Attracting More Bucks With A Horizontal Rub Tree

© By Othmar Vohringer

One aspect of hunting that has always intrigued me is the fact that you always learn something new. It’s no different now after hunting whitetail deer for over 25 years, every time I go scouting, hunting or talk to fellow hunters I learn something new. Hunting is indeed a continues education process.

Last week I learned from a video (linked at the bottom of this column) that hunters can attract more bucks if they install a horizontal rub tree. The story goes that in 2015 Ted Miller, while researching elk, observed that bull elk liked to rub their antlers on fallen (horizontal) trees. As an avid deer hunter he thought that whitetail bucks might like to that too.

Back home he went about to install several horizontal rub trees by tying small tree trunks between two trees and on fence posts. Game cameras hung up nearby showed that whitetail bucks, like the elks he observed, not only liked the horizontal rub trees, they also visited them regularly. In addition more bucks from neighboring properties came to visit these rubbing trees too.

The idea of horizontal rub trees is simple and easy to implement, so easy in fact that I decided to try that out at the end of this hunting on public land where I mostly hunt. Here in British Columbia where I hunt this is legal. With that said if you would like to make a horizontal rub tree too on public land it is wise to consult with your regional hunting laws first.

There are a few spots where I hunt that are ideal for that type of tactic and my Muddy Game cameras should quickly provide the evidence if horizontal rub trees work of BC whitetail and mule deer too.



If you already have some experience with horizontal rub trees please share your experience with us in the comment section.

Understanding The Body Language Of Deer

© Othmar Vohringer

Deer communicate with each other by three basic means. By far the most common form of deer communication is by scent, followed by vocalization. Far less known is that deer also communicate through behavioral patterns. Behavior patterns are very complex, in fact so much so that the common term “body language” has evolved. However, for the sake of simplicity I only will focus on a few of the most common behaviors that hunters witness quite often. I will explain what they mean and what the deer are “telling” you with it.

©Heidi Koehler

The Alerted Deer.

Behavior:
The deer stands still with its ears pointed forward and is directly staring at you. In this position the deer sometimes flicks its tail up and down in conjunction with head bobbing, or moving the head from side to side. In high alert mode the deer will also stomp the ground with one of its front feet.

Meaning:
The deer has seen something that caught its interest and is now alert but does not know what exactly it is. The head bobbing and tail flicking has two meanings. A.) The deer tries to entice the object to move. For example, predators often move at the sight of rapid movement. B.) By moving the head from side to side and flicking the ears the deer tries to see the object from different angles and pick up the faintest sound with its ears. Stomping the foot on the ground also serves to alert the other deer within earshot.

What to do?
This is a situation where most hunters go “I’m busted” and walk away. Now you are busted because the deer has seen you move. What you should do is to stand absolutely still. Avoid direct eye contact; deer seem to have a sixth sense for being stared at and they don’t like it. It can take several minutes until the deer is convinced that you’re not an immediate threat and either will slowly move off or resume its normal activity. If the deer moves calmly away, flicking its tail ones or twice, signalling ‘all is well’, remain in your position a while longer and then try to follow the deer quietly.

©Heidi Koehler

The Submissive Buck.

Behavior:
Instead of carrying his tail in a normal relaxed fashion the buck has tucked his tail firmly between its legs. As he wanders about he constantly looks around as if he is being followed. The overall behavior of the deer seems edgy and nervous.


Meaning:
Bucks have a very strict hierarchy; to avoid physical conflicts the lower ranking animals act submissive and are very cautious. If a dominant buck is in close proximity the lesser buck will increase the submissive behavior a notch by lowering the head slightly and letting his ears hang down. If you see such a buck close to a doe and he suddenly moves off it is a sure sign that the big boy is very close by, even if you can’t see him yet.

What to do?
If the buck is legal you can take him if he presents a shot. Or, you can wait for the dominant buck to appear. The more tense and skittish the buck acts the closer the big boy will be. Wait him out. If you see a lesser buck in a field near a doe suddenly moving off without apparent reason while looking into a particular direction start to pay attention in that direction, the big one may step out any minute.

©Heidi Koehler

The Dominant Buck.

Behavior:
This buck carries his head high, rump and neck hair bristling as he marches around his domain. There are only two scenarios where this buck will lower his head as a behavioral gesture. One is in a semi-submissive position when he approaches a doe in heat. The other is an aggressive gesture with the hair on his neck and rump standing upright when he approaches a contender. Often this behavior is accompanied by several deep guttural grunts.

Meaning:
This buck is the undisputed monarch of the deer woods and has first pick of every doe that comes into heat. Except for the mature does all other deer are intimidated by him and have to wait at the sidelines until this buck has picked the doe he wants or had his fill at the waterhole. Every buck in the area is well advised to keep a healthy distance from him.

What to do?
If he is outside your comfortable shooting range you can bring him closer with a challenging buck grunt or some antler rattling. The dominant buck is quite often a younger deer in the prime of its strength, endurance and stamina.

©Heidi Koehler

The Seeking Buck

Behavior: The buck pins his ears back close to his head, with the nose high up as he audibly sucks in air through his mouth and blows it out through the nose as he scent-checks the air. On the move the buck hastily walks along with the head stretched far forward and nose to the ground, like a bird-dog, following a scent trail.

Meaning:
The buck has heard a sound or caught a whiff of scent that excites him and he is ready for action. The cause for this behavior can be from a doe in heat or a strange buck that has entered his turf.

What you can do?
If this behavior is mixed with aggression the buck has caught the scent of an intruder. Use an aggressive grunt call to bring him to your stand. If the behavior is sheer excitement, the buck follows a scent trail of a hot doe. In this case you can use a doe-in-estrus bleat to bring him in.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, studying animal behavior is a fascinating subject and by deciphering the meaning of it can get you a giant step closer to filling your tag with consistency every year.

Hunting Coyotes Makes Good Deer Conservation Sense

© Othmar Vohringer

The hunting season of 2016 is history here in British Columbia and with that most hunters put their hunting equipment away for the winter. However, there is a hunting season that is still open (in some Wildlife Management Units until June 30th and in others until March 31st). I am talking about coyote hunting. There are several benefits hunting coyotes. In most areas coyotes are grossly overpopulated to the point were they have become a nuisance and a danger to pets, livestock and wildlife populations. In a few rarer cases they pose a danger even to humans. It is estimated that coyotes can kill as much as 56 percent of the deer fawns born in the spring, but they also can create havoc on grouse and other wildlife populations. With that said it makes good conservation sense to hunt coyotes after the regular hunting season closes.

Another benefit of hunting coyotes is that the fur prices have increased over the past two to three years. A prime coyote pelt can fetch upwards of 68 dollars for a Western coyote and 40 dollars for lesser quality and Eastern coyote. In other words, by hunting coyotes all winter you could substantially support your hunting budget. But before you can think about selling fur to finance your next hunting rifle or a few boxes of ammunition there are some vital aspects of coyote hunting to consider.

One of these considerations is the firearm caliber you should choose. If you hunt coyotes for fur the deer rifle will render the fur useless. Typically coyote rifle calibers are small to prevent damage to the pelt but with enough power to dispatch the animal humanly. The generally accepted calibers are as follows. On the lowest end of the scale is the .17 HMR. This caliber has an extremely flat trajectory but lacks the punch needed for long range shooting (beyond 100 yards). In the middle of the scale are the .204 Ruger, the .223 Remington (my favourite), the 220 Swift and .243 Winchester. So called “coyote loads” of these calibers with soft-tip bullets in the 55 to 60 grain weight generate enough energy and punch out to 200 yards to kill a coyote instantly with minimal fur damage. On the upper end of the scale would be the .22-250 Remington- a potent caliber for coyotes out to 300 yards. However, the loads used in this caliber would not necessarily be my choice for getting prime coyote fur as the bullets often make quite large exit holes, meaning fur damage.

