to shoot. I always set my sliding adjustable site to 30 yards and aim low in the vitals if he is extremely close and in the middle if he farther out. If it is a long shot I always use my laser and adjust my slider accordingly. I always have my laser hanging nearby so I can get to it quickly.
I usually call and then wait 30 minutes or so until I move on to the next point. I have had most of my pre rut rattling success before 11:00am. I then usually regroup for the day and plan an evening watch of a food source or a travel corridor between known doe bedding groups, or downwind of doe bedding areas. I've got some really cool stories about rattling that I can share when I get the time including taking my all-time favorite buck and calling in a hunter that looked like he came straight out of the movie deliverance.
I hunt in the mountainous terrain of Southern W.Va. The buck doe ratio is almost 1:1 in my area. That makes calling in mature/older deer so much easier. I'm going to recommend something that is going to pull many out of their comfort zone. I'm going to recommend rattling in buck from the ground using the team work of a few hunting buddies or solo with the increased risk of you not seeing the buck that was called in.
I like to rattle on those early November mornings when there is a heavy frost and it is dead quiet. I have the group walk and stop occasionally mimicking the sound of browsing deer. I generally find an end of a point where the sound of my rattling sequence can be heard for a long ways off. I have at least one guy go down wind about 80 yards and hide in a likely looking spot. I find a spot to hide where my calling can be heard the best. If I have another hunter with me, I'll set them upwind of me a ways in the event a buck comes in that direction. That pretty well eliminates my own personal chance at success but it's fun to watch.
Once everyone is tucked away nice, I start my call sequence with the sound of two different buck grunts ( HS Scents--True Talker ). I then do some light tree scraping with the antlers simulating the sound of antlers rubbing a tree. I then do some light antlers to the ground to paint the auditory illusion of walking mixed in with an occasional buck grunt and then throw in a doe bleat/fawn bleat with " The Can". I then proceed to start the rattling sequence. I usually start with a clash of the tines followed by some grinding and then back to some clashing of the tines mixed in with some grunts and brush breaking. I end with a furious pounding of the antlers to the ground/breaking of brush simulating a fleeing buck followed up by a dominate buck grunt. This is all topped off with a soft roll of “The can” or a doe bleat. Always be prepared to shoot quickly.
I usually set up in the middle of a laurel bush and have several limbs broken off for shooting lanes. I hang my bow on one of these broken off limbs stubs with an arrow knocked and pointing in the direction I anticipate the buck coming from. I always range several landmarks to use as references when I need to shoot. I always set my sliding adjustable site to 30 yards and aim low in the vitals if he is extremely close and in the middle if he farther out. If it is a long shot I always use my laser and adjust my slider accordingly. I always have my laser hanging nearby so I can get to it quickly.
I usually call and then wait 30 minutes or so until I move on to the next point. I have had most of my pre rut rattling success before 11:00am. I then usually regroup for the day and plan an evening watch of a food source or a travel corridor between known doe bedding groups, or downwind of doe bedding areas. I've got some really cool stories about rattling that I can share when I get the time including taking my all-time favorite buck and calling in a hunter that looked like he came straight out of the movie deliverance.
Of interest and note, in my home state of WVA and in Ohio and Illinois I noticed that deer really take to eating greenbriers. Perhaps some of you guys can relate to that and use it in years of mast failure. Don't ever worry about cutting in on the thread with me. If you have something to add have at it. Thank you for your input. I just didn't want someone to get confused and think instead of hunting a loaded white oak they should be setting up over a patch of greenbriers.
The Rut
This is the time of the year everyone gets the most excited about and probably accounts for 90% of the dominate buck in the herds demise. This is the time when buck are actively breeding does and are very vulnerable to getting killed. They will actually seek out a doe and be with her sometimes for several days following her through yards/across roads/through the middle of field and right under a hunters stand regardless if there is a hunter in it or not. Usually this tending buck is being harassed to no end by several smaller satellite bucks jockeying for a chance to breed the doe. The dominate buck may run off one buck and before he can get back several other bucks have the doe in the next county. This is the time of the year when you see dominate bucks make bad mistakes. This is a good time for anyone to be afield regardless of your hunting experience because a big old buck might just stop right under your stand in the middle of the day. However, it may not be as easy as it sounds especially with the older age class bucks that have a doe sequestered in a briar patch for several days.
There are several effective strategies for hunting this time of the year but you will probably not get a crack at your big boy by waiting on him. You can capitalize on the others bucks frustrations by setting up in funnels/travel corridors between known doe bedding groups and trying some light rattling and calling. Don't get to aggressive with the rattling unless your area is overrun with dominate/mature bucks. Most of the less dominate bucks have taken a serious butt whipping and are reluctant to come charging into some heavy horn banging. I'd try some light rattling and soft calling for best results. During the peak of the rut try your best to be on stand all day long because the deer never take a break from cruising unless it gets unseasonably hot and I'll cover that topic later. So you may ask what a travel corridor is or funnel?
A funnel is a narrow area of travel that a deer is forced into that keeps them from being exposed during their travels. It could be a narrow band of brush connecting two separate blocks of timber or a narrow patch of trees between a road and a field that connects two blocks of timber. I have seen funnels as small as a wooded fence lines. A travel corridor is a trail that deer have traditionally used to get from point A to point B. It could be a well-used deer trail paralleling the mountain top 1/3 of the way down from the top. It could be a trail through a block of timber that is used over the generations and is well established.
The key to hunting funnels is to make sure you have a well hidden stand that is downwind of the trail otherwise you'll get picked off and your chances will be shot. This is really about the only time I specifically say I will definitely spend some time in a tree stand. Don't be afraid to jump out of your stand and change locations if you think you may have a better chance at getting a shot a buck in a breeding group. Example, you see several bucks chasing a doe all morning on the next mountain over. They keep going back and forth through this small narrow band of trees. Wait until they have passed and make a beeline over there and get up a tree ASAP. They will probably be coming back through. The big problem with breeding groups is getting a shot.
I literally have had these groups run several times back and forth under my stand without being able to successfully stop one of the shooters in a shooting lane. It was very frustrating to see a group of 3-4 150 class bucks run straight under me and not get a shot. Some will try to stop with a grunt and others a soft whistle. This can be a problem because it's been my experience that if you stop them successfully they seem to have spring loaded legs and are not where they were standing when you released the arrow. I more or less have been just letting these running bucks pass by and trying to softly grunt on the walking bucks unless they are less than 20 yards and then I just shoot them. I think you could debate the pro's and cons of this all day long of what to and not to do but I don't think there is a clear-cut answer. So what hunting strategy do I suggest during the peak of the rut?
I suggest light rattling for less dominate bucks. I've made the suggestion to hunt in funnels between known doe groups. Bear with me, “flight of ideas ", one I failed to mention that is a good strategy immediately before the scrapes leaf over to the end of the secondary rut is to hunt downwind of known doe bedding areas. I have also suggested being aggressive in moving stand locations if you see an opportunity to get up in a stand in a funnel you've seen deer chasing back and forth through.
There are several effective strategies for hunting this time of the year but you will probably not get a crack at your big boy by waiting on him. You can capitalize on the others bucks frustrations by setting up in funnels/travel corridors between known doe bedding groups and trying some light rattling and calling. Don't get to aggressive with the rattling unless your area is overrun with dominate/mature bucks. Most of the less dominate bucks have taken a serious butt whipping and are reluctant to come charging into some heavy horn banging. I'd try some light rattling and soft calling for best results. During the peak of the rut try your best to be on stand all day long because the deer never take a break from cruising unless it gets unseasonably hot and I'll cover that topic later. So you may ask what a travel corridor is or funnel?
A funnel is a narrow area of travel that a deer is forced into that keeps them from being exposed during their travels. It could be a narrow band of brush connecting two separate blocks of timber or a narrow patch of trees between a road and a field that connects two blocks of timber. I have seen funnels as small as a wooded fence lines. A travel corridor is a trail that deer have traditionally used to get from point A to point B. It could be a well-used deer trail paralleling the mountain top 1/3 of the way down from the top. It could be a trail through a block of timber that is used over the generations and is well established.
The key to hunting funnels is to make sure you have a well hidden stand that is downwind of the trail otherwise you'll get picked off and your chances will be shot. This is really about the only time I specifically say I will definitely spend some time in a tree stand. Don't be afraid to jump out of your stand and change locations if you think you may have a better chance at getting a shot a buck in a breeding group. Example, you see several bucks chasing a doe all morning on the next mountain over. They keep going back and forth through this small narrow band of trees. Wait until they have passed and make a beeline over there and get up a tree ASAP. They will probably be coming back through. The big problem with breeding groups is getting a shot.
I literally have had these groups run several times back and forth under my stand without being able to successfully stop one of the shooters in a shooting lane. It was very frustrating to see a group of 3-4 150 class bucks run straight under me and not get a shot. Some will try to stop with a grunt and others a soft whistle. This can be a problem because it's been my experience that if you stop them successfully they seem to have spring loaded legs and are not where they were standing when you released the arrow. I more or less have been just letting these running bucks pass by and trying to softly grunt on the walking bucks unless they are less than 20 yards and then I just shoot them. I think you could debate the pro's and cons of this all day long of what to and not to do but I don't think there is a clear-cut answer. So what hunting strategy do I suggest during the peak of the rut?
I suggest light rattling for less dominate bucks. I've made the suggestion to hunt in funnels between known doe groups. Bear with me, “flight of ideas ", one I failed to mention that is a good strategy immediately before the scrapes leaf over to the end of the secondary rut is to hunt downwind of known doe bedding areas. I have also suggested being aggressive in moving stand locations if you see an opportunity to get up in a stand in a funnel you've seen deer chasing back and forth through.
The last post I covered and discussed the main rut and hunting strategies to try. The " full Blown primary" rut only last about a week to 10 days. After that flurry of breeding activity takes place the bucks usually reopen their scrapes. I suggest that a hunter would be wise to get back to hunting downwind of scrapes/doe bedding areas. The bucks will start to cruise again but not nearly with the activity you saw with the primary rut so it would be a good time to get back to the funnels early and late. It's been my experience that bucks don't travel very much during this time frame and spend the majority of their time resting or feeding like crazy on whatever food source they can find. Saying that, hunting food sources such as red oak, greenfields, and food plots wouldn't be to bad of a strategy. I would probably rank that ahead of the funnels/bedding areas/downwind of scrapes. The secondary rut/breeding phase starts roughly 28 days after the primary rut.
The doe that went unbred with the primary rut usually come into estrus roughly one month later and you'll see the scrapes go inactive again and start seeing a few bucks breeding doe again. This is referred to as the secondary rut. Again, you wont see as much activity as you saw with the primary rut but there definitely is an increase in buck travel and movement. A hunter would do well to try some light rattling and set up in travel corridors/funnels between food and bedding areas. Hunt as often as you can because the bucks will be moving as good as they are going to be moving until the next year. Much of the rutting activity you will observe this time of year is on or very near a food source so it would be wise to focus your attention there. Some foods I've seen deer focus on during the secondary rut in Ohio/WV are; greenfields, Honeysuckle, greenbriers, Osage orange, corn ( just about any time ). The post rut starts after the secondary rut is complete.
The doe that went unbred with the primary rut usually come into estrus roughly one month later and you'll see the scrapes go inactive again and start seeing a few bucks breeding doe again. This is referred to as the secondary rut. Again, you wont see as much activity as you saw with the primary rut but there definitely is an increase in buck travel and movement. A hunter would do well to try some light rattling and set up in travel corridors/funnels between food and bedding areas. Hunt as often as you can because the bucks will be moving as good as they are going to be moving until the next year. Much of the rutting activity you will observe this time of year is on or very near a food source so it would be wise to focus your attention there. Some foods I've seen deer focus on during the secondary rut in Ohio/WV are; greenfields, Honeysuckle, greenbriers, Osage orange, corn ( just about any time ). The post rut starts after the secondary rut is complete.
Post Rut
Yeah, these last two stages are plenty boring and most of us have pulled out a blanket and are watching the NFL playoffs but I said I was going to cover the stages of the rut so here's the last stage, "the post rut".
Lets keep it simple and sweet, the post rut is an ill defined time frame after the secondary rut is over when the bucks give up on the scrapes and chasing doe and focusing on survival which means one thing, FOOD!!!!!! The way to fill your tag in the late season is simple and reamarkably easy to remember, just simply hunt the food sources. Deer go on auto pilot and try to bed as close to the food source as possible. The bucks start to join back up with their old summer time pals and form bachelor groups. The doe start to yard up for the winter and join up with several doe friends; There is strength in numbers. The whole problem with hunting the post rut is that; your usually sick of hunting deer by then, the deer are sick of us humans killing their pals, it is cold and miserable outside. Other than those things killing a deer in the post rut is rather easy. Simply hunt down wind of trails leading to food sources or if you have a nicely hidden down wind stand directly on a food source just show up about 2 hours before dark and wait patiently. I usually scout potential post rut stands from a distance to see where the deer are entering the food source. You can then simply go in the next day and hang a stand down wind of the trails leading to the food source and be in it a couple hours before dark. Take note that deer really feed strongly/agressively in front of a winter storm. They many times will be feeding in the food source in the middle of the day right before a storm comes rolling in.
Lets keep it simple and sweet, the post rut is an ill defined time frame after the secondary rut is over when the bucks give up on the scrapes and chasing doe and focusing on survival which means one thing, FOOD!!!!!! The way to fill your tag in the late season is simple and reamarkably easy to remember, just simply hunt the food sources. Deer go on auto pilot and try to bed as close to the food source as possible. The bucks start to join back up with their old summer time pals and form bachelor groups. The doe start to yard up for the winter and join up with several doe friends; There is strength in numbers. The whole problem with hunting the post rut is that; your usually sick of hunting deer by then, the deer are sick of us humans killing their pals, it is cold and miserable outside. Other than those things killing a deer in the post rut is rather easy. Simply hunt down wind of trails leading to food sources or if you have a nicely hidden down wind stand directly on a food source just show up about 2 hours before dark and wait patiently. I usually scout potential post rut stands from a distance to see where the deer are entering the food source. You can then simply go in the next day and hang a stand down wind of the trails leading to the food source and be in it a couple hours before dark. Take note that deer really feed strongly/agressively in front of a winter storm. They many times will be feeding in the food source in the middle of the day right before a storm comes rolling in.
Hunting Pressured Whitetail
It is common for many of us to have to deal with others when we hunt. If you hunt public ground like I commonly do, you have no control over other hunters but you can capitalize on them being there. I probably look like a stooge the first few days I'm in a new area. You'll see me driving down the road repeatedly and stopping to talk with hunters. A hunter can learn a lot from these little drives and discussions with other hunters.
I always ask each hunter where they are hunting so I don't interfere with there setup. I usually pack a map and have them show me the general area they are in to avoid them. I listen to their deer stories on sightings and I casually ask them how they are hunting; straight tree stand, calling, baiting, spot and stalk... I ask them what activity the deer they saw where doing; feeding, chasing, breeding, cruising. If they've killed one I ask if they looked at the stomach contents and what was in it. I inquire about the trail they take to get to their stands so I don't go walking down it and spook spoke deer. I always present myself as a hunter with very modest success so that it doesn't threaten them. Naturally I inquire about big buck sightings. You can do this and gain much information without ever going in the woods. You can use this information to plan and implement an effective hunting strategy to maximize your chances of success.
I drive around the entire hunting area several times and look where the hunters are parked and when/where they are entering and leaving the area. Yes, I'm usually doing this at 0500am. You would be surprised at the number of times I have found places on public ground that no one is hunting at all. After I have taken all this information from as many sources as possible review my map and place each hunter and what they are doing on it. I then try to predict how the deer will react.
It makes sense that when you have a group of hunters walking in on one path that all of the deer down wind of them is going to try to escape and that usually means down wind. It also means that once a hunter gets on stand his scent is going to continue to blow down wind and if he is not careful the deer, especially the mature whitetails will have the hunter patterned before the hunter patterns the deer. In other words they learn real quick to avoid the area. I have an example of a scenario where I capitalized on pressured deer to get the opportunity for a shot on a big buck.
There was a logging road in Illinois that ran South to North along the West side of a long narrow 1 mile long vertical block of timber. There was only one parking spot and every hunter had to use this trail to enter the woodlot. The wind was blowing out of the North West as usual so it more or less blowed every hunter scent that walked down that path to get to his stands into the only woodlot they could hunt. In other words they were forced to walk to their stands on the upwind side spooking every deer in the woodlot before their hunt ever started.
I had saw several shooter bucks enter this woodlot after the guys had went home in the evening so I knew it was being used. I parked in the same lot as the hunters one morning after they had all went up this logging road. I walked down the main road about 1/2 mile and cut up into the woodlot on the down wind side. I wasn't there perhaps 10 minutes when I found a heavily used trail that had running tracks in it. I got down wind of this trail and watched buck after buck come filtering by and move off into the sanctuary of the swamp. I didn't shoot any of them because I was hoping to shoot a Booner. No booners walked by but a few nice 140's did.
I later found a small timber block that was never hunted that was separate from the main public area. I scouted it and found significant buck sign. I also took note that this little block of timber was the way all of these deer in the main block were escaping to. We were on location 10 days and my friend I went with was crying the blues he wanted to go home. He told me he was shooting the first buck he saw that was 130 or bigger. I stuck him in that woodlot on the downwind side of the timber jammed up in some brush on the ground. He shot a buck and came out of the woods and found me and said please shoot the first buck you see so we can go home. I was bumming because I had the whole month off but understood his request. I had my eye on one of these escape trails from the main body of the public area to this small tract. I reluctantly pulled my climber up and sat down about 7 yards down wind of this little trail. A little while later here comes nice 140 class 240# red coated 8 pointer and stops over to my right. I tried to draw my bow but, " pay attention ", I had not allowed enough slack in my safety harness to get all the way around to shoot. Here it is 30 minutes before dark and my friend should have his buck back at my truck by now and I just blew an opportunity on a nice buck. Yes, I was pissed off. I heard a brush rustling and saw a raccoon about 20 yards away. I drew my bow cussing under my breath and was just about to smoke him when, snap, a twig broke.
I turned to see this basket racked buck walking directly under my stand. I just held on the bottom of his chest and touched the release. The arrow center puched him down through his vitals and lacerated his heart. I found him the next day in a lake and guess what, my friend didn't get his buck and I just burnt my tag. I guess he lost his blood trail into the lake as well. The moral of the story is you can hunt pressured whitetails successfully but you've got to really think about what a deer would do considering all the factors. I've got several of these stories to reinforce what I'm trying to say but supper is ready.
I always ask each hunter where they are hunting so I don't interfere with there setup. I usually pack a map and have them show me the general area they are in to avoid them. I listen to their deer stories on sightings and I casually ask them how they are hunting; straight tree stand, calling, baiting, spot and stalk... I ask them what activity the deer they saw where doing; feeding, chasing, breeding, cruising. If they've killed one I ask if they looked at the stomach contents and what was in it. I inquire about the trail they take to get to their stands so I don't go walking down it and spook spoke deer. I always present myself as a hunter with very modest success so that it doesn't threaten them. Naturally I inquire about big buck sightings. You can do this and gain much information without ever going in the woods. You can use this information to plan and implement an effective hunting strategy to maximize your chances of success.
I drive around the entire hunting area several times and look where the hunters are parked and when/where they are entering and leaving the area. Yes, I'm usually doing this at 0500am. You would be surprised at the number of times I have found places on public ground that no one is hunting at all. After I have taken all this information from as many sources as possible review my map and place each hunter and what they are doing on it. I then try to predict how the deer will react.
It makes sense that when you have a group of hunters walking in on one path that all of the deer down wind of them is going to try to escape and that usually means down wind. It also means that once a hunter gets on stand his scent is going to continue to blow down wind and if he is not careful the deer, especially the mature whitetails will have the hunter patterned before the hunter patterns the deer. In other words they learn real quick to avoid the area. I have an example of a scenario where I capitalized on pressured deer to get the opportunity for a shot on a big buck.
There was a logging road in Illinois that ran South to North along the West side of a long narrow 1 mile long vertical block of timber. There was only one parking spot and every hunter had to use this trail to enter the woodlot. The wind was blowing out of the North West as usual so it more or less blowed every hunter scent that walked down that path to get to his stands into the only woodlot they could hunt. In other words they were forced to walk to their stands on the upwind side spooking every deer in the woodlot before their hunt ever started.
I had saw several shooter bucks enter this woodlot after the guys had went home in the evening so I knew it was being used. I parked in the same lot as the hunters one morning after they had all went up this logging road. I walked down the main road about 1/2 mile and cut up into the woodlot on the down wind side. I wasn't there perhaps 10 minutes when I found a heavily used trail that had running tracks in it. I got down wind of this trail and watched buck after buck come filtering by and move off into the sanctuary of the swamp. I didn't shoot any of them because I was hoping to shoot a Booner. No booners walked by but a few nice 140's did.
I later found a small timber block that was never hunted that was separate from the main public area. I scouted it and found significant buck sign. I also took note that this little block of timber was the way all of these deer in the main block were escaping to. We were on location 10 days and my friend I went with was crying the blues he wanted to go home. He told me he was shooting the first buck he saw that was 130 or bigger. I stuck him in that woodlot on the downwind side of the timber jammed up in some brush on the ground. He shot a buck and came out of the woods and found me and said please shoot the first buck you see so we can go home. I was bumming because I had the whole month off but understood his request. I had my eye on one of these escape trails from the main body of the public area to this small tract. I reluctantly pulled my climber up and sat down about 7 yards down wind of this little trail. A little while later here comes nice 140 class 240# red coated 8 pointer and stops over to my right. I tried to draw my bow but, " pay attention ", I had not allowed enough slack in my safety harness to get all the way around to shoot. Here it is 30 minutes before dark and my friend should have his buck back at my truck by now and I just blew an opportunity on a nice buck. Yes, I was pissed off. I heard a brush rustling and saw a raccoon about 20 yards away. I drew my bow cussing under my breath and was just about to smoke him when, snap, a twig broke.
I turned to see this basket racked buck walking directly under my stand. I just held on the bottom of his chest and touched the release. The arrow center puched him down through his vitals and lacerated his heart. I found him the next day in a lake and guess what, my friend didn't get his buck and I just burnt my tag. I guess he lost his blood trail into the lake as well. The moral of the story is you can hunt pressured whitetails successfully but you've got to really think about what a deer would do considering all the factors. I've got several of these stories to reinforce what I'm trying to say but supper is ready.
I got tangled up with dinner then football practice with the youngest son. What I failed to mention in the last post was I had to walk down the road 1/2 mile and then wade a swamp about 2' deep for a 1/4th of a mile. I then observed some high ground that the deer where using as a bridge through the swamp from the larger public hunting area to the smaller tract of ground which was in essence a sanctuary that went unhunted. To maximize your chances when hunting pressured whitetails one would do well to anticipate escape routes and be on the look out for sanctuarys. Take all the factors into consideration and plan your best attack. I have a little story I wrote that will demonstrate just how easy it can be to capitalize on hunting pressure.
If there is a mast failure that is good for the hunter but bad for the deer. It concentrates the deer on limited food sources increasing a hunters chances.
In hill country big bucks bed on the downwind side of a hill with the wind at their back with a good view down below them. Frequently they will lay in a depression in the ground behind an uprooted tree or under a bush or behind a log. These beds can be semi permanent and are often located roughly 1/3 the way down the hill from the top. You can positively identify one by seeing the bed barren of grass or sticks and lots of hair in it. If your lucky you'll find rubs of varying age immediatel around the bed. The first thing the old boy will do is stretch and move off to the side and unload a batch of pellets. This is nice to know if your planning an ambush.
In hill country big bucks bed on the downwind side of a hill with the wind at their back with a good view down below them. Frequently they will lay in a depression in the ground behind an uprooted tree or under a bush or behind a log. These beds can be semi permanent and are often located roughly 1/3 the way down the hill from the top. You can positively identify one by seeing the bed barren of grass or sticks and lots of hair in it. If your lucky you'll find rubs of varying age immediatel around the bed. The first thing the old boy will do is stretch and move off to the side and unload a batch of pellets. This is nice to know if your planning an ambush.
This is one of my stronger topics but I've intentially shy'd away from it because it can be difficult to hunt pressured whitetails with archery gear. However, I will say that when deer get pressure they seek sanctuary and go nocturnal. What does that mean?, deer seek locations where humans aren't. That could be; in the nastiest thicket, the steepest hillside, the most far away location from the pressure, in your backyard while your out hunting, in city limits/sanctuaries/non hunting areas, along river drainages, in irrigation ditches, under brush piles/rock outcroppings/abandoned barns/under a lone shrub in the middle of a pasture field..... basically anywhere they please where they feel safe. A good general blanket statement would be hunt as near as you can to the thickest cover in your area. I try to think like a deer and that has paid off over the years. When I'm hunting pressured whitetails I simply ask myself if I were a deer where would I hide. I then go investigate and then hunt accordingly. I have many times looked at a cliff face and say man that is steep, I'd hate to climb that! Ten minutes later I'm slowly sneaking straight up the face of the hill!
