Whitetail Wizard

Monday, October 16, 2006

Being Complacent is Costly

Last night as the wind died down I forgot my milkweeds that I check the air with, it was costly. The woods became deafening silent, but the biggest boogyman was the wind switching back to the east. Being in the flagpole coop which is up in the tree you do not feel the wind as you do in a open tree blind.

Before dark and when the wind quiets down I always check the wind with my trusty milkweed chutes, but as I reach into my pocket no milkweed. I tried to guess by whetting my finger then putting outside the window and thought it to be safe.

A big time no on that, a big ten point with mass and a high rack came slipping out of the shadows and eased into range when he caught my sent and was gone in a flash. This buck will no be back at least during daylight hours.

Remember to watch the wind as if it is blowing into your kill zone leave asap. or you will be exposed for the rest of the season.- Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Buck’s are Staking their Territory

Today as I went around my ranch the bucks are tearing up the ground and scraping the trees up good. The photo above was taken today and it shows a very large buck is staking his claim to the area. I will be watching for him the next few days and will try to pattern this buck.

I think we are two weeks from the rut, but it could come on fast with this cold weather. They are starting to hit the feed very hard the last few days.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Deer Lull Has Started

It happens every year about now. The deer seem to vanish.

It’s almost as if they have decided to take a break. And essentially, that is what has happened. They aren’t moving much, and there are some good reasons why.

Part of the problem so far this year can be laid at the feet of our quirky weather and wind conditions. Rain, snow and high winds have played havoc with deer travel.

One of the major reasons for this lull in deer activity is that the animals have wised up to the fact that hunters are now afield and hunting. There is more human scent in the woods, and that keeps deer on their toes. No longer are deer in their summer mode of travel from bedding to feeding areas, and this lull will last about 10 days to two weeks.

The third reason for a lack of deer activity is the animals are preparing for the upcoming rut. There are umpteen methods of attempting to predict the rut, but hunters must first understand that there are three distinct rut phases.

This deer lull will last until Oct. 20-25, and those dates coincide with the earliest beginning of the pre-rut or “chasing” period. This is when bucks are actively bird-dogging estrus or soon-to-be-in-estrus does.

Frankly, I love to hunt this chasing period. It’s possible to see bucks all day, and hunters who overlook the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. period are bypassing a key hunting time. Bucks will be visiting scrapes, picking up does waiting nearby, and modern science seems to indicate that the chasing phase helps usher in estrus. It stimulates both buck and doe.

The main part of the rut will run from late October through Nov. 10, based on activity seen most years, and the post-rut period extends through the firearm deer season. Some rutting activity will carry on into December and January as young does come into estrus.

Hunting this period will be covered in greater detail in the coming two weeks, but it begs the question: do we have to wait for another week for the deer lull to end.

No, by all means, go bow hunting, but realize that many deer will be moving late. One trick that works for the quiet and patient hunter is to move the tree stand closer to the bedding area in hopes a buck will leave the cover before shooting time ends.

Moving closer to bedding sites offers many potential problems. It’s possible to move closer, but one swirling air current that wafts scent back into the thicket can and will spook deer.

Some early-moving bucks will be up and moving toward scrapes. Bucks often wind-check scrapes from downwind. Try positioning a stand 50 yards downwind of an active scrape, and sit patiently.

Some bucks love to travel mid-day hours when other hunters are not afield. They can travel freely, and if a buck is working the scrape or visiting it often, the animal will probably approach the scrape from downwind. If you are 50 yards from the scrape, the buck will likely be between 10 and 20 yards of your stand, and offer a reasonably easy and open shot.

Beating the deer lull means understanding what is happening, why it happens, and figuring out ways to defeat it. It may not be easy, but little of bow hunting for big bucks is easy.—The Whitetail Wizard

Friday, October 13, 2006

Some Nights Are Not Fit For Hunting

There is an old saying about pretty girls. All girls are pretty but some are prettier than others.

Much the same can be said for deer-hunting nights. Some nights are just great times to be afield, but tonight was not one of them.

It rained and snowed last night, and then rained and snowed off and on all day today. The wind was gusting heavily and swirling all over the compass, and I deliberated long and hard before deciding to brave the elements.

I climbed up into a stand, and the rain and snow rattled against the Plexiglas windows, and the wind shook the stand like an angry God, and then it would rain and snow some more.

The evening seemed to be very long tonight, and the sky was dark and it was impossible to see well enought to shoot long before legal shooting time arrived. I stuck it out, just on general principles, and it was a compleat and total waste of time.

