© By Othmar Vohringer
Let’s face it. If you are an avid whitetail deer hunter with hopes of bringing home a deer this season, it probably won’t happen. Statistically speaking, the odds of taking a deer are clearly stacked against you. Ten percent of all hunters take 100 percent of all deer is a common saying.
Yet, each season, hunters throughout the country beat the odds. While there are some hunters who are just plain lucky, there are many others that score consistently by becoming students of the whitetail deer. To take them, ordinary hunting techniques aren’t enough. You’ve got to go the extra yard. Here are a few tips that might help you to turn the odds in your favour this year.
Locate Several Ambush Sites
The number of ambush sites should not be limited. I have always found that the more I have, the better my chances of success are. Today’s lightweight portable treestands in a wide variety of models to cover every need make it possible for you to change locations at a moment’s notice and hunt where the wind is favourable and where deer move.
Hunt Only Where the Wind is Favourable
The biggest mistake deer hunters make is hunting where the wind is unfavourable. You could luck out, or you can hunt where the wind is sure to be favourable.
I would suggest making notes about each ambush location and the prevailing wind direction. Never let yourself be fooled by “scent control” or “scent elimination” products, it’s a gimmick that only works when you in addition consider the prevailing wind.
Stay Clean and Reduce Human Scent
It is impossible to be scentless, but you can take precautions that will help. Take a shower before every hunt. Dress in clean clothing, including under garments to reduce human scent. Remember you cannot eliminate scent, just reduce it. Water and soap are much better than any spray on “magical potion” offered on the market. Whenever you walk to and from your stand avoid touching vegetation with your bare hands.
Avoid Getting Close To Buck Sign
Most of us find it tempting to look or even touch scrapes and rubs. However, doing that will leave your mark behind for every buck to read.
Pay Attention to Rub Lines
I seldom pay attention to rubs scattered throughout a given area. However, several rubs along a trail may indicate that a buck is traveling the route frequently.
I would also suggest you inspect the rubbed trees. Both large and small bucks rub trees of all sizes. However, if the tree has deep gouges, you can assume that this is the work of a larger deer.
Always Carry a Grunt Tube
Bucks are the most vulnerable to grunt calls when they are rutting. However, many hunters claim grunt tubes also work well in the pre-rut and post-rut periods. For this reason, I would suggest you always carry this nifty device along.
I would not use the grunt tube repeatedly when you are not seeing deer. Save the call as a last moment technique, or when a buck passes by out of range. Blind calling seldom works but when it does it’s pure magic.
Get Away from the Crowds
This seems like a no-brainer but time and again I see hunters following each other, even hanging stands close to each other. Don’t do that. Deer know about the habits of man and adjust accordingly.
You should consider getting away from the crowds as soon as others begin making a habit of passing through the area. When hunting heavily-forested areas, get further from the roads and fields whenever the hunting pressure intensifies. In farmland areas, look for terrain where few hunters venture, such as high-grass fields, standing corn, swamps and thickets. Learn what escape routes the deer use and then let the other hunters “push” the deer to you.
Scout Continuously
I often forfeit hunting time so that I can scout for meaningful deer sign. When things are not going well from my ambush location, I feel that it is wiser to spend time walking in search of deer sign and active trails then keep sitting in the same unproductive spot and hoping against all hope. Do all your in-season scouting during midday hours when deer are less active.
Changes in food sources, bedding areas and hunting pressure are the primary reasons why whitetails change their habits and a smart hunter adjusts to these changes. Continues scouting will keep you abreast of deer movement patterns and lets adjust you stand sites and strategies accordingly.
Hunt Smart and Hunt Hard
Smart hunting is easier said than done. Smart hunting means that you should not take unnecessary chances. Always plan your approach and departure routes to and from your stand in a direction where you will not alarm deer. Also, keep noise at an absolute minimum.
Hunting hard is absolutely necessary. It seems we always hear about the guy down the street who bagged a monster buck the first time he hunted. But you can bet you are not that lucky. If you hope to kill a super buck, count on hunting often. Hunt every opportunity you have, the more time you can spend outdoors the higher chances are you score.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Bowhunting Is still One Of The Most Popular Hunting Methods
© By Othmar Vohringer
According to an article, published on the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Website, bowhunting is a popular pastime for millions of Americans.
The National Sporting Goods Association reports that more than five million Americans hunted with bow and arrow in the year 2010. This was roughly the same as the number of people who went water skiing that year. With the inclusion of crossbows into the archery season in many U.S. states the number of bowhunters is likely to increase in the coming years.
According to an article, published on the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Website, bowhunting is a popular pastime for millions of Americans.
The National Sporting Goods Association reports that more than five million Americans hunted with bow and arrow in the year 2010. This was roughly the same as the number of people who went water skiing that year. With the inclusion of crossbows into the archery season in many U.S. states the number of bowhunters is likely to increase in the coming years.