Strategic Stand Placement
To maximize ones chances of success one must strategically place their stands. There are several factors to consider prior to placing your stand. Those factors include; wind direction, stage of the rut, topography, bedding and feeding/watering areas, hunting pressure and weather. Many just place stands based upon one of these factors but in reality you would be much more successful to consider them all to maximize your chances. The first thing to consider would be the stage of the rut.
In the early pre rut stage (just after the velvet sheds to about 1-2 weeks before the scrapes leaf over) one would do well to hunt and place stands near food/water sources. The stand should be placed downwind of the actual food/water or down wind of the trail leading to the source. I have had better success back tracking a hundred yards or so down the trails the deer are using to gain entrance to the food/water source. I then set my stand up on the down wind side of the trail. Set the stand up as high as possible because traditionally it’s warmer this time of the year and you’ll be sweating and that will increase the likelihood of being picked off. In an earlier post we discussed some potential food sources suck as; white oak acorns, apples, food plots, paw paws…So in essence the primary hunting strategy in the early pre rut is to get a deer is through their belly. Two weeks before the scrapes leaf over things start to get interesting.
The late pre rut period shows an increase in the number of scrapes a hunter will observe and the intensity of damage done to these scrapes. This will signify to the hunter that bucks are starting to switch from food as the primary focus in their life to reproduction. This will require a little different strategy since bucks start to behave differently at this time and especially older bucks. Most of the daylight scrapes worked at this time is by juvenile bucks and doe. The older bucks will work them at night but will usually scent check them down wind during the daylight. So if you’re after a deer just set up on the down wind side of active scrapes but don’t expect to see a mature buck. He will be cruising down wind of the scrapes scent checking them. To find the trails he is using just simply go down wind of the scrapes and look for a faint trail moving through the brush paralleling the scrapes. He will usually make some larger rubs there and you can tell which way he was traveling by the direction of the rubs. I generally find these trails anywhere from 40-150 yards down wind of active scrapes.
You can also try some serious rattling/decoying at this time because a dominant buck is starting his search for receptive females and is either looking for a fight just to be fighting or looking to fight over a doe. I like to rattle from a ground setup but I see no reason it wouldn’t work from a stand. You could always tie a light rope around your antlers and drop them near the bottom of the tree and shake the cord to mimicking rattling to divert the sound away from your position to decrease the chance of being detected on your perch. Anytime that a buck starts cruising for doe such as the late pre rut period you can pretty well predict he will be keeping a close eye or better said a close scent on the doe.
He will be cruising all over his territory between doe groups. he will cruise down wind of bedding/feeding/watering areas. Most of his detective work is done with his nose. You can capitalize on this by hunting down wind of scrapes, bedding areas, feeding/watering areas as well as trying to catch him sneaking through a funnel between larger blocks of timber. Hunting during the actual rut requires one to fine tune their strategy.
In the early pre rut stage (just after the velvet sheds to about 1-2 weeks before the scrapes leaf over) one would do well to hunt and place stands near food/water sources. The stand should be placed downwind of the actual food/water or down wind of the trail leading to the source. I have had better success back tracking a hundred yards or so down the trails the deer are using to gain entrance to the food/water source. I then set my stand up on the down wind side of the trail. Set the stand up as high as possible because traditionally it’s warmer this time of the year and you’ll be sweating and that will increase the likelihood of being picked off. In an earlier post we discussed some potential food sources suck as; white oak acorns, apples, food plots, paw paws…So in essence the primary hunting strategy in the early pre rut is to get a deer is through their belly. Two weeks before the scrapes leaf over things start to get interesting.
The late pre rut period shows an increase in the number of scrapes a hunter will observe and the intensity of damage done to these scrapes. This will signify to the hunter that bucks are starting to switch from food as the primary focus in their life to reproduction. This will require a little different strategy since bucks start to behave differently at this time and especially older bucks. Most of the daylight scrapes worked at this time is by juvenile bucks and doe. The older bucks will work them at night but will usually scent check them down wind during the daylight. So if you’re after a deer just set up on the down wind side of active scrapes but don’t expect to see a mature buck. He will be cruising down wind of the scrapes scent checking them. To find the trails he is using just simply go down wind of the scrapes and look for a faint trail moving through the brush paralleling the scrapes. He will usually make some larger rubs there and you can tell which way he was traveling by the direction of the rubs. I generally find these trails anywhere from 40-150 yards down wind of active scrapes.
You can also try some serious rattling/decoying at this time because a dominant buck is starting his search for receptive females and is either looking for a fight just to be fighting or looking to fight over a doe. I like to rattle from a ground setup but I see no reason it wouldn’t work from a stand. You could always tie a light rope around your antlers and drop them near the bottom of the tree and shake the cord to mimicking rattling to divert the sound away from your position to decrease the chance of being detected on your perch. Anytime that a buck starts cruising for doe such as the late pre rut period you can pretty well predict he will be keeping a close eye or better said a close scent on the doe.
He will be cruising all over his territory between doe groups. he will cruise down wind of bedding/feeding/watering areas. Most of his detective work is done with his nose. You can capitalize on this by hunting down wind of scrapes, bedding areas, feeding/watering areas as well as trying to catch him sneaking through a funnel between larger blocks of timber. Hunting during the actual rut requires one to fine tune their strategy.
The peak of the rut is a very exciting time to be in the woods. You’ll see lots of bucks chasing doe all over the place. You’ll see mature whitetail buck in the weirdest places such as in the middle of a yard or standing in the middle of a crop field at mid day. This is the time of the year when it pays off to be on stand all day long because the buck run non stop. The only downside to all this activity is the dominant buck will often sequester a doe in an isolated thicket and not come out for days and only if the doe leads him out or she goes out of estrus. To maximize your chances you need to fine tune your stand placement and hunting strategy’s.
During the peak of the rut there is usually lots of chasing going on. They have abandoned their scrapes and are just running wild.That means that deer will be running through the woods all day. A hunter would be wise to play the odds and reposition his stand to one that takes into the topography of the land. Deer tend to take the path of least resistance so that means they will be more likely to cross low gaps/saddles on long ridge tops or through a ravine or low area in a field. Places I like to focus on are narrow bands of brush connecting two larger blocks of timber. A near estrus doe will more or less run all day with sometimes several buck in hot pursuit. Place those stands on the downwind side of the narrow band of brush. Keep in mind that thermals tend to rise in the morning and settle at in the evening. You can also find a saddle in a long mountain and setup in some fashion down wind with a good view of the saddle. They definitly use these low gaps and rank high on my list of priorities come the rut in mountain country. You can also use calls at this time but realize that you'll probably only get responses from less dominant bucks unless you catch a dominant buck between doe.
You can try some light rattling mixed in with some decoys for some down right exciting action. This is a time when your more than likely going to get a positive response to estrus based scents. Spend all day in the woods and don't be afraid to try to pull a commando on a buck with a doe cornered in a thicket. His gaurd is more than let down, he is stupid. I once shot a doe in estrus and had to watch a 170 class 10 pointer repeatedly rake her hind quarters with his massive white rack trying to get her up. I could only stand and watch since I had already burnt my tag on another buck. The buck below was so stupid ( dead in the middle of the rut on a hot doe ) that I shot and grazed his back from 20 yards and he ran up the hill 20 yards and looked back at the doe that didn't budge while I knocked another arrow and put one through the boiler room. Look close by the bungie cord and you can see the laceration from the first shot.
During the peak of the rut there is usually lots of chasing going on. They have abandoned their scrapes and are just running wild.That means that deer will be running through the woods all day. A hunter would be wise to play the odds and reposition his stand to one that takes into the topography of the land. Deer tend to take the path of least resistance so that means they will be more likely to cross low gaps/saddles on long ridge tops or through a ravine or low area in a field. Places I like to focus on are narrow bands of brush connecting two larger blocks of timber. A near estrus doe will more or less run all day with sometimes several buck in hot pursuit. Place those stands on the downwind side of the narrow band of brush. Keep in mind that thermals tend to rise in the morning and settle at in the evening. You can also find a saddle in a long mountain and setup in some fashion down wind with a good view of the saddle. They definitly use these low gaps and rank high on my list of priorities come the rut in mountain country. You can also use calls at this time but realize that you'll probably only get responses from less dominant bucks unless you catch a dominant buck between doe.
You can try some light rattling mixed in with some decoys for some down right exciting action. This is a time when your more than likely going to get a positive response to estrus based scents. Spend all day in the woods and don't be afraid to try to pull a commando on a buck with a doe cornered in a thicket. His gaurd is more than let down, he is stupid. I once shot a doe in estrus and had to watch a 170 class 10 pointer repeatedly rake her hind quarters with his massive white rack trying to get her up. I could only stand and watch since I had already burnt my tag on another buck. The buck below was so stupid ( dead in the middle of the rut on a hot doe ) that I shot and grazed his back from 20 yards and he ran up the hill 20 yards and looked back at the doe that didn't budge while I knocked another arrow and put one through the boiler room. Look close by the bungie cord and you can see the laceration from the first shot.
You can't kill a mature buck if you shoot a little one, Sounds simple doesn't it?? Sometimes holding out for something you want is easier said then done.
Post Rut Stand Placement
Hunt food sources plain and simple both early and late in the day. If a storm front is on the forecast, hunt in the middle of the day. Hunt where the deer are feeding which should be fairly easy to decipher. It will be where you are seeing them, usually in; greenfields, picked over corn fields, green briar and honey suckle patches. Again hunt the actual food source or back down an access trail/travel corridor a ways.
Sticks in the Mud?
You might be asking yourself what is he talking about? I'm referring to things that happen while your hunting you just don't count on that threaten to ruin your hunt. I can think of several things that really put a damper on your best laid plans.
A heat wave around the normal hunting time really changes the way deer behave and how we should hunt them. These heat waves/warmer than normal temperatures during the traditional rut lead to what I refer to as a trickle rut. This happens when us hunters can't positively identify the various stages of the rut from pre rut to the rut and finally the post rut. Every year you hear stories of hunters not being able to identify the peak of the rut. What happens here is that all rutting activity still takes place but it is spread out over a longer period of time and there is no real peak to this activity as we normally see. Much of this activity happens at night when us hunters are back at camp. I have learned to pay attention to everything I see both day and night to provide clues as to what is going on in the deer woods.
I camp many times in parks and places where the deer are protected and I've learned to use them as my study group for planning my strategy. I sometimes will take a day just to study these deer and then apply what I've learned in my hunting area. What I've learned is that there is absolutely no need to be in the woods unless your board because even though it's the traditional peak of the rut the deer are bedded down through the heat of the day. I recommend hunting the first and last 3 hours of daylight. The middle of the day is a bust. The only luck I've had on these hot summer days is on two man slow drives where you more or less pick out a long narrow band of brush and have one man go upwind and ever so slowly walk with the wind at their back toward a man setting up down wind along a likely looking escape route. I have done this several times successfully but the key is for the driver to move slowly and let the wind carry his scent to the deer and let that drive them. He can tip toe back and forth still hunting with a light pair of sneakers and work his way toward his partner. Larger mature bucks like to bed on the down wind side of points and when it's hot outside they frequently drop off into the valley where it's cooler.
I hunt an area in Southern W.Va where there is a field on top of the ridge where doe and small bucks frequent just about dusk. The larger buck hold back in the woods until well after dark then move up on these hot nights to scent check doe. They still chase them but most of the chasing takes place at night. It was exceptionally hot one year and the rut was dead. I more or less hunted early and late and scouted through the middle of the day, I'm too high strung to sleep. I was tip toeing back down this trail leading from the meadow to the point that dropped off to the cool valley below. Just as I was about to reach the summit of the hill where I would be able to see the hillside reaching down to this valley I brought my progress to a crawl. I looked over the bank as I crested the ridge and looked straight into the eyes of a 140 class 10 point. The only thing the deer could see of me was my forehead and eyes and I had on a headnet so my face outline was broken. I took two steps back and knocked an arrow and came to full draw. I slowly crept forward until I could see his entire body at 7 yards and put one through his chest from the front. I'm sure he was on his way to check the doe about 1/2 mile farther up the trail behind me. I knew there was a buck using this trail because I saw a dog run one up earlier in the day. I got to looking at the tracks on this trail and they appeared to be made by what was the same buck and the tracks were of varying age. I took the chance to sneak down this trail near dark and intercept this buck as he came out of the cool valley after a hot day and it paid off. So on extremely hot indian summer days during the traditional rut you may have to focus your hunts both early and late. You can move away from your primary hunt site through the center of the day and do some two men drives. I'll cover heavy rain and times of good mast production on a future post.
A heat wave around the normal hunting time really changes the way deer behave and how we should hunt them. These heat waves/warmer than normal temperatures during the traditional rut lead to what I refer to as a trickle rut. This happens when us hunters can't positively identify the various stages of the rut from pre rut to the rut and finally the post rut. Every year you hear stories of hunters not being able to identify the peak of the rut. What happens here is that all rutting activity still takes place but it is spread out over a longer period of time and there is no real peak to this activity as we normally see. Much of this activity happens at night when us hunters are back at camp. I have learned to pay attention to everything I see both day and night to provide clues as to what is going on in the deer woods.
I camp many times in parks and places where the deer are protected and I've learned to use them as my study group for planning my strategy. I sometimes will take a day just to study these deer and then apply what I've learned in my hunting area. What I've learned is that there is absolutely no need to be in the woods unless your board because even though it's the traditional peak of the rut the deer are bedded down through the heat of the day. I recommend hunting the first and last 3 hours of daylight. The middle of the day is a bust. The only luck I've had on these hot summer days is on two man slow drives where you more or less pick out a long narrow band of brush and have one man go upwind and ever so slowly walk with the wind at their back toward a man setting up down wind along a likely looking escape route. I have done this several times successfully but the key is for the driver to move slowly and let the wind carry his scent to the deer and let that drive them. He can tip toe back and forth still hunting with a light pair of sneakers and work his way toward his partner. Larger mature bucks like to bed on the down wind side of points and when it's hot outside they frequently drop off into the valley where it's cooler.
I hunt an area in Southern W.Va where there is a field on top of the ridge where doe and small bucks frequent just about dusk. The larger buck hold back in the woods until well after dark then move up on these hot nights to scent check doe. They still chase them but most of the chasing takes place at night. It was exceptionally hot one year and the rut was dead. I more or less hunted early and late and scouted through the middle of the day, I'm too high strung to sleep. I was tip toeing back down this trail leading from the meadow to the point that dropped off to the cool valley below. Just as I was about to reach the summit of the hill where I would be able to see the hillside reaching down to this valley I brought my progress to a crawl. I looked over the bank as I crested the ridge and looked straight into the eyes of a 140 class 10 point. The only thing the deer could see of me was my forehead and eyes and I had on a headnet so my face outline was broken. I took two steps back and knocked an arrow and came to full draw. I slowly crept forward until I could see his entire body at 7 yards and put one through his chest from the front. I'm sure he was on his way to check the doe about 1/2 mile farther up the trail behind me. I knew there was a buck using this trail because I saw a dog run one up earlier in the day. I got to looking at the tracks on this trail and they appeared to be made by what was the same buck and the tracks were of varying age. I took the chance to sneak down this trail near dark and intercept this buck as he came out of the cool valley after a hot day and it paid off. So on extremely hot indian summer days during the traditional rut you may have to focus your hunts both early and late. You can move away from your primary hunt site through the center of the day and do some two men drives. I'll cover heavy rain and times of good mast production on a future post.
Full Moons?
I too for years believed this theory that deer during full moons go nocturnal. Well during some of those fitful nights when I was in rut ( couldn't sleep waking up sweating and dreaming about big bucks ) I decided to take some walks. I have better than average night vision I guess developed from years of walking to and from my hunting site without the use of a flashlight through heavily forested terrain. I would walk to secluded meadows and places I normally see deer and this may surprise many of you but there was no more activity at night than you would expect. Yes there was a flury of activity from dusk until about 11pm and the woods was quite again. When I was younger I would just take a sleeping bag and a tarp and cuddle up against a log back in the woods. Trust me when I say you'll learn to identify sounds in the woods if you do this. Again it appeared the deer where a lot like us. They ate up until about 11pm and then laid back down until a little before dawn and then got right back to feeding. I love to be able to hear again like I did when I was a younger. The sound a group of bucks made chasing a doe through the mountains is incredible at night when all is quiet. Oh, the sounds of a bear whoofing/puffing and popping his teeth is equally entertaining or the sounds of a pack of coyotes ripping a deer to pieces or as in one case a very unhappy bobcat.
How do you couteract this?, I'm not convinced there is anything to counteract. I have still had fairly good success during full moons. Keep in mind that the answer to your question may not be the fact that it's a full moon but that the peak of the rut ( in my hunting areas ) actually happens in two weeks after the first full moon after the autumn equinox so in reality your hunting when it is not the peak of the rut and that in itself will account for less daylight sightings. You need to go back and figure out what the deer are doing and then apply the appropriate hunting strategy. So you might ask when that happens this year?
The fall equinox occurs September 23 this year. The first full moon will be 1 month later that puts you at October 23rd ( probably some serious scraping going down about this time ) two weeks after October the 23rd would be Nov 5-7 and that should be the peak of the rut in central USA. Keep in mind that certain things retard the rut and may slow it down a bit like an indian summer. Again a little later in the south ( perhaps the next month ) and a little earlier in the North. I've been as high as Illinois and there might be a several days differerence between Ohio/WVa but not many. I can't vouch for Canada, I've never been there but if I was guessing I'd say early November. Ok Canada guys when is your peak of the traditional rut? I'm guessing real early in November perhaps Nov 1-10th??.
How do you couteract this?, I'm not convinced there is anything to counteract. I have still had fairly good success during full moons. Keep in mind that the answer to your question may not be the fact that it's a full moon but that the peak of the rut ( in my hunting areas ) actually happens in two weeks after the first full moon after the autumn equinox so in reality your hunting when it is not the peak of the rut and that in itself will account for less daylight sightings. You need to go back and figure out what the deer are doing and then apply the appropriate hunting strategy. So you might ask when that happens this year?
The fall equinox occurs September 23 this year. The first full moon will be 1 month later that puts you at October 23rd ( probably some serious scraping going down about this time ) two weeks after October the 23rd would be Nov 5-7 and that should be the peak of the rut in central USA. Keep in mind that certain things retard the rut and may slow it down a bit like an indian summer. Again a little later in the south ( perhaps the next month ) and a little earlier in the North. I've been as high as Illinois and there might be a several days differerence between Ohio/WVa but not many. I can't vouch for Canada, I've never been there but if I was guessing I'd say early November. Ok Canada guys when is your peak of the traditional rut? I'm guessing real early in November perhaps Nov 1-10th??.
Heavy Rain
Not many guys go out hunting when the rain is really coming down and for good reason. My daddy always did say I wasn't smart enough to get out of the rain. I try to always take a negative in the deer woods and turn it into an opportunity.
Heavy rains can and does slow deer movement. However it also sends deer to predictable hiding spots and they have a tendancy to let their gaurds down. Heavy rains also deadens sounds that normally would spook deer. I'm going suggest that you get out of your treestand and still hunt through suspected bedding areas such as in pine thickets and laurel patches.
Prior to beginning your stalk take into consideration the lay of the land and realize that deer will try to seek areas of shelter such as the locations aforementioned and on sheltered hillsides and hollows from the wind. I have seen deer hide in brush piles and under rock outcroppings. The going can be miserable but highly rewarding and profitable because they generally are not very alert as long as the wind is not heavy and then they are as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I have hunted during these down pours successfully many times. I always wear light rain gear such as frogs togs, gortex or similar material.
I know of an area where during heavy rain the deer escape to. It is a little protected bowl on the South East facing slope ( opposite the way the wind normally comes in my area ) that is covered up with mature hemlock trees. Hemlocks are small pine trees that have a fairly heavy canopy of needles. These needles usually stop the rain from getting to the ground for a while during rain storms. It is very common for it to remain fairly high and dry in there even though it has been raining for a while.
One specific week in November several years back I got sick of setting in camp waiting for the weather to clear so I broke out the Walls waterproof ( waterpruff!!! ) rain gear and went off for a stalk through this area. I walked around above the area on the hill until I could positively identify the wind direction. I glassed wthe tree tops to see which way the wind was blowing them and dropped off into the valley below and circled in behind this calm hemlock covered thicket. I kept stopping and reminding myself to slow down to a snails pace and spot the buck before he spots me.
I had been sneaking along for about 2 hours when I spooted at first what I thought was a fox squirrel but it wasn't. It was a deer facing directly away from me and he occassionally would twitch his tail side to side. I could tell it was a big buck but wasn't sure how big. I eventually worked my way closer but off to the side. The buck was bedded on a grown over logging road heavily covered by hemlocks. I dropped off this logging road and closed the gap just keeping my head up visible to the deer. I closed to about 30 yards and waited. The deer eventually stood and shook all the water off like and old dog and I double lunged him. He went about 40 yards and piled up and this deer ended up being one of my more difficuly drags. Note, even though I was wearing rain gear you can see from the picture I got plenty wet but it was worth it!
Heavy rains can and does slow deer movement. However it also sends deer to predictable hiding spots and they have a tendancy to let their gaurds down. Heavy rains also deadens sounds that normally would spook deer. I'm going suggest that you get out of your treestand and still hunt through suspected bedding areas such as in pine thickets and laurel patches.
Prior to beginning your stalk take into consideration the lay of the land and realize that deer will try to seek areas of shelter such as the locations aforementioned and on sheltered hillsides and hollows from the wind. I have seen deer hide in brush piles and under rock outcroppings. The going can be miserable but highly rewarding and profitable because they generally are not very alert as long as the wind is not heavy and then they are as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I have hunted during these down pours successfully many times. I always wear light rain gear such as frogs togs, gortex or similar material.
I know of an area where during heavy rain the deer escape to. It is a little protected bowl on the South East facing slope ( opposite the way the wind normally comes in my area ) that is covered up with mature hemlock trees. Hemlocks are small pine trees that have a fairly heavy canopy of needles. These needles usually stop the rain from getting to the ground for a while during rain storms. It is very common for it to remain fairly high and dry in there even though it has been raining for a while.
One specific week in November several years back I got sick of setting in camp waiting for the weather to clear so I broke out the Walls waterproof ( waterpruff!!! ) rain gear and went off for a stalk through this area. I walked around above the area on the hill until I could positively identify the wind direction. I glassed wthe tree tops to see which way the wind was blowing them and dropped off into the valley below and circled in behind this calm hemlock covered thicket. I kept stopping and reminding myself to slow down to a snails pace and spot the buck before he spots me.
I had been sneaking along for about 2 hours when I spooted at first what I thought was a fox squirrel but it wasn't. It was a deer facing directly away from me and he occassionally would twitch his tail side to side. I could tell it was a big buck but wasn't sure how big. I eventually worked my way closer but off to the side. The buck was bedded on a grown over logging road heavily covered by hemlocks. I dropped off this logging road and closed the gap just keeping my head up visible to the deer. I closed to about 30 yards and waited. The deer eventually stood and shook all the water off like and old dog and I double lunged him. He went about 40 yards and piled up and this deer ended up being one of my more difficuly drags. Note, even though I was wearing rain gear you can see from the picture I got plenty wet but it was worth it!
Odor
If I'm ground hunting which means Stalking, calling, standing in a strategic location, I take good measure to keep clean by; showering with scent free soaps and spraying down with Scent reducing agents like Carbon Blast, HS Scents. My clothes are always washed in scent free soap and dried all together and stored together in a scent proof container. Now always when I'm stalking I walk with my nose into the wind or why bother? I always plan my stalking, ground hunting based upon wind direction. Now things get really serious if I'm on a kill set. That is when I'm 100% sure I have a certain buck I'm after narrowed down to a specific site and time he is going to go under my stand or by my hiding spot. In that scenario I go to the ultra extremes and brush my teeth in baking soda, shower with scent free soap, apply scent free deodorant. I spray carbon blast all over my entire body after I've reached my destination without my clothes on. I allow time to air dry. I pay special attention to my hair and hands, It sort of makes you look like a coal miner when your done. I then have a designated " kill set " scent lock ghillie/leafy wear suit I put on. This suit has never seen perspiration or odor. I keep it in a separate stand alone scent containment bag that I carry to the stand. I use the same suit for about two years ( perhaps twice a year ) and then it gets booted back to my regular hunting gear and a replacement is purchased. I never purchase a scent free garment that has been exposed to air or worse yet in a store showroom for an extended time. The clothes I just took off go in a scent free bag and are stored in my daypack for use when I done standing.You will never go wrong by over doing the scent control.
Reading Deer Behavior
Over the years I've learned how to read a deer's behavior and body language. I can use what I've learned to predict how the deer is feeling, what he is about to do, whether or not any other deer are in the area and if that deer is a buck or a doe. This comes in handy if your like me with bad hearing plus it's always useful to know if the deer is about to spook or if your watching a nice buck and want to be sure he is a dominant buck. I don't need to hear if I have a deer in front of me doing the listening for me.