Hunting tactics for coyotes are different from deer hunting tactics. If you think that deer are wary critters think again. Part of why coyote populations reached such high numbers is because they are extremely cautious critters. Most times when you see them is when they run away from you. Because of this wariness they can’t be hunted by stalking up to them or driving along logging roads. Coyotes are most successfully hunted by setting up on a location where you have a good view of the surrounding landscape yet be camouflaged enough that approaching coyotes can’t spot you from a long distance away. Once set up, coyotes are called into shooting range by imitating coyote welcoming howls and distress calls of injured prey animals such as rabbits, fawns and birds. Other good calls to use are magpie and raven calls since coyotes follow these “air surveillance agents” around to find an injured or diseased animal. It is legal here in British Columbia to use electronic coyote calls that come pre-programmed with a variety of sounds that will get the interest of a coyote. In addition to calling, the most successful coyote hunters use a decoy to provide visual stimuli, and for good reason. As I said above, coyotes are very wary animals. If they come to a call they tend to hang up a long way out to survey the area for the easy meal whose cries they heard. If they can’t see anything they often leave but by using a decoy – this can be something as simple as a strip of fur over the ground moving with the wind – you will add to the realism and convince the coyote to come closer.

If you never hunted coyotes there are many good sources on the internet that provide all sorts of valued information for the beginning coyote hunters, including how to prepare and care for the pelt in order to gain a good selling price.

Respect Private Land

© Othmar Vohringer

To respect private land is part of the hunter ethics creed, but not everybody adheres to it. In conversations with landowners I hear complaints all the time. This is not good because the negative impressions some hunters create will ultimately affect all hunters equally.

At the top of the list of the most common complaints I hear is trespassing without obtaining permission first. According to the “British Columbia Trespass Act” it is an offence to trespass onto land to which you have no permission. This could lead to prosecution, fines and paying of damages if any occurred.

Hunters shooting game on private land from the road is another. Under the Wildlife Act a hunter commits a criminal offense if shooting a firearm from a road and shooting a wild game animal on private land, even if it is during a legal season. This is regarded by the law as an act of poaching. A hunter shooting from a road at game on private land to which he has no permission is a double offense case that will lead to prosecution and a trial in court. Sentences for this multiple offense are the loss of hunting privileges of one or more years plus confiscation of firearms and heavy fines, or even jail time.

Even when landowners grant permission to trespass on their lands it leads to complaints about some individuals. On top of the list is property damage. Such damages include driving vehicles across hay and crop fields, cutting fences, cutting down trees for firewood, shooting at signs and discharging firearms to close to buildings and erecting permanent treestands. Another complaint is that hunters having permission invite family members or friends onto the property. Getting permission to hunt on private land is not a free pass to do whatever you want and, unless negotiated otherwise, only you have permission, not your family and friends. Every landowner has his own set of rules and stipulations that an ethical hunter will obey. As a hunter on private land you’re only a guest, a privilege that can be revoked at any time without having to give a reason, don’t make it a bad reason that will affect others too.

This list is followed by complaints that hunters disregard the conditions the landowner provides with the permission to trespass. Things like not leaving gates the way you found them (open or closed), leaving campfires unattended and leaving bags of garbage behind. In one case a landowner told me of three hunters he gave permission to hunt on his land with the stipulation that a certain easily recognizable buck is off limits to the hunters. The disappointment and understandable anger of the landowner was big when one day he saw the hunters driving past his house with that very buck in the back of the truck. While wildlife belongs to all people, and in this case the hunters acted in a perfectly legal manner by taking that buck, they clearly violated the trust and a promise they made as part of getting permission to step onto private land. The result of this breach of trust and promise resulted in an action from the landowner under which now all hunters have to suffer in that he refuses permission to every hunter. “Burned child fears the fire” comes readily to mind here.

Wildlife management is very important, especially on private land where wildlife often causes damage to crops. Hunters could be a great asset for landowners in controlling wildlife populations and the damage they create. Yet it only takes a few irresponsible hunters to put all hunters into a bad light. Hunting on private land is not a right, it is a privilege based on mutual respect, trust and common-sense manners. As a hunter on private land you’re invited as a guest. That means not only do you have to respect the law but also the conditions the landowner attaches to this privilege. You wouldn’t like it if someone trespasses on your land without permission, neither would you appreciate a guest that takes advantage of you and does whatever he likes. That brings another saying to mind; “Don’t do unto others that you don’t want others to do unto you”. It’s simple really. Show some respect for landowners and the law and we all will be better off for it.

What constitutes huntable land?

© By Othmar Vohringer

It doesn’t matter if you have permission to hunt on private land or if you hunt on public land. There are places that hold deer while others are not or just a few. For example here in the southern interior of British Columbia there are places that you can look for days and count your blessings if you see one or two deer per square mile, while just a few miles in another direction you will encounter deer practically at every step. Why is that so?

In this segment of Whitetail Deer Passion I would like to explain to you what to look for to find a huntable area. With “huntable area” I mean places that hold good deer populations. Huntable areas, or deer magnets as I call it, fulfill the same requirements no matter where you hunt. These requirements are the four basic needs that all animals need to survive and prosper. These basic needs are; food, water, cover and shelter. That’s it, not more and not less. The closer together and plentiful these basic needs are together the more deer will congregate in that area. If the four basic needs are spread further apart or not readily available the fewer deer the area will hold. Any other areas that do not satisfy the basic needs will be void of any deer.

How to find a huntable area

For some it can be a daunting task finding places that are deer magnets. This is a task that can be learned on the internet from the comfort of your home. Even I can’t tell you where you find them. I only can tell what to look for. It takes work and time studying aerial maps and driving around. Granted it can be a daunting task trying to locate these places deer frequent in large numbers. Especially in heavily urbanized areas, heavy hunting competition or where public land is in limited supply it quickly can seem impossible to find good deer populations. But let there be no doubt, it can be accomplished. I developed a system for myself when I look for deer magnets, and it will work for you too.

My system begins with studying aerial maps of any given area I want to hunt. Thanks to Google Earth looking over aerial maps is no problem anymore and can be done by anyone with a computer. The birds-eye view Google provides lets you see land features very clearly. By zooming in on any given area particular features you are looking for can be inspected. I use the zoom feature to find the four basic needs deer need. Once I find them my next task is to find out if that area is public hunting land or private land. If it is private land I will visit the land owner and ask for permission to trespass the property. (Tip; don’t ask right away for permission to hunt. Ask for permission to look around first.)

If the identified area is on public land it’s time to put the hiking boots on your feet and start diligently scouting with binoculars, aerial map (Google Earth printout), note pad and GPS. On private land you obviously have to wait with scouting until you get permission from the landowner to do so. NEVER trespass on private land without expressed permission from the landowner.

Finding good hunting land is never easy and never has been. But with a bit of effort and learning about the requirements deer need, plus a good dose of Whitetail Deer Passion, it can be done by anyone.

 This is what I consider a poor hunting area. While it has lots of cover and shelter the area lacks quality food sources and above all water. Such land has very few deer and they have to travel far to fulfill their requirements.

This is a good hunting area. Here deer find all their basic needs in relative close proximity. Land like this has all the ingredients (food, water, cover and shelter) to support a large deer population.  