Not a single deer came to me tonight. I knew it would be bad, but had no idea just how bad it would be. Nary a deer, squirrel or ruffed grouse showed themselves, and if such nights are meant to prove a point, it proved that I should have stayed inside.

Hunting has been slow all week because of circling winds, rain, and two straight nights of an early snow. This stormm is dumping some of the wettest snow I’ve ever seen all over everything.

This snow is so thick and heavy that it is bending pine boughs to the ground, and if the weather turns cold, we may lose some trees. Some big gobs of snow clung to a pine tree I was in tonight, and when it slipped free and fell to the ground, it sounded like a 10-pound sack of wet sand hitting the ground.

The other people who hunted tonight had similar results. They sat in ground blinds or elevated coops, spent their time watching the mixed snow and rain fall, and left the woods without seeing an animal.

Such nights happen every year, and there is absolutely nothing to be done for it. Gripe and complain all you want, but fierce winds and a mix of heavy rain and snow is a guaranteed bummer. Deer dislike such weather as much as we do, and they seldom move at all on such rotten evenings.

That thought crossed my mind while I watched the weather around me, and it was: what am I doing here? Perhaps I’m a slow learner, but the next time we have a storm like this, I suspect I’ll stay indoors.

It is less stressful, equally as productive, and not nearly as wet and windy.—The Whitetail Wizard

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Snow Puts Deer On The Move

What a difference an inch or two of snow makes to whitetail deer. Fawns, like young children, love to run and jump in the white stuff.

Does, with their fawns, move out to feed, and it can be a great time to spot a big buck. The season’s first snow is a big thing.

Over many years I’ve watched the first snow-deer movement phenomenon, and it’s as if something new has been added to their lives. They seem less restrained and more active.

First-day snow seems to remove some whitetail inhibitions, at least among fawns and bucks. Does still seem reserved and spooky, and spend most of their time looking, listening and smelling for danger.

Will this snow last. Of course not, but it may take a few days to melt off. And this makes it an ideal time to re-check the deer trails you’ve had a mind to hunt. Fresh tracks, and lots of them, indicate a well traveled route.

It also makes deer much easier to see. It also makes hunters much easier to see. It clarifies the reasons why bow hunters who sit in tree stands are must practice patience, quietness and stillness.

This early snowfall is OK but would have been better suited to a day during the pre-rut or rut. It’s a time when snow would really add some zest to the pre-rut chasing period. It’s when does aren’t quite ready for breeding, and when bucks are more than ready.

There are many wildlife specialists who believe that a doe that is chased by a buck comes into estrus faster than a doe that isn’t chased. There are few of those, though. Many older does simply stand near an active and wait for the biggest buck to show up, and she will shy away from small bucks that try to mount her.

Early snow seems to ease the fears of some deer, and they move and romp around. Fawns are the most fun to watch, and bucks seem to enjoy watching fawns run and jump. It is the perfect time for a bow hunter to take a shot if the running and playing of fawns takes place near a hunting stand. I’ve watched bucks stand motionless for long minutes as they watch fawns at play.

An early snow like this often can reveal the presence of a big, lone track moving through thick cover. Such tracks often are of a large buck that has broke away from the bachelor group, and is prowling around in search of an estrus doe.

If the track was found today, check the area tomorrow and the next day, to look for the same track. If it consistently shows up, study the area for a place to hang a downwind stand. This very well could be the hotspot to ambush this buck as he trolls the area for does.

This snow won’t last forever, and in all likelihood, may be gone by this weekend. With some planning, and some luck, a big track that keeps showing up in a specific area, may be the buck of a lifetime.

Get out, study the area, find a likely looking area, and hunt it as hard as possible. That can be the key to shooting a first-snow buck.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Hunting Unstable Weather Conditions

It’s impossible for hockey players to have a game unless they are on the ice, and it’s impossible for bow hunters to shoot a buck or bow if they are sitting indoors watching television.

That’s settled, so what do we do when faced with inclement weather? You know: the crappy weather we’ve had so far this season?

East winds, northeast and southeast winds, and rain. Copious amount of rain. Strong blustery winds. Weather that even deer dislike.

If we were to set out every evening when inclement weather rears its ugly head, we may have been able to hunt just one night so far this season. The abundance of combined weather conditions has been noticeable to most hunters.

So, what can we do about it? The answer is to go hunting anyway. Some deer move even in bad weather although they may not move much.

It only makes sense that if deer move for only 15 or 20 minutes, the closer one hunts to the bedding area provides greater opportunity to be nearby when they do move.