The ears tell you if a deer is listening to something that has it's interest. They will point toward the sound that has their interest. If your moving around in your stand and you have a deer looking away from you but his ears are pointing toward your position I'd highly recommend to be quite because he hears you he is just not too concearned just yet. Let those ears swivel toward your position and then he hears a noise to reinforce his concern and then you'll get stage two of the alert which will be a stare. One more noise or a movement and the deer is gone or stage three takes over.
If it's doe she will try the old head weave and bobble followed by the high step toward your position then the single foot stomp. If her tail raises and the hairs flare she is about to spin and trot off stiff legged with her tail going side to side. She will often stop just before or after reaching safety of a woodlot and turn around to have another look before prancing on into the woods. If it's a buck he will often keep his tail tucked tight if he's in cover and weave his head side to side and then finally take a lone foot stomp. He may repeat this several times before he turns to move off. If it's an older buck and he has positively identified you and he's in the brush he will rarely raise his tail but instead keep it tucked tight and will run off low to the ground and fast. If he's in an open field for some reason they seem to prefer to raise that tail and bound off in high leaps. Sometimes they stop for a last second look but not always.
A doe with her ears laid flat when she is around a food source means only one thing and that is there is another doe nearby that she is trying to intimidate into not coming any closer. If she is eating or feeding in the brush and you see her suddenly stoop down and turn her ears back but not flat there is definitly a buck very near. If your watching a good buck wandering around in front of you feeding and notice his tail is tucked tight and he keeps looking in a certain direction rest assure there is definitely a more agressive and dominant buck the way he is staring. You can tell if your looking at the dominaant buck in your area by the way he carries himself. He has a bit of a swagger with his tail at half mast and in the presence of other bucks he often has his ears laid half back and stares at the other bucks. The passive and submissve bucks will look back wide eyed and they will often stoop down like a doe. If you see two bucks of similar size in the same area and the are posturing at each other by walking sideways with their hair on their back roughed up they are fixing to square off for a pushing match.
If your calling a buck with a grunt tube and have a decoy set out and that buck starts licking his lips and walking sideways go ahead and get ready to shoot because he is definitly coming. A deer snorting is a warning for other deer that a predator has been winded. It puts all members of the herd on an all points bulletin to be on the lookout for a predator and to blow if they confirm it and the whole herd is gone. A steady twitching of the tail means all is well. A doe walking with her tail at half mast and roughed up hair on her back is one to keep an eye on or more appropraite an eye behind. The old buck or bucks are probably following. Watch her eyes and she will tell you where he is at.
The ears tell you if a deer is listening to something that has it's interest. They will point toward the sound that has their interest. If your moving around in your stand and you have a deer looking away from you but his ears are pointing toward your position I'd highly recommend to be quite because he hears you he is just not too concearned just yet. Let those ears swivel toward your position and then he hears a noise to reinforce his concern and then you'll get stage two of the alert which will be a stare. One more noise or a movement and the deer is gone or stage three takes over.
If it's doe she will try the old head weave and bobble followed by the high step toward your position then the single foot stomp. If her tail raises and the hairs flare she is about to spin and trot off stiff legged with her tail going side to side. She will often stop just before or after reaching safety of a woodlot and turn around to have another look before prancing on into the woods. If it's a buck he will often keep his tail tucked tight if he's in cover and weave his head side to side and then finally take a lone foot stomp. He may repeat this several times before he turns to move off. If it's an older buck and he has positively identified you and he's in the brush he will rarely raise his tail but instead keep it tucked tight and will run off low to the ground and fast. If he's in an open field for some reason they seem to prefer to raise that tail and bound off in high leaps. Sometimes they stop for a last second look but not always.
A doe with her ears laid flat when she is around a food source means only one thing and that is there is another doe nearby that she is trying to intimidate into not coming any closer. If she is eating or feeding in the brush and you see her suddenly stoop down and turn her ears back but not flat there is definitly a buck very near. If your watching a good buck wandering around in front of you feeding and notice his tail is tucked tight and he keeps looking in a certain direction rest assure there is definitely a more agressive and dominant buck the way he is staring. You can tell if your looking at the dominaant buck in your area by the way he carries himself. He has a bit of a swagger with his tail at half mast and in the presence of other bucks he often has his ears laid half back and stares at the other bucks. The passive and submissve bucks will look back wide eyed and they will often stoop down like a doe. If you see two bucks of similar size in the same area and the are posturing at each other by walking sideways with their hair on their back roughed up they are fixing to square off for a pushing match.
If your calling a buck with a grunt tube and have a decoy set out and that buck starts licking his lips and walking sideways go ahead and get ready to shoot because he is definitly coming. A deer snorting is a warning for other deer that a predator has been winded. It puts all members of the herd on an all points bulletin to be on the lookout for a predator and to blow if they confirm it and the whole herd is gone. A steady twitching of the tail means all is well. A doe walking with her tail at half mast and roughed up hair on her back is one to keep an eye on or more appropraite an eye behind. The old buck or bucks are probably following. Watch her eyes and she will tell you where he is at.
I'm going to suggest that a hunter would have better success if he took the chance to try some different hunting strategies to maximize his chances. I realize that the majority of whitetails are taken from tree stands and for good reason. However, only a very small percentage of the deer I've taken has come from above. I also find hunting from a tree stand very boring. I've learned to use various other hunting strategies to successfully fill my tag. Hunting methods that can be used are; calling, baiting, spot and stalk, still hunting and drives just to mention a few off the top of my head. Again I feel stronly that many handcuff themselves by sticking to one particular type of hunting. I will attempt to cover all the various types of hunting I just mentioned. The first would be taking advantage of opportunities or freelancing.
One would be wise to advantage of any situation. Lets say you were driving to your hunting location and you spot a group of bucks chasing a doe during the peak of the rut. This ground you are allowed to hunt, will say it's within the boundaries of public ground. Most guys would stop and glass the deer and move off to go set in their treestand. I'm going to suggest you park your vehicle ASAP and get the heck out and evaluate the situation. Look at the probable travel corridors the breeding group will use and devise a plan to intercept these deer. What do you have to lose?? You may be able to successfully get a shot off. Dont be afraid to change your plan at the drop of a hat. This brings to memory a deal where I was hunting separtate from a good friend but nearby.
A breeding group was spotted which included two fairly good buck for our state. My friend hunted the first day and managed to take the larger of the bucks and he went home after we got the buck out of the woods. He reported that he shot the largest buck but that an near equally impressive deer was with the group. I had been hunting another large 170 class 10 point about a 1/2 mile away but realized this was an active breeding group and I couldn't pass on the opportunity to shoot the buck. When they are in a breeding group if the doe doesn't spook you can usually just walk up on them and shoot one. They seem oblivious to their surroundings and is about the only time of the year a dominant buck lets his gaurd down.
I had planned to walk back along this long narrow ridge about one mile long and setup down wind of a saddle and wait for the breeding group to pass through it. This saddle had roughly a 150' drop from the top of the ridge. This doesn't seem significant but deer seem to travel the path of least resistance. So more or less what this breeding group was doing was holding the same elevation as the bottom of the saddle and running up and down this ridge and then crisscrossing back and forth through this saddle all day long. The hunt was sort of anticlimatic. I reached the location and just had arrived and heard brush breaking down over the hill. The doe popped out first followed by the buck. One well placed shot and it was all over but the crying for the old buck. I actually badly miss judged this buck. I thought he was of Boone and Crocket size. I was let down when I realized he was far smaller than what I thought. His body was small and that made his rack look huge. Oh well still a good buck and don't be afraid to attack/pull a commando on a breeding group of whitetails. Their gaurd is let down and it should be fairly easy to stalk up on them and get a shot. The below two bucks I pulled the commando on. They both had no idea I was anywhere near them.
One would be wise to advantage of any situation. Lets say you were driving to your hunting location and you spot a group of bucks chasing a doe during the peak of the rut. This ground you are allowed to hunt, will say it's within the boundaries of public ground. Most guys would stop and glass the deer and move off to go set in their treestand. I'm going to suggest you park your vehicle ASAP and get the heck out and evaluate the situation. Look at the probable travel corridors the breeding group will use and devise a plan to intercept these deer. What do you have to lose?? You may be able to successfully get a shot off. Dont be afraid to change your plan at the drop of a hat. This brings to memory a deal where I was hunting separtate from a good friend but nearby.
A breeding group was spotted which included two fairly good buck for our state. My friend hunted the first day and managed to take the larger of the bucks and he went home after we got the buck out of the woods. He reported that he shot the largest buck but that an near equally impressive deer was with the group. I had been hunting another large 170 class 10 point about a 1/2 mile away but realized this was an active breeding group and I couldn't pass on the opportunity to shoot the buck. When they are in a breeding group if the doe doesn't spook you can usually just walk up on them and shoot one. They seem oblivious to their surroundings and is about the only time of the year a dominant buck lets his gaurd down.
I had planned to walk back along this long narrow ridge about one mile long and setup down wind of a saddle and wait for the breeding group to pass through it. This saddle had roughly a 150' drop from the top of the ridge. This doesn't seem significant but deer seem to travel the path of least resistance. So more or less what this breeding group was doing was holding the same elevation as the bottom of the saddle and running up and down this ridge and then crisscrossing back and forth through this saddle all day long. The hunt was sort of anticlimatic. I reached the location and just had arrived and heard brush breaking down over the hill. The doe popped out first followed by the buck. One well placed shot and it was all over but the crying for the old buck. I actually badly miss judged this buck. I thought he was of Boone and Crocket size. I was let down when I realized he was far smaller than what I thought. His body was small and that made his rack look huge. Oh well still a good buck and don't be afraid to attack/pull a commando on a breeding group of whitetails. Their gaurd is let down and it should be fairly easy to stalk up on them and get a shot. The below two bucks I pulled the commando on. They both had no idea I was anywhere near them.
Baiting
When I was growing up baiting was taboo like running dogs with deer. My oldest brother greatly influenced my hunting beliefs and he wasn't muck on bait and dogs. That's sort of ironic now that my home state has since legalized baiting and my brother enjoys throwing out some corn to watch the wildlife. For many seniors and older hunter that aren't able to get out a little pile of corn will draw in all kinds of wildlife to observe. Some corn or other attractions placed out by a hunter can draw game out of their normal hiding spots so that one can have a chance to take one.
Places like the Great dismal swamp where deer are loaded but come daylight they go back in the swamp where nothing but snakes and otters will go. In Southern W.Va the deer population is extremely low and it's fairly common to not see a deer for several days. Some locals the deer population is high and you'll have landowners not allow hunting on their property and then complain about to many deer. Some cities are over run with deer and are looking to draw them into small places where they can safely be taken. Some hunters like to take out younger hunters and want them to have a productive trip in hopes of planting a seed of interest in the outdoors. Placing out bait can accomplish all these goals if done properly with some planning and common sense. I have since learned that baiting can be an effective tool to accomplish many objectives and as long as you don't have an active transmitable disease within the herd it will cause no harm.
I initiated a fairly agressive feeding program in my backyard around 1996. I was the only person feeding the deer in my area because many missed that the regulations just deleted the illegal to bait deer in the regulations and never pointed it out to the public. I fed initially about 5 pounds a night and worked up to roughly 40 pounds a night and had as many as 19 deer coming at one time. I have a nice sanctuary in behind my house and I was able to successfully pull in several bucks that managed to escape the brown it's down policy in my area. The largest buck taken in my area prior to the baiting stations I set up was a 120 class buck that weghed about 150 pounds. Within two years I saw tremendous results and we routinely take bucks 120 -my biggest to date 175".
Places like the Great dismal swamp where deer are loaded but come daylight they go back in the swamp where nothing but snakes and otters will go. In Southern W.Va the deer population is extremely low and it's fairly common to not see a deer for several days. Some locals the deer population is high and you'll have landowners not allow hunting on their property and then complain about to many deer. Some cities are over run with deer and are looking to draw them into small places where they can safely be taken. Some hunters like to take out younger hunters and want them to have a productive trip in hopes of planting a seed of interest in the outdoors. Placing out bait can accomplish all these goals if done properly with some planning and common sense. I have since learned that baiting can be an effective tool to accomplish many objectives and as long as you don't have an active transmitable disease within the herd it will cause no harm.
I initiated a fairly agressive feeding program in my backyard around 1996. I was the only person feeding the deer in my area because many missed that the regulations just deleted the illegal to bait deer in the regulations and never pointed it out to the public. I fed initially about 5 pounds a night and worked up to roughly 40 pounds a night and had as many as 19 deer coming at one time. I have a nice sanctuary in behind my house and I was able to successfully pull in several bucks that managed to escape the brown it's down policy in my area. The largest buck taken in my area prior to the baiting stations I set up was a 120 class buck that weghed about 150 pounds. Within two years I saw tremendous results and we routinely take bucks 120 -my biggest to date 175".
So I've said you can put inches on bucks pretty easy. You also put weight on them. My average buck prior to supplemental feeding was about 135 pounds field dressed and that has moved up to 165 and if it's an older buck well over 200 on the hoof. We actually had one 146" that went a solid 208 on official scales field dressed. Baiting is a good way to draw in deer from posted areas to locals you can hunt. You don't have to hunt over the bait unless you want. I always backtrack from bait sites a ways and then hunt.
In some areas like large swamps and areas of vast tracts of land baiting will allow you to draw them out during legal shooting hours if you program your feeders correctly. I always start with night time feeding until right before the season and then I gradually bump the feeding times closer to dusk and dawn. I don't do much feeding after about 0800 because you end up just feeding squirrels and turkey. Try to get your feed times to be about 1 hour before dusk and an hour after dawn.. The other wildlife also benifit from feedings. My fox squirrels look like their on steroids and instead of having 1 litter a year some of them have had three.
I never had any turkeys to take up residence around my home, I now have a few. I don't hunt turkey much but I still enjoy just watching them. I do have a nice ladder stand set up about 60 yards from my feeder. This is not for me but if I have a friend that wants to take a kid or an older debilitated guy that can't get around I ask them to set there and shoot one of the deer. I'm not to worried about disease transmission unless I hear of deer starting to show up dead. An area close to my home was struck by the blue tongue a few years back. I immediately stopped feeding and to my knowledge none of the deer I'm feeding were effected.
In some areas like large swamps and areas of vast tracts of land baiting will allow you to draw them out during legal shooting hours if you program your feeders correctly. I always start with night time feeding until right before the season and then I gradually bump the feeding times closer to dusk and dawn. I don't do much feeding after about 0800 because you end up just feeding squirrels and turkey. Try to get your feed times to be about 1 hour before dusk and an hour after dawn.. The other wildlife also benifit from feedings. My fox squirrels look like their on steroids and instead of having 1 litter a year some of them have had three.
I never had any turkeys to take up residence around my home, I now have a few. I don't hunt turkey much but I still enjoy just watching them. I do have a nice ladder stand set up about 60 yards from my feeder. This is not for me but if I have a friend that wants to take a kid or an older debilitated guy that can't get around I ask them to set there and shoot one of the deer. I'm not to worried about disease transmission unless I hear of deer starting to show up dead. An area close to my home was struck by the blue tongue a few years back. I immediately stopped feeding and to my knowledge none of the deer I'm feeding were effected.
Yes, I'm referring to corn/apples/chestnuts/white oak acorns..... and the idea behind baiting for me is to lure in some doe that ultimately the bucks will be snooping around when the rut kicks in; I guess I'm baiting in the bait. It's your job to figure out where the bait " the doe " is bedding and traveling and thus setting up an ambush down wind of doe bedding sites. I also use acorns that I rake up this time of the year to bait later when the pickings get slim.
Set up your feeders to go off 30 minutes after daylight and 1 hour before dark. Get in your stand about 1 hour early. If your hunting bucks consider the stage of the rut and hang stands accordingly. If you have doe coming in, I can gaurentee you that the local buck are keeping tabs on these doe. Many make the mistake of feeding small amounts that can easily be cleaned up by one or two doe. I feed upwards of 40-50# a night closer to the season opener and through the season. This will bring in many doe that will all leave scent trails toward your bait site. Often the bucks will hang out in staging areas down wind of these bait stations and randomly charge out and chase doe around back in the thicket. They recognize the danger associated with coming to a bait staion in broad daylight. However, if they get hungry enough ( post rut ) or feel comfortable ( at night ) they will come to the station.
The acorns are really starting to fall. The deer are shedding thier summer coats and replacing them with warmer ones; It is the time of the year for the disappearing act. The bucks will feed early and late. Try to find active food/water sources and hunt trails/travel corridors to and from bedding areas toward feeding and watering sites in the evenings and vice versa for morning hunts. The bucks should still be in bachelor groups. Rubs and scrapes should be popping up here and there. Some have suggested that the first rubs of the season are made near a bucks core area. I'm not sure I buy that but thought I'd put it out there for you. Again, it's a great time of the year to get serious about baiting in a large population of doe. I buy the corn by the truckload and it's about time to buy. I'm down to 200 pound for my feeder and I want to manually progressively up my feed poundage as we get closer to season.
Bedding Area in Relationships to Bucks and Activities
You obviously have did some reading on your own. Yes, mature bucks think and act entirely differently than immature buck. They have learned to bed in locations where it is next to impossible to approach their bed without being detected. When I used to rifle hunt extensively I had a fairly successful way of taking older bucks which I think you can use this information to apply to bowhunting. I used to wait for a good snow and walk and glass points about 1/3 of the way down a mountain on the downwind side of the ridgetop.
Mature bucks learn to bed their to be able to smell everything behind them and see everything below them. If they smell you approaching from behind they simply take one hop and their gone. If they see you sneaking below them the same thing but they go back up over the hill and button hook around behind you then go straight back to their bed. I counteracted this with initially a 300 Weatherby Magnum and then promoted mt cause by purchasing a Sako Trg in 30-378 Weatherby. I calibrated this set up to some smoking hot hand loads they where much above the recommended maximum in the literature without any signs of excessive pressure. I simply walked ridge tops and gained a good vantage point and glassed likely looking spots then ranged the buck and checked my chart for holdover and more or less pole axed them in their bed from the next mountain over. How is this helpful to an archer??
I learrned that you can be fairl confident in predicting where a big buck will bed. I also learned that he is usally back in this bed fairly early ( usually by 0800am if he is a mature buck that is still in the breeding pool. If he is an older non participating buck he usually is in that bed before daylight and it may surprise many that I feel some of these older monarchs don't participate in the rut at all and have what I refer to as semi permanant beds, These beds can be readily identified by no leaves or sticks in them. They usually have tons of hair and you can see rubs of varying ages on nearby trees. good luck killing this buck with archery tackle. I have done it but I will be honest it wasn't easy
I had been scouting a clearcut in about a 2000 acre area. The clearcut was fresh ( less than 6 months old ). I was walking down a pipeline that ran beside the edge of this clearcut. I noticed a long narrow point than ran out like a spine from the main ridge. I noticed that if I was standing up on that ridge I could see everything. That's how a big buck thinks. I immediately turned around and crossed back over the main ridge and and sat for about 1 hour. It was dead 12 noon and I put on the ultra craw back over the ridge and picked up some heavy laurel that would shield me from the prying eyes of a buck. I managed to get withing 40 yards of this little ridgetop spine where I felt certain a mature buck would be laying and I started glassing real slow and easy trying to pick him out.
I spooted the top of his antlers sticking out behind the roots of a tree that fell over. He had not seen me and I knew I wasn't going to beable to get down on him. I snuck back out of there and was back on location at 0400am the next morning. I walked a good mile skirting where I thought he was feeding ( down in the fresh clearcut ). I went down the spine off the main ridge with hip wader on. I climbed a tree about 20 yards from the base of the fallen tree and waited. He came stumbling in at daybreak to find an ACC 360 surprise. I examined that bed which was actually chosen perfectly. He more or less was in a sinkhole behinda fallen over tree.
Doe bedding areas I usually find while scouting. They bed in thick areas and are easily identified by multiple beds of varying sizes. To capitalize on the doe make sure you are hunting when bucks are interested in doe which obviously would be just before the scrapes leaf over to after the last doe are bred. I like to hunt down wind of known doe bedding areas in the morning through mid day. You can hunt down wind of doe feeding areas but you risk detection of being picked off by the bucks. I 'd try to hunt down wind of travel corridors that the deer are using to enter the food sources. Keep in mind that if your looking to get a buck off his bed that in hotter temperatures he usually goes to water first and then to food sources in the prerut. During the rut he has no bed that he uses regularly because he is on his feet that is unless he is a non rut participating buck. Does any of this make sense?
Mature bucks learn to bed their to be able to smell everything behind them and see everything below them. If they smell you approaching from behind they simply take one hop and their gone. If they see you sneaking below them the same thing but they go back up over the hill and button hook around behind you then go straight back to their bed. I counteracted this with initially a 300 Weatherby Magnum and then promoted mt cause by purchasing a Sako Trg in 30-378 Weatherby. I calibrated this set up to some smoking hot hand loads they where much above the recommended maximum in the literature without any signs of excessive pressure. I simply walked ridge tops and gained a good vantage point and glassed likely looking spots then ranged the buck and checked my chart for holdover and more or less pole axed them in their bed from the next mountain over. How is this helpful to an archer??
I learrned that you can be fairl confident in predicting where a big buck will bed. I also learned that he is usally back in this bed fairly early ( usually by 0800am if he is a mature buck that is still in the breeding pool. If he is an older non participating buck he usually is in that bed before daylight and it may surprise many that I feel some of these older monarchs don't participate in the rut at all and have what I refer to as semi permanant beds, These beds can be readily identified by no leaves or sticks in them. They usually have tons of hair and you can see rubs of varying ages on nearby trees. good luck killing this buck with archery tackle. I have done it but I will be honest it wasn't easy
I had been scouting a clearcut in about a 2000 acre area. The clearcut was fresh ( less than 6 months old ). I was walking down a pipeline that ran beside the edge of this clearcut. I noticed a long narrow point than ran out like a spine from the main ridge. I noticed that if I was standing up on that ridge I could see everything. That's how a big buck thinks. I immediately turned around and crossed back over the main ridge and and sat for about 1 hour. It was dead 12 noon and I put on the ultra craw back over the ridge and picked up some heavy laurel that would shield me from the prying eyes of a buck. I managed to get withing 40 yards of this little ridgetop spine where I felt certain a mature buck would be laying and I started glassing real slow and easy trying to pick him out.
I spooted the top of his antlers sticking out behind the roots of a tree that fell over. He had not seen me and I knew I wasn't going to beable to get down on him. I snuck back out of there and was back on location at 0400am the next morning. I walked a good mile skirting where I thought he was feeding ( down in the fresh clearcut ). I went down the spine off the main ridge with hip wader on. I climbed a tree about 20 yards from the base of the fallen tree and waited. He came stumbling in at daybreak to find an ACC 360 surprise. I examined that bed which was actually chosen perfectly. He more or less was in a sinkhole behinda fallen over tree.
Doe bedding areas I usually find while scouting. They bed in thick areas and are easily identified by multiple beds of varying sizes. To capitalize on the doe make sure you are hunting when bucks are interested in doe which obviously would be just before the scrapes leaf over to after the last doe are bred. I like to hunt down wind of known doe bedding areas in the morning through mid day. You can hunt down wind of doe feeding areas but you risk detection of being picked off by the bucks. I 'd try to hunt down wind of travel corridors that the deer are using to enter the food sources. Keep in mind that if your looking to get a buck off his bed that in hotter temperatures he usually goes to water first and then to food sources in the prerut. During the rut he has no bed that he uses regularly because he is on his feet that is unless he is a non rut participating buck. Does any of this make sense?
So If your the lucky one that has found a semi permanant bed as described it is probably made from an old buck. Your chances of getting him are slim to none unless you somehow figure out how to get a stand up near his bed without disturbing him. I had to do it at 0400 am while he fed on the clearcut below. If you locate some good beds on these points that don't look like a permanant bed but look like they are being used very frequently your proably dealing witha breeding age buck that spends some time away from the bed. look to intercept him where his interest lies. In the early season between him and water/food. During the pre rut ( two weeks before the leaves scrape over ) when they are just making scrapes and things you can pick him up between his bed and the doe and possibly the food. During the rut don't worry about his bed because he is not in it. Hunt the doe groups and travel corridors and funnels between known doe groups. You have to know what the deer are doing to come up with an effective plan.
Tracking Wounded Whitetails
I don't know where to start?? I will point out that just to get the absolute best tracking information on tracking big woods whitetails look no farther than the Benoits. I think they have that skill set mastered and to be honest all of my big woods tracking is with a bow and that doesn't work so well unless your dealing with a breeding group. Then just more or less try to head them off or setup in a funnel and wait for them to come back. Now the trailing wounded deer, unfortunately I'm the master.
If you were the unlucky one that didn't find your deer immediately after you shot or lost it with your initial tracking job I definitly can give you some valuable tools to use. I have found as many as 4 dead deer in one day that me and my hunting partners have shot. I've found multitudes of deer that were lost for days and had to just have the rack recovered. I've also found them that were reportedly shot with a killing shot only to find out they had a superficial wound. I have found them in lakes and rivers, under brush piles, in ponds and in dried up stream beds after the water went down. I've found them in narrow ditches where a man would have to force himself into to get in there. A wounded deer can and does do many things that are predictable and some that are not!