Picking The Perfect Tree For Your Stand

© By Othmar Vohringer

Once you have found the area you want to hunt you have to find a tree to hang the stand. Not just any tree mind you, but the perfect tree. Some hunters make the mistake to look for the easiest tree to hang a stand but that is seldom the perfect tree to set up a deer ambush.

Setting up on the right spot and choosing the right tree to hang your stand is one of the most crucial ingredients for hunting success.

Here are a few tips on what makes the perfect tree for your stand.

Exit and entry routes

How many hunters consider the importance of carefully choosing an entry and exit route to and from the stand? Unfortunately not too many. Many good hot-spots have been ruined before the hunter arrived on the stand because the access route has not been carefully chosen. Choosing a good access/departure route not only takes the prevailing winds and thermals under considerations but also deer movement patterns.

When choosing entry and exit routes I look at aerial maps. These maps are great for finding ways to and from stands that do not intersect possible deer holding areas and travel patterns. Quite often I find that I have to make D-tours to get to my stand as to not contaminate the area where I think deer will travel to and from a feeding area. Pay attention to entry and exit routes and you are less likely to alert deer to your presence or contaminate deer travel routes.

Wind and thermals

The wind is not your friend, the wind your enemy. That is how I look at winds and thermals. I need to get them figured out in order to make it work to my advantage. When I talk or write about the importance of wind and thermals invariably there will some hunters saying something like; “I wear scent control clothing.” If you’re one of them let me tell you a little truth about scent control clothing. It doesn’t matter. Deer will detect your scent and it doesn’t matter if they get a nose full or just a faint whiff of human scent to draw their own conclusions.

Because of that it is very important to be constantly aware of wind directions and the movement of thermals when you walk to and from your stand and of course during the entire time you’re in the stand. Because of that I often set up two stands, one for each wind direction. Always keep the wind and thermals in mind when hunting.

Treestand height

I am sure you’re aware of the endless discussions held about treestand height. There are still hunters believing in the higher is better mantra. Not true! The height of the treestand is dictated by cover. If you hang a stand higher than the available cover deer will see you. I once entered a public land area and immediately spotted a treestand about 40 feet up a tree. The reason I spotted that stand was because it was placed above the surrounding foliage, I am sure every deer in the area has seen that stand too. Never place a stand in such a way that you’re sky lighted. Always use the surrounding foliage above, behind and to either side as cover to hide from the deer. If that is at 8 or 10 feet off the ground then that is the height your stand should be and not higher. In all my years of hunting almost exclusively from treestands I found that there is never a need to climb higher than 12 to 15 feet off the ground, often even lower. There is another issue arising when going high into a tree. Shooting angles become very steep and that creates another set of challenges that I have discussed in previous articles.

Less is more

Be careful with trimming shooting lanes and don't trim to much. When cutting branches for my shooting lanes I never cut off more than I absolutely need. I keep my shooting lanes as small as I possibly, without sacrificing shooting opportunities (see image for what I consider a perfectly concealed treestand). Some hunters trim every branch below them and to their sides, believing that wearing camouflage will be enough to disguise their outline. While that is true as long as you sit motionless it changes when you move. You have to disguise necessary movement to draw the bow or shoulder the rifle. Leaving enough branches around the stand hanging will go a long way to enhance your cover and conceal movement.

Conclusion

I hope that these tips will assist you in finding the perfect tree to hunt from versus the perfect tree to make for an easy stand set up. As a final note: Please always remember treestand safety. Regardless of what your hunting ambitions are, your main ambition should always be to return home to your family in one piece.

Barometric Pressure And Deer Movement

© By Othmar Vohringer

In an email a hunter asked me if barometric pressure influences deer movement, and if so how?

If you have been following me then you know that I am an avid weather watcher and time my hunts around the weather forecast. With that said, the short answer to the question is; yes barometric pressure does affect deer movement.

For past 20 plus years I make careful notes of all observations in the deer woods, particularly about deer movement patterns at different times of the day and under various weather conditions. Analyzing the notes shows that there is no question that cold, snow, rain, warm and hot weather greatly influence deer movement patterns. Cold, hot, rain and snow are the things we can see and feel. What we can’t see is the biggest deer movement factor of all; barometric pressure. Barometric pressure is difficult to judge, unless you own an instrument, check daily weather forecasts on the Internet or download the Scout Look Weather app onto your smartphone.

In my office, right above the desk, hangs a weather station that shows me current weather conditions and estimated weather condition for the next 24 hours. The gizmo also shows me falling and rising barometric pressures. This weather station is one of the most important hunting investments I have made because it shows me in real time when the best times to go hunting long before it occurs. Forget about moon phase charts. Bring on barometric pressure to determine deer travel activity.

But there is more. While comparing my field notes I noticed that there seems to be an ideal barometric pressure that triggers deer movement which is between 30.00 and 40.00 on the barometric scale. I also found that more deer movement takes place on a rising barometric pressure versus a falling pressure. The best time to see lots of deer moving seems to be exactly at the peak of the barometric pressure.

With all that said there is another truth to be considered. The only time you’re able to shoot a buck is the time you’re out hunting. The more time you spend hunting the higher chances are that you will be successful, regardless of weather and times. In other words, go hunting every time you can.

Treestand Safety – Don’t Become An Accident Statics

© By Othmar Vohringer

Image Copyright Heidi Koehler Photography

Hunting season is just around the corner. This means for many last minute season preparations are in full swing. Countless days and hours are spent to prepare for this big moment we all have been impatiently waiting for. For months we have carefully scouted to find the right hunting spot and honed our bow and firearm shooting skill at the range. But if we look at the hunting accident statics it seems that there are still many hunters that give little, if any consideration, to the safe use and careful maintenance of treestands. The number of treestand accidents is higher than all other hunting accidents combined. There are many different reasons why treestand accidents occur but all of them have one thing in common…Lack of paying attention to basic safety procedures.

For me the biggest concern of every hunt is not bringing a big buck home but to return home safe and uninjured after every day in the field. To my mind I owe that to myself, my family and friends. September is “Treestand Safety Awareness” month. To that end I would like to pass along a few tips and remind you all how important it is to ALWAYS read, re-read and follow treestand safety guidelines.

Checking and maintaining treestands

I never leave treestands hanging at the end of the hunting season. All stands are pulled and taken home. Each stand is thoroughly checked over for any damage and worn parts before it is stored away to be used next hunting season again. If a stand shows any sign of damage or worn parts I set it aside in the “don’t use” pile until it is repaired and, or the worn/damaged parts are replaced.  I only use manufacturer recommended replacement parts.

Rusty spots will be cleaned and repainted to prevent further rust buildup and all the moving parts are lubricated. I also pay close attention to the conditions of the various climbing devices, safety harness and safety lines. My health and life depends on it that all treestands and related equipment is good good working order and safe to use. I simply will not hunt from a stand, or use any equipment, that shows any signs of excessive wear or damages, no matter how minor they appear. The cost of repairs and replacement parts, or even purchasing a new stand to replace an old one, is peanuts compared to my life.

When the time comes to hang the stands I check them and related equipment, again BEFORE they are set up. I also check stands and steps each time when I move them to a different location during the hunting season.

Always use a safety harness and equipment haul line.

