Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Which Is Best: Close Encounters Or More Visibility?
If all of Michigan’s bow hunters were queried, and asked whether they prefer to hunt where visibility is good or where a whitetail is on you before you can see it coming, I’d wager that 90 percent would want to see the buck coming for a long distance.
It’s understandable. The deer is easily seen, and it keeps moving closer and closer, and the hunter has plenty of time to build up a mild or severe case of buck fever.
It’s a good bit like goose hunting. Given ample time to watch a goose set his wings and coast into a landing in your decoys, most people will miss those easy shot. Get a silent goose come slipping in on quiet wings, and get suspicious at the last moment and swerve away, and many anglers have no time to think. They simply react.
I hunt deer both ways, and like most people, find it exciting to watch a nice buck pick his way along, stopping here and there, and moving ever closer toward an impending shot, and it sets my heart to racing in high gear.
I also enjoy hunting in tight quarters where the hunter must be on peak alert at all time. Such situations offer a very narrow window of opportunity, and if you are daydreaming when the buck arrives, it becomes a missed opportunity.
My idea of hunting the tight areas means I hold my bow at all times with the bow release on the string. All I have to do is lift the bow, draw, aim and shoot.
What often happens, if the buck doesn’t catch your scent, is it will approach slowly through the brush. Such areas may offer a maximum of 10 feet in which a shot can be taken. A hunter with his bow hanging off a hook or leaning against the wall will miss a golden opportunity.
Hunting such an area requires knowing where the bucks usually come from. Granted, there is nothing cast in concrete that a buck will always move in the same direction, but most of the time a buck moves from right to left, left to right, toward you or moves into the open from behind your stand. Make it your business to know how bucks move in that stand location.
A hunter must be prepared long before he sees the buck, and the closer it gets to the end of shooting time, the greater the need to be alert and prepared for a shot. If you know how that buck will move through, a hunter can be properly positioned for a broadside or quartering-away shot. It’s a matter of knowing where to look, and being able to quickly acquire a sight picture on the buck, and making a good shot. It’s not difficult if you don’t have to hurry to pick up the bow.
Now the favorite of most hunters is the stand where they can watch a deer come for 100 or more yards. Two or three things are important. Make certain you are not backlit by an uncovered window from behind. Most shots are missed by hunters because the buck spots some movement from a backlit hunter. Cover the windows behind you.
Have your bow in hand, the release on the string, and be ready. Deer travel in starts and stops, and don’t worry if a deer disappears from sight. It may have stopped behind a tree, on the back side of your stand, and excess motion can spook that animal.
Think of the area will hit. Picture the arrow striking low behind the front shoulder. Ignore the antlers, and as the buck keeps coming, continue to think about picking your spot. Wait for the buck to give it to you, but be prepared â??â?? mentally and physically â??â?? to take that shot when the opportunity arrives.
Frankly, it’s fun watching a buck come for a long time but it can and will take a toll on a hunter who hasn’t shot many deer. They often hurry their shot when hurrying isn’t necessary. In most cases, the hunter has much more time to aim and make a killing shot than they believe.
The problem is their mind starts doing a job on them. Such thoughts as: hurry, he’s going to turn and run; quick, shoot before he turns; and take the shot now. The latter is the worst one because often the animal is walking directly at you, directly away or quartering toward you. All of these are low percentage shots, and must be avoided.
It’s your choice â??â?? in tight quarters or out in the open â??â?? and hunters must determine how they will react. A well thought-out plan is critical to success, but one thing remains constant: always be ready for a shot, always take high percentage shots, and always pick precise spot to place the arrow. â??â?? The Whitetail Wizard