First and foremost try to take a shot you feel like you have a excellant chance of making a fatal hit. Try to avoid frontal/rear shots and avoid that shoulder bone like the plague. Yes some bows blast through it but most won't even on small Virginia strain whitetails.
If you were the unlucky one that didn't find your deer immediately after you shot or lost it with your initial tracking job I definitly can give you some valuable tools to use. I have found as many as 4 dead deer in one day that me and my hunting partners have shot. I've found multitudes of deer that were lost for days and had to just have the rack recovered. I've also found them that were reportedly shot with a killing shot only to find out they had a superficial wound. I have found them in lakes and rivers, under brush piles, in ponds and in dried up stream beds after the water went down. I've found them in narrow ditches where a man would have to force himself into to get in there. A wounded deer can and does do many things that are predictable and some that are not!
First and foremost try to take a shot you feel like you have a excellant chance of making a fatal hit. Try to avoid frontal/rear shots and avoid that shoulder bone like the plague. Yes some bows blast through it but most won't even on small Virginia strain whitetails.
Sorry for all the typos and distractions. The first thing you want to do after the shot is obviously observe where the arrow hit, your anticipated path through the animal given the impact area, how the deer reacted after the shot, the sound of the impact, the direction the deer ran off in, the last place you heard a sound.
An arrow impacting a deer make specific sounds and deer react do being shot in certain spots on the body in predictable ways. Many hunters shoot ultra fast setups and can't tell where the arrow hit. The sound of a chest shot whitetail sounds like a dull thump almost like the sound of slapping a cardboard box with your hand. A chest shot whitetail generally tears out of there real fast without jumping or humping up in the middle section. A gut shot deer sounds like a dull thud and the deer almost always humps up in the middle and runs off a ways and stands there. It will move off slowly if not pursued. A heart shot deer is a lot like a chest shot but they almost always jump on impact and kick both back feet like a bucking bronco and tear off as fast as they can run until they drop over. A shot to a bone such as a shoulder will sound like a thwack with a slight tearing sound. A leg bone strike sounds a lot like striking an antler but not as clanky. A graze just sounds like and arrow hitting the ground but if you listen closely you'll hear a tearing sound. The sound I describe as chhh, sort of like shooting into leaves with your arrow. Most of your plans to follow up on your animal after the shot should be based upon some fairly basic rules.
If you suspect a immediately fatal strike such as lungs/heart listen closely for crashing in the brush. About 80% of these deer will die in short order and you should be able to hear them fall and preferrably see them fall. If I hear them thrashing about after they fall I give them about 15 minutes and then ever so slowly follow the blood trail making sure to pick up the arrow first to verify I'm truely dealing with a complete chest pass through. I sneak up on the deer and observe it's actions from a distance prior to approaching. If it's still breathing I get into position for another shot and try to put one through the vitals again. If I suspect there is no breathing I slowly stalk up on the downed animal watching everything for sign of life. Watch the ears to see if they are swiveling and finally watch that chest for the rise and fall. If it is a chest shot deer and you doon't hear or see it fall wait an hour before following up.The gut shot animal requires a different approach.
If your sure you hit the gut make sure you pay attention to the way it went and then recover the arrow. Take note of sign on the arrow. Is the arrow coated with blood, green stomach contents, black bowel material, blood ( if so, bright red, dark reddish blue ?? ). Is there fat on the shaft or fletching? The old saying goes " when in doubt, back out ". A gut shot animal needs to be not pursued for at least 8 hours and then follow up slowly and at the first sign of a live animal back out for another 8 hours. They usually die from infection and although this happens fast it can take an entire day and a deer can cover a lot of ground in a day. Many have heard they go toward water.
I guess I'm going to have to reinforce that. Take one look at where I've found dead deer at the beginning of the post and you'll see much of the time it was near water. The tend to lay down very rapidly after the shot and hang around that area until death unless they are jumped. Expect them to bed several times in the immediate area. If you find the first bed immediately freeze and look closely. You'll probably see others and hopefully the dead deer or bedded deer before it see's you. Track gut shot deer ultra slow and glass. Hopefully if you gut shot your deer you get lucky and hit the liver or the spleen and they usually die much faster than pure gutshot deer related to blood loss. Don't pursue a gut shot deer when it's dark. You can't shoot it again so why bother pushing it out of your hunting area. Arrive after it's good and daylight then track slowly always watching and listening to your surrounding. The sounds of crows sometimes tip off the kill location or a hawk or turkey vulture circling the area. Sometimes you can tell there is blood on leaves if flies are crawling on them. Be persistant and remember to back out when in doubt. I'll review finding carcasses later, My finger is worn out.
An arrow impacting a deer make specific sounds and deer react do being shot in certain spots on the body in predictable ways. Many hunters shoot ultra fast setups and can't tell where the arrow hit. The sound of a chest shot whitetail sounds like a dull thump almost like the sound of slapping a cardboard box with your hand. A chest shot whitetail generally tears out of there real fast without jumping or humping up in the middle section. A gut shot deer sounds like a dull thud and the deer almost always humps up in the middle and runs off a ways and stands there. It will move off slowly if not pursued. A heart shot deer is a lot like a chest shot but they almost always jump on impact and kick both back feet like a bucking bronco and tear off as fast as they can run until they drop over. A shot to a bone such as a shoulder will sound like a thwack with a slight tearing sound. A leg bone strike sounds a lot like striking an antler but not as clanky. A graze just sounds like and arrow hitting the ground but if you listen closely you'll hear a tearing sound. The sound I describe as chhh, sort of like shooting into leaves with your arrow. Most of your plans to follow up on your animal after the shot should be based upon some fairly basic rules.
If you suspect a immediately fatal strike such as lungs/heart listen closely for crashing in the brush. About 80% of these deer will die in short order and you should be able to hear them fall and preferrably see them fall. If I hear them thrashing about after they fall I give them about 15 minutes and then ever so slowly follow the blood trail making sure to pick up the arrow first to verify I'm truely dealing with a complete chest pass through. I sneak up on the deer and observe it's actions from a distance prior to approaching. If it's still breathing I get into position for another shot and try to put one through the vitals again. If I suspect there is no breathing I slowly stalk up on the downed animal watching everything for sign of life. Watch the ears to see if they are swiveling and finally watch that chest for the rise and fall. If it is a chest shot deer and you doon't hear or see it fall wait an hour before following up.The gut shot animal requires a different approach.
If your sure you hit the gut make sure you pay attention to the way it went and then recover the arrow. Take note of sign on the arrow. Is the arrow coated with blood, green stomach contents, black bowel material, blood ( if so, bright red, dark reddish blue ?? ). Is there fat on the shaft or fletching? The old saying goes " when in doubt, back out ". A gut shot animal needs to be not pursued for at least 8 hours and then follow up slowly and at the first sign of a live animal back out for another 8 hours. They usually die from infection and although this happens fast it can take an entire day and a deer can cover a lot of ground in a day. Many have heard they go toward water.
I guess I'm going to have to reinforce that. Take one look at where I've found dead deer at the beginning of the post and you'll see much of the time it was near water. The tend to lay down very rapidly after the shot and hang around that area until death unless they are jumped. Expect them to bed several times in the immediate area. If you find the first bed immediately freeze and look closely. You'll probably see others and hopefully the dead deer or bedded deer before it see's you. Track gut shot deer ultra slow and glass. Hopefully if you gut shot your deer you get lucky and hit the liver or the spleen and they usually die much faster than pure gutshot deer related to blood loss. Don't pursue a gut shot deer when it's dark. You can't shoot it again so why bother pushing it out of your hunting area. Arrive after it's good and daylight then track slowly always watching and listening to your surrounding. The sounds of crows sometimes tip off the kill location or a hawk or turkey vulture circling the area. Sometimes you can tell there is blood on leaves if flies are crawling on them. Be persistant and remember to back out when in doubt. I'll review finding carcasses later, My finger is worn out.
When I'm 100% sure I've made a killing shot on a whitetail just before it gets dark, I go back to my truck and dig my night vision. I've found that deer tend to spook with flashlights. I sneak into the area I suspect the deer is laying dead and glass with the night vision. Their bellies glow like a light bulb through the night vision. Once you spot your deer you can readily confirm it is dead or lord forbid it's head is still up you can back out. If I shoot a buck and suspect it was a killing shot and the area is thick I use one of those heat sensors you see advertised. My good friend shot a large 8 pointer at dark and then torrential cold rains set in. He came back to camp and asked me to help him. He was afraid the deer would be lost or would be eaten by coyotes if we let it go. The deer went into a multi floral rose thicket with greenbriars. You couldn't see 15 feet. I walked into the middle of the thicket and turned the heat seeker on and it immediately picked up a hot spot. I followed the gauge until it opened up a bit. I dug my night vision out and glassed the area. I spotted the bucks white belly about 20' away. I yelled for my buddy after I had the deer gutted and dragged out to the road. He was very pleased but I guess he caught hell from his wife after he left the buck in the new Suburban over night. It sort of smelled in there for weeks. I've used that blood locating stuff before and it works. It just takes a lot of it but is useful in differentiating between leaf color and real blood. I've got that flashlight with the lens you can select between different colors I'm going to give a try when I can.
I hate to admit it but I've been in on my share of rack recoveries. Lets say you shot a deer in the gut and lost it. You really interested in trying to confirm you indeed did kill it or are looking to recover the rack. I should be able to help you maximize your chances.
If you have access to a dog that trails deer that is probably your best initial approach if you've lost the sign. However, if you've lost the deer for days and your certain it is in all likelihood dead follow these steps for recovery. I always arrive in the suspected area of the dead deer before daylight and get out of my vehicle. I walk to a vantage point such as a hill top or a valley where you can see a ways and more importantly hear a ways. I take a pair of binoculars and wait for daylight. I listen real close for the sounds of initially a coyote howling or a fox barking. Make mental notes of the general direction you heard them. As soon as it gets daylight the first animals to hit carcasses is usually crow which make a big commotion when they arrive on the scene. They usually fly up in a tree and wait for several friends to show up. Watch them and if a crow or two flies down to the ground and one stays up in the tree as a sentry make a mental note exactly where they are. Use odd trees or any landmark that you can remember. Don't charge right up there. If they are on the deer they will be there for hours. You'll be able to observe them fly in and out. If you think after an hour is up that they are on to something go check it out. I usually hang tight and make mental notes of what all the crows are doing. They like to talk to each other as if saying " hey, come over here I've got a rotten deer we can chew on ". Not long after the crows start making there appearance you may see a chicken hawk flying around the area. They are also very good at locating dead deer. They will sometimes circle for an hour before they spot if.
I try to move over near where they are circling and then hide so I don't spook them. If they light in a tree I watch them and see if they fly down. Later in the day around 0900 the turkey vultures start circling and you'll have to watch them to see if they land in some trees. Go investigate if they go to the ground. Another tactic I've used successfully is to be at the area at dusk. Many times a pack of coyotes will arrive at the kill and start howling like crazy. I've also just used my big nose. I more or less walk a pattern through the are using my nose to smell the carcass. Keep in mind that thermals usually rise in the morning and settle at night. If you have no clue where to begin simply take your binoculars out about 1100 am and drive around the area looking for vultures. You can start threre!
Big Woods Bucks/ Clear Cuts
I’ve done my fair share of big woods hunting. I’ve hunted the vast forest of Southern WVA and the huge tracts of land around Gunnison Colorado. I learned to hunt and navigate these areas through trial and lots of errors. To successfully hunt and succeed in wilderness type settings one has to understand how deer utilize the land under various conditions and time frames. Essentially through the summer and early fall they are focusing on putting body weight on in anticipation of winter. A hunter would be wise to learn the preferred food sources in his area and then plan to strategically place a stand near them or on travel corridors leading to the food sources.
Most vast tracts of land may have several different types of terrain and wildlife diversity that you should consider. Deer tend to focus on water drainages, clear cuts, thickets, food sources. In the summer they focus in on high quality grasses and plants. This is the time of the year that you see many bachelor groups of bucks feeding in hidden away pastures and river/creek drainages. When fall comes the deer shift their food preference from grasses to nuts and fruits. So you need to figure out what foods they are feeding on and plan an effective strategy to intercept them. I like the white oak as I’ve said many times before. One great producing white oak in a forest full of red oaks will draw every deer in from the neighborhood. Many have questioned about hunting clear cuts.
Clear cuts provide a deer with much of the needed brows that they need to survive and if there is water source there they really don’t need anything but they do prefer certain foods over brows. I think that provided that there are no standing productive oaks or fruit trees the deer will leave the sanctuary of the clear cut to seek out the delicacies of the woodlots beyond. That would be my strategy if I was looking to pick off a deer that resides in the clear cut. So in the early fall I’d focus on nut/fruit trees outside the boundaries of the sanctuary/clear cut. Once all of the nuts have been cleaned up the deer will refocus on the clear cut to meets their needs. To hunt during the rut near clear cuts I would look for heavily used trails/travel corridors within the clear cut that have a place to hide down wind or a suitable tree to climb, just make sure you have good background cover to break up your outline. Deer can and will use these logging roads in the clear cut and if you pay attention to the tracks on them you can see how they are using them and set up a stand strategically high and down wind. To summarize, if your planning on hunting big woods whitetails you need to hunt it just like any other tract of land. You need to know the stage of the rut and where the; food, water, bedding areas, travel corridors, funnels, paths of least resistance and implement an effective hunting strategy to maximize your chances.
Most vast tracts of land may have several different types of terrain and wildlife diversity that you should consider. Deer tend to focus on water drainages, clear cuts, thickets, food sources. In the summer they focus in on high quality grasses and plants. This is the time of the year that you see many bachelor groups of bucks feeding in hidden away pastures and river/creek drainages. When fall comes the deer shift their food preference from grasses to nuts and fruits. So you need to figure out what foods they are feeding on and plan an effective strategy to intercept them. I like the white oak as I’ve said many times before. One great producing white oak in a forest full of red oaks will draw every deer in from the neighborhood. Many have questioned about hunting clear cuts.
Clear cuts provide a deer with much of the needed brows that they need to survive and if there is water source there they really don’t need anything but they do prefer certain foods over brows. I think that provided that there are no standing productive oaks or fruit trees the deer will leave the sanctuary of the clear cut to seek out the delicacies of the woodlots beyond. That would be my strategy if I was looking to pick off a deer that resides in the clear cut. So in the early fall I’d focus on nut/fruit trees outside the boundaries of the sanctuary/clear cut. Once all of the nuts have been cleaned up the deer will refocus on the clear cut to meets their needs. To hunt during the rut near clear cuts I would look for heavily used trails/travel corridors within the clear cut that have a place to hide down wind or a suitable tree to climb, just make sure you have good background cover to break up your outline. Deer can and will use these logging roads in the clear cut and if you pay attention to the tracks on them you can see how they are using them and set up a stand strategically high and down wind. To summarize, if your planning on hunting big woods whitetails you need to hunt it just like any other tract of land. You need to know the stage of the rut and where the; food, water, bedding areas, travel corridors, funnels, paths of least resistance and implement an effective hunting strategy to maximize your chances.
Paper Scouting, Aerial and Topography Maps
This is a hard topic to cover in print but since this is the time of the year that many of us are dreaming and planning our hunts I thought I'd try to help you out. It would be much easier to discuss in person. A hunter interested in predicting a deer's travels and looking for potential ambush sites would be wise to learn how to read topo and aerial maps. There are many sources of this information on the web, at Walmart, programmed into your GPS that you can use to make your evaluation and ultimately come up with a strategic game plan to get your deer. Deer are fairly predictable creatures and are much like us.
Deer are generally interested in eating, drinking, sleeping in safety and conserving energy. They are somewhat secretive lot that realize that they are being hunted. They are aware that roads, fields,and houses are danger areas and they try to avoid them unless they have been conditioned to perceive them as no threat such as is the case where deer reside in communities, golf courses, city limits where there is no hunting or otherwise would be considered sanctuary's. Deer learn to avoid these danger areas until they can hide under the cover of darkness. There are also topographical features that deer tend to use as barriers unless pushed real hard.
The topographical barriers I'm referring to are; cliffs, real steep embankments, large deep water ways and anything else that would require a deer to expend excessive energy or expose them to an unsafe environment. If you learn to review and study all the possible information available to you keeping in mind a deer's basic survival rules you can easily rule out much non productive areas and be able to reasonably predict locations that deer will be. Keep in mind that reading maps and looking at aerials are no substitute for actual hands on scouting. Many of the topographical maps out there today are not up to date and things are significantly different when you get there. I just use these maps as a starting point for my scouting. If you know the prevailing wind direction you can predict fairly strategic stand locations as well as routes you should take to avoid detection while getting to your stand. Reviewing your maps you should be able to safely and reasonably eliminate much of the territory.
You can figure that mowed fields, housing developments, major roadways deer will avoid in the daylight if given the choice. Yes they do feed in field and cross roads and go in around house but it can be tough for a person to effectively/legally hunt those areas. We can cover that topic ( hunting suburban whitetails ) later if anyone is interested? I start my process by getting aerial photos and laying them beside the topographical map. I'm looking for the barriers we mentioned. I observe for potential bedding sites such as thicker areas of brush/clear cuts/river drainages/crp fields/points down wind 1/3 of the way down from the main ridge line in hill country. I also study and evaluate potential food/water sources. A pond in an area that has no other water source should catch your eye fairly quick and you can bet every deer will use it. Actual food sources may have to be evaluated with leg work since it's difficult to tell if there is an apple tree, oak trees....., food sources are procucing or not. The next thing are topographical features that will channel or force deer into funnel where we hunters with our archery gear can get them within range.
A funnel is anything that forces deer into a narrow travel corridor and one where a hunter can set up on the down wind side and pick off deer as they move through. From an aerial map these show up as thin bands of brush connecting two larger bands of brush or a wooded fenceline/stream connecting larger blocks of timber or bedding areas. You can also use a topographical map to reasonably predict the path of least resistance in hill country. A topomap doesn't do you much good in flat land where deer don't have to worry about hills. In flat land just look for the smallest of ravines, river drainages,low spots through the middle of fields that deer will try to hide or conceal themselves. If your paper scouting flat land I'd lean more toward using aerial photo's. If I was hunting hill country, I'd use both. The hill country deer will travel in predictable ways.
They travel up and down ravines and valley bottoms. They will routinely walk down long points and drop off the end of the point and bed. They will cross low saddles/gaps on longer ridges to conserve energy. On a topo map you need to learn what is the top of the hill and what is the bottom of the hill.The top and bottom of the hill generally have the elevation marked and you'll see a lines progressively moving away from the high and low elevations. You need to look at you map legend and see how many feet of elevation change each of these lines equals. The closer the lines are together the steeper the terrain and vice versa. Lets say you have a long ridgetop where the elevation is marked 2200' in several spots and all at once you see it drop off to 2000 and then back up to 2200'. You notice that in the are you see this happen in several places. Rest assured that every monster buck that is participating in the rut in this type of mountainous terrain will use this low gap during the seeking stage of the rut. He will more or less travel back and forth across this low gap and travel across the ridge scent checking for doe. He uses his nose to locate the estrus doe. If he is going to cross to the next mountain he will try to hold his elevation and if that is not possible he will go down a ravine or off a long point and the gradually obtain the elevation he needs to conserve energy in his travels to locate receptive doe. The map on the pool table is the map of almost heaven outfitters. If any of you guys are interested in a $600 yearly membership on 5000+ acres. He has roughly 30 - 35 hunters yearly and some rules setup where you aren't hunting on top of another person.
Keep in mind that your using these maps as tool to increase your chances not to identify actual stand sites. These maps and aerial photos just get you close and you have to actually walk the ground and see how the trails run and where the deer are and link all this information to; the stage of the rut, bedding areas, feeding/watering areas, how the deer are going to react to hunting pressure, where the hunting pressure is coming from, wind direction, weather....... There are so many variables to consider it's almost unimaginable. Over time and with study you'll get to where you can make some good predictions. Many of the post on this website asking for stand placement are just plain difficult to answer with any accuracy unless you know all the variables. Sometimes variables such as; people routinely riding horses/walking, dogs running at large, coon hunters, ATV's, bait stations, mineral licks, little old ladies feeding deer in her back yard......... are easy to overlook but they definitely impact the strategy's you should consider. You have to be more or less a detective and scientist all bundled up into one to be consistantly successful. I can tell story after story where I finally pieced the puzzle together to take a certain buck. When this happens it's like a light bulb comes on and you really get excited.
There was one old buck I was hunting for the better part of the season. I saw the deer here and there. A couple of my hunting buddies saw it a few times. A few walkers spotted it and told me about the sighting. I kept plugging away trying to deciphers this deers travels without any success. One hot mid day I went back to camp and pulled out my in detailed topo maps I got from the US geological survey and really studied it. I placed marked on the map actual sightings and timing. It became apparent the the deer had a routine that I just hadn't put together. He was traveling from one mountain to the next about 5pm and was using a low gap in a paved road to cross. He was always spotted in the morning on one side of the road and in the evening on the other. I took note of where a guy said he saw him at 5pm. Two separate individuals reported seeing this buck cross this low gap in the road. We had a large field about a half mile from this low gap that many doe frequented and that's where he was spotted by my hunting buddies ( around the woods down wind of the field ). I also learned of a feeder location on the opposite side of the road that a walker had seen a large buck two evening previous. I put two and two together and figured out the deer was feeding on the feeder and then circling the mountain and crossing this road about 5pm and then moving off to scent check doe around the field since it was the end of the pre rut phase.
My friend asked me what my plans where for the evening and I said I've finally figured the buck out and when he came back I would have him. Well it was as simple as that, I went to the road crossing, back tracked the trail toward the feeder and dropped in behind some laurel down wind of this trail. Just like clockwork, here he came at 4:55pm. One arrow through the lungs and it was all over. I like it when a plan comes together and find it very satisfying. My friend came back and I told him I got him all the while keeping a straight face. He said your full of it. I just smiled and said " no really, he's dead and lets go get him ". He said you lucky SOB, I can't wait to see it. This is one of my good hunting buddies and he was just as happy as I was and that made it all the better. He was so honored to have participated in the hunt he felt the need to carry the buck out on his shoulders. He was as proud as I was, and if he got that deer I would be just as happy for him. Good friends hunting together, enjoying the outdoors and the hunt is what it's all about!
Deer are generally interested in eating, drinking, sleeping in safety and conserving energy. They are somewhat secretive lot that realize that they are being hunted. They are aware that roads, fields,and houses are danger areas and they try to avoid them unless they have been conditioned to perceive them as no threat such as is the case where deer reside in communities, golf courses, city limits where there is no hunting or otherwise would be considered sanctuary's. Deer learn to avoid these danger areas until they can hide under the cover of darkness. There are also topographical features that deer tend to use as barriers unless pushed real hard.
The topographical barriers I'm referring to are; cliffs, real steep embankments, large deep water ways and anything else that would require a deer to expend excessive energy or expose them to an unsafe environment. If you learn to review and study all the possible information available to you keeping in mind a deer's basic survival rules you can easily rule out much non productive areas and be able to reasonably predict locations that deer will be. Keep in mind that reading maps and looking at aerials are no substitute for actual hands on scouting. Many of the topographical maps out there today are not up to date and things are significantly different when you get there. I just use these maps as a starting point for my scouting. If you know the prevailing wind direction you can predict fairly strategic stand locations as well as routes you should take to avoid detection while getting to your stand. Reviewing your maps you should be able to safely and reasonably eliminate much of the territory.
You can figure that mowed fields, housing developments, major roadways deer will avoid in the daylight if given the choice. Yes they do feed in field and cross roads and go in around house but it can be tough for a person to effectively/legally hunt those areas. We can cover that topic ( hunting suburban whitetails ) later if anyone is interested? I start my process by getting aerial photos and laying them beside the topographical map. I'm looking for the barriers we mentioned. I observe for potential bedding sites such as thicker areas of brush/clear cuts/river drainages/crp fields/points down wind 1/3 of the way down from the main ridge line in hill country. I also study and evaluate potential food/water sources. A pond in an area that has no other water source should catch your eye fairly quick and you can bet every deer will use it. Actual food sources may have to be evaluated with leg work since it's difficult to tell if there is an apple tree, oak trees....., food sources are procucing or not. The next thing are topographical features that will channel or force deer into funnel where we hunters with our archery gear can get them within range.
A funnel is anything that forces deer into a narrow travel corridor and one where a hunter can set up on the down wind side and pick off deer as they move through. From an aerial map these show up as thin bands of brush connecting two larger bands of brush or a wooded fenceline/stream connecting larger blocks of timber or bedding areas. You can also use a topographical map to reasonably predict the path of least resistance in hill country. A topomap doesn't do you much good in flat land where deer don't have to worry about hills. In flat land just look for the smallest of ravines, river drainages,low spots through the middle of fields that deer will try to hide or conceal themselves. If your paper scouting flat land I'd lean more toward using aerial photo's. If I was hunting hill country, I'd use both. The hill country deer will travel in predictable ways.