More than 20 years ago I lost a good friend to a treestand accident. On a cold November day during a rut hunt he slipped on an icy tree step as climbed up to his stand. My friend only fell four feet but that was enough to break his neck. The sad irony is that he used to make jokes about me wearing a lineman type climbing harness attached to the tree trunk the very moment I took the first step off the ground. The simple fact is that every time we set out to leave terra firma we are liable of falling, be that from a ladder, a house roof or while ascending/descending and staying in our treestand. Because of that I ALWAYS use a lineman type climbing harness when I climb up or down a tree and of course remain attached to the tree the entire time while I am in a treestand. With all the safety equipment available today for safe treestand hunting there is no excuse not to use them. It was a slightly different story 10 or even 20 years ago. All we had then was safety belts, often just a rope tied around the waist with a line attached to the tree trunk. But still even back then with a little thought and searching we would find lineman safety harnesses. Statistics show that most treestand accidents occur while ascending and descending a tree.

The newest product on the market are “Lifelines” that ensure that the hunter is connected to the tree at all times from the moment he leaves the ground until he is back on the ground. A lifeline is a simple solution that will save lives and prevent serious injuries in case of an accident. Most lifelines sell for 40 to 50 dollars and are worth every penny if you ask me.

All my treestands are equipped with a equipment haul line on which I pull the bow/rifle and whatever else I carry with me up to the stand ones I am situation and safe in the treestand. It is dangerous to carry you bow/rifle and backpack on your body up or down a tree.

Pay close attention to detail when hanging a treestand.

When I scout on public land I often come across a dead or badly damaged tree that still shows evidence of a treestand hanging on it during hunting season. Treestand safety begins with selecting a healthy tree with no damage, such as lightening scares or splits from heavy wind storms. Before you hang your stand on a tree make sure it is a healthy tree. Look for any sign that could indicate that the tree is dying, such as bark peeling loose, bare branches in the tree crown at a time when others trees are still green, fungus growing on the tree trunk are all telling signs that this tree is not healthy.
  
When you hang the stand make sure you do not hang it higher than you feel comfortable. Yes, there are still some hunters who believe in the myth that higher is better even if they are scared of heights. If 15 feet above ground is your comfort zone then that is the height you should hang your stand, not 40 feet because someone told you that is the height a stand has to be. Always make sure that your stand hangs well below the top rung of the tree ladder or your last screw-in tree step. You have to have enough room to climb above the stand platform and step down on it. Never step up to a platform as this can, and often will, dislodge the stand from the tree trunk.

Another treestand hanging safety issue I’ve come across in my life are treestands that hang on a tree that is either too small or too large for the stand. Always read the manual that comes with your stand to learn about the treestand manufacturer’s recommendations of what tree diameter the stand is suitable. NEVER hang the stand on a tree that has too small or too large a diameter as the one recommended.

Let others know where you hunt.

I always tell my wife where I am hunting and when she can expect me to be back home. I also tell her in what stand I am going to be in the morning and in the afternoon. All my stand locations coordinates are stored on my GPS and marked with a pin on Google maps to which my wife has access. If something would happen to me I could be quickly found by emergency responders. The friend I mentioned earlier didn’t tell anyone where he was hunting or when he can be expected back home. Because of that it took emergency responders a night and day to find him. When my friend finally was found he was still alive and could tell what happen but died that day in hospital from hypothermia and the injuries he sustained. He left a loving wife and three young children behind.

I hope you all have a successful hunting season season this coming fall and be able to fulfill your dreams. But above all I hope you have a safe hunting season and remember that hunting safety always comes before everything else. Accident can occur at any time but they never should be the result of carelessness or pure ignorance.

Image courtesy of Treestand Safety Awareness Organization

Practise To Bowhunt – Archery Is Not Like Bowhunting

© By Othmar Vohringer

You tuned your bow and practiced shooting your bow, hopefully, all year long. You’re ready to go bowhunting. Are you?
You will be… if you follow these tips. Many bowhunters practice shooting their bows at the archery range and maybe take part in one or two 3-D archery tournaments. That makes them good archers but not necessarily good bowehunters. Archery and bowhunting are two very different pair of shoes.

Leave it alone.

Bowhunters, me included, love to tinker with their equipment. If there is any new product on the market that promises more accuracy or more arrow speed, we will try it out. Nothing wrong with that. However, ones your bow is tuned and ready to go hunting leave it alone. Do not make any changes or modifications a week or, worse, a few days before the bowhunting season opens. If you do you just opened yourself up to all sorts of things that can and will go wrong. If you want to make changes to your current setup, even just changing to a different broadhead, make them well in advance of hunting season to give you enough time to address any issues that these modifications may cause.

Practice shooting like you hunt.

As mentioned bowhunting is different from archery. For starters in most hunting situations you will not be given the opportunity to take your sweet time to aim, relax and breathe. In addition, targets are seldom stationary for longer than a few seconds. When you hunt you will be sitting in a treestand or ground blind, hunker down behind a large rock, tree stump or other natural cover. You may stand on uneven ground or have to twist your upper body to either side or even backwards to get a shot at the deer. In short, the situations under which you have to shoot are seldom perfect, never mind letting you take a perfect archers stance. To become a proficient and confident bowhunter you have to practice like you hunt or you will be limited to taking only the shots that provide you with the best archery scenario. Such perfect shooting situations rarely if ever happened in a hunting scenario.
Once my bow is tuned and sighted in I’ll never return to the archery range again. Instead all of my bow shooting sessions will commence in simulated hunting scenarios that apply to my style of hunting. This type of practice gives me the confidence in myself and the equipment I need to take any clean shot at a deer no matter the situation I find myself in.

Learn to shoot under stress.

Shooting at a deer that suddenly appears before you can be very stressful. The adrenaline rush will get your heart beating against the chest like a sledgehammer while a thousand thoughts simultaneously run through your brain. The result of this adrenaline rush is elevated blood pressure, wobbly knees, shaking hands, sweaty palms and heaving chest. Not the ideal situation to shoot a bow calmly and accurately. Unless…you have practiced shooting under stress. How can you do that? A good way I found to simulate such a stress situation is to run ones or twice around the block to get my heart and lungs pumping. Without pause or try to catch my breath I take up the bow and shoot an arrow at the target. It will take a few tries until your brain learns to ignore the body and do what you want it to do…getting an arrow in the middle of the target.

Unknown distances.

If I am hunting from a treestand or ground blind or any other stationary set up where I wait on deer I know the distances of every shooting lane. When I set up a stand or blind I measure the distances from the setup to the where I expect the deer of each shooting lane and mark it with a tack on a tree. It’s a very different story when you stalk deer or still-hunt. Encounters are often so fleeting that there is no time to get the rangefinder out of the pocket and measure the distance from you to the deer. In these cases I relay on estimating the distance. This is not a skill that comes naturally, it has to be learned and constantly practiced. In hill country distances look always closer than they are. Conversely, on flat land distances often look longer than they are. If you’re in a treestand the actual distance is further to the deer then if you were on the ground.

How can you learn estimating distances? I learn it by estimating distances all the time, even today, although I am pretty good at it. This is a skill that needs to be repeatedly sharpened. I estimate a distance and then measure with the rangefinder. Eventually your brain will tune in to any given landscape and changes, letting you estimate distances quite accurately to within one or two feet.

Shooting up and down.

If you hunt from a treestand the distance to the target is longer then if you would shoot at the same target from the bottom of the tree. The same is true if you shoot at a deer that stands on a higher elevation than you do. There are exact mathematical calculations to figure out how much longer the distance is for each degree of height difference and distance from you to the target. Some years ago a company published a calculation sheet that showed what distance you had to aim from a treestand at different heights and distances to the target. But you probably guessed what I am going to say. There is never time to consult a calculation sheet or a calculator in a hunting situation. The good news is with practice it becomes very quickly second nature to estimate the shooting angle and where to aim at. Practice from a treestand at different distances to learn where you have to aim to make the shot count. You also can practice from the roof of your carport, garage or even from the balcony. Just make sure it is safe.