Monday, September 26, 2011
My Favoured Stands For The Hunting Season Opener
© By Othmar Vohringer
The Feeding Area
In the early season bucks still concentrate on the food sources. Therefore my number one favourite stand locations are located near food sources. These locations are the most consistent producer and the easiest to identify of all the early season options. Start glassing fields about two weeks before opening day, observe where deer enter the fields and then start from there to look for a suitable stand site inside the woodland.
Ideally, you want to hang the stand a bit back from the field edge in the thicker stuff where bucks hang up until nightfall before they enter the open fields. Bucks feel safe coming out in these hidden spots and will fall into a more consistent pattern than they would where they are more visible.
One thing about bucks on a feeding pattern: they’re sensitive to hunting pressure. If they detect any human presence they’ll completely stop using that particular field, or they’ll use it only after dark. Make every effort to prevent deer from knowing that you’re hunting them for as long as possible.
When the does and small bucks get spooky, their body language will send a message to the mature bucks that they should immediately stop using the field. There’s no rut and no urgency to cause them to ignore danger signs. The bucks have nowhere they absolutely have to be and nothing they absolutely have to do, so they can wait until dark to feed or simply relocate to a different food source with little provocation.
Try to select as many stand locations as possible and then hunt them never more than twice per any given week. The more often you hunt a certain stand chances that deer will be on to you will increase significantly.
Bedding-To-Feeding Bottleneck
If you study the trail systems used by deer during the summer and early fall (prior to the rut) you’ll notice one thing they all have in common: an hourglass shape. The trails spread out and disappear as you get close to the bedding areas and they again fork off (though not as dramatically) into several smaller trails as you get close to the feeding area. That portion in between, the main arteries where the trails tend to come together, are great locations for early season stands. These trail intersections (bottle necks) are hot spots for deer movement.
These spots close to bedding areas present a slightly greater risk of disturbing deer, but it also gives you an advantage. Since the deer will get to this stand earlier in the evening than they will to the edge of the fields, you might be able to catch those bucks that aren’t entering the field until after legal shooting time. I also like this stand because you can get away from it without spooking deer at the end of the hunt because they are all in the fields feeding. In theory, they’re already past you and into the field.
The Bedding Area
Hunting near or in bedding areas are the highest-risk stand locations. The bedding area is the buck’s top sanctuary were he feels absolutely safe. Understandably, if the buck should notice any changes or intrusion in this area he will be gone for good. Of course, you don’t want to hunt the bedding area unless you have already hunted stands along the field edge and the bottleneck to no avail. Bedding areas are always a last ditch effort to kill a large buck.
Unless you already have a stand up, there’s really no gentle way to find and set up this ambush. Therefore it is important that you set bedding area stands up long before the hunting season starts and give the deer plenty time to settle down and forget about the intrusion.
Be careful placing the stand, whenever possible, choose a tree that will carry your scent out over a valley or ravine so there is little chance that the buck will smell you on the final approach. If you can’t find this perfect scenario, at least set up so the wind will blow your scent away from the most likely feeding areas.
Bucks will never be more predictable than they are during the first week of the season, but they’ll also never be more sensitive to hunting pressure. If you approach opening day with a plan, this period can be nearly as productive as the rut. Start at the feeding areas and very carefully work toward the bedding areas. It’s a simple strategy that will keep you in the action for a solid week or two.
In the early season bucks still concentrate on the food sources. Therefore my number one favourite stand locations are located near food sources. These locations are the most consistent producer and the easiest to identify of all the early season options. Start glassing fields about two weeks before opening day, observe where deer enter the fields and then start from there to look for a suitable stand site inside the woodland.
Ideally, you want to hang the stand a bit back from the field edge in the thicker stuff where bucks hang up until nightfall before they enter the open fields. Bucks feel safe coming out in these hidden spots and will fall into a more consistent pattern than they would where they are more visible.
One thing about bucks on a feeding pattern: they’re sensitive to hunting pressure. If they detect any human presence they’ll completely stop using that particular field, or they’ll use it only after dark. Make every effort to prevent deer from knowing that you’re hunting them for as long as possible.
When the does and small bucks get spooky, their body language will send a message to the mature bucks that they should immediately stop using the field. There’s no rut and no urgency to cause them to ignore danger signs. The bucks have nowhere they absolutely have to be and nothing they absolutely have to do, so they can wait until dark to feed or simply relocate to a different food source with little provocation.
Try to select as many stand locations as possible and then hunt them never more than twice per any given week. The more often you hunt a certain stand chances that deer will be on to you will increase significantly.