They travel up and down ravines and valley bottoms. They will routinely walk down long points and drop off the end of the point and bed. They will cross low saddles/gaps on longer ridges to conserve energy. On a topo map you need to learn what is the top of the hill and what is the bottom of the hill.The top and bottom of the hill generally have the elevation marked and you'll see a lines progressively moving away from the high and low elevations. You need to look at you map legend and see how many feet of elevation change each of these lines equals. The closer the lines are together the steeper the terrain and vice versa. Lets say you have a long ridgetop where the elevation is marked 2200' in several spots and all at once you see it drop off to 2000 and then back up to 2200'. You notice that in the are you see this happen in several places. Rest assured that every monster buck that is participating in the rut in this type of mountainous terrain will use this low gap during the seeking stage of the rut. He will more or less travel back and forth across this low gap and travel across the ridge scent checking for doe. He uses his nose to locate the estrus doe. If he is going to cross to the next mountain he will try to hold his elevation and if that is not possible he will go down a ravine or off a long point and the gradually obtain the elevation he needs to conserve energy in his travels to locate receptive doe. The map on the pool table is the map of almost heaven outfitters. If any of you guys are interested in a $600 yearly membership on 5000+ acres. He has roughly 30 - 35 hunters yearly and some rules setup where you aren't hunting on top of another person.
Keep in mind that your using these maps as tool to increase your chances not to identify actual stand sites. These maps and aerial photos just get you close and you have to actually walk the ground and see how the trails run and where the deer are and link all this information to; the stage of the rut, bedding areas, feeding/watering areas, how the deer are going to react to hunting pressure, where the hunting pressure is coming from, wind direction, weather....... There are so many variables to consider it's almost unimaginable. Over time and with study you'll get to where you can make some good predictions. Many of the post on this website asking for stand placement are just plain difficult to answer with any accuracy unless you know all the variables. Sometimes variables such as; people routinely riding horses/walking, dogs running at large, coon hunters, ATV's, bait stations, mineral licks, little old ladies feeding deer in her back yard......... are easy to overlook but they definitely impact the strategy's you should consider. You have to be more or less a detective and scientist all bundled up into one to be consistantly successful. I can tell story after story where I finally pieced the puzzle together to take a certain buck. When this happens it's like a light bulb comes on and you really get excited.
There was one old buck I was hunting for the better part of the season. I saw the deer here and there. A couple of my hunting buddies saw it a few times. A few walkers spotted it and told me about the sighting. I kept plugging away trying to deciphers this deers travels without any success. One hot mid day I went back to camp and pulled out my in detailed topo maps I got from the US geological survey and really studied it. I placed marked on the map actual sightings and timing. It became apparent the the deer had a routine that I just hadn't put together. He was traveling from one mountain to the next about 5pm and was using a low gap in a paved road to cross. He was always spotted in the morning on one side of the road and in the evening on the other. I took note of where a guy said he saw him at 5pm. Two separate individuals reported seeing this buck cross this low gap in the road. We had a large field about a half mile from this low gap that many doe frequented and that's where he was spotted by my hunting buddies ( around the woods down wind of the field ). I also learned of a feeder location on the opposite side of the road that a walker had seen a large buck two evening previous. I put two and two together and figured out the deer was feeding on the feeder and then circling the mountain and crossing this road about 5pm and then moving off to scent check doe around the field since it was the end of the pre rut phase.
My friend asked me what my plans where for the evening and I said I've finally figured the buck out and when he came back I would have him. Well it was as simple as that, I went to the road crossing, back tracked the trail toward the feeder and dropped in behind some laurel down wind of this trail. Just like clockwork, here he came at 4:55pm. One arrow through the lungs and it was all over. I like it when a plan comes together and find it very satisfying. My friend came back and I told him I got him all the while keeping a straight face. He said your full of it. I just smiled and said " no really, he's dead and lets go get him ". He said you lucky SOB, I can't wait to see it. This is one of my good hunting buddies and he was just as happy as I was and that made it all the better. He was so honored to have participated in the hunt he felt the need to carry the buck out on his shoulders. He was as proud as I was, and if he got that deer I would be just as happy for him. Good friends hunting together, enjoying the outdoors and the hunt is what it's all about!
Urban Hunting
This is a unique topic. The challenges of hunting in around homes and business with archery tackle can be challenging. First and foremost make sure that the ground you plan to hunt allows hunting and be sure you are familiar with your state and local laws or risk getting yourself into trouble which is under no circumstances worth taking a chance. Hunting suburban whitetails can be highly productive and to be honest is fairly easy if you can find a tract of ground that you can get set up on without getting over run with people. My first bit of advice would be to purchase a aerial or at the minimum a topographical map of the area. I would drive around the community observing for deer and asking any landowners if they have nuisance animals or if they see many deer.
Sometimes you can get permission from land owners just by stopping to ask if they are having trouble. Just be prepared to be confronted by an anti-hunter. Be sure to present yourself in a positive way to the locals. If I'm granted permission to hunt, I ask if they have a certain deer that they don't want me to take. This seems like a stupid request but this lets the land owner know you care what they think and you are respectful. Never get in a confrontation with an anti-hunter just stand your ground. As always, be ultra-careful in shot selection because you want to make sure the animal you shoot expires quickly before it gets in someone’s yard. As far as actual hunting goes to maximize your chances the key is gaining access to the appropriate parcel of land that maximizes your chance of success and then only hunting it when conditions are right.
I actually drive the area and make notes of where I'm seeing deer. I plot this information on my map. I also make notes of comments I get from landowners on sticky notes and then try to confirm these sightings for myself. As your driving around be on the lookout for deer trails. You'll notice that they have a tendency to come out of narrow bands of brush between homes and move across the road and quickly pick up another tract of land on the other side. Try to identify food and water sources. You’re looking for something that will concentrate a group of deer. Many homeowners feed deer in their back yards with feeders and sometimes by hand! You need to identify these locations and observe them at dusk and dawn to see what is using them. After you have gathered all of your information tries to gain access to the parcels you can effectively hunt. Go back to my earlier post to review what the deer are doing in various stages of the rut and apply that knowledge to your strategy! If legal, a bait station is a sure way of luring in many neighborhood whitetails where you can pick and choose the location for your setup. We had a hunt here a couple years ago for a community association that was run over by deer. I don't like killing tame deer so it wasn't my game. 80+ deer were killed in about 1 month and that's a lot of dragging an skinning. I literally had to walk by deer to get to my tree stand so I could gain some height so my arrows would stick in the ground after shooting one. Again, this was not my game, it was a necessary but someone else will have to do it. I declined the offer last year. I think as you get older the killing weighs heavier on you. I like to hunt and that wasn't hunting, that was killing. Anyway back to the subject, taking a deer in suburban areas is fairly easy, just set up in funnels and along known deer trails. Scent control is always important as well as camouflage. Just be extra careful when your around homes and for goodness sakes be tolerable of people, pets, and property owners rights and wishes. We want to maintain a positive image and when your hunting in suburban areas you will be under the microscope.
Sometimes you can get permission from land owners just by stopping to ask if they are having trouble. Just be prepared to be confronted by an anti-hunter. Be sure to present yourself in a positive way to the locals. If I'm granted permission to hunt, I ask if they have a certain deer that they don't want me to take. This seems like a stupid request but this lets the land owner know you care what they think and you are respectful. Never get in a confrontation with an anti-hunter just stand your ground. As always, be ultra-careful in shot selection because you want to make sure the animal you shoot expires quickly before it gets in someone’s yard. As far as actual hunting goes to maximize your chances the key is gaining access to the appropriate parcel of land that maximizes your chance of success and then only hunting it when conditions are right.
I actually drive the area and make notes of where I'm seeing deer. I plot this information on my map. I also make notes of comments I get from landowners on sticky notes and then try to confirm these sightings for myself. As your driving around be on the lookout for deer trails. You'll notice that they have a tendency to come out of narrow bands of brush between homes and move across the road and quickly pick up another tract of land on the other side. Try to identify food and water sources. You’re looking for something that will concentrate a group of deer. Many homeowners feed deer in their back yards with feeders and sometimes by hand! You need to identify these locations and observe them at dusk and dawn to see what is using them. After you have gathered all of your information tries to gain access to the parcels you can effectively hunt. Go back to my earlier post to review what the deer are doing in various stages of the rut and apply that knowledge to your strategy! If legal, a bait station is a sure way of luring in many neighborhood whitetails where you can pick and choose the location for your setup. We had a hunt here a couple years ago for a community association that was run over by deer. I don't like killing tame deer so it wasn't my game. 80+ deer were killed in about 1 month and that's a lot of dragging an skinning. I literally had to walk by deer to get to my tree stand so I could gain some height so my arrows would stick in the ground after shooting one. Again, this was not my game, it was a necessary but someone else will have to do it. I declined the offer last year. I think as you get older the killing weighs heavier on you. I like to hunt and that wasn't hunting, that was killing. Anyway back to the subject, taking a deer in suburban areas is fairly easy, just set up in funnels and along known deer trails. Scent control is always important as well as camouflage. Just be extra careful when your around homes and for goodness sakes be tolerable of people, pets, and property owners rights and wishes. We want to maintain a positive image and when your hunting in suburban areas you will be under the microscope.
Deer Driving
Deer drives in firearms season can be very productive if legal in your area. Try to select parcels of land that have thin bands of brush you can send several hunters in together and work with the wind at their back ultra slow and careful toward a group of strategically placed standers. Safety is of the utmost importance and communication is the key to shooting safely during a deer drive. The point for me writing this is that I've found that older deer especially mature bucks tend to try to slip back through the drivers. I have had some significant success by just letting some guys drive a tract of ground and me sneak in behind them with my bow. Many times an old buck will come squirting back through the line and clear the drivers and stop and look at them.
I learned this back in the 1980's, I observed two separate groups of hunters drive this 200' x 150 band of brush. I noticed that several drivers entered the woodlot and pushed all the deer out except a big old 8 pointer which doubled back twice and stood in a narrow band of brush and waited for the standers and drivers to leave and then he just went back and laid down. I had a couple buddies go through the thicket and I stood in behind an uprooted tree with my bow. We didn't even have any standers,The drivers just got out of sight and the big buck came squirting out from behind a rose bush and stopped about 5 yards from me. I observed with great interest his alert ears and his legs looked spring loaded. All of his attention was on the drivers. SSShhh---thump and he jump and kicked and circled and died right in front of me. My friends that drove the block of timber came back and reported not seeing anything. I took them over and showed them the deer. They were surprised he got by them. One guy thought he saw some movement in behind some brush but wasn't sure. We walked in to have a look and sure enough we could see where the deer had stood behind a multi floral rose until they passed and then he came back to me.
I learned this back in the 1980's, I observed two separate groups of hunters drive this 200' x 150 band of brush. I noticed that several drivers entered the woodlot and pushed all the deer out except a big old 8 pointer which doubled back twice and stood in a narrow band of brush and waited for the standers and drivers to leave and then he just went back and laid down. I had a couple buddies go through the thicket and I stood in behind an uprooted tree with my bow. We didn't even have any standers,The drivers just got out of sight and the big buck came squirting out from behind a rose bush and stopped about 5 yards from me. I observed with great interest his alert ears and his legs looked spring loaded. All of his attention was on the drivers. SSShhh---thump and he jump and kicked and circled and died right in front of me. My friends that drove the block of timber came back and reported not seeing anything. I took them over and showed them the deer. They were surprised he got by them. One guy thought he saw some movement in behind some brush but wasn't sure. We walked in to have a look and sure enough we could see where the deer had stood behind a multi floral rose until they passed and then he came back to me.
Bedding
Doe and buck think differently and throw in a mature buck and things get real interesting. A doe will bed in thicker cover in close proximity to food and water as she safely can. A younger buck will do the same. An older buck that has made it through several seasons is fairly predictable in his bedding area in hill country but you must consider the stage of the rut to reliably predict beds if your interested in a buck.
A doe will bed in cover near food and water sources. A buck of breeding age will bed in thick areas usually on the downwind side of a point about 1/3 the way down from the top. If he is in flat terrain he will bed with the wind at his back and an escape corridor in front of him. Often the escape corridor leads to a swamp/river or non huntable sanctuary, if one is present. An older non participating breeding buck will bed in the same areas as the breeding age buck but he will be found there through all stages of the rut where the younger buck will be on the prowl during the late prerut and on into the main rut, I hope this helps?
A doe will bed in cover near food and water sources. A buck of breeding age will bed in thick areas usually on the downwind side of a point about 1/3 the way down from the top. If he is in flat terrain he will bed with the wind at his back and an escape corridor in front of him. Often the escape corridor leads to a swamp/river or non huntable sanctuary, if one is present. An older non participating breeding buck will bed in the same areas as the breeding age buck but he will be found there through all stages of the rut where the younger buck will be on the prowl during the late prerut and on into the main rut, I hope this helps?
Calls
I'm a big fan of grunt tubes when the conditions are right. It's no secret but my favorite grunt tube is the HS True Talker. I'm not sure if this has been dicontinued or not because I noticed that at Walmart they are displaying another grunt tube made by Hunters Specialty, I didn't see the True talker. I use a grunt tube at various times throughout the season.
I use it immediately before the rut on through the secondary rut. The week or two before the scrapes leaf over bucks are working scrape lines heavily. They will respond to a gentle grunt in a positive manner. Sometimes they don't come straight in but the grunt almost always makes them curious. I've seen them tip toe back and forth across a hill or through brush trying to steal a peak at the buck grunting and have often seen them circle downwind trying to pick up the intruders scent. The closer you get to the scrapes leafing over the more receptive bucks become to calling. You may actually call in an older buck at this time but he usually will circle down wind first. I have used them successfully during the peak of the rut multiple times on mature whitetails as long as they are not preoccupied with a doe in estrus. I could tell stories for a week about calling in bucks with grunt tubes and rattling antlers.
I once was hunting near an overgrown field that had a group of bucks running around through the field harrassing a group of doe. They would take turns chasing a certain doe around all over the field until they determined she was not in estrus and then move on to the next. I saw this as a golden opportunity for my type of fun. I found a heavily used trail leading out of the field into a small funnel between the field and a larger block of timber. There was a 145" 9 pointer who was the stud of the field posturing around and more or less bullying the smaller bucks. I knew he was not the dominate buck because I saw a good 160 class 10 pointer near there a day or two before tending a doe. I sat up in behind a big tree and some brush and softly grunted on the tube as deep as it would go. The buck stopped and swiveled his ears my direction. I blew a couple immature " higher pitched grunts " and then a soft doe bleat. His ears went straight up then back flat. He came at a dead run full tilt toward my position. I had already decided I wasn't shooting him even though he was really nice.
He came into the woods at a dead run and stopped just as soon as the trees surrounded him. I was about 40 yards on up the trail and considered my options. He couldn't see me but I could see him. Instead of hitting the grunt tube again I took the antlers and touched them on the ground lightly to simulate a walking deer. His ears perked up, I sofly turned over " The Can " to simulate a small doe bleat and then a soft grunt to simulate a smaller buck. That did it he came at a full run. I waited until he was about 5 yards from me and jumped out from behind the tree and yelled HEEEEEEEY! He absolutely came unglued and did an about face and was standing back in the field in seconds. He ran out in the middle and looked back at me as if he was calling me a SOB. I laughed so hard it made my stomach hurt.
On another hunt my neighbor an older gentleman with heart problems asked me for some fresh venison since his cardiologist recommended it since venison is lean. It was rifle season so I took my 30-378 Weatherby over near this 20 acre thicket was heavily posted. The gun season had been in for a while and this sanctuary was loaded with honeysuckle and greenbriars, wild grapes, black cherry trees and a small water hole. I stood in between two power poles and hit that True Talker several times and then looked up the powerline that ran beside the posted sanctuary. Out steps two bucks together, one a small basket racked buck 1.5 years old and the other a larger 8 point. I didn't want to shoot this big 8 because I wanted to give him a chance to grow besides I know a few guys that would be mighty proud to get him. The bigger buck wouldn't get out of the way from the smaller buck so I had to wait until the smaller buck stepped clear. I literally had to shoot within 3" of this larger bucks neck to shoot the smaller buck standing slightly behind and a little to the front. I witnessed one of the funniest expressions I've ever seen a deer make. That 30-378 cracked pushing 116 grains of IMR 7828 at near 4000FPS and dropped that little buck like he was struck by lightning. It scared the bigger buck so bad he didn't move but I swear his eye balls bugged out and his lower jaw dropped open as to say "What in the hell happened to him?". He eventually composed himself enough to do some aerial acrobatics that would make Mary Lou Retton proud and get back in the thicket. I'll never forget the expression that buck made. A couple days later the owners of that posted tract pushed that larger 8 point buck out into a smaller band of brush that was not posted and I called my neighbor and he took his young son over and got that buck. He was very proud of it and brought it over for me to have a look at it, he was very proud. That's why I didn't shoot that buck. To this date that is the biggest buck that boy has ever gotten.
I use it immediately before the rut on through the secondary rut. The week or two before the scrapes leaf over bucks are working scrape lines heavily. They will respond to a gentle grunt in a positive manner. Sometimes they don't come straight in but the grunt almost always makes them curious. I've seen them tip toe back and forth across a hill or through brush trying to steal a peak at the buck grunting and have often seen them circle downwind trying to pick up the intruders scent. The closer you get to the scrapes leafing over the more receptive bucks become to calling. You may actually call in an older buck at this time but he usually will circle down wind first. I have used them successfully during the peak of the rut multiple times on mature whitetails as long as they are not preoccupied with a doe in estrus. I could tell stories for a week about calling in bucks with grunt tubes and rattling antlers.
I once was hunting near an overgrown field that had a group of bucks running around through the field harrassing a group of doe. They would take turns chasing a certain doe around all over the field until they determined she was not in estrus and then move on to the next. I saw this as a golden opportunity for my type of fun. I found a heavily used trail leading out of the field into a small funnel between the field and a larger block of timber. There was a 145" 9 pointer who was the stud of the field posturing around and more or less bullying the smaller bucks. I knew he was not the dominate buck because I saw a good 160 class 10 pointer near there a day or two before tending a doe. I sat up in behind a big tree and some brush and softly grunted on the tube as deep as it would go. The buck stopped and swiveled his ears my direction. I blew a couple immature " higher pitched grunts " and then a soft doe bleat. His ears went straight up then back flat. He came at a dead run full tilt toward my position. I had already decided I wasn't shooting him even though he was really nice.
He came into the woods at a dead run and stopped just as soon as the trees surrounded him. I was about 40 yards on up the trail and considered my options. He couldn't see me but I could see him. Instead of hitting the grunt tube again I took the antlers and touched them on the ground lightly to simulate a walking deer. His ears perked up, I sofly turned over " The Can " to simulate a small doe bleat and then a soft grunt to simulate a smaller buck. That did it he came at a full run. I waited until he was about 5 yards from me and jumped out from behind the tree and yelled HEEEEEEEY! He absolutely came unglued and did an about face and was standing back in the field in seconds. He ran out in the middle and looked back at me as if he was calling me a SOB. I laughed so hard it made my stomach hurt.
On another hunt my neighbor an older gentleman with heart problems asked me for some fresh venison since his cardiologist recommended it since venison is lean. It was rifle season so I took my 30-378 Weatherby over near this 20 acre thicket was heavily posted. The gun season had been in for a while and this sanctuary was loaded with honeysuckle and greenbriars, wild grapes, black cherry trees and a small water hole. I stood in between two power poles and hit that True Talker several times and then looked up the powerline that ran beside the posted sanctuary. Out steps two bucks together, one a small basket racked buck 1.5 years old and the other a larger 8 point. I didn't want to shoot this big 8 because I wanted to give him a chance to grow besides I know a few guys that would be mighty proud to get him. The bigger buck wouldn't get out of the way from the smaller buck so I had to wait until the smaller buck stepped clear. I literally had to shoot within 3" of this larger bucks neck to shoot the smaller buck standing slightly behind and a little to the front. I witnessed one of the funniest expressions I've ever seen a deer make. That 30-378 cracked pushing 116 grains of IMR 7828 at near 4000FPS and dropped that little buck like he was struck by lightning. It scared the bigger buck so bad he didn't move but I swear his eye balls bugged out and his lower jaw dropped open as to say "What in the hell happened to him?". He eventually composed himself enough to do some aerial acrobatics that would make Mary Lou Retton proud and get back in the thicket. I'll never forget the expression that buck made. A couple days later the owners of that posted tract pushed that larger 8 point buck out into a smaller band of brush that was not posted and I called my neighbor and he took his young son over and got that buck. He was very proud of it and brought it over for me to have a look at it, he was very proud. That's why I didn't shoot that buck. To this date that is the biggest buck that boy has ever gotten.
One might ask when the best time to rattle in a mature buck?? My experience has been that about one in 3 mature/dominate 5.5+ year old bucks within earshot of your rattling will make a move toward your position during the pre-rut. The single best time to rattle in a mature 3.5 to 4.5 year old buck ( not dominate ) is during the peak of the rut. Half of those bucks will move toward your calling sequence during this time and probably the single best time of the year to call in any buck. The little 1.5-2.5 year olds really don’t care, they will come in evenly during all phases of the rut. Peak rattling time is before 10:30 a.m.
Scents
I tried mock scrapes for several years and had mixed results. I learned nothing that I could consistantly use to harvest a certain buck I was after. The problem with mock scrapes is that even if you get a mature whitetail coming in it will usually be a night. You guys that run the trail cameras have probably noticed this trend. I'm no scientist and don't use trail cameras but I just haven't had the results that I'm looking for.
I have tried several different brands and several different mock scrape strategies over the years. I have had everything happen from deer tearing a 6" deep hole in the ground to completely abandoning their already existing scrape line. What I haven't found is a certain brand lure that you make a mock scrape with and a mature buck show up in daylight on a consistant basis. In earlier writings I posted my thoughts about scrape activity and mature whitetails. Basically 90% of scrape activity happens at night by mature bucks unless you get lucky and catch a mature subordinate buck that is frustrated. Most larger bucks circle downwind of these scrapes during daylight hours and they let the young subordinate bucks keep it fresh for the doe. I haven't hunted much during the very early prerut like now through early October because my season doesn't open until later. I can see where a hunter might have some luck drawing a mature buck off an apple tree in the early season to go mess with your mock scrape. This would just be more of a ritualistic warmup for the rut. Lets just say that I have set up over these mock scrapes for 40 days and have only seen one decent buck use them at daylight. I don't like those odds and can think of more consitant and productive methods. I have more frequently had success with drag lines around my stand sites but keep in mind that I chose my stand sites after perhaps a month of in the field study; in other words, I was fairly convinced the buck was coming through there on a certain day and time. I just used the drag line to distract him or lure him in a few yards closer. Yes, I have seen them follow drag lines right up to my tree but nothing consistant.
Sorry I got off track there with the drag line but scents are scents, you can use them several ways. I once found an active early preseason scrape line along a field. I placed brand X buck lure in half the scrapes. By day three all of those scrapes were abandoned and the other half was still being used. I placed brand X in those scrapes and by day two those all had been abandoned. Your probably asking yourself what lure I was using? I'm not saying but it is probably the best all time seller. What caused this to happen??? I'm guessing either the lure was tainted or more than likely the bucks using the scrapes didn't like the smell of the stranger for whatever reason. It is also of note that the food source shifted to about 1/2 mile away at about the same time frame. This in itself could account for the loss of interest. I had a little deal/experiment last year where I tried some scent on the " Big Boy " deer seeing what kind of activity I could drum up. I found an active scrape line out this logging trail around the side of a mountain about 200' down from the top. I watched this scrape line from a distant hill one day with binoculars. This scrape line was also one of the main travel corridors in the area. I saw a 120-130 buck come around in broad daylight and work the scrapes. The next day I went in and placed out some scent, VS1 I think???, ( all sterile of course ). I knew the Big Boy was in the area because of the feeder where all the pictures where being taken was on the hill above me 200 yards. The next day, I walked down to investigate if the scrapes had been hit by the Big Boy and found what I initially attributed to as turkey scratchings.
Upon closer inspection, this was very interesting turkey scratching. It was in a swath down over a very steep side of the hill and zig zagged back and forth down the hill and as per my binoculars found their way down into a ravine. I thought this was ironic since they appeared to start at that scrape I put the scent in. I glassed the tore up ground again ( note---I glassed the scrapes from a distant---I glassed the scrape line from the next mountain over--I was trying to keep the area scent free for a stand setup in the event I confirmed Big Boys presence ) and noticed a broken off tree with deer hair stuck on it. This led me off the hill to investigate one of the most violent buck fight " crime scene " I have ever witnessed.