Clothing.

I am sure sometimes the neighbors question my sanity when they see me in the heat of the summer dressed in a bulky, insulated camouflage parka, mittens, face mask and woolly hat flinging arrows at the target in my garden. I don’t care what they think because I have to practice shooting my bow under winter conditions. It is one thing to shoot a bow in the summer wearing a T-shirt. It is totally different shooting a bow in the winter wearing bulky clothing. So much so that you actually have to hold the bow slightly different in the winter then you would in the summer with lighter clothing. A bow also feels different holding it with bare hands versus thick mittens. In order to know how to hold your bow different and draw the string you need to practice that regularly too, like everything else I explained in this topic.

Final thoughts.

You do not have to practice every single scenario I discussed in this column, but what you need to do is to practice what applies to your method of hunting. If you hunt from a treestand then that is what you need to practice regularly and not just a few days before bowhunting season opens. Shooting your bow under simulated hunting conditions will not only make you a better shot but also give you the confidence you need to make every shoot you take count. It is my belief that the biggest detriment to shooting accuracy occurs when nagging questions and doubts enter your brain at a time when all it should be occupied with is to make that one important shot.

Public Land Hunting Is Though…But It Can Be Done

© By Othmar Vohringer

There’s no question about it, hunting on public land is though. You will fail more times then you succeed. This is especially true in areas with high hunting pressure. Spending the majority of my hunting time on public land I know only too well about the agony of having to deal with many other competing hunters and deer that seem to vanish practically overnight. But fear not. Here are a few tips that I learned over the years of public land hunting that will help you too.

Scout and then scout some more.

One aspect of public land hunting I learned early on in my hunting career is that deer movement is dictated by the movement of the hunters, not the deer. With that said my favorite time to do my initial scouting is right after the hunting season closes. At that time of year deer still move about like they did during hunting season, it takes them about three weeks to resume normal travel patterns. More importantly to me is that I still can see clearly where the others hunters walked and where they set up their treestands and ground blinds. Given the habitual nature of humans hunters will use the same trails the next hunting season and set up stands and ground blinds on the same locations. This information is important to figure out what the deer will be doing and where they go. Scouting right after the hunting season also has another advantage. I do not have to worry about spooking deer or risk that deer pattern me, because by the time next hunting season rolls around they will have forgotten my intrusion.

In my public land scouting efforts my primary goal is to find the escape routes the deer will use to evade the hunters. With a little knowledge about how deer utilize the structure of the land and looking around quickly will reveal where the escape routes are. My favorite situation is public land that borders onto private land. Deer often will escape to private land, but they do not stay all the time there (more about this situation further down).

Use the internet.

For me Google Earth is a God sent. Long before I chose to hunt a given area I look at it on Google Earth. The aerial views provided are very crisp and you can zoom and out, you even can view the place in 3-D. This gives me a very good understanding of the public hunting I intend to hunt, the lay of the land and the structures that promote deer movement patterns. If you never tried Google Earth give it a try and you will be amazed what details you can see what a good tool it is to get the feel of a place long before you even go there. I used to walk for days on a property to get the feel of it and check out all the terrain structures. Now I can do that from the comfort of my home and when I go out to do my physical scouting I can head straight to the areas that look promising, rather spending all that time walking around. This comes especially into play when you have not much time to scout or the land you hunt is several driving hours away.

Look for deer islands.

No matter where you hunt there are always places other hunters will not go to. Sometimes it’s a real obstacle or just in the mind of the hunters. For example here in British Columbia most hunters drive all day along the many logging roads and never see a deer. Yet, if you leave the vehicle and walk a few hundred yards of off the road you start seeing deer. When I lived in Illinois most public land areas had a swamp or a small river flowing through them. I’ve never seen a hunter crossing a river or venturing into a swamp. Not me, I always carry a pair of hip-waders in my truck as part of my standard hunting gear. Deer seems to know about the aversion of hunters to cross rivers and enter swamps and make use of it. These places where hunters don’t go are deer islands.
Other deer islands are patches of thick growth in otherwise open grassland, or a lone stand of timber surrounded in the middle of a clear-cut. Another hot deer island that many hunters overlook are thick briar bush. Carrying hip-waders and wearing rugged clothing like upland bird hunters do will go a long way to enter places that other hunters will not.

Be different.

As I mentioned above hunters are likely to do every year the same. Be different. On public land, with a few exceptions, I rarely hunt from a treestand because all other hunters do and over the years they have educated deer to look up for danger. I am different because I hunt from the ground. Neither do I use commercial ground blinds, instead I use natural material I find in the vicinity of my set up. Quite often I just choose a fallen tree, a bush of thick tree trunk as a set up. The goal here is to change as little as possible from the natural surrounding as deer are very aware of any changes and might just get suspicious enough to avoid the area. I choose my set ups well in advance of deer season to give everything plenty time so settle down again. After that I will only return to any set up to hunt it. The biggest mistake a hunter can make is to back to a set up time after time to check up on it. This is a perfect recipe that deer will figure out what is happening here and you don’t want this to happen.

Choose your time and days to hunt.

I never hunt public land on weekends, unless I’ve no other choice. The weekends and holydays are typically the times when every hunter is out in the woods hunting. Believe it or not but deer know that too. If you can hunt during week when everybody else is working you stand a much better chance to get your deer. Also poor weather is good for hunting. Most hunters are fair weather hunters and do not go out when the wind blows, rains or snows. These are the days you should get out and hunt.

If you set up along an escape route look for an alternative route to access it. Avoid using the trails all other hunters use to enter the woods. Be in your set up at least a half hour before legal shooting light and before all the other hunters enter the woods. All you have to do now is sit, be quiet and wait until the other hunters push the deer by your set up. Take your lunch with you and hunt during midday hours too. Also hunt until you run out of legal shooting light. My observations have shown that most hunters enter the woods right at dawn – I guess they do not like to stagger through the night- and they leave the woods around 10 am to 11 am for lunch break. Most hunters will not return to the woods until about 3pm to 4pm in the afternoon. The hunters going and coming will trigger deer movement and you should make the best of it. From the time hunters leave the woods to have lunch and a nap to the time they return for the evening hunt is the time when the deer on private land will return to public land, be ready for them.

Conclusion.

If you look up the record books of Boone & Crockett or Pope & Young you will notice that every year a fair number of trophy whitetails are taken from public land. It is possible to be successful on public land provided you’re willing to be different than anyone else and to put the work in to scout properly. Hope my tips will help you in this coming hunting season and I wish you the best of luck.

Preserving The Memory Of A Hunt

© By Othmar Vohringer

© Copyright Steven Beckley

Preserving the memories of a hunt is a long standing tradition among hunters that can be traced back to the famous cave drawings of Lascaux in France, estimated to be about 18 thousand years old. The drawings depict, among accurate animal profiles, hunting scenes and images of hunters posing with game animals they’ve killed. As time went on the memories of the hunt included preserving the skin of the animal and we see the first head and full body preservations of animals in ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt. In Egypt it was not uncommon to kill and mummify the favourite pet or the prized war horse, of a deceased individual. Diseased Pharaohs were given whole menageries of carefully mummified animals to entertain and serve the King in the afterlife. Some of these mummified animals displayed in museums today look as lifelike as they did two-thousand years ago.