Mild rain doesn’t bother whitetails at all. They are out in it on a daily basis, and can’t come inside out of the weather. If it is a soft rain, the deer may move well. They move less in a hard rain, and often move little, if any, during a downpour.

Deer will move on an east wind, but most hunters have few locations set up where an east wind offers an advantage. A strong wind is much worse than a soft breeze.

Heavy winds put everything into motion. Trees, weeds, cattails and tall grasses move. Leaves (those that still remain) shake violently on the trees, go blowing off the branches, and leaves are constantly in the wind at ground level and above. Deer detest such windy conditions because it removes their ability to see motion because everything within sight is moving.

Stands located closest to heavy cover offer hunters the best opportunity to see deer on these miserable days. The important thing is to get into a stand without being seen, smelled or heard.

Crow hunters say that these black birds can’t count. I contend that deer can’t count either, and that opens up one possibility to get into a stand even if the bedding area is downwind of the stand. Your friend can drive you in by truck, park with the motor running while the hunter crawls into the stand, and then drive off.

A friend of mine and his wife leased land for many years, and each of them hunted a different parcel. My buddy would drive his wife 3/4 miles back into her stand, walk with her to her ground blind while the four-wheeler idled nearby, and once she was in her blind, he would jump back on the machine and drive away.

She often saw deer while the sound of the four-wheeler were still audible in the distance. The noise of the four-wheeler didn’t bother the deer, and if anything, it gave them advance warning that people were coming. Two people get off, two walk to the blind, one walks back and drives away. Deer can’t count, and this method works well.

The one thing to bear in mind is that deer are accustomed to seeing cars and trucks, tractors and other farm equipment in most areas. Deer will run from all motorized equipment heading in their direction, but they don’t run far unless the hunters talk to one another. Human voices add another dimension to this equation..

Talking while dropping someone off at a blind or when picking them up should not be done. Deer also are accustomed to hearing people talk, but whether talking near a hunting stand is a good idea, I think it’s best to drive up, drop off the hunter, and drive away without talking.

Weather plays an important role in deer movements and travel. Rather than sitting indoors and not hunting, try to incorporate some other tactics into your hunting bag of tricks, and hunters may be pleasantly surprised at how well some of these tricks work.—The Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Answers To Some Questions

Questions seem to build up from readers of my blog, from people who come into the archery shop, or from dedicated hunters. Some need answers, and on occasion, I’ll try to answer three or four of them.

It’s my hope that the questions of other people that follow, and the answers I give, will be of interest to all bow hunters.

*How far can you shoot with consistent accuracy?

Had you asked me the same question 10 years ago I probably would have said 70 yards. My vision has changed a bit in the past few years as I’ve grown older, and although I can easily making a killing shot on an elk-sized animal at 60 yards, but it’s tougher to do with deer.

Most of my shots at deer are at 20 to 30 yards. I’m very comfortable at that range, and can shoot good groups. I used to be able to stack arrows consistently at 20 yards, and still do it often, but 10 years ago I could do it on demand. ‘Course, it’s a terrible waste of good arrows.

*What do you consider the most important aspects of shooting a bow accurately?

Stand up straight, hold the head up, keep both eyes on the target, achieve a firm and consistent anchor point, and follow-through (hold the bow up until the arrow hits the target).

Equally important is to know your bow, know your limitations, practice perfectly every time, shoot enough to avoid sore muscles, and have your bow property tuned and shoot properly spined arrows.

*Which do you prefer? Aluminum or carbon arrows?

I shot aluminum arrows for many years, and still enjoy shooting them, and I resented carbon arrows when they first came out. I was one of the last archery dealers in the state, I believe, to stock carbon arrows.

I’ve shot carbon arrows, and like how they shoot, and at least 75 percent of my arrow shaft sales are carbon. Eastman Outdoors Maxima shafts are great arrow. They are tough and strong, shoot amazingly well out of 99 percent of the bows I work on, and they increase arrow speed for most hunters. But, on occasion, I’ll still shoot an aluminum shaft just for old-time’s sake.

*Having a large tract of land on which to hunt is a luxury. Isn’t it terribly expensive to own and maintain?

Of course it is, but it’s been a lifelong dream since I was a kid to own a big chunk of land, and grow the large bucks possible. I’ve been at it for some 20 years, and I’m still learning about deer and how to manage them. Managing deer also means managing the hunters.

My land is my pride and joy. It’s fun to hunt, but I get a big kick out of repairing the roads, dealing with fallen trees across the fence, beaver floodings, and other common problems. Managing 1,000 acres and all the deer is a costly venture, and it’s one reason why I sell hunts. A hunt here is on a large parcel of land, and shooting a good buck with a bow is just as hard here as anywhere else. It’s not the walk-in-the-park process that many people seem to think.