Bedding-To-Feeding Bottleneck
If you study the trail systems used by deer during the summer and early fall (prior to the rut) you’ll notice one thing they all have in common: an hourglass shape. The trails spread out and disappear as you get close to the bedding areas and they again fork off (though not as dramatically) into several smaller trails as you get close to the feeding area. That portion in between, the main arteries where the trails tend to come together, are great locations for early season stands. These trail intersections (bottle necks) are hot spots for deer movement.
These spots close to bedding areas present a slightly greater risk of disturbing deer, but it also gives you an advantage. Since the deer will get to this stand earlier in the evening than they will to the edge of the fields, you might be able to catch those bucks that aren’t entering the field until after legal shooting time. I also like this stand because you can get away from it without spooking deer at the end of the hunt because they are all in the fields feeding. In theory, they’re already past you and into the field.
The Bedding Area
Hunting near or in bedding areas are the highest-risk stand locations. The bedding area is the buck’s top sanctuary were he feels absolutely safe. Understandably, if the buck should notice any changes or intrusion in this area he will be gone for good. Of course, you don’t want to hunt the bedding area unless you have already hunted stands along the field edge and the bottleneck to no avail. Bedding areas are always a last ditch effort to kill a large buck.
Unless you already have a stand up, there’s really no gentle way to find and set up this ambush. Therefore it is important that you set bedding area stands up long before the hunting season starts and give the deer plenty time to settle down and forget about the intrusion.
Be careful placing the stand, whenever possible, choose a tree that will carry your scent out over a valley or ravine so there is little chance that the buck will smell you on the final approach. If you can’t find this perfect scenario, at least set up so the wind will blow your scent away from the most likely feeding areas.
Bucks will never be more predictable than they are during the first week of the season, but they’ll also never be more sensitive to hunting pressure. If you approach opening day with a plan, this period can be nearly as productive as the rut. Start at the feeding areas and very carefully work toward the bedding areas. It’s a simple strategy that will keep you in the action for a solid week or two.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting
© By Othmar Vohringer
We all dream of hunting big bucks but some of us don’t know how to hunt mossy old horns while others, hunting on public land, believe that there are no big bucks where they hunt. Well I’ve got good news for you.
Rick DeStefanis, a veteran public land big buck hunter of many years, is the author of a new book, ”The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting”
After reading the book from cover to cover there was no doubt in my mind that this IS the book many hunters have been waiting for. “The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting” is not your run of the mill book written by some celebrity hunter having the good fortune to hunt on managed land or go on guided trips to prime whitetail destinations. No, Rick hunts where ninety-five percent of all hunters hunt: on heavily pressured public land.
The wealth of knowledge Rick gathered in over fifty years of hunting pressured big bucks is represented in a book that is written in a language everyone can comprehend and without the usual hype common to other “big buck hunting books”.
The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting contains 4 chapters, six key principles and over forty tips on hunting big bucks. It starts with the most important information every aspiring big buck hunter needs to know: “How a trophy whitetail hunter thinks”. If you want to hunt big bucks the road to success starts with you, not with what camouflage you wear, what scent you use or what rifle caliber you shoot. Trophy whitetail hunting is about a change in hunting philosophy and Rick does a great job of explaining what it takes to acquire the mindset of a trophy hunter.
What follows are pages upon pages loaded with solid and practical field proven tips and tactics about scouting, stand placement, how to read deer sign and much more. The book closes with a chapter on equipment tips, advice for new and experienced hunters and another chapter on the future of hunting.
As a veteran deer hunter myself I highly recommend this great book, not only for the aspiring trophy deer hunter, but also for every hunter regardless of his or her skill level.
For more information about the author and the book visit whitetailbuckhunter.com
Photo Credits:
Top left: © Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
All other photos are © of Rick DeStefanis
###
This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
Rick DeStefanis, a veteran public land big buck hunter of many years, is the author of a new book, ”The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting”
After reading the book from cover to cover there was no doubt in my mind that this IS the book many hunters have been waiting for. “The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting” is not your run of the mill book written by some celebrity hunter having the good fortune to hunt on managed land or go on guided trips to prime whitetail destinations. No, Rick hunts where ninety-five percent of all hunters hunt: on heavily pressured public land.
The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting contains 4 chapters, six key principles and over forty tips on hunting big bucks. It starts with the most important information every aspiring big buck hunter needs to know: “How a trophy whitetail hunter thinks”. If you want to hunt big bucks the road to success starts with you, not with what camouflage you wear, what scent you use or what rifle caliber you shoot. Trophy whitetail hunting is about a change in hunting philosophy and Rick does a great job of explaining what it takes to acquire the mindset of a trophy hunter.
As a veteran deer hunter myself I highly recommend this great book, not only for the aspiring trophy deer hunter, but also for every hunter regardless of his or her skill level.
For more information about the author and the book visit whitetailbuckhunter.com
Photo Credits:
Top left: © Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
All other photos are © of Rick DeStefanis
###
This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
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