In many early cultures hunters would prepare the skin of an animal they hunted and wear it because they believed that the spirit of the animal would give them strength and wisdom, but also as a memorial of sorts to honour the animal whose life they took, and as a way to thank the Gods for providing them with important sustenance.

Throughout the times and in various cultures the skill to preserve the skin of an animal or bring it “back to life” was a highly respected craft in the hands of priests or shamans. The ancient Greeks called these skilled professionals “Taxidermists”, a title still in use today. The word “taxidermy” is made up of the Latin word “taxis” (arrange, arranging the order of things) and the word “derma” (skin).

Modern taxidermy is a multi-faceted practice that involves a great many skills and crafts ranging from carpentry, molding and sculpting to painting and drawing which requires an intimate knowledge of animal anatomy and movement. All these talents combined are required to create a replica of an animal that looks so real and natural you wouldn’t know the difference at a cursory glance. Good taxidermy work is expensive but the memory of that special animal you took will last with minimal care for many generations to come.

It is common for many hunters to point out that a particular mount on their walls was “shot by my grandfather.” Often there is a handwritten note attached to the back of the mount telling the story of the hunt. Memories don’t get better than that.

I always have been a great admirer of good taxidermy and continually marvel at the skill that it takes to create a replica of a live animal that is the perfect likeness down to the minutest detail. Seven years ago when Heidi and I moved to Merritt I was surprised to learn that this city, with its long and lively hunting tradition, didn’t have a taxidermist in town.

Well the good news is that this has changed. Two years ago Steven Beckley, a very talented taxidermist from Mckenzie, B.C moved to Merritt. Steven began his taxidermist career mainly for the reason of preserving the animals he has taken in North America and Africa and because he was fascinated by the art of taxidermy. Steven loves perfection and that is another reason why he chose to mount his own trophies. A phrase that kept coming up during our conversation was: “It has to look real.” How dedicated Steven is to his work becomes evident when you see the many certificates of excellence and awards hanging on the wall and of course there are the finished mounts and works-in-progress in his garage that look so real that you’re inclined to touch them to convince yourself that they are not alive.

Steven Beckley has learned his trade from the best in the business: Brian Dobson who operates Artistic Taxidermy in Alberta. Brian Dobson is considered the dean of North American taxidermy artistry with a long list of prizes and awards for his outstanding work and craftsmanship. Steven is destined to follow his tutor’s and mentor’s footsteps; his work is an outstanding testament to this fact. To see Steven’s taxidermy, go online to Facebook and see “Beckley’s Wilderness Taxidermy Studio”. I am glad we finally have a good taxidermist in Merritt, it was a long time coming and in this case well worth waiting for. I know who will preserve the memories of my future hunts- welcome to Merritt Steven Beckley.

The most exciting time of the hunting season is still ahead of us

© Othmar Vohringer

For hunters the colder days ahead mean that more deer are moving about during daylight hours, especially bucks. You see, just about this time of the year deer start to feel amorous; bucks are starting to search day and night for receptive does. The “rut”, as it is called, is an exciting time for hunters.

Much has been said and written about the rut and yet it still is an unsolved mystery for many. The rut is broken down into segments called “pre-rut”, “rut” and “late rut”. Some hunters are of the mistaken belief that these are three entirely separate events. That is not so. The rut begins when the females come into the first estrus cycle and ends when the last doe is bred or the buck’s antlers fall off sometime in late December. The activity pattern of the rut is related to the estrous cycle of the females. It is during the first estrus cycle that most rutting activity ensues because all older females come in heat more or less together. As the first estrus cycle slows down it takes 28 days for the remaining does that have not been bred the first time around to come into an estrus cycle again together with the younger females. This results in another spike of buck activity. This cycle of 28 day intervals continues until all receptive have been bred. Of course the more does are served, each consecutive estrus cycle level becomes weaker and buck activity slows down. That, in a nutshell, is how the deer rut works.

There is much hunter folklore and myth about the rut that still is in common belief today. I will attempt to debunk the most common one first. “The rut is triggered by the first full moon after the fall equinox.” It’s an old myth that has been completely disprove by science. The rut is triggered by the first females coming into estrous cycle and that is triggered by the change of daylight hours available and a number of other aspects such as climatic differences between south and north. Another long-held belief is that the best time to get a buck is during the peak of the rut. The fact is that this is the worst time of all. The best time to hunt bucks is right around mid-October during the pre-rut when bucks travel day and night in search of receptive females. Once the rut kicks in the bucks stay with the females and just wait until one after another come into estrus. However, they do not stay with the does in the open during prime hunting times. Bucks will hole up nearby in thickets waiting for nightfall until they join the does in the open fields and pastures. Here in BC we have so many does that once a buck finds them he just stays with the group of does, breeding them all as they come in heat. Because of that fact the best time to hunt bucks is the pre-rut when bucks still travel searching for females. A traveling buck is a vulnerable buck.

What hunting tactics you employ depends very much on the deer species you’re after. Mule deer are quite different from Whitetail deer. A Mule deer buck can be here today and somewhere entirely different tomorrow. Mule deer often travel vast distances in a single night. When I hunt for mule deer I like to get up high to a place where I can overlook a big area below me. There I sit for hours using my binoculars to look below me for any buck cruising around. Once I spot a legal buck the challenge is to get undetected within shooting range of the animal. With whitetail deer it is different. They are territorial and will stay in the same general area all their lives. My preference is to set up ground blinds or portable treestands that I set up along little-used trails in the thick vegetation near field edges and crossing points that show the typical buck signs such as scrapes in the dirt and rubs on trees. It is these secondary trails the bucks use to travel between female feeding and bedding areas to scent-check the does for their readiness.

So get ready for the most exciting time of the hunting season, plan on staying all day out, you never know when and where that lovesick buck will show up. Good luck to you all.

For more information on rut hunting tactics:
Scouting for hunting success
Mapping out deer hunting success
Understanding the rut
Rut myth debunked (Series)
Timing the whitetail deer rut
Using Decoys to bring in big bucks
Calls and scent for the rut

Wisconsin Introduces Bill To Futher Criminalize The Harassment of Hunters

© Othmar Vohringer

Wisconsin Rep. Adam Jarchow introduced a hunter protection bill that includes fines of up to 10,000 dollars and nine months jail for animal rights activists that that photograph, film, or otherwise harassing hunters in the field.

Although there are already federal laws protecting hunters from zealous animal rights activists there are more and more U.S. states add additional laws to curb hunter harassment and interfering with the legal taking of an animal by militant animal rights activists. As can be expected animal rights group view such laws as unconstitutional.

Read the full article on the Field & Stream Website.

To read about the right to hunt, fish and trap act visit this page on the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.

Going Back To The Roots Of Humanity

© Othmar Vohringer

September 1st marks the start of this year’s hunting season, beginning with ten days of bowhunting, then general open season. This is the time of year that I anticipate most but it is also a time when I become keenly aware of our evolutionary roots. Hunting and gathering is deeply rooted in our history. For the majority of our existence on earth we existed as hunters, fishers and gatherers. Indeed, some evolutionary scientists theorize that our bodies have been shaped by the very requirement to hunt for food. Walking on two legs had several advantages to a four legged predator. An upright stance let us see further than other predators, thus spotting prey sooner. The freed up hands could now be used to manufacture specific tools to assist in hunting, such as daggers, spears and the bow. The earliest found tools of humans are all related to hunting; it was the dawn of the modern humans we know today and it was made possible by becoming the most proficient hunters on earth.