I immediately went to the scrape and took note of the giant heavily sunken two separate big tracks facing each other hoof to hoof. The ground was tore to hell and trees where broken off and over from the top of the hill to the bottom. Every sharp snag around this trail had long thick hair on it. I actually told myself," damn, these bucks are locked up and I'm going to walk up on both of them ". I started contemplating the ethics of what I would do when I found them which I was sure was just on down the ravine. Well I eventually made myself down about two hundred yards from the original lock up and apparently they unlocked. However, the amount of sign I saw led me to believe this could have been fatal to one of the combatants. There was one sharp stick on it that had blood about 3" deep on the shaft. I searched the area for two days with any sign of locating any dead bucks. I let the turkey vultures and crows do the work for from above and I used my nose in a pattern search on all the ground within a 1/2 mile of the fight scene. I suspect that the two combatants were Big Boy and the giant 8 pointer we had seen on a few occassions. He was an exceptional specimen that could definitely kill another buck easily. Later, I did find an active scrape/rub line over in the next valley that I was sure was made from Big Boy because of all the real highbrow tine marks on the rubs. The only deer P&Y got pictures of with exceptional brows was Big Boy. So, after much talk, no I haven't had much success with mock scrapes but I have had mixed results and nothing that I could consistently use to take a certain buck. No story is complete without a picture or two. The below two bucks are the two I feel were fighting. The other picture is of the terrain they were fighting in. If you use your imagination you can see how easily it would be for two locked up bucks to find their way violently to the bottom of a hill.
I forgot to mention that there are some new trail cam pictures of that giant 8 from this year. I don't have any copies but if I get one I'll post it on the Big Boy thread.
I have tried several different brands and several different mock scrape strategies over the years. I have had everything happen from deer tearing a 6" deep hole in the ground to completely abandoning their already existing scrape line. What I haven't found is a certain brand lure that you make a mock scrape with and a mature buck show up in daylight on a consistant basis. In earlier writings I posted my thoughts about scrape activity and mature whitetails. Basically 90% of scrape activity happens at night by mature bucks unless you get lucky and catch a mature subordinate buck that is frustrated. Most larger bucks circle downwind of these scrapes during daylight hours and they let the young subordinate bucks keep it fresh for the doe. I haven't hunted much during the very early prerut like now through early October because my season doesn't open until later. I can see where a hunter might have some luck drawing a mature buck off an apple tree in the early season to go mess with your mock scrape. This would just be more of a ritualistic warmup for the rut. Lets just say that I have set up over these mock scrapes for 40 days and have only seen one decent buck use them at daylight. I don't like those odds and can think of more consitant and productive methods. I have more frequently had success with drag lines around my stand sites but keep in mind that I chose my stand sites after perhaps a month of in the field study; in other words, I was fairly convinced the buck was coming through there on a certain day and time. I just used the drag line to distract him or lure him in a few yards closer. Yes, I have seen them follow drag lines right up to my tree but nothing consistant.
Sorry I got off track there with the drag line but scents are scents, you can use them several ways. I once found an active early preseason scrape line along a field. I placed brand X buck lure in half the scrapes. By day three all of those scrapes were abandoned and the other half was still being used. I placed brand X in those scrapes and by day two those all had been abandoned. Your probably asking yourself what lure I was using? I'm not saying but it is probably the best all time seller. What caused this to happen??? I'm guessing either the lure was tainted or more than likely the bucks using the scrapes didn't like the smell of the stranger for whatever reason. It is also of note that the food source shifted to about 1/2 mile away at about the same time frame. This in itself could account for the loss of interest. I had a little deal/experiment last year where I tried some scent on the " Big Boy " deer seeing what kind of activity I could drum up. I found an active scrape line out this logging trail around the side of a mountain about 200' down from the top. I watched this scrape line from a distant hill one day with binoculars. This scrape line was also one of the main travel corridors in the area. I saw a 120-130 buck come around in broad daylight and work the scrapes. The next day I went in and placed out some scent, VS1 I think???, ( all sterile of course ). I knew the Big Boy was in the area because of the feeder where all the pictures where being taken was on the hill above me 200 yards. The next day, I walked down to investigate if the scrapes had been hit by the Big Boy and found what I initially attributed to as turkey scratchings.
Upon closer inspection, this was very interesting turkey scratching. It was in a swath down over a very steep side of the hill and zig zagged back and forth down the hill and as per my binoculars found their way down into a ravine. I thought this was ironic since they appeared to start at that scrape I put the scent in. I glassed the tore up ground again ( note---I glassed the scrapes from a distant---I glassed the scrape line from the next mountain over--I was trying to keep the area scent free for a stand setup in the event I confirmed Big Boys presence ) and noticed a broken off tree with deer hair stuck on it. This led me off the hill to investigate one of the most violent buck fight " crime scene " I have ever witnessed.
I immediately went to the scrape and took note of the giant heavily sunken two separate big tracks facing each other hoof to hoof. The ground was tore to hell and trees where broken off and over from the top of the hill to the bottom. Every sharp snag around this trail had long thick hair on it. I actually told myself," damn, these bucks are locked up and I'm going to walk up on both of them ". I started contemplating the ethics of what I would do when I found them which I was sure was just on down the ravine. Well I eventually made myself down about two hundred yards from the original lock up and apparently they unlocked. However, the amount of sign I saw led me to believe this could have been fatal to one of the combatants. There was one sharp stick on it that had blood about 3" deep on the shaft. I searched the area for two days with any sign of locating any dead bucks. I let the turkey vultures and crows do the work for from above and I used my nose in a pattern search on all the ground within a 1/2 mile of the fight scene. I suspect that the two combatants were Big Boy and the giant 8 pointer we had seen on a few occassions. He was an exceptional specimen that could definitely kill another buck easily. Later, I did find an active scrape/rub line over in the next valley that I was sure was made from Big Boy because of all the real highbrow tine marks on the rubs. The only deer P&Y got pictures of with exceptional brows was Big Boy. So, after much talk, no I haven't had much success with mock scrapes but I have had mixed results and nothing that I could consistently use to take a certain buck. No story is complete without a picture or two. The below two bucks are the two I feel were fighting. The other picture is of the terrain they were fighting in. If you use your imagination you can see how easily it would be for two locked up bucks to find their way violently to the bottom of a hill.
I forgot to mention that there are some new trail cam pictures of that giant 8 from this year. I don't have any copies but if I get one I'll post it on the Big Boy thread.
General Deer Characteristics
The whitetail deer is probably one of the most studied and pursued animals on the planet. I've had many request via PM and E mail to cover some basic whitetail information to those of you that are just getting started. I suspect there is much already written on the subject but I'll do my best to summarize. The white-tailed deer is a very interesting animal. I do apologize for skipping the basics.
Whitetails have many characteristics that make them a natural targeted species for us hunters. First and foremost, there are lots of them and they readily reproduce. They have the ability to adapt to their environment rather quickly in order to survive. Deer use all their senses to survive.
They have excellant hearing which helps them detect sounds from much farther away than us humans. They have the ability to swivel thier ears in the direction of the sound to maximize thier hearing. I would predict that thier hearing is slightly better than a human but not nearly as good as a turkey. A savy hunter when moving will obviously try to minimize noise by placing your feet down softly without dragging them. If you feel a stick/unstable rock lift the weight off your foot and reposition it. I more or less glance at the ground and pick my foot placement based upon what I think will be the quietest place to put it down. I skirt thick brush/dry sticks/loose dry leaves... or briars that will make noises rubbing against my clothing. Basically look out ahead of you and plan your path as you walk while alternating looking at the ground for foot placement while looking around for deer. If it's warm I select a pair of gortex hiking sneaker to stalk in unless I'm in rattlesnake country. This allows you to feel the ground better and tell when your on unsteady ground or about to snap a stick that will certainly alert the deer in your area. If you make a sound, hold tight for several minutes. deer don't seem to have a very good memory. If you are walking in noisy leaves because you have no other choice your only hope is that there are no deer within earshot of your noise. I do try to walk like a deer in these awkward moments. Take a few steps and wait and repeat trying to sound like another deer that is walking and feeding.Take your time and slower is good. Probably thier worst sense is thier eyesight.
Thier eyesight is not as good as us humans but they can see in all directions with the exception of the area right behind them. I'm going to guess they can see 300 degrees where a human can only detect about 180 degrees. There has been much writing about a deers ability to see this or that color. Reportedly deer see blue best of all colors. I'm not so sure about that, I've killed dozens of deer in blue jeans in my early years; perhaps they are referring to bright blue??? I've never worn any real bright colors hunting other than hunter orange. I will say that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that deer can and do easily see blaze orange. I have had them come running by me full tilt being pursued by dogs and pick me off tucked up tight in a brush pile with only a blaze orange taboggin on. A smart hunter would select a camo pattern that best matches the hunting environment your planning on hunting. I like the patterns that have different shades of brown in them like leaves that have fallen to the ground. The easiest thing for deer to see is quick movement. They will tolerate slow deliberate movements but nothing fast like a quick grab for your bow. This leads to the nose which is the most sensitive sense a deer possesses.
The whitetailed deer has an incredible sense of smell and they use this sense various different ways. They use it to detect danger, food, and water. You may fool a deers' other senses but you definitely wont fool his nose. I've had them wind me from 200-300 yards away and give up thier position by snorting repeatedly. They tend to use this sense to find food and they can smell acorns from a 100 yards away. I've literally been setting in the only whiteoak that was dropping nuts the only nuts in my area and had deer walking in with thier nose high in the air winding the nuts working themselves like a pointer back and forth until they work themselves to my tree. What can you do to counteract this?
The first thing would be to decrease the amount of scent you are putting out by keeping as scent free as possible. The more you control your scent the better chance you have at not being detected. I do much spot and stalk/calling/scouting and very little tree stand hunting. I can say that if conditions are right and you have done everything correctly a deer will not smell you even directly down wind from 5 yards. I will point out that in 38 years of hunting I only pulled this feat off twice and both times the temperature was around zero, I had on a brand new carbon chemical suit and a full charcoal chemical hood on after I brushed my teeth until my gums bled with baking soda. That is not realistic to do but you can shower with scent reducing soap,apply odorless antiperspirant, wash your clothes in scent free soap, apply carbon and/or silver based cover solutions to your body/equipment/clothes. Treestand hunters are slightly more advantaged by using elevation to keep thier scent above a deers' line of smell. Keep in mind that the air currents may push your scent toward the ground and if your in a ravine or a location where the air is swirling you may be picked off. The single best advice I can provide for combating a deers #1 sense of smell is to play the wind.
I have had many request to clarify this wind playing strategy. I guess I've always assumed folks knew how to tell which way the wind is blowing and then hunt accordingly. The first thing I do when I get out of my truck in the morning is to stand outside and determine which direction the wind is coming out of. I'm not a big fan of reading wheather reports because things can and aften do change by the next morning and sometimes even if the prevailing wind is out of the North West that doesn't mean it will be blowing that direction in the area I plan to hunt. Take a minute to feel for the wind on your face/arms/neck or pick up some light dirt and toss it or spray one of those wind powder sprays they sell to see which way the wind is blowing. Always hunt into the wind or cross wind and never with the wind at your back unless you are done for the day. I have hunted with the wind at my back in an attempt to move deer toward my buddies in organized forced deer movement. A smart hunter wishing to get to his stand would plan a route that would allow him to approach his stand without spooking the deer he is hunting. If I'm still hunting I don't have a plan on an exact route I'm going to take. I let the wind direction and deer sign guide me to maximize my chances. I have ran across unique situations where your scent is not real important that is worth pointing out.
Some of the areas I hunt have nature lovers/walkers that routinely go through my area. I have found that a hunter can walk just like one of these hikers and you can literally at times walk right up on deer without spooking them. They have become conditioned to not view walkers as a threat. The key is to not sneak along like you are hunting. They will immediately pick up on your predatorial characteristics and be gone. I have literally knocked an arrow after seeing a buck ahead and as I was walking attached my release and keep moving along the trail while simultaneously calculating shooting distance and where I'm going to shoot from. When I get near where I plan to shoot I draw the bow while walking and stop and quickly shoot. They will generally only give you a couple seconds before thier gone. This hasn'y happened often but definitely can be used in the right situation.
Whitetails have many characteristics that make them a natural targeted species for us hunters. First and foremost, there are lots of them and they readily reproduce. They have the ability to adapt to their environment rather quickly in order to survive. Deer use all their senses to survive.
They have excellant hearing which helps them detect sounds from much farther away than us humans. They have the ability to swivel thier ears in the direction of the sound to maximize thier hearing. I would predict that thier hearing is slightly better than a human but not nearly as good as a turkey. A savy hunter when moving will obviously try to minimize noise by placing your feet down softly without dragging them. If you feel a stick/unstable rock lift the weight off your foot and reposition it. I more or less glance at the ground and pick my foot placement based upon what I think will be the quietest place to put it down. I skirt thick brush/dry sticks/loose dry leaves... or briars that will make noises rubbing against my clothing. Basically look out ahead of you and plan your path as you walk while alternating looking at the ground for foot placement while looking around for deer. If it's warm I select a pair of gortex hiking sneaker to stalk in unless I'm in rattlesnake country. This allows you to feel the ground better and tell when your on unsteady ground or about to snap a stick that will certainly alert the deer in your area. If you make a sound, hold tight for several minutes. deer don't seem to have a very good memory. If you are walking in noisy leaves because you have no other choice your only hope is that there are no deer within earshot of your noise. I do try to walk like a deer in these awkward moments. Take a few steps and wait and repeat trying to sound like another deer that is walking and feeding.Take your time and slower is good. Probably thier worst sense is thier eyesight.
Thier eyesight is not as good as us humans but they can see in all directions with the exception of the area right behind them. I'm going to guess they can see 300 degrees where a human can only detect about 180 degrees. There has been much writing about a deers ability to see this or that color. Reportedly deer see blue best of all colors. I'm not so sure about that, I've killed dozens of deer in blue jeans in my early years; perhaps they are referring to bright blue??? I've never worn any real bright colors hunting other than hunter orange. I will say that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that deer can and do easily see blaze orange. I have had them come running by me full tilt being pursued by dogs and pick me off tucked up tight in a brush pile with only a blaze orange taboggin on. A smart hunter would select a camo pattern that best matches the hunting environment your planning on hunting. I like the patterns that have different shades of brown in them like leaves that have fallen to the ground. The easiest thing for deer to see is quick movement. They will tolerate slow deliberate movements but nothing fast like a quick grab for your bow. This leads to the nose which is the most sensitive sense a deer possesses.
The whitetailed deer has an incredible sense of smell and they use this sense various different ways. They use it to detect danger, food, and water. You may fool a deers' other senses but you definitely wont fool his nose. I've had them wind me from 200-300 yards away and give up thier position by snorting repeatedly. They tend to use this sense to find food and they can smell acorns from a 100 yards away. I've literally been setting in the only whiteoak that was dropping nuts the only nuts in my area and had deer walking in with thier nose high in the air winding the nuts working themselves like a pointer back and forth until they work themselves to my tree. What can you do to counteract this?
The first thing would be to decrease the amount of scent you are putting out by keeping as scent free as possible. The more you control your scent the better chance you have at not being detected. I do much spot and stalk/calling/scouting and very little tree stand hunting. I can say that if conditions are right and you have done everything correctly a deer will not smell you even directly down wind from 5 yards. I will point out that in 38 years of hunting I only pulled this feat off twice and both times the temperature was around zero, I had on a brand new carbon chemical suit and a full charcoal chemical hood on after I brushed my teeth until my gums bled with baking soda. That is not realistic to do but you can shower with scent reducing soap,apply odorless antiperspirant, wash your clothes in scent free soap, apply carbon and/or silver based cover solutions to your body/equipment/clothes. Treestand hunters are slightly more advantaged by using elevation to keep thier scent above a deers' line of smell. Keep in mind that the air currents may push your scent toward the ground and if your in a ravine or a location where the air is swirling you may be picked off. The single best advice I can provide for combating a deers #1 sense of smell is to play the wind.
I have had many request to clarify this wind playing strategy. I guess I've always assumed folks knew how to tell which way the wind is blowing and then hunt accordingly. The first thing I do when I get out of my truck in the morning is to stand outside and determine which direction the wind is coming out of. I'm not a big fan of reading wheather reports because things can and aften do change by the next morning and sometimes even if the prevailing wind is out of the North West that doesn't mean it will be blowing that direction in the area I plan to hunt. Take a minute to feel for the wind on your face/arms/neck or pick up some light dirt and toss it or spray one of those wind powder sprays they sell to see which way the wind is blowing. Always hunt into the wind or cross wind and never with the wind at your back unless you are done for the day. I have hunted with the wind at my back in an attempt to move deer toward my buddies in organized forced deer movement. A smart hunter wishing to get to his stand would plan a route that would allow him to approach his stand without spooking the deer he is hunting. If I'm still hunting I don't have a plan on an exact route I'm going to take. I let the wind direction and deer sign guide me to maximize my chances. I have ran across unique situations where your scent is not real important that is worth pointing out.
Some of the areas I hunt have nature lovers/walkers that routinely go through my area. I have found that a hunter can walk just like one of these hikers and you can literally at times walk right up on deer without spooking them. They have become conditioned to not view walkers as a threat. The key is to not sneak along like you are hunting. They will immediately pick up on your predatorial characteristics and be gone. I have literally knocked an arrow after seeing a buck ahead and as I was walking attached my release and keep moving along the trail while simultaneously calculating shooting distance and where I'm going to shoot from. When I get near where I plan to shoot I draw the bow while walking and stop and quickly shoot. They will generally only give you a couple seconds before thier gone. This hasn'y happened often but definitely can be used in the right situation.
Stories
I was set up on the end of a long point the first week of November severals years back. The bucks were actively cruising for doe. I knew this because I know of a nearby sanctuary where no deer hunting is allowed. I went there in the middle of the day the day before my planned hunt to observe deer behavior. I had set for a rattling sequence up on this beautiful point with multiple hillsides directly across from from which I was sure there were several P&Y class would be within earshot. I did my normal thing by setting up in the middle of a laurel bush and went through my rattling sequence. I could hear a deer come down off the mountain in front of me and into the valley below. To bad I didn't have a partner or he surely would have gotten a shot. I heard a stick break behind me.
Low and behold here comes this hillbilly, deliverance looking guy that appeared to come straight out of the literature from the Hatfield MCcoy feud. He had a long black coat/beard/hair and was packing a double barreled shotgun that was split down between the barrels. He had one finger on the trigger and was high stepping it looking intently into my hiding spot. I yelled out " whoa buddy, there's a human in here,don't shoot ". He sat back down on his heals and said " warrrr you at? ". I said I'm in this bush right in front of you and don't shoot. I walked over to him and he said he was looking for a haaaawg!!!!!!!! I said I didn't think there were any wild boar in this area. He said " Naaaaa, there's lots of Haaaaawgs in here. I kilt one haaar last year. I think I came pretty close to getting shot or having a broke back mountain performed on me there. The hunt wasn't an entire bust.
The following day I was back at the same spot and spotted a doe with her tail tucked tight moving like she was going somewhere. She disappeared into the ravine below and I spotted MR Big coming around the hill following. I dropped down low and hid between two laurel bushes. Before I could get the grunt tube out he disappeared below me. I thought real hard and decided to try a doe bleat since he had lost track of her. I softly hit the doe bleat and waited. About 30 seconds passed and I spotted his head coming up over the bank right at me. I drew the bow and picked ahole through the laurel bush. He stepped right in that little hole and I harpooned him through the lungs. He tore off up over the bank and down the mountainside. I found him later piled up in a dried up streambed. He was a nice buck and one I wont soon forget.
Low and behold here comes this hillbilly, deliverance looking guy that appeared to come straight out of the literature from the Hatfield MCcoy feud. He had a long black coat/beard/hair and was packing a double barreled shotgun that was split down between the barrels. He had one finger on the trigger and was high stepping it looking intently into my hiding spot. I yelled out " whoa buddy, there's a human in here,don't shoot ". He sat back down on his heals and said " warrrr you at? ". I said I'm in this bush right in front of you and don't shoot. I walked over to him and he said he was looking for a haaaawg!!!!!!!! I said I didn't think there were any wild boar in this area. He said " Naaaaa, there's lots of Haaaaawgs in here. I kilt one haaar last year. I think I came pretty close to getting shot or having a broke back mountain performed on me there. The hunt wasn't an entire bust.
The following day I was back at the same spot and spotted a doe with her tail tucked tight moving like she was going somewhere. She disappeared into the ravine below and I spotted MR Big coming around the hill following. I dropped down low and hid between two laurel bushes. Before I could get the grunt tube out he disappeared below me. I thought real hard and decided to try a doe bleat since he had lost track of her. I softly hit the doe bleat and waited. About 30 seconds passed and I spotted his head coming up over the bank right at me. I drew the bow and picked ahole through the laurel bush. He stepped right in that little hole and I harpooned him through the lungs. He tore off up over the bank and down the mountainside. I found him later piled up in a dried up streambed. He was a nice buck and one I wont soon forget.
I first heard of the buck the fall of 1998 by a delivery truck driver. He said he saw a enormous antlered buck cross the road in front of him that had a rack 30" wide. I take reports like this with a grain of salt but the following summer the same guy told me he saw the deer again. I was up in the area scouting another buck I was after and stopped by a convienence store and the clerk was telling me about seeing a giant buck from what sounded like was the same area the delivery truck guy had said. My curiosity was up now. I had two separate individuals that didn't know each other tell me about seeing a giant buck in one specific spot on the road. I immediately drove down there and dropped off the side of the mountain and picked up some impressive rubs on some big trees
I didn't get the chance to hunt that buck until later that fall. I had taken a nicer 140 class buck in Southern W.Va and called my good hunting buddy to tell him. He was happy for me but reported that he had been to his property and had found some giant rubs and scrapes. He asked me if I had some time to go down and check it out. I didn't even put two and two together but his property was about 1/2 mile from where I found the rubs earlier in the story. I got out of my truck got dressed and took my rattling antlers and grunt tube. I walked about 100-150 yards and saw the first scrape and rub. I walked over to check it out.
The scrape was in the middle of an overgrown logging road. I bent down to feel the scrape and it was still warm from where the buck had just urinated in it. I looked up the logging road and could clearly make out several more scrapes and rubs going up a ravine and then circling to the left and up on the hill. I immediately found a laurel bush and snapped off some limbs and stepped back inside the bush and hung up my bow with an arrow knocked. I took the broken off limbs and stuck them in the ground in front of me to further breakup my outline. I started my calling and rattling sequence and had just finished when I saw the sight of my life. The giant was up on the hill with his hair all hackled up on his back, his ears laid flat and walking sideways toward my position grunting with about every step.
I laid down all of the calls and grabbed the bow and waited. He continued on a course that would have him pass my position at 35 yards before he would go into a laurel thicket and out of my life. The only shooting lane was 35 yards away. I carefully aimed and threaded a perfect arrow through the brush that found his vitals. I'll never forget that buck and he is my all time favorite buck and solo hunt. His picture is below and I refer to him as " Way to Wide " for obvious reasons.
I didn't get the chance to hunt that buck until later that fall. I had taken a nicer 140 class buck in Southern W.Va and called my good hunting buddy to tell him. He was happy for me but reported that he had been to his property and had found some giant rubs and scrapes. He asked me if I had some time to go down and check it out. I didn't even put two and two together but his property was about 1/2 mile from where I found the rubs earlier in the story. I got out of my truck got dressed and took my rattling antlers and grunt tube. I walked about 100-150 yards and saw the first scrape and rub. I walked over to check it out.
The scrape was in the middle of an overgrown logging road. I bent down to feel the scrape and it was still warm from where the buck had just urinated in it. I looked up the logging road and could clearly make out several more scrapes and rubs going up a ravine and then circling to the left and up on the hill. I immediately found a laurel bush and snapped off some limbs and stepped back inside the bush and hung up my bow with an arrow knocked. I took the broken off limbs and stuck them in the ground in front of me to further breakup my outline. I started my calling and rattling sequence and had just finished when I saw the sight of my life. The giant was up on the hill with his hair all hackled up on his back, his ears laid flat and walking sideways toward my position grunting with about every step.
I laid down all of the calls and grabbed the bow and waited. He continued on a course that would have him pass my position at 35 yards before he would go into a laurel thicket and out of my life. The only shooting lane was 35 yards away. I carefully aimed and threaded a perfect arrow through the brush that found his vitals. I'll never forget that buck and he is my all time favorite buck and solo hunt. His picture is below and I refer to him as " Way to Wide " for obvious reasons.
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I have a story to tell that I hope will prove exactly how a simple plan can be effective. I have a good friend that I hunt with all the time. All summer long he told me about a buck that frequented his property both evening and morning. He was extremely excited about the buck and asked if I wanted to come out to his house to hunt. I really didn’t want to go because I wanted to try for a large buck I had been watching. I decided to go even though the buck was not exactly what I was after from the sounds of the report. I called the night before the hunt to confirm my arrival time for the opener. I arrived about 45 minutes before daylight to a group of excited bow hunters saying they had just saw the deer and it walked into a block of timber just before I arrived. I inquired where everyone was going and it appeared that they all had ladder stands already setup in the woodlot the buck went into. I took note where the buck reportedly entered the woodlot minutes before and the wind direction. The guys told me where all of their stands were located and it became apparent to me that if they walked to those stands the deer was going to wind them.