*How do you compare shooting large numbers of antlerless deer with the private-land enclosure concept?

Having an enclosure means shooting large numbers of does to keep the herd in balance, and none of the venison goes to waste. I give away a large number of antlerless deer to friends, needy people, and it’s one way to help others.

Too many deer, within two years, would put my private herd in great jeopardy. They must be removed, and we also manage our buck numbers. A “management” buck is one that probably, for one reason or another, will never amount to much. Rather than having him breeding does instead of a large antlered buck, we remove them. The meat from management bucks and does is never wasted.

*So, how many bucks have you killed?

I quit counting many years ago. What’s the purpose of counting?

It can become an arguing point with people who have no clue about managing private land for deer. Those same people often hunt in poor deer range, see few bucks, and choose to criticize others who have a better hunting area. Honestly, I don’t know and don’t care to know. Knowing how many bucks I’ve shot serves no useful purpose.

*Do you consider yourself a good hunter?

Yes, I do. I’ve spent a lifetime studying deer, and I know as much about them as they know about themselves. I hunt 365 days a year, and during the off-seasons, I’m hunting even though I don’t carry a bow or firearm.

What makes me a good hunter is I am observant, out in the field every day, watching deer at all hours of the day, and paying attention to where deer travel. Some people talk of preseason scouting, but I scout every day of the year. This knowledge allows me to be a very efficient hunter, and people who do the same things I do on unfenced land, are equally good at hunting their land. For me, hunting is a lifelong passion, and I revel in every day that I’m able to hunt and study deer.—The Whitetail Wizard

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Bow Hunting Is Mostly Mental

Bow hunting is mostly mental. If we had to break it down into percentages, the mental aspect may account for as much as 85 percent of the hunting experience.

The mental aspect of the hunt is seldom considered my most hunters. For many, hunting is perceived as a mostly physical endeavor.

Many bow hunters get all wrapped up into gadgets and gear; choosing broadheads; different arrow rests; deciding between aluminum, carbon or wood, and other things.

They dream the bow hunter’s dream of shooting a big buck, and putting together the use of all these gadgets that are on the market—in addition to the bow and arrow—and using all of this stuff to take a nice buck during the archery season.

Bow hunting, as we know it, is done outdoors. Sure, some hunters will sit out in an open tree stand or sit inside an enclosed hunting coop, but we do our thing outdoors.

The physical part of the hunt is walking to our hunting spot, climbing into a ground blind or tree stand, drawing the bow back, releasing an arrow, climbing down or out of our stand, trailing the deer, field dressing the animal and dragging it out. Removing a field-dressed deer from the woods can be the most strenuous part of the physical hunt.

However, I maintain that bow hunting is more mental than physical. Most of the work of a successful or unsuccessful hunt is mental. What we do requires thought.

Being an accurate bow shot is mostly mental. Once our bow is sighted-in, and we know where the arrow will go if we practice good form, is mostly mental as we concentrate on achieving a firm anchor point, on holding the bow steady, and making a smooth release, and holding the bow up and steady until the arrow hits the animal in the proper spot.

All of this is mostly mental. This is something that must be thought about on every shot we take whether at a deer or a 3-D target. The mental gymnastics of accurately shooting a bow are more complex than most hunters suspect.

Long before any shot at game can be taken, we must achieve some harmony within ourselves. We can get excited when a deer is seen approaching our stand, but one part of the mental process must sift through all the pertinent factors that must come into play.

We must think better than a deer reacts, and must deliberate long and hard over where a ground or tree stand should be placed. We must judge downward angles when shooting from an elevated position, and we must think out the possibilities of deer travel routes based on available sign.

It’s all mental, you know. Thinking is what gives humans a slight advantage over deer, but with many non-thinking hunters, all the advantages lie with the whitetail deer.

The ability to think, to puzzle out where deer will come from and know why they follow the trails they do, is an important element in stand placement. Throw a stand up into a tree, and set there in hopes of an animal showing up makes little sense. Thinking ahead, and making decisions based on available deer sign, makes more sense.

We must learn to think about wind direction, and must know that wind direction in the unimpeded open spaces can be dramatically different that the flow of air currents through an open wood lot, creek bottom or swamp where vegetation (bushes and trees) can alter the wind direction a little bit or a great deal. We must know how the air moves at each stand on different days under different weather conditions.