Following the ancient human traditions of hunting, fishing and gathering teaches us where food is coming from and also gives us an appreciation for the work that is involved in providing daily meals. Hunting also teaches us respect for the land and what it grows, what walks on it, what swims in the waters and flies in the skies. Society today has become very detached from its food sources and hunting is a good way to reconnect with that forgotten knowledge.

A common perception of people that are against hunting is that in the modern age hunting is not about providing food but about killing animals for the sake of killing. They believe instead of hunting we should be like them and buy the meat in the local grocery store. This argument has always boggled my mind. If, as the anti-hunters say, we only hunt for the thrill of the kill, why would we go through all the hassle of learning about animal behavior, spend countless hours perfecting out hunting skills in the hopes of just getting within striking distance of a wild animal -often in terrible weather and difficult terrains? Instead we could volunteer in one of the many animal shelters and kill a few neglected pets every day.

In a day and age where the masses are fed by a handful of multinational corporations it is easy to say we have evolved to the point where hunting and gathering food is not a necessity anymore…but this convenience has bred a lack of grasp in modern society about its own anthropological roots.

I am proud of the fact that I have the ability and rights to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors and provide my family with organic meat and fish the way we humans have done it for the past 100,000 years. Hunting has kept me in touch with nature and made me realize that humans are not a separate entity, but rather one small wheel in nature’s great plan. Hunting has permitted me to stay connected with the roots of humanity.

The Factors That Make A Perfect Deer Hunting Stand

© By Othmar Vohringer

It’s already June again, and with that said it is time to think of the upcoming hunting season. This time around I start to think about treestand locations. The bow hunting season begins here on the first day of September and I always try to have all my stands up by late July.

I did all my preliminary scouting after the hunting season closed last year and fine tune it in the spring into early summer. With that said, I already know where to hang my treestands or build natural ground blinds. I am often asked. What are the factors of a perfect stand location?

Hunting deer with a firearm I can set up stands almost anywhere within the radius of active deer movement, provided I have clear shooting lanes. Where attention to detail in stand location and placement can break or make your hunting is during bowhunting season. In order to get close to deer and stay undetected we have to be very aware of every little detail in choosing stand locations and setting up stands. As often is the case the devil is in the details.

These are the factors that I consider imperative for a successful stand setup.

Scouting:
I am continually surprised how many hunters head to the woods a few weeks before deer season opens and hang a stand at the first tree next to a trail with fresh tracks. Doing this you jeopardize any hunting success and have to rely entirely on luck to fill your tag. A wise hunter once said; hunting success is the result of 80 percent scouting and 20 percent luck. If you do not scout, or scout incorrectly, your success is dependent entirely on luck. Over the years I wrote several magazine articles dedicated to scouting. I encourage you to read the linked articles below and apply the advice.

Scouting For Hunting Success
Mapping Out Deer Hunting Success

Enter and Exit Routes:
The best stand location is rendered useless if you can’t access or depart the location without alerting deer in the vicinity. And before you say “I don’t have to worry about deer detecting because I wear scent eliminating hunting garments and boots”. Let me tell you that deer WILL detect you coming or going if your bath to or from the stand crosses deer holding areas. Deer are perfectly attuned to everything that goes on around them. The best way to avoid letting deer on to your presence is choose entry and exit routes carefully. Depending on the stand location you may have to choose a different exit route from the one you enter the stand. Proper scouting will reveal what exit and access routes you have to choose.

Treestand Height and Cover:
A lot has been written and said about how high a treestand should be placed on a tree. There is still a considerable number of hunters believing that the higher you can go the better. This simply is not true. I told that story bevor but it is worth repeating. A few years ago on my walk to one of my stands I spotted a large black spot about 50 feet off the ground on a pine tree trunk from a distance of about 400 yards. Using by binoculars the large black spot turned out to be a hunter in a treestand. If I could see that dark spot high up on a tree trunk then so could the deer. It is a myth that hunting from a stand placed high up on a tree will prevent deer from smelling you. I covered that myth and other treestand placement mistakes in, “The most common mistakes when setting up treestands".

The height of the treestand is determined by the cover around you. As a bowhunter it is important to stay in cover as much as possible, to achieve that we have to make use of the natural cover around us. When I have chosen a tree for my stand I will check from the distance where I expect deer to approach my stand location at what height off the ground the best cover is available. By looking up the tree I can see where the background cover is to my satisfaction and that is the height were my stand will be placed, be that 8 feet or 20 feet off the ground. Neglect cover in placing your stand and you will be detected by deer. Treestands have given hunters, especially bowhunters, a huge advantage. The downside of treestands is that this popular hunting method has educated deer to look up to the treetops for danger.

Wind:
Wind is a constant consideration of mine in placing a treestand. I place stands in such a way that the prevailing wind carries my scent into an open space not frequented by deer or backed up against steep ravine, river, lake or other obstruction that deer avoid or can’t cross without passing by my stand first before they get a whiff of me.

Shooting Lanes:
As important as all the above is, you need shooting lanes. This can be a bit tricky at times. The trick is to cut enough shooting lanes that get at least two or three clear lanes to shoot at deer from every direction you expect deer to travel past your stand. You want to be very mindful of not overcutting shooting lanes to the point that you lose cover. Here it pays to know the trajectory of your arrows as they make their way to the target. Diligent target practice at different distances will make you familiar with your arrows fight path. Typically I trim shooting lanes at the very least a month or even two before hunting season opens.

Silence is Golden:
If you do everything right it will be no good if your stand pops and creaks every time you move. Silence is golden. To keep a stand quiet use a quality product and maintain it regularly. After each hunting season I check my stands for worn parts and lube all moving parts like platform and seat hinges with unscented lubricant paste. In addition I cover the treestand bow-holder with moleskin to prevent metal to metal sounds.

Comfort:
And finally, never underestimate comfort. An uncomfortable treestand, no matter how well it is placed, will end in misery. More than anything else uncomfortable tresstands are the result why hunters leave to early. You can improve the level of comfort by adding an extra cushion on the seat and as a backrest onto the tree trunk. Additional measures to improve comfort are cutting off and branch knots on the tree trunk to avoid being pocked in the back and adding a foot rest to standing platform. In short take whatever steps that is necessary to accommodate your level of comfort for many hours of sitting still.

In addition the tips provided here I would like to direct your attention to two articles relating to the topic covered here.

Choosing the right treestand for the perfect ambush
Treestand hunting essentials

Making A Mineral Lick For Deer

© By Othmar Vohringer

The best time to establish a mineral lick for deer is from late winter, after the bucks dropped their antlers, to early spring.
While deer only need small amounts of minerals for full antler development having no minerals, or not enough, will result in in less antler growth than what genetically might be possible. Minerals are not just important for antler growth but also for the overall health and development of deer, lactating does and growing fawns in particular.

How to establish a deer mineral lick?

Practically you can put minerals anywhere and deer will eventually find it. However, to maximise the benefits for you and the deer it is best to place minerals where deer frequent. Look for topographical structures such as deer crossings, field and woodland corners, creek bottoms, ridges and saddles that are away from view of people or vehicle traffic. Find the secluded places that provide deer with a measure of security.

Although it is legal here in British Columbia to bait deer I do not use mineral licks for baiting deer. Just as I never place a stand directly over a food source or food plot.

Why not?