I asked about how the woodlot laid and what the boundaries of it were. My friend described it as a rectangular block of timber about 40 acres in size bordered on one side by a large open nicely mowed field and on the other side of it was a large overgrown power line with grass and shrubs about knee level high. All of their stands were located along the mowed field because they had been seeing a group of bucks up there in the evenings. I pulled my friend to the side and told him that if he walked to that stand he was going to spook the buck and he needed to go up on that power line. He said that he wanted to hunt his stand because by the time it was daylight the deer would be somewhere else. I asked him if he really wanted me to shoot the buck if I saw it and he replied that he wanted to see it and if I saw it to shoot it. I sat on the tailgate of my truck until I could hear the group of hunters clanking up over the hill to my right toward the field.
I stripped down to my underwear and sprayed down with Carbon Blast head to toe. I pulled on a light pair of camo jeans/Light sweatshirt I usually wear when I’m scouting. I just grabbed my bow/release and laser and darted over to the left toward the power line. I progressed about 200 yards up a steep hill and noticed a flat/bench going around the hill in the direction of my hunting buddies stand. It was a little dry outside and noisy so I took off my shoes and tip toed up toward the flat. The wind was steady from the stands toward my position so I knew the buck would be moving my way soon. As far as I could tell this was the only flat traversing around this hill so in all likelihood the buck would be coming out it. I slipped in behind a heavily leafed over multi floral rose bush and waited for daylight with an arrow knocked and my release on. I double checked my sliding site and it was on 30 yards. It just began to get daylight and I made out the forms of several deer coming my way. Several of them were bucks and one was significantly larger than the rest. I waited until it came to stop to feed on some grass and shot him through both lungs. He ran off toward my friends stand and expired near him. I guess the invitation was open to shoot the deer but I questioned whether or not he really meant it. He had the longest looking face I’ve ever seen. I apologized for shooting the deer and made a mental note that I owe him a deer. The moral of the story is to capitalize on others mistakes by anticipating deer escape routes, learn how to identify travel corridors such as; flat benches in hill country, inside the corner of a field in the woods, low gaps on mountains, ravines traversing an open meadow….
Oh, the deer was a main frame 9 point with 4 stickers. I don’t have any pictures of it and I don’t even know if I have the rack or not. I may have given it away?
I asked about how the woodlot laid and what the boundaries of it were. My friend described it as a rectangular block of timber about 40 acres in size bordered on one side by a large open nicely mowed field and on the other side of it was a large overgrown power line with grass and shrubs about knee level high. All of their stands were located along the mowed field because they had been seeing a group of bucks up there in the evenings. I pulled my friend to the side and told him that if he walked to that stand he was going to spook the buck and he needed to go up on that power line. He said that he wanted to hunt his stand because by the time it was daylight the deer would be somewhere else. I asked him if he really wanted me to shoot the buck if I saw it and he replied that he wanted to see it and if I saw it to shoot it. I sat on the tailgate of my truck until I could hear the group of hunters clanking up over the hill to my right toward the field.
I stripped down to my underwear and sprayed down with Carbon Blast head to toe. I pulled on a light pair of camo jeans/Light sweatshirt I usually wear when I’m scouting. I just grabbed my bow/release and laser and darted over to the left toward the power line. I progressed about 200 yards up a steep hill and noticed a flat/bench going around the hill in the direction of my hunting buddies stand. It was a little dry outside and noisy so I took off my shoes and tip toed up toward the flat. The wind was steady from the stands toward my position so I knew the buck would be moving my way soon. As far as I could tell this was the only flat traversing around this hill so in all likelihood the buck would be coming out it. I slipped in behind a heavily leafed over multi floral rose bush and waited for daylight with an arrow knocked and my release on. I double checked my sliding site and it was on 30 yards. It just began to get daylight and I made out the forms of several deer coming my way. Several of them were bucks and one was significantly larger than the rest. I waited until it came to stop to feed on some grass and shot him through both lungs. He ran off toward my friends stand and expired near him. I guess the invitation was open to shoot the deer but I questioned whether or not he really meant it. He had the longest looking face I’ve ever seen. I apologized for shooting the deer and made a mental note that I owe him a deer. The moral of the story is to capitalize on others mistakes by anticipating deer escape routes, learn how to identify travel corridors such as; flat benches in hill country, inside the corner of a field in the woods, low gaps on mountains, ravines traversing an open meadow….
Oh, the deer was a main frame 9 point with 4 stickers. I don’t have any pictures of it and I don’t even know if I have the rack or not. I may have given it away?
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I was hunting with a rifle back in the 1980's when I shot a large 9 pointer with a big drop tine. The deer ran over on some posted property about 50 yards from where I shot it. I more or less shot it from one mountain to the next with a 375 H&H Magnum. It did the wham sideways at the shot and tore off through the brush. I immediately headed off the hill to tell my uncle and see if we could call the landowner to let me get the buck. When I was coming off the mountain I saw my uncle coming up the valley just below where the deer had ran. He said he just saw the buck run across the road and it wasn't even hit. I went back down to where the deer came off the bank and checked for blood and there was none. I looked the way it came and it was directly in line with the path the buck I just shot at. That ground was posted so I just assumed that I'd missed the deer.
Early the next spring my sister in law was looking for a lost dog on that property and found the buck about 50 yards on the other side of the fence. She took the rack and told me about it. She said she figured it was the one I was shooting at. I went back down and checked the skeleton which was scattered around a bit and found the shoulder blade with my 300 grain .375 slug in it. The moral of the story is to regardless of what you think did or didn't happen you owe it to the deer to take the time to fully look as hard and as thorough as you can before giving up. Oh, the buck was a 145-150 class 9 pointer with a big drop tine. It still hangs on my brothers porch and I don't deserve the rack. Do your best to find the animals you shoot at or at least confirm for sure you missed.
Early the next spring my sister in law was looking for a lost dog on that property and found the buck about 50 yards on the other side of the fence. She took the rack and told me about it. She said she figured it was the one I was shooting at. I went back down and checked the skeleton which was scattered around a bit and found the shoulder blade with my 300 grain .375 slug in it. The moral of the story is to regardless of what you think did or didn't happen you owe it to the deer to take the time to fully look as hard and as thorough as you can before giving up. Oh, the buck was a 145-150 class 9 pointer with a big drop tine. It still hangs on my brothers porch and I don't deserve the rack. Do your best to find the animals you shoot at or at least confirm for sure you missed.
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Some of you guys have already read this little short story I wrote so I apologize to you beforehand. I wrote this story last year when I was considering writing a book and never got around to finishing it. I found AT instead and that gave me the release I was looking for.
We all know of mystical and sometimes spooky places. One such spot around my home is called Night Hollow. Night Hollow is nothing more than a very steep valley that runs from Montana Mines community to the Monongahela river. This valley was the source of many childhood scary stories. Supposedly one of the last known mountain lions to have been killed in this area resided in this valley. There is also an old overgrown grave yard located at the summit of the north side of ravine over looking the small town of Rivesville, W.Va. Almost all of the inhabitants of the grave yard were killed by Indians or small pox as the grave markers state. The area is rich in tradition and history.
An old shell road exist at the junction of the hollow and the Mon River. The road which now is a unfinished section of the rail to trails between Morgantown and Fairmont. Supposedly the Indians made the trail from mussel shells harvested from the Mon River and was historically referred to as Mussel Shoals Trail. This trail was later converted to the railroad. Today you can still pick up ancient mussel shells near where the trail was located. Just down stream less than a mile is Pricketts Fort State Park where many Indian /settler battles occurred. Jacob Prickett was probably the most famous Indian fighter in this area, along with John Morgan for which Morgantown was named after. The pair fought many battles with hostile Indians in this area. It’s still very common to find indian arrow heads in and around Night Hollow. Night Hollow is still much the same as it was 200 years ago. There are ancient beech trees there that are 3 feet thick with carving a 100+ years old on them. The area has many old caves. According to a local well known historian “Charles Koon” in one such cave an ancient giant skeleton was found and supposedly now resides in the Smithsonian. The skeleton was believed to be from an ancient race of red haired Indians. The estimated size of the skeleton was over 8 feet tall. A similar skeleton was unearthed by construction crews near the Bell view bridge in Fairmont. This skeleton also resides in the Smithsonian.
My brothers and some old timers would speak of Indian Ghost that frequented this hollow. I really never believed the stories but to a young boy I thought it was best to avoid the hollow just in case. I , having a good bit of Indian in myself, found such stories as somewhat mystical. My Grandparents on my father's side were Shawnee Indian and they shared these stories as well as many more. My father and brother could have been passed off as coming straight off the reservation. Both have jet black hair and are extremely dark complected. It’s strange that neither of them ever hunted. My oldest brother and I are the only ones that followed our ancestral instincts. My mother always said that we were both born in the wrong century. For some strange reason we are both strongly drawn to the outdoors/buckskin and antlers. I have always been somewhat of a romantic when it comes to hunting. I’d always wanted to hunt and harvest a buck near Night Hollow like I’m sure my ancestors had done many times in the past.
A couple of years back I scouted that area extensively and came across some very promising sign. I found dozens of rubs and scrapes. Many of the rubs were on 4-6 inch trees. I knew some good bucks were in the area so I decided to set up a natural ground blind along the edge of Night Hollow. I found that there was a well used trail that skirted the top of the hollow. I constructed a small blind from limbs that had fallen from one of the beech trees. The wind was blowing my scent out into the valley perfectly. I was in the blind by 3pm and noticed movement down the trail just as dusk was setting in. The shadows of nightfall were quickly approaching as the the old buck made his grand arrival. He was an exceptional northern W.Va. 9 pointer. For those that are interested in such things, he would later score 134 P&Y. His body was long and thick. I took note that his fur was almost orange in color, Very much like that of “ The Poor Farm Buck “. He easily weighed 190 pounds on the hoof and his neck was thick. He didn’t have much for brows but his other tine lengths were good to exceptional. I hadn’t put any meat in the freezer for myself yet and this buck certainly would meet my needs. The arrow entered nicely through both lungs and the buck charged off in the direction of the ancient graveyard.
I found him lying on his side on the crest of the ridge overlooking Night Hollow and Mussel Shoals Trail. I quickly gutted him and couldn’t help but think how many times my ancestors had set in this very exact same spot. The scene was eerily quiet and peaceful.
We all know of mystical and sometimes spooky places. One such spot around my home is called Night Hollow. Night Hollow is nothing more than a very steep valley that runs from Montana Mines community to the Monongahela river. This valley was the source of many childhood scary stories. Supposedly one of the last known mountain lions to have been killed in this area resided in this valley. There is also an old overgrown grave yard located at the summit of the north side of ravine over looking the small town of Rivesville, W.Va. Almost all of the inhabitants of the grave yard were killed by Indians or small pox as the grave markers state. The area is rich in tradition and history.
An old shell road exist at the junction of the hollow and the Mon River. The road which now is a unfinished section of the rail to trails between Morgantown and Fairmont. Supposedly the Indians made the trail from mussel shells harvested from the Mon River and was historically referred to as Mussel Shoals Trail. This trail was later converted to the railroad. Today you can still pick up ancient mussel shells near where the trail was located. Just down stream less than a mile is Pricketts Fort State Park where many Indian /settler battles occurred. Jacob Prickett was probably the most famous Indian fighter in this area, along with John Morgan for which Morgantown was named after. The pair fought many battles with hostile Indians in this area. It’s still very common to find indian arrow heads in and around Night Hollow. Night Hollow is still much the same as it was 200 years ago. There are ancient beech trees there that are 3 feet thick with carving a 100+ years old on them. The area has many old caves. According to a local well known historian “Charles Koon” in one such cave an ancient giant skeleton was found and supposedly now resides in the Smithsonian. The skeleton was believed to be from an ancient race of red haired Indians. The estimated size of the skeleton was over 8 feet tall. A similar skeleton was unearthed by construction crews near the Bell view bridge in Fairmont. This skeleton also resides in the Smithsonian.
My brothers and some old timers would speak of Indian Ghost that frequented this hollow. I really never believed the stories but to a young boy I thought it was best to avoid the hollow just in case. I , having a good bit of Indian in myself, found such stories as somewhat mystical. My Grandparents on my father's side were Shawnee Indian and they shared these stories as well as many more. My father and brother could have been passed off as coming straight off the reservation. Both have jet black hair and are extremely dark complected. It’s strange that neither of them ever hunted. My oldest brother and I are the only ones that followed our ancestral instincts. My mother always said that we were both born in the wrong century. For some strange reason we are both strongly drawn to the outdoors/buckskin and antlers. I have always been somewhat of a romantic when it comes to hunting. I’d always wanted to hunt and harvest a buck near Night Hollow like I’m sure my ancestors had done many times in the past.
A couple of years back I scouted that area extensively and came across some very promising sign. I found dozens of rubs and scrapes. Many of the rubs were on 4-6 inch trees. I knew some good bucks were in the area so I decided to set up a natural ground blind along the edge of Night Hollow. I found that there was a well used trail that skirted the top of the hollow. I constructed a small blind from limbs that had fallen from one of the beech trees. The wind was blowing my scent out into the valley perfectly. I was in the blind by 3pm and noticed movement down the trail just as dusk was setting in. The shadows of nightfall were quickly approaching as the the old buck made his grand arrival. He was an exceptional northern W.Va. 9 pointer. For those that are interested in such things, he would later score 134 P&Y. His body was long and thick. I took note that his fur was almost orange in color, Very much like that of “ The Poor Farm Buck “. He easily weighed 190 pounds on the hoof and his neck was thick. He didn’t have much for brows but his other tine lengths were good to exceptional. I hadn’t put any meat in the freezer for myself yet and this buck certainly would meet my needs. The arrow entered nicely through both lungs and the buck charged off in the direction of the ancient graveyard.
I found him lying on his side on the crest of the ridge overlooking Night Hollow and Mussel Shoals Trail. I quickly gutted him and couldn’t help but think how many times my ancestors had set in this very exact same spot. The scene was eerily quiet and peaceful.
My wife and I were married during the summer of 1988. She had just graduated WVU with a degree in Industrial Engineering and accepted a job in Franklin Virginia with a company by the name of Union Camp Corporation. We relocated down there in early August. I was agreeable but very reluctant to go since I so loved my home state of W.Va. Franklin was like a different world to me environmentally as well as socially. The temperature would stay in the 90-100’s for days on end with almost 100% humidity on a daily basis. I’m firmly convinced the appropriate state bird should have been the mosquito or the black fly. Unbeknownst to me my house was located on the boundary of The Great Dismal Swamp. That explained the mosquitos and flys. The only agreement I had with my wife was that I wanted to be somewhere I could hunt and fish. We rented a farm that had three separate tracts of land totaling about 3000 acres. The ground was leased to some farmers to raise crops. However, as part of the contract to rent the house the owners granted me hunting privilege to all the parcels.
My first impression was that the hunting was going to be poor. The farm consisted of roughly 2500 acres of crops and 500 acres of timber. The crops consisted of corn, wheat, soybeans and peanuts. All the deer I saw looked to weigh about 100-110 pounds soaking wet. I saw a few buck but they all appeared to be yearlings. I purchased some topo maps and researched the area immediately around the house. I spoke to a guy at the local bait and tackle shop and he informed me that my farm was situated adjacent to The Great Dismal Swamp. He said that area was 3600 sq. miles of no hunting for the last 60 years. I thought that I possibly might have got lucky and moved right in next to a sanctuary. I was correct.
The no hunting zone started a mile or so to the East of my home but that mile was nothing but swampland that essentially was unhuntable unless you were an alligator.There was a road that traversed through this area that had a couple spots that had some small tracts of farmland on it. One evening while I was cruising this back road I spotted a group of six bachelor bucks all of which would easily make P&Y. One or two would probably score 150 P&Y. I was a bit less homesick after those sightings. Beside that, I found the bass fishing to be incredible. That first year I caught literally dozens on bass over 5 pounds and a couple over 10 pounds and one 12 and 1/2 pounds. Things were looking up. I spent my time either hunting or fishing or going to school ( probably in that order of importance ). My wife's job required her to be out of town for sometimes months at a time.So I had plenty of time to learn the ways of the South.
I spent the summer evenings fishing the swamp for chain pickeral, bowfin and yellow perch. I would drive down a long sendaro off the main road toward the swamp. I usually would see deer off in the distance as I entered the sendaro. The sendaro was about 6/10th of a mile long so I was unable to identify some of the deer. Archery season was going to come in a couple of days so I decided to take my binoculars. I had just started down the sendaro when I spotted a buck off in the distance. I glassed him real quick and thought I was halucinating. The deer was a buck but the antlers appeared to be as big as an elk. The rack was as high as the deer was tall. He disappeared before I could positively identify any characteristics. I cruised down the sendaro and approached the area where I had seen the buck. He was no where to be seen but I noticed a lot of tracks surrounding a hole beside the road. Upon closer inspection this hole appeared to be some type of mineral lick. The tracks around the hole were all small so I assumed the buck I saw was not at the mineral lick. I continued on down the road and fished the swamp.
I spotted a family of seven river otters and enjoyed the show that they put on. I also spotted a large water mocassin cruising down the far shore line. I thought I'd be ornry and throw a stick at it. That was a mistake. Water mocassin are extremely agressive. This one swam straight across the swamp and right up to the shore in front of me. Me being young and plenty stupid thought I'd teach this snake a thing or two. I backed off and found a 8 foot long stout dried up stick about 2.5 inches in diameter. I theorized that I'd blast the snake in the water and kill it. I would then check out his fangs since I'd never seen one up close. I raised the club high over my head and struck the snake with suck force that it drove him under the water. I immediately recognized the error of my ways. Water mocassins don't die easily and this particular one must have been hell bent for revenge. No longer had I pulled the stick out of the water the snake appeared as if he was shot out of a cannon coming straight at me. No instructions were necessary, a immediate retreat was in oder. My truck was parked about 40 yards from where I struck the snake. There was a small water covered area between me and the truck. I can assure you that jesus is not the only person that has walked on the water. I crossed the 40 yards in record time and glanced back just as I was getting to the truck. To my horror the snake was right on my tail and closing. I assumed I didn't have time to climb into the truck before I was bitten so I just dove over the side of the truck and into the bed. I looked down and Mr Mocassin was looking up at me appearing to be saying " go ahead, mess with me again ". I had enough fishing for the day.So after Mr Mocassin approved my dismissal, I got in the truck and headed home.
As I approached the mineral lick I spotted a nice 110" eight pointer standing off the road. I looked behind him and noticed several other bucks were following him. They all spooked back into the swamp but I wondered what the attraction was to that area. I got out and scouted around the mineral lick and determined that it was used heavily but there was some oak trees dropping acorns into the swamp. I noticed several well used trails leading to the oaks. I thought that this would be an excellent place for a stand to intercept these buck as they approached to feed on the acorns. I hung a stand up in a loblolly pine about 30 yards down wind of the trails. Several days passed until season came in and I was able to hunt the site.
The first day I hunted the stand it was probably 90 degrees with no wind at all. This concerned me since I couldn't tell where my scent was blowing. About two hours and 500 mosquito bites later I spotted a group of bucks heading my way. I thought I could count 16 different bucks and two of them about made me fall out of the tree. One was a huge typical and the other was a huge non typical. The non typical was taking up the rear in the line. I really wanted to try and hold out for him but I would have to let all the other bucks walk past my stand before he would arrive. The bucks quickly approached and were filtering by my stand nicely when I felt a breeze hit the back of my neck and blow directly toward the bucks. They simply stopped and several bolted into the swamp while other ran the way they had come. The giant non typical was still about 70 yards away but he was on full alert. I glanced around my tree stand and noticed that the second largest deer was standing 40 yards away alert but unaware of the wherabouts of the danger. I theorized that if I was going to shoot it had better be now since several of the bucks had their tails at half mast. I was shooting a PSE that would shoot 2219 shafts an amazing 254 FPS. I was confident I could make a clean kill. The deer jumped and kicked at the shot and ran about 30 yards and disappeared behind some pines. The remaining deer bolted.
I climbed down and approached the area I last saw the deer. I was following a very significant blood trail when I looked up and noticed this rack sticking up out of the brush. The deer was a main framed 9 pointer shot perfectly through the heart. His rack appeared to be huge. When I finally reached the deer I realized that this was probably one of the smallest bodied deer I have ever taken. However, the rack was so big that the deer head was barely touching the ground. I later weighed the buck and he only tipped the scale at 106 pounds with the guts in him. Now get this, the rack was 22 inches wide with 5-6" mass, 23 inch main beams and 13 inch tines. He grossed 162 P&Y and would net 152 as an 8 pointer. Try to imagine a 100 pound buck with a 160 inch rack. I'm sure he is the buck I first saw in the story that looked like an elk. His front hooves were less than 1 1/2' long. So there goes the theory of all big bucks make big tracks. As a matter of fact, most of my bigger bucks had small hooves less than 2" long.
You might ask about what happened to the non typical?? This was the deer that up dead 40 miles away and if memory serves me correctly scored 238" and was the Virginia state record Non typical for a while. I still often wonder what a group of bachelor bucks were still doing together on Nov 1st? The only thing I can think is that Nov 1st in that Virginia coastal plains region the deer must still be in the prerut stage. I miss those days in Virginia but I'm glad to be back in my home state. Five years in a swamp is enough for me. If your ever in the market for pigs, peanuts or paper or an occasional monster buck or bass don't be afraid to travel to Southern Virginia. Things do grow big there in the swamp.
My first impression was that the hunting was going to be poor. The farm consisted of roughly 2500 acres of crops and 500 acres of timber. The crops consisted of corn, wheat, soybeans and peanuts. All the deer I saw looked to weigh about 100-110 pounds soaking wet. I saw a few buck but they all appeared to be yearlings. I purchased some topo maps and researched the area immediately around the house. I spoke to a guy at the local bait and tackle shop and he informed me that my farm was situated adjacent to The Great Dismal Swamp. He said that area was 3600 sq. miles of no hunting for the last 60 years. I thought that I possibly might have got lucky and moved right in next to a sanctuary. I was correct.
The no hunting zone started a mile or so to the East of my home but that mile was nothing but swampland that essentially was unhuntable unless you were an alligator.There was a road that traversed through this area that had a couple spots that had some small tracts of farmland on it. One evening while I was cruising this back road I spotted a group of six bachelor bucks all of which would easily make P&Y. One or two would probably score 150 P&Y. I was a bit less homesick after those sightings. Beside that, I found the bass fishing to be incredible. That first year I caught literally dozens on bass over 5 pounds and a couple over 10 pounds and one 12 and 1/2 pounds. Things were looking up. I spent my time either hunting or fishing or going to school ( probably in that order of importance ). My wife's job required her to be out of town for sometimes months at a time.So I had plenty of time to learn the ways of the South.
I spent the summer evenings fishing the swamp for chain pickeral, bowfin and yellow perch. I would drive down a long sendaro off the main road toward the swamp. I usually would see deer off in the distance as I entered the sendaro. The sendaro was about 6/10th of a mile long so I was unable to identify some of the deer. Archery season was going to come in a couple of days so I decided to take my binoculars. I had just started down the sendaro when I spotted a buck off in the distance. I glassed him real quick and thought I was halucinating. The deer was a buck but the antlers appeared to be as big as an elk. The rack was as high as the deer was tall. He disappeared before I could positively identify any characteristics. I cruised down the sendaro and approached the area where I had seen the buck. He was no where to be seen but I noticed a lot of tracks surrounding a hole beside the road. Upon closer inspection this hole appeared to be some type of mineral lick. The tracks around the hole were all small so I assumed the buck I saw was not at the mineral lick. I continued on down the road and fished the swamp.
I spotted a family of seven river otters and enjoyed the show that they put on. I also spotted a large water mocassin cruising down the far shore line. I thought I'd be ornry and throw a stick at it. That was a mistake. Water mocassin are extremely agressive. This one swam straight across the swamp and right up to the shore in front of me. Me being young and plenty stupid thought I'd teach this snake a thing or two. I backed off and found a 8 foot long stout dried up stick about 2.5 inches in diameter. I theorized that I'd blast the snake in the water and kill it. I would then check out his fangs since I'd never seen one up close. I raised the club high over my head and struck the snake with suck force that it drove him under the water. I immediately recognized the error of my ways. Water mocassins don't die easily and this particular one must have been hell bent for revenge. No longer had I pulled the stick out of the water the snake appeared as if he was shot out of a cannon coming straight at me. No instructions were necessary, a immediate retreat was in oder. My truck was parked about 40 yards from where I struck the snake. There was a small water covered area between me and the truck. I can assure you that jesus is not the only person that has walked on the water. I crossed the 40 yards in record time and glanced back just as I was getting to the truck. To my horror the snake was right on my tail and closing. I assumed I didn't have time to climb into the truck before I was bitten so I just dove over the side of the truck and into the bed. I looked down and Mr Mocassin was looking up at me appearing to be saying " go ahead, mess with me again ". I had enough fishing for the day.So after Mr Mocassin approved my dismissal, I got in the truck and headed home.