Thinking about where to aim, and which shot to take, becomes second nature to experienced hunters. People in the hunting infancy seldom puzzle out these tasks, and shoot and hope for the best. This is not a wise decision, and hopefully this piece on the thinking hunter will give hunters pause, and allow them to puzzle out problems whenever the arise in the future.

Hunting, without any doubt, is more mental than physical. Think about it, and I’m sure you’ll agree that more thought goes into hunting than physical exertion.—The Whitetail Wizard

Friday, October 06, 2006

When Passing Up A Shot Makes Sense

The rain was pouring down the other day, and one of my hunters made a bad hit on a cull buck. It was a scraggle-antlered six-point, that looked like his rack had been put together by committee.

It was a bad looking rack, and body-wise, the buck was small. He was one of those animals that just doesn’t add up to much. If we have a hunter who wants to shoot an inexpensive deer, we let him take such a deer.

The rain was blowing thick and hard, and the shot had quit being a quartering-away opportunity, and there was a fine fine target of opportunity as the buck stood almost straight away. He said he thought he could make the shot, aimed, and hit just a touch forward.

He caught the shoulder blade, and the broadhead neat a neat cut along the shoulder blade, but on the outside. The arrow exited the front of the shoulder blade on the outside, and the deer scampered off. The animal came trotting past another hunter, and he could clearly see a thin wound in the skin but the deer wasn’t hurt badly at all.

The hunter thought he killed the deer, but such was not the case. And this point out the need to know when to pass up a shot.

That buck will probably be killed by another hunter, but knowing when to shoot and when not to is as much a part of bow hunting as carrying a bow into the woods. Only two types of shots are available: high-percentage and low-percentage opportunities.

A broadside shot and a true quartering-away shot are the only ones a hunter should take. They offer a high percentage of killing shots.

Everything else falls into the low-percentage bracket. That means hunters should avoid a quarering-toward, straight-on, straight away, and straight-down shots. They offer the least opportunity for a good shot. Shooting a deer in the paunch is a really iffy and horrible shot.

Gut-shot deer often run a short distance and lay down. If your deer has been hit in the guts with an arrow, stay off the trail for six to eight hours and hope the coyotes don’t find it before you do. Such deer will lay down, and if not disturbed by an exuberant bow hunter, will probably die. Recovery of the animal will occur six or eight hours later.

Pursue gut-shot deer, and they can travel for miles. You may get close to them, but adrenaline keeps them going. In years gone by, I’ve helped hunters follow such deer for two miles or more. Recovery is difficult, and any deer not found is a shameful waste.

I know hunters who try for neck shots with a bow claiming they will either hit and kill the animal or miss it. That is not true. If the arrow misses the windpipe or neck arteries and veins, and goes above the vertebrae, the animal may recover or it may not.

A buddy of mine was taking his boss out hunting, and the dude wanted to shoot a buck. They were sitting together in a ground blind, and spotted a buck trailing an estrus doe.

“I can see a nice buck coming,” the friend told his boss. “When I signal to draw your bow, that means the buck will walk past the shooting window in seconds. Get ready.”

The buck walked past his vantage point, and he made the motion to come to full draw. Just as he got the bow back, the buck walked slowly past the window and the boss man shot, hitting the buck in the spine.

“He’s down,” the boss said, as the spine-hit deer bounced on the ground in an attempt to get up. He charged out with bow in hand but no other arrows. The friend advised him to shoot again, and the boss, being a boss, took the high road, claiming the deer would die.

My friend saw the arrow working loose, ran to the coop, and got another arrow. “Shoot him again,” he said, handing the boss the arrow.

The boss wouldn’t listen. He took the arrow but didn’t nock it as the buck bounced on the ground. Suddenly the arrow popped out and laid on the ground. The hired man hollered “Shoot him now or you’ll lose him.”

The boss didn’t shoot, and the buck regained his feet, stared holes through the boss man, and ran off. Knowing when to shoot, and when not to, is something all hunters must learn.

The boss man never saw that buck again, and they trailed sparse blood spots for almost a mile, and that buck was still running. Once the arrow relieved the pressure on the vertebrae, the buck got up and got gone.

A lesson learned ... the hard way.—The Whitetail Wizard

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Mapping Out A Hunting Area

There is nothing better than putting down boot leather when it comes time to learn a new hunting area, and that is what most people do. A few take this “learning-the-land” proposition two steps further.

The use of topographical maps is one key element of learning new land, and aerial photographs is still another. Combine these three strategies, and a hunter will have a recipe for possible success.

Nothing is 100 percent when it comes time to hunt whitetail deer, but having a firm grip on the terrain is very important. There is a quarter-mile field that runs mostly north and south on my land, and through this open field are a series of small rolling hills and dips in the land. Deer have learned to use those tiny valleys and tiny hills to sneak through the open terrain.