Because I want deer to feel safe on the lick or food source and keep returning to it regularly. Putting up a stand direct at the lick or food source will eventually make deer suspicious, resulting in deer abandoning it altogether. Also, it can be quite difficult to kill a deer at the lick or food source, especially for bowhunters, as deer constantly move around. I hunt the traveling deer. With that said, I place licks in such a way that it funnels the traveling deer past my stand location.

A lick can also be used to redirect deer traffic. Let me explain what I mean with a situation I faced last year. I hunted an area consisting of a large wide open field bordered on one side by thick brush and the road on the other side. Several trails went from the field into the brush but there was no predicting what particular trail the deer would use at any given time. Set up over one trail and deer move one of the other trails. Change stand locations to the trail the deer used and they would use the trail you sat over the day before. The brush is so thick you can’t see more than a few feet inside it. My solution to the problem? Redirect deer traffic by making a deer lick. I placed two mineral salt blocks inside the woodland on the thicket edge where the brush thins out. Checking the mineral lick in late winter I noticed that the deer established a large well used trail leading from the thicket to the mineral lick.

I recharged the lick with new mineral salt blocks early this year and the deer still hitting it strong. Come summer, around July, I will hang a stand on the new trail between the thicket and the mineral lick, refresh the lick again and leave the area alone until September, the beginning of the fall archery season.

Preparing a deer lick station.

When you found a good spot to establish a deer mineral lick don’t just dump the minerals in a pile on the ground. If there’s a rotten tree stump on the spot hollow it out and then pour mineral granulates into it. If there’s no tree stump clear a spot of about 5 to 8 feet in diameter down to bare soil. Spread lightly and evenly with mineral granulates. Check back in intervals of about one month and replenish minerals as needed.

If you use mineral blocks, as I do, clear a spot down to the soil and place the mineral block in the middle of it. To give the lick a quick start, or as an additional attractant, you can spread a few handful of grain or chopped apples around the mineral block. Unlike mineral granulates there’s no need to check mineral blocks frequently. The mineral blocks I put out in late winter last year still were in good shape this spring, unlike the mineral granulates I used for another lick station that were completely gone. Refreshing mineral licks for several seasons will saturate the soil to the point where deer will begin to eat the soil too, making it a traditional lick that deer and other wildlife will return to every day for many years. Hanging a trail camera near the mineral lick will have the benefit that you can check what deer and other wildlife visit and on what time of day. Cameras also let you keep taps on the antler growth of the bucks.

Give mineral licks a try this season, it’s an affordable way to help the deer getting important minerals and if placed correctly can improve your hunting success rate too.

What Are Your Deer Hunting Goals This Year?

© By Othmar Vohringer

Set a goal for this hunting season and then work toward it.

I asked a hunting buddy of mine that question and he replied with; “Jeez, buddy turkey hunting season just started and you already think about deer hunting.”

Well, besides being guilty of having constantly whitetail deer on my mind, even during turkey hunting season, I also happen to think that it is important to have goals in life and in hunting.

Just like having a goal in life provides you with a working guideline so does having a seasonal goal for hunting. Without a goal you won’t know what to do or how to get there. It’s a bit like driving a car without knowing where you want to go or how to get there, you end up driving in circles.

This might be okay for the hunter who’s just looking to get away from the daily grind for a bit, enjoying the great outdoors. Killing a deer is a priority but rather an added bonus. However, my guess is, since you’re reading here, you’re the type of hunter that has a passion for hunting and whitetail deer. You're  the type of hunter looking to maximize the rate of success in the deer woods. To achieve that increased success rate you have to have a goal in mind and then work toward achieving that goal.

With that established you need to set a clear goal of what it is you want out of the upcoming hunting season. I don’t know what your goal is. Maybe you want to kill your first big buck, or the first deer period, or maybe hunt a place that is not overcrowded with others hunters. Whatever your goal is for this season, no matter how big or small, you have to plan for it and you have to start rather sooner than later.

My goal for this season is to find an area with a good whitetail deer population. That might sound strange to you, but where I live is not known for abundant whitetail deer populations, it’s an area with a large mule deer population and also known for big mule deer bucks. Through research I found an area with a good whitetail deer population and a better than average trophy buck population. Now my next task is to find private landowners willing to let hunters on their property, which means spending a few days, maybe even weeks, knocking on doors. The chosen area also has vast amounts of public land. My goal is to find the public land areas that other hunters avoid. To achieve this goal I have to study maps to see what the access to these areas are. My task is to find areas where vehicle access is restricted. With restricted vehicle access chances of  encountering undisturbed hunting enjoyment and opportunity rise drastically. When all this is done I have to start scouting and chose possible stand locations.

Of course, I just could drive into the area when deer hunting season opens and see what transpires. But that is not me. I like to set myself goals and then work toward it. It increases my chances of success, and besides that, as a passionate whitetail deer hunter it is just another excuse - a worthwhile excuse – to occupy my time and my mind with whitetail deer.

What are your deer hunting goals for the 2015 season? Let’s discuss it!

The North American Deer Summit

© By Othmar Vohringer

Over the last decade, the ones believed to be an indestructible world of whitetail deer has taken a beating. What are the reasons for the overall decline of the deer populations? Scientist from the QDMA (Quality Deer Management Association) found out that the decline of the deer herds can be attributed to:

• Growing predator populations, seriously impacting fawn survival rates.
• Urban sprawl is the cause for rapid wildlife habitat loss.
• Disease, such as the quick and devastating spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) and more recently the spread of the Bluetongue Virus and “Deer Warts” (Cutaneous fibromas), has taken a huge toll on the deer herds in some areas of North America.
• Government “Deer Management” should be renamed as “Political Management” or “Hunter Management”. It is my contention for years now that government wildlife services in the past have been more concerned with keeping hunter happy than with sound science based deer management/conservation programs. I am glad, that finally, scientists have come to that conclusion too.

Personally I also find that over the years all the hoopla about killing large numbers does has contributed to the decline of deer herds too. While killing does can be a good management tool to reduce deer herds quickly it also can quickly backfire. Especially then when predator populations are not kept in check or some deadly disease or harsh winter conditions adversely affects deer herds.

It is my opinion that if things don’t change quickly we will have some serious deer conservation problems in the next few years. It is a very likely scenario that we will see some drastic measures being taken to protect deer, and that might very well mean a total ban on deer hunting in some of the most adverse affected areas, or at the very least a very limited number of deer tags being made available.

It is for this reasons why concerned deer hunters have established the National Deer Alliance (NDA) last year. The aim of the NDA to be a unified voice for deer hunters and work toward science based solutions for the many challenges our North American whitetail deer populations face. Part of the NDA mission is the creation of the North American Deer Summit. This is the second Summit of this kind and is to be held on May 6 to 8, 2015, The Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky.

The first summit, held in 2014, had the goal of identifying the various challenges facing the deer populations. This years summit will establish a priority plan of what issues need to be addressed immediately and to begin developing a plan of action to be taken.

This is a very important event, involving all stakeholders in the deer hunting and deer conservation community. This is something you, me and all fellow deer hunters should make a priority to get involved with and actively participate. The summit is open to the public, meaning everybody can, and should, take part in it.

As passionate deer hunters is should be all our duty to make sure that future generations of deer hunters have the possibility to enjoy what we do today, and maybe for too long have also taken for granted.

For more information visit the link of the North American Deer Summit.

Visit the North American Deer Summit registration page.

Become a member and supporter (it’s free) of the National Deer Alliance.

Here are some articles on the subject that might interest you:

EHD and CWD: What’s the Difference?

Have We Killed Too Many Does?

10 Reasons You Don’t Want CWD in Your Woods