As I approached the mineral lick I spotted a nice 110" eight pointer standing off the road. I looked behind him and noticed several other bucks were following him. They all spooked back into the swamp but I wondered what the attraction was to that area. I got out and scouted around the mineral lick and determined that it was used heavily but there was some oak trees dropping acorns into the swamp. I noticed several well used trails leading to the oaks. I thought that this would be an excellent place for a stand to intercept these buck as they approached to feed on the acorns. I hung a stand up in a loblolly pine about 30 yards down wind of the trails. Several days passed until season came in and I was able to hunt the site.
The first day I hunted the stand it was probably 90 degrees with no wind at all. This concerned me since I couldn't tell where my scent was blowing. About two hours and 500 mosquito bites later I spotted a group of bucks heading my way. I thought I could count 16 different bucks and two of them about made me fall out of the tree. One was a huge typical and the other was a huge non typical. The non typical was taking up the rear in the line. I really wanted to try and hold out for him but I would have to let all the other bucks walk past my stand before he would arrive. The bucks quickly approached and were filtering by my stand nicely when I felt a breeze hit the back of my neck and blow directly toward the bucks. They simply stopped and several bolted into the swamp while other ran the way they had come. The giant non typical was still about 70 yards away but he was on full alert. I glanced around my tree stand and noticed that the second largest deer was standing 40 yards away alert but unaware of the wherabouts of the danger. I theorized that if I was going to shoot it had better be now since several of the bucks had their tails at half mast. I was shooting a PSE that would shoot 2219 shafts an amazing 254 FPS. I was confident I could make a clean kill. The deer jumped and kicked at the shot and ran about 30 yards and disappeared behind some pines. The remaining deer bolted.
I climbed down and approached the area I last saw the deer. I was following a very significant blood trail when I looked up and noticed this rack sticking up out of the brush. The deer was a main framed 9 pointer shot perfectly through the heart. His rack appeared to be huge. When I finally reached the deer I realized that this was probably one of the smallest bodied deer I have ever taken. However, the rack was so big that the deer head was barely touching the ground. I later weighed the buck and he only tipped the scale at 106 pounds with the guts in him. Now get this, the rack was 22 inches wide with 5-6" mass, 23 inch main beams and 13 inch tines. He grossed 162 P&Y and would net 152 as an 8 pointer. Try to imagine a 100 pound buck with a 160 inch rack. I'm sure he is the buck I first saw in the story that looked like an elk. His front hooves were less than 1 1/2' long. So there goes the theory of all big bucks make big tracks. As a matter of fact, most of my bigger bucks had small hooves less than 2" long.
You might ask about what happened to the non typical?? This was the deer that up dead 40 miles away and if memory serves me correctly scored 238" and was the Virginia state record Non typical for a while. I still often wonder what a group of bachelor bucks were still doing together on Nov 1st? The only thing I can think is that Nov 1st in that Virginia coastal plains region the deer must still be in the prerut stage. I miss those days in Virginia but I'm glad to be back in my home state. Five years in a swamp is enough for me. If your ever in the market for pigs, peanuts or paper or an occasional monster buck or bass don't be afraid to travel to Southern Virginia. Things do grow big there in the swamp.
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Over the years I have introduced many of my coworkers and friends to the sport of hunting whitetail deer. Most of these individuals loved the sport of bow hunting but had never enjoyed the excitement of taking a trophy buck. I like to share my experiences with them in hopes that it can help them succeed in their quest. Some of my most memorable hunts have occurred while helping others get there deer. Other times, some decided that trophy hunting was not for them. I met most of my lifelong friends through relationships that were formed based upon the common interest of hunting. However, I soon found out why most trophy hunters are loners. This brings to mind one of the bucks I harvested in Wyoming County several years back.
I had been talking with several guys at work about the importance of hunting where the big deer are known to live. I shared with them a copy of the W.Va. DNR’s Isaac Walton league big buck contest winners. I pointed out that it was very rare to have an entry that was north of Beckley. I think it was eye opening to these guys. They assumed that trophy deer were in every county. They all decided to come down and give it a try. I always save all of my vacation for the month of November so I had plenty of time to scout potential stand sites for my friends prior to their arrival.
I had scouted and found several promising looking stand sites prior to the first guy “ Brocks’ “ arrival. He came down the first week of November. The deer were in the pre rut stage so they were actively working scrapes and making lots of rubs. However, we spent 4-5 days setting over these scrapes only to realize that they were only being visited at night. We tried walking the ridges and setting up rattling sequences without success. The deer were not moving at all during the daylight. This was probably related to the unseasonably hot temperatures we were having. The last day of his hunt a light rain settled in and he spotted a couple of shooters off in the distance but no shot was offered. I had seen several nice bucks but was holding out for a bigger one. The next week a couple of guys from Pa called to say they were coming down. I told them that I’d located two great stand sites for their first days hunt. The rut had progressed to the cruising/chasing stage. I placed two hanging stands up on the downwind side of a couple of known doe bedding areas. The areas were fresh with significant new buck sign. I had spotted a 170 class ten pointer about a mile from where I was placing my friends. I planned on walking them to their stands about 0500am and hopefully get in mine well before dawn.
The guys arrived and there was much anticipation for the upcoming mornings hunt. The weather forecast called for rain and possibly some snow. I explained to the guys the importance of being patient while on stand and to not expect to see many deer. The deer population in that area was estimated at less than 1 deer per Sq. mile at that time. I walked each guy to his stand the next morning and made sure they were safely strapped in. I then went to my site. I had been in my stand probably less than 15 minutes when it started a heavy downpour of soaking cold rain and wind. This was followed shortly thereafter by brief snow squalls and high wind. This went on all morning. To stay warm I would imagine I was in Florida laying on the beach while I flexed my muscles in an attempt to keep warm. Around 12 noon I thought I could hear a car horn blowing off in the distance. This concerned me because I thought that someone might be hurt. I surmised that they were both grown men and that if one was hurt surely the other could get them to the hospital. Their truck was only parked about 150 yards from the stand I selected and they were both well trained medical professionals. I hunted the remainder of the afternoon unsuccessfully. I came out at dark expecting to see my friends parked beside my truck but they were not there. I noticed a note on my windshield. The note read “ thanks for allowing us to hunt with you but I guess we are not the hunters we thought we were---we are going home where there is some deer “. That explained the horn blowing.
The next week a good friend and longtime hunting buddy came down and the warm weather returned. We hunted several days trying everything we could think without success. Things were slow so we agreed to come out of our stands at 12 noon and have some lunch at the truck. We were setting on the tailgate eating sandwiches’ when I heard a dog running something off in the distance. A short while later we suddenly spotted a big 10 point buck running straight at us. Needless to say sandwiches and pepperoni rolls went flying. The deer passed within 20 yards of my truck seemingly oblivious to our presence. We both managed to come to full draw before the deer disappeared into the laurel. A short while later an old beagle dog came following the trail. We shooed him off the trail but he just circled us and picked it up about 100 away. The last thing we heard was the dog barking about a mile away. My friend decided to hunt another area that afternoon so he went his way.
I’d been there for about three weeks straight without seeing my wife or kids so I was getting a bit burned out and homesick. I really was at a loss for what I needed to do to connect. I decided to go down and have a look at the track the buck made as he was running by us. The track was about 2.25’ inches long and the tips were well rounded. I noticed that he had ran on a fairly heavily used deer trail. I got to looking and it appeared that all the tracks on this trail were made by possibly the same deer going the same direction. I went back to the truck and reviewed my topo map. The deer trail was on a bench that ran several miles along a long ridge. This ridge was called Still Run Ridge.
Still Run Ridge was probably 2-3 miles long bordered on one side by Pretty Ridge and the other by Still Run Mine. The end of the ridge on one side dropped straight off to a two lane highway called RT 16. The other end led straight into Twin Falls State Park. Cabin Creek Ridge road ran straight down the middle of the mountain and it was nothing more than a occasionally used logging trail ( this has all changed now and it looks like a highway up there related to new gas wells and a new mine portal ).. I surmised that this particular buck was bedding off the park several miles away and walking this trail in the evening into the park to check doe. A while passed and I could here the dog barking on the opposite ridge from where I was at but he clearly was chasing the buck in a circle that would lead him back to me. I decided to set up on the downwind side of this trail and hopefully get a shot if the deer was chased by again. I followed the trail up the bank until it crossed onto a small flat on top of the mountain. The trail then more or less followed this flat in the general direction of the park. I sat downwind for several hours without seeing or hearing a thing. It was quickly approaching dusk so I started sneaking back down the trail in the direction of my parked truck. I was just about to break over the edge of the flat and start down the mountain toward my truck when I all of a sudden got the feeling a buck was near by. I have no explanation for what gave me this feeling other than a 6th sense. I came to full draw and tip toed the last couple of feet of the flat. I peeked over the edge and looked straight into the eyes of a beautiful 140 class10 point buck. I was at full draw but the buck was standing straight on. This is not the shot I wanted. However, he was only seven yards away and I surmised that there was no way I would miss his heart at that range. The shot looked good and the deer turned and bolted over the hill toward the truck. I didn’t want to follow right away so I skirted the trail and went to my truck since it was about dark.
That night my friend and I made a brief search of the area without finding the deer. We thought we heard one run off when we approached the area. So we thought it was best to recover the deer in the morning. We weren’t afraid of meat spoilage since the forecast called for near freezing temperatures that night. That evening I was trying to convince my buddy that the deer was surely dead but he was not as optimistic as I was. I thought it was odd but he seemed extremely upset that he wasn’t having any success. The next morning I got a lesson from my friend. We decided to drive together to the hunting site and if we didn’t find the deer we were going to pack up camp and go home. I pulled into the same spot I was parked the night before and noticed something in the headlights on the ground that I originally attributed to a raccoon. However, the one shiny green eye was to big for a raccoon. I got out and walked toward the shiny object to realize it was the buck I had shot the night before. He had died within 40 yards of my truck. The arrow had slipped perfectly between his two shoulders from the front and exited at the diaphragm. The arrow had perfectly pierced his heart. I yelled for my friend to have a look. He ambled over to see deer. I could tell he was upset by the expression on his face. I asked him what he was upset about and he said why do you always get the deer why don’t I??” I didn’t know what to say. He helped me load the deer and things were quite on the way back to camp. I don’t think we spoke for several months after that. I thought that perhaps are friendship might be in trouble over a deer. He called one night over the following summer and we agreed to meet and discuss what had happened. I guess he had been embarrassed about his response to me getting the deer so he’d been to embarrassed to call. It appears that while he enjoyed hunting with me and seeing me succeed he explained that my success had wore him down over the years and made him feel like he was an inadequate hunter. I explained to him that I understand the desire to take a large antlered deer but that he should not be putting so much pressure on his self to succeed. The very next year he took a real nice 8 pointer that I think took some pressure off him. Even us hunters have our problems I guess? The moral of this is you don't have to be successful to be a happy hunter. You need to be able to enjoy the experience regardless of if your successful or not. If you put your time in and try to learn from others and from your mistakes you will become successful. Don't be in any mad dash to get there, I had more fun learning how to hunt whitetails than actually killing them. Taking one is just icing on the cake.
I had been talking with several guys at work about the importance of hunting where the big deer are known to live. I shared with them a copy of the W.Va. DNR’s Isaac Walton league big buck contest winners. I pointed out that it was very rare to have an entry that was north of Beckley. I think it was eye opening to these guys. They assumed that trophy deer were in every county. They all decided to come down and give it a try. I always save all of my vacation for the month of November so I had plenty of time to scout potential stand sites for my friends prior to their arrival.
I had scouted and found several promising looking stand sites prior to the first guy “ Brocks’ “ arrival. He came down the first week of November. The deer were in the pre rut stage so they were actively working scrapes and making lots of rubs. However, we spent 4-5 days setting over these scrapes only to realize that they were only being visited at night. We tried walking the ridges and setting up rattling sequences without success. The deer were not moving at all during the daylight. This was probably related to the unseasonably hot temperatures we were having. The last day of his hunt a light rain settled in and he spotted a couple of shooters off in the distance but no shot was offered. I had seen several nice bucks but was holding out for a bigger one. The next week a couple of guys from Pa called to say they were coming down. I told them that I’d located two great stand sites for their first days hunt. The rut had progressed to the cruising/chasing stage. I placed two hanging stands up on the downwind side of a couple of known doe bedding areas. The areas were fresh with significant new buck sign. I had spotted a 170 class ten pointer about a mile from where I was placing my friends. I planned on walking them to their stands about 0500am and hopefully get in mine well before dawn.
The guys arrived and there was much anticipation for the upcoming mornings hunt. The weather forecast called for rain and possibly some snow. I explained to the guys the importance of being patient while on stand and to not expect to see many deer. The deer population in that area was estimated at less than 1 deer per Sq. mile at that time. I walked each guy to his stand the next morning and made sure they were safely strapped in. I then went to my site. I had been in my stand probably less than 15 minutes when it started a heavy downpour of soaking cold rain and wind. This was followed shortly thereafter by brief snow squalls and high wind. This went on all morning. To stay warm I would imagine I was in Florida laying on the beach while I flexed my muscles in an attempt to keep warm. Around 12 noon I thought I could hear a car horn blowing off in the distance. This concerned me because I thought that someone might be hurt. I surmised that they were both grown men and that if one was hurt surely the other could get them to the hospital. Their truck was only parked about 150 yards from the stand I selected and they were both well trained medical professionals. I hunted the remainder of the afternoon unsuccessfully. I came out at dark expecting to see my friends parked beside my truck but they were not there. I noticed a note on my windshield. The note read “ thanks for allowing us to hunt with you but I guess we are not the hunters we thought we were---we are going home where there is some deer “. That explained the horn blowing.
The next week a good friend and longtime hunting buddy came down and the warm weather returned. We hunted several days trying everything we could think without success. Things were slow so we agreed to come out of our stands at 12 noon and have some lunch at the truck. We were setting on the tailgate eating sandwiches’ when I heard a dog running something off in the distance. A short while later we suddenly spotted a big 10 point buck running straight at us. Needless to say sandwiches and pepperoni rolls went flying. The deer passed within 20 yards of my truck seemingly oblivious to our presence. We both managed to come to full draw before the deer disappeared into the laurel. A short while later an old beagle dog came following the trail. We shooed him off the trail but he just circled us and picked it up about 100 away. The last thing we heard was the dog barking about a mile away. My friend decided to hunt another area that afternoon so he went his way.
I’d been there for about three weeks straight without seeing my wife or kids so I was getting a bit burned out and homesick. I really was at a loss for what I needed to do to connect. I decided to go down and have a look at the track the buck made as he was running by us. The track was about 2.25’ inches long and the tips were well rounded. I noticed that he had ran on a fairly heavily used deer trail. I got to looking and it appeared that all the tracks on this trail were made by possibly the same deer going the same direction. I went back to the truck and reviewed my topo map. The deer trail was on a bench that ran several miles along a long ridge. This ridge was called Still Run Ridge.
Still Run Ridge was probably 2-3 miles long bordered on one side by Pretty Ridge and the other by Still Run Mine. The end of the ridge on one side dropped straight off to a two lane highway called RT 16. The other end led straight into Twin Falls State Park. Cabin Creek Ridge road ran straight down the middle of the mountain and it was nothing more than a occasionally used logging trail ( this has all changed now and it looks like a highway up there related to new gas wells and a new mine portal ).. I surmised that this particular buck was bedding off the park several miles away and walking this trail in the evening into the park to check doe. A while passed and I could here the dog barking on the opposite ridge from where I was at but he clearly was chasing the buck in a circle that would lead him back to me. I decided to set up on the downwind side of this trail and hopefully get a shot if the deer was chased by again. I followed the trail up the bank until it crossed onto a small flat on top of the mountain. The trail then more or less followed this flat in the general direction of the park. I sat downwind for several hours without seeing or hearing a thing. It was quickly approaching dusk so I started sneaking back down the trail in the direction of my parked truck. I was just about to break over the edge of the flat and start down the mountain toward my truck when I all of a sudden got the feeling a buck was near by. I have no explanation for what gave me this feeling other than a 6th sense. I came to full draw and tip toed the last couple of feet of the flat. I peeked over the edge and looked straight into the eyes of a beautiful 140 class10 point buck. I was at full draw but the buck was standing straight on. This is not the shot I wanted. However, he was only seven yards away and I surmised that there was no way I would miss his heart at that range. The shot looked good and the deer turned and bolted over the hill toward the truck. I didn’t want to follow right away so I skirted the trail and went to my truck since it was about dark.
That night my friend and I made a brief search of the area without finding the deer. We thought we heard one run off when we approached the area. So we thought it was best to recover the deer in the morning. We weren’t afraid of meat spoilage since the forecast called for near freezing temperatures that night. That evening I was trying to convince my buddy that the deer was surely dead but he was not as optimistic as I was. I thought it was odd but he seemed extremely upset that he wasn’t having any success. The next morning I got a lesson from my friend. We decided to drive together to the hunting site and if we didn’t find the deer we were going to pack up camp and go home. I pulled into the same spot I was parked the night before and noticed something in the headlights on the ground that I originally attributed to a raccoon. However, the one shiny green eye was to big for a raccoon. I got out and walked toward the shiny object to realize it was the buck I had shot the night before. He had died within 40 yards of my truck. The arrow had slipped perfectly between his two shoulders from the front and exited at the diaphragm. The arrow had perfectly pierced his heart. I yelled for my friend to have a look. He ambled over to see deer. I could tell he was upset by the expression on his face. I asked him what he was upset about and he said why do you always get the deer why don’t I??” I didn’t know what to say. He helped me load the deer and things were quite on the way back to camp. I don’t think we spoke for several months after that. I thought that perhaps are friendship might be in trouble over a deer. He called one night over the following summer and we agreed to meet and discuss what had happened. I guess he had been embarrassed about his response to me getting the deer so he’d been to embarrassed to call. It appears that while he enjoyed hunting with me and seeing me succeed he explained that my success had wore him down over the years and made him feel like he was an inadequate hunter. I explained to him that I understand the desire to take a large antlered deer but that he should not be putting so much pressure on his self to succeed. The very next year he took a real nice 8 pointer that I think took some pressure off him. Even us hunters have our problems I guess? The moral of this is you don't have to be successful to be a happy hunter. You need to be able to enjoy the experience regardless of if your successful or not. If you put your time in and try to learn from others and from your mistakes you will become successful. Don't be in any mad dash to get there, I had more fun learning how to hunt whitetails than actually killing them. Taking one is just icing on the cake.
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Here is a little story about my oldest brother and I. I credit him with introducing me to hunting. Do your best to introduce a child or co worker to hunting so that they too may share a lifetime of enjoying the tradition. Hopefully they will pass it on to others so that our lifestyle continues on through the generations.
Early in my hunting career I would travel northern Marion/Monongalia county hunting with my brother Bob. He introduced me to hunting at the early age of 9. Bob learned everything he knew about whitetail deer through trial and error since no one else in the family hunted. He apparently enjoyed hunting more than going to school so he dropped out to become a full time hunter or so the plan was. Bob was the first man in my community to harvest a whitetail buck. He evidently spotted it while skipping school and went home to swipe my grandpa’s old 32 Winchester special. The young buck had so many holes in him it looked like a sieve. I’ll never forget the crowd of people that gathered at our house to admire that tiny little 8 pointer. To a 9 year old boy he was as big as a moose. I believe that single episode is what hooked me onto hunting. From then on my brother was Daniel Boone.
He would religiously take me hunting every weekend or I would pester him until he would. My parents would always allow me take off the first week of gun season to hunt with Bob. Over the years Bob and I would share our hunting experiences and continue to learn. The deer population seem to explode in the late 1970’s. Bag limits were liberal. Many deer fell to Bob and I. As the years progressed I became more interested in pursuing larger deer and Bob seemed content to shoot the first legal buck.
I was about 13 years old and Bob took me to a spot called Gum Springs which is located off 119/Grafton Road. Gum Springs has one of the largest tracts of road less land in northern W.VA. As always, Bob would give me instruction on exactly what to do. He would always end the conversation by saying “ whatever you do boooooy don’t shoot no damn doe”. Back then it was bucks only. Bob sent me down a logging road and told me where to set. I hadn’t gone far when I heard deer running in the brush beside me. I looked over and saw three deer busting through the laurel to my left. I thought that one of the deer had antlers so I kicked off the safety and followed them through the brush the best I could. They disappeared into a laurel choked streambed and reappeared about 150 yards from my position up on the opposite ridge. I again thought one of the deer had a rack so I was planning on shooting it when I heard my brother Bob screaming from the hill behind me. He was saying “ DAMN BOY WHATEVER YOU DO DON’T SHOOT THOSE DEER, THIER ALL DOE “. He must have jumped the deer and watched me aiming at them and was trying to keep me from killing a doe illegally. He repeated this statement several times at the top of his voice just to be sure I heard it. I wasn’t convinced that they were all doe
The one deer that I thought had antlers was barely visible in the laurel. I thought I could make out two little tiny points sticking up. I decided to take the chance of being scalded from Bob. The rifle cracked and the deer dropped dead in it’s tracks. Bob came storming off the hill saying something like “ damn booooy I told you not to be shoot-n no damn doe”. I responded by saying I think it has a rack. He assured me that he had the perfect view and that I just killed a doe. Doubt and fear began to run through my young brain. I didn’t want to disappoint my brother or break any laws. So I was afraid!! We approached the deer and sure enough it was lying out on the hillside and no rack was visible. My heart sank and my ears hurt because Bob kept saying over and over “ see booooy I told you that was a damn doe-why’d you shoot it?”. I apologized and said I thought it was a buck. I could have swore it was a buck. The closer we got to the deer I could tell that its’ head was back under its’ chest and it was in a small sinkhole. I reached down a pulled the deer backwards by its hind feet to get it out of the sinkhole. Then all I could hear was “ DAMN BOY THAT’S THE BIGGEST BUCK I EVER SAW!”. He must have said it three or four times. I think I made him proud that day and thus the obsession began.
Early in my hunting career I would travel northern Marion/Monongalia county hunting with my brother Bob. He introduced me to hunting at the early age of 9. Bob learned everything he knew about whitetail deer through trial and error since no one else in the family hunted. He apparently enjoyed hunting more than going to school so he dropped out to become a full time hunter or so the plan was. Bob was the first man in my community to harvest a whitetail buck. He evidently spotted it while skipping school and went home to swipe my grandpa’s old 32 Winchester special. The young buck had so many holes in him it looked like a sieve. I’ll never forget the crowd of people that gathered at our house to admire that tiny little 8 pointer. To a 9 year old boy he was as big as a moose. I believe that single episode is what hooked me onto hunting. From then on my brother was Daniel Boone.
He would religiously take me hunting every weekend or I would pester him until he would. My parents would always allow me take off the first week of gun season to hunt with Bob. Over the years Bob and I would share our hunting experiences and continue to learn. The deer population seem to explode in the late 1970’s. Bag limits were liberal. Many deer fell to Bob and I. As the years progressed I became more interested in pursuing larger deer and Bob seemed content to shoot the first legal buck.
I was about 13 years old and Bob took me to a spot called Gum Springs which is located off 119/Grafton Road. Gum Springs has one of the largest tracts of road less land in northern W.VA. As always, Bob would give me instruction on exactly what to do. He would always end the conversation by saying “ whatever you do boooooy don’t shoot no damn doe”. Back then it was bucks only. Bob sent me down a logging road and told me where to set. I hadn’t gone far when I heard deer running in the brush beside me. I looked over and saw three deer busting through the laurel to my left. I thought that one of the deer had antlers so I kicked off the safety and followed them through the brush the best I could. They disappeared into a laurel choked streambed and reappeared about 150 yards from my position up on the opposite ridge. I again thought one of the deer had a rack so I was planning on shooting it when I heard my brother Bob screaming from the hill behind me. He was saying “ DAMN BOY WHATEVER YOU DO DON’T SHOOT THOSE DEER, THIER ALL DOE “. He must have jumped the deer and watched me aiming at them and was trying to keep me from killing a doe illegally. He repeated this statement several times at the top of his voice just to be sure I heard it. I wasn’t convinced that they were all doe
The one deer that I thought had antlers was barely visible in the laurel. I thought I could make out two little tiny points sticking up. I decided to take the chance of being scalded from Bob. The rifle cracked and the deer dropped dead in it’s tracks. Bob came storming off the hill saying something like “ damn booooy I told you not to be shoot-n no damn doe”. I responded by saying I think it has a rack. He assured me that he had the perfect view and that I just killed a doe. Doubt and fear began to run through my young brain. I didn’t want to disappoint my brother or break any laws. So I was afraid!! We approached the deer and sure enough it was lying out on the hillside and no rack was visible. My heart sank and my ears hurt because Bob kept saying over and over “ see booooy I told you that was a damn doe-why’d you shoot it?”. I apologized and said I thought it was a buck. I could have swore it was a buck. The closer we got to the deer I could tell that its’ head was back under its’ chest and it was in a small sinkhole. I reached down a pulled the deer backwards by its hind feet to get it out of the sinkhole. Then all I could hear was “ DAMN BOY THAT’S THE BIGGEST BUCK I EVER SAW!”. He must have said it three or four times. I think I made him proud that day and thus the obsession began.
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