Walking such an area is one way to learn how deer travel, and doing it with some snow on the ground is even better. There are places where bucks can enter the field on the west side, and by moving left and right, they can stay down in the dips and out of site of most hunters.

What I’ve done is build hunting coops and they are strategically placed so that most of these travel routes can be covered. Deer often move east in the evening and west in the morning, and hunters can place themselves in key positions to waylay the animals as they pass.

However, when hunting strange land that you’ve never hunted before, topo maps and aerial photographs, when combined with walking the terrain will enable hunters to determine good spots to hunt.

Funnels are an absolute deadly spot to hunt. A funnel is created by a narrowing of heavy cover. It can be a brushy fence row that connects a wood lot and swamp, two wood lots, a wood lot and a pine plantation, and other such thick and narrow places where deer movements are funneled through. They are natural travel corridors to hunt.

The bases of hills are another hotspot. Often the thicker cover is at the lower elevations, and if there are three hills, only one will be vitally important to hunters. Deer often choose the one that offers the easiest access and exit routes to heavy cover, and they will ignore other nearby hills.

Field corners that border on swampy or wooded areas are great, Again, only one field corner is most likely to produce deer, and again, it is usually the thickest corner that still provides animals with a good view of the field.

Saddles or breaks in flat or low-lying area or ridges that allow easy access to feeding fields are good. Such locations may have one good trail that leads from higher ground, down through the saddle, and through swampy or wooded areas that border the crop lands.

Dry or wet creek or river bottoms are especially good because there is a good deal of cover, the possibility of mast crops such as acorns and beech nuts, most bottom land areas are thick with berry bushes and other cover.

Walking this land is fine, but putting aerial photos and topo maps together enable hunters to obtain a birds-eye view, and the topo maps will show contour changes. Most topo maps have contour lines and special colors or symbols that indicate hills, wooded areas, swamps, creek or river beds and much more.

Spot the funnels, saddles and other topographical features, find their relationship to the aerial maps, and plot the best method of moving into these areas to hunt. Find such key locations, determine the bedding and feeding areas, and then begin scouting for active deer sign.

Locate the food source, and then find the bedding area, and the trails deer use will be relatively simple to find. Determine the prevailing wind direction. and start looking for good trees for a stand.

Finding hotspots in new areas isn’t terribly difficult but it requires some scouting time. Most of all, carry a compass or GPS, and know how to use them. Finding such out-of-the-way areas, where other people seldom hunt, and you’ll have your own little gold mine for deer.—The Whitetail Wizard

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

A Case Of Too Much Wind

Only one thing is worse in this state than an east wind for deer hunting, and that is too much wind.

My thoughts last night about an impending storm were dead-on. The storm came rolling through about midnight, and there were scattered reports of funnel clouds southwest of Traverse City and elsewhere in the state.

The storm brought with it very high winds, heavy rain, and in some places golfball-sized hail. So if you see a deer walking around in a dazed manner, he or she may have been bonked on the head with a rather large piece of hail last night.

The wind, as often happens when a storm front passes through, also brought with it a northwest wind with gusts up to 25 miles per hour. That, my friends, is too much wind for good deer hunting.

Deer are a walking basket case to begin with. Add strong winds at this time of the year, and much of the fall color in our leaves begins to sail toward the ground. Leaves are falling, tree limbs are swaying, grass and weeds are bent over, and everything is in constant motion.

A dead calm is almost as difficult to hunt in as too much wind. Deer can hear a mouse running through dry leaves at 100 yards. How much chance does a hunter have if he tries to draw on a nearby buck.

The whisper of cloth again tree bark, cloth against cloth, the nearly silent hiss of an arrow being drawn back across an arrow rest: all will drive a whitetail buck or doe off. Often they don’t pause long enough to try to determine what spooked them. They get gone fast.

The wind can be a hunter’s best friend or his own worst nightmare. Play the wind right, control your scent, and stay downwind of a buck, and your chances of hunting success will soar. Get wrong with the wind, do nothing about your human odor, move at the wrong time or make some sound, and the hunt is over.

It seems our weather hasn’t been conducive to good hunting but we’re only four days into the season. Hunters often forget what happened last year or the year before, but as a reminder, we had a great deal of east wind in 2005, and only a few days in early October were worthwhile.

Deer get overly spooky when the wind circles, switches directions, gusts one minute and is nearly calm the next. They like a steady breeze from one quarter, and it shouldn’t blow too hard. Hunters hate those calm days when a ruffed grouse walking in dry leaves will spook deer a long distance away.

I’ve always thought that whitetails are very high strung. They remind me of a small piece of electrical machinery with a short circuit. They do not handle noise or movement well, and if they catch your scent, they may disappear before the hunter ever knows they were nearby.

Keep hoping for ideal hunting conditions. Cool temperatures, a soft breeze that barely ruffles the leaves on a tree, and you’ll find that the deer will move well. Each day is best taken as it comes because nothing can be done about changing Michigan weather.

But let’s hope we don’t have many more days like yesterday and today. —The Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

The Deer Knew The Storm Was Coming

Hunting was far from good tonight. The weather was unseasonably warm, and although the wind direction was good for hunting, what action we had was a brief movement between 6:30 and 7:15 p.m.

I saw one good buck, a long distance from my blind, and had two small bucks and a few does show up during that brief time period, but the deer seemed eager to feed and get back into thick cover.

The forecast is for thunderstorms tonight, high winds and possible hail later, and I suspect if we’d been hunting at 3 p.m. we probably would have seen more deer. The deer I did see were testing the wind, which was swirling at times from the southwest.

The deer, just by their actions, gave me an impression that a storm was brewing. The barometer was falling, and the prediction is for colder weather tomorrow and a north wind. Deer sense these changes long before humans know they are coming.

I have a buddy who broke his back many years ago, and arthritis has set in along his spine. He claims he can tell when a storm is coming, and also claims his back starts acting up six to 12 hours before a storm.

The thing I noticed last night was that the deer moved in very slow. It was almost as if they were overly cautious and were sneaking in, and it was as if the scenting conditions were good. Much of that may have been due to the occasional swirling winds.

They would head for the croplands, and by doing so, had to pass by my elevated coop at the edge of a beaver pond. They came sneaking along, in and out of the pines along the old marsh grass, and every deer that passed me was within 20 yards.

On two occasions I saw deer behind my elevated coop, and they were heading back into the pines. They weren’t trying to circle me but were heading back for cover. They acted in a predictable manner: they had headed out earlier to feed in the corn and other crop fields, and were on their way back to cover.

It was an interesting thing to watch because such actions are rather predictable. and watching deer move to and from the croplands at the same time was a great experience. Those deer were leaving their bedding areas, feeding and heading back for cover in rapid fashion.

The biggest buck was a nice 8-pointer that dawdled along, and it would have been an easy shot. I was in no rush to shoot a deer tonight, and there are many days in the future when the hunting will be better.

Until then, I will continue to study and watch deer. The bow hunter who is a keen observer of the weather, and the whitetail deer’s reaction to it, is the hunter who will be successful during the 11 weeks of deer season to come.

Me, I’m content just seeing deer and I’m looking forward to the days ahead. It’s when the weather may become a bit more predictable, and deer will follow their normal schedules. Watching deer reactions, as I did just before dark as heat lightning lit up the western sky, would tell even the casual observer that weather patterns are a major part of the key to unlocking the travel mysteries of these animals.

Observe and learn. It’s the hunter’s way.—The Whitetail Wizard

Monday, October 02, 2006

Windy Days Make For Poor Deer Hunting

Windy weather is just one part of Michigan’s weather patterns. It can be warm and sunny, cold, snowy, raining, just perfect or windy.

Today was none of the above except windy. The wind blew, and then blew even harder, swirled a bit, but it was strong out of the east for most of the day and the deer moved late or not at all.

The east wind has bugged me for several years, and I’ve made a few changes in how my blinds are positioned. I have a few spots that can be easily hunted on an east wind, but without exception, a hunter must be in the stand long before deer start to move.

One of my pit blinds faces dead east, and it is dug in part-way up a hill. Deer never come over the hill to the pit blind, but come in front the south, north and occasionally from the east. The stand has a small door that contains a shooting window, and everything but a hunters head and shoulders is underground with a roof over his head and side walls.

This pit blind has a stool in it that places the hunter at the perfect height to shoot sitting down. It’s nearly impossible, for me at least, to shoot standing up in this stand. I’d have to crouch or kneel, and I just advise people to shoot sitting down.

The distance is 20 yards, and on any given night, it can be a great spot to sit although it seems to pay big dividends on an east wind. Visibility to the east is nearly a half-mile, to the south is about 100 yards, and to the north about 40 yards. It’s impossible to see to the west.

Deer travel always seems to be hampered by an east wind even though deer often travel in an easterly direction in the evening. Deer on my land, from Day One, have basically traveled east at night and west in the morning. There are variations on this theme, but we often see deer moving east just before dark.

I’m a stickler on wind-direction considerations before choosing an evening hunting location. Few people hunt the morning hours here because it is difficult to get in front of the deer without spooking them in the dark. It’s much easier to hunt in the late afternoon and early evening, and by doing so, fewer deer are spooked by wandering hunters.

No one likes to set out a hunting night, and whenever possible, I try to accommodate my sportsmen. Sometimes, it just isn’t possible. Most hunters understand how easily a good stand can be ruined if a hunter sits there when the wind is wrong.

I caution hunters that is the wind switches, and comes whistling in from the wrong direction and they are in an open tree stand, that it is wise to move to avoid killing that stand. The problem is that if they move the wrong way, they can ruin a hunt for another sportsmen.

There have been times when the wind is wrong, and I know the hunter won’t see a deer, and I’ll drive in and pick him up. A moving vehicle that stops momentarily, and the hunter jumps in without slamming the truck door, will spook very few deer.

The only real way to avoid spooking deer on a bad wind is to be in an enclosed coop. Hunters should keep all windows closed until it is time for a shot, and then open the shooting window, take a shot, unscrew the Game Tracker string tracking device, toss it out on the ground and sit back and relax until dark, and then follow the string to the deer.

The less a shooting window is open the better it will be for the next hunter in that stand. Hunting an east wind means the hunter usually must make a decision.

Stay and hunt, and run the risk of spooking deer, or stay indoors and wait for a weather change. No one likes the second choice, but on occasion, it is the only real choice we have.—The Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, October 01, 2006

A Year Of Blogging About Hunting Whitetails

It’s difficult to believe that 365 of my daily weblogs have been written and are archived on my website. That milestone passed two days ago without fanfare, and without me patting myself on the back.

I meant to write this a couple of days ago, but got so wrapped up in preparations for today’s bow opener, that it slipped my mind. I’d meant to write about it because such milestones are not that common in my life. My job is not writing blogs but building the finest compound bow being made—the C.P. Oneida Eagle brand of bows.

My blog has, only on rare occasions such as the product mention above, touted my bows and other products. I’ve meant this blog to be informative and helpful to deer hunters, and this one was partially done earlier today so I wouldn’t have to handle this chore after hunting time ended. I held off writing it entirely until after the evening hunt ended in hopes that I’d have a photo of a good buck and a happy hunter.

My purpose for this blog is not to sell product but to help inform hunters about whitetail deer and special tips and tricks that I’ve used for 60 years to hunt trophy bucks. For the most part, I’ve done very little shilling for my products, and have kept focused on my original desire to write about hunting tactics.

A daily blog is roughly two hours of work, every day, 365 days a year. It is rather fun, but I now know what outdoor writers go through. It’s a day-after-day situation, and there are times when the story ideas don’t seem to flow as well as I’d like.

These blogs are a great source of information, especially for beginning hunters. If it is an experience story, a certain amount of how-to information will be found within the blog. Some blogs are riveted on whitetails, how to pattern them, and specific techniques on knowing how and when to draw and shoot. Some are technique-oriented to hunting the rut and other facets of deer hunting.

Some blogs are on deer management, as important to owners of an enclosure as to people who hunt on other private land, state or federal lands.

The hunting season opened today with clear skies and cool temperatures. It was a great day to be afield, and John Prud’homme of Ontario and his brother Rick, hunted this morning. John began the season off by shooting the first of many anterless deer that will have to be taken.

I sat out and hunted this evening, and four bucks came to me. The largest was an 18-inch-wide 8-pointer that I passed up. The other three bucks were smaller, and it was a fun day.

One thing I stress to people is the need to enjoy the day, and this archery opener was as nice as anyone could ask for. Other than the doe that was taken, no bucks were taken but it was a good day to start the season.

There was no pressure, and that is a good thing. Bow hunting should never become a pressure-cooker situation. However, many hunters put themselves under such pressure in an attempt to waylay a nice buck.

One thing I’ve learned is to go with the flow, and if you are in the right spot at the right time, with some skill and knowledge on your side, the buck of your dreams may walk past and offer a good shot.

It’s time now for a late dinner and off to bed. Tomorrow is the second day of the season, and we will be out there on the hunt. And don’t forget, my blogs have been up for just over a year now, which shows a commitment to further hunter knowledge of deer hunting.

I urge you to log on and make my site an every-day read. We talk nothing but deer hunting on this site, and I think you’ll enjoy the site and the information that I present.

In the meantime, shoot once, shoot straight and don’t miss.—The Whitetail Wizard