Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Remembering Some Of This Years Bucks

Hunting is major part of my life. My mind constantly tracks present and past hunts, and I analyze each move I make while in the field.

Seldom are hunting mistakes made, and once in a while I’ll slip up, but such incidents are few and far between. You see, it took me long enough to become a good deer hunter, and the way we learned years ago, was by making mistakes. In that era, if I made a mistake, I’d remember the moment and not make the same one a second time.

Here we are at New Years Eve, and the day was a washout. Strong east winds and a rain that seemed to fall all day, and this seems to be the norm of late. Most days have been the same, but after tomorrow evening’s hunt, there will be a big letdown.

Hunting, to me, is something that I treasure. It’s so easy to remember other years when the weather wasn’t so mixed up, but most of that is behind us. The best thing for us to do is to think positively ahead to next season, and hope that 2007 is better—hunting-wise—than this year.

I keep remembering some of the big bucks that roam this ranch when they decided to get up and move around. I didn’t keep track of the 8-points seen this year, but very few of them were taken which bodes well for bigger racks next year.

There were a number of 9-pointers, and a goodly number of slightly larger 10-pointers. There were far more big typical bucks this year, but I take a particular fancy to some of the nontypical racks.

We have some with double brow points, others will have a number of weird kickers and stickers, and there are a few bucks running around with drop tines. Last year, and the year before last, we saw one or two three-beam bucks. They seem to have vanished, although I suspect they are still here but not moving until long after dark.

I’m told the huge 12-point is still roaming my 1,000 acres, and the buck with the very wide and very heavy rack, is somewhere on the ranch. No one has seen him lately but the weather hasn’t been conducive for any of the bucks to move much.

So what are my hopes for next year? I often steer clear of such questions because we are dealing with too many unanswerable questions.

Like many folks, I’d welcome more stability and growth in Michigan business. It would make me feel good to see more business coming into the state rather than leaving. We all hope the economy continues to build, and one of my major wishes is for more normal weather to return to the state.

Many say the freaky weather of this year is caused by global warming, and they may be right. We’ve seen quirks of nature, on and off, for as long as I’ve been alive but no one can remember such a long string for four or five years where conditions have been so unstable.

It would be nice to revert back to when we could plan a hunt with some degree of accuracy. Sure, there were occasional days when the wind would swing to the east or an unpredicted rainstorm would blow through. Those days seem to be gone forever.

Most of all, I wish for me, my family and every one of my devoted readers, good health and a strong economy. This nation was built on people who were willing to work, and this is the finest state in the nation for people who love the outdoors.

If we could perk up the economy, keep more Michigan businesses going, the year 2007 would be a winner for everyone.

Happy New Year, and may it be filled with fond dreams and may they all come true.—The Whitetail Wizard

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Deer Season Is Almost Over.

Many hunters are passionate about their outdoor loves. Bird hunters thrill to the sight of a flushing grouse or rooster pheasant that was pointed by a long-legged bird dog.

Others take their greatest delight in sitting deep in a swamp, waiting for a black bear to appear. They thrill to the sight of the bear, its big head swinging back and forth, as it stops, pauses, sniffs the air and moves ever closer.

Others listen for the loud clamoring as a gaggle of geese swing overhead, examining the ground and decoys below, swing on a tight circle, sink closer and closer to the ground as their feet drop down for a landing. It’s when the hunter pops up, and the geese look as big as a flying boxcar, that the adrenaline rush hits them.

Each hunter has his only little niche that has the capability of taking his breath away. The three examples above do it for many people.

I’ve hunted a bunch of critters over the years, including antelope, bear, caribou, elk, javelina, moose, mule deer, whitetail deer and many others, but whitetails really light my fire. First of all, they live right behind my home and I don’t have to travel far to hunt them.

Their close proximity is one thing, but singling out one animal and hunting that buck, is the most fun a person can have while wearing camo clothing and rubber boots. There is so much to know, so much to learn, so much we probably will never know, and the hunting circumstances provide nearly an endless variety of opportunities.

There is pre-season and post-season time to scout, and it can be done at other times, including during the hunt. Hunters must learn the body language of a whitetail deer, and know what their noises and movements mean.

A deer hunter, whether with a bow or firearm, must always strive for a high-percentage killing shot. We avoid long-distance, low-percentage opportunities, and learn to wait for an ideal shot.

It’s necessary to learn to control your nerves, learn how to sit still, and above all, learn how to hunt from locations that are downwind of where deer travel. The first key to success is having the wind in your favor so the animals can’t smell you.

If it’s heart-pounding excitement you want, and if you are an adrenalin junkie and live for that sudden buzz that comes with seeing game up close, and especially a big buck close enough to shoot with a bow, then deer hunting is for you.

I’ve seen deer with racks big enough to make a hunter gulp, and then the adrenalin starts sizzling through your body, the heart beat increases, and many people begin to shake or tremble. Learning to control these bodily actions also is part of bow hunting for deer.

Hunters just can’t come up shooting arrows. They must wait for the deer to offer the proper shot, at the proper distance, and the sportsmen must be accurate enough to kill the deer with one arrow. Some people are and some are not, and practice is important. Remember that only perfect practice makes for perfect shots. An ill-advised shot is pointless and not an ethical practice.

What triggers keen feelings about bow hunting is that deer must be close before a shot can be taken. Anyone can sit in a stand with a rifle, and send an airmail package downrange at a buck. It requires an entirely different thought process to sit patiently, and watch a buck slowly move through cover to your stand. The heart starts beating a little faster as the animal walks closer.

My feeling is the most exciting hunts are those where the sportsman singles out one deer, and hunts it to the exclusion of all others. Only one buck will do, and only that buck will set the hunter abuzz with a highly charged jolt of adrenalin.

Bow hunting is, to me at least, the one hunting pastime that combines everything I want and need in a hunt. A lovely animal, a buck with a majestic rack, the drawn-out suspense of the deer moving ever closer, and then once the animal is within range, waiting for it to turn and offer the best possible shot that will lead to a rapid kill.

Deer season will soon end, and for me, it will be a bittersweet feeling. One part of me will be happy the season has ended, and another part wishes the season would linger on for another month.

We take our sport as we find it, hunt as often as possible, respect the deer we hunt and kill, and use the meat as nourishment for our bodies. That, and thousands of other words, could be used to describe my feelings for deer hunting.

I love it.—The Whitetail Wizard

Friday, December 29, 2006

No Ringing Endorsement For 2006 Hunters

At least 60 years have passed since I picked up my first bow to go hunting, and over all those years, never have I seen such a year as this one. The year 2006 has to go down as one of the all-time worst years for lousy and unpredictable weather.

You may be tired of reading my gripes about the weather, but 60 years of doing anything gives a person some legitimate right to complain. Here we are with three days left before the deer season shuts down for nine months, and I can stand up and shout that the weather this year has resulted in my worst hunting season of a lifetime.

Am I alone in my thoughts? Not hardly. Are other folks as angry about the poor seasonable weather as I am? You bet.

I own Buck Pole Archery in Marion, and we have a busy shop. There are people coming in the doors six days a week, and I haven’t heard anyone utter a good word about this crazy weather pattern.

Rain and warm weather in late December is about as far off base as any Michigan weather pattern can get. The other day, during a brief snow shower, the thunder was rumbling across the sky. Snow and thunder in December? Give me a break!

Honestly, can anyone remember an autumn with so much rain? Can any of you hunters who have been around for more than 20 years ever recall the deadly three-way combination of east wind, rain and warm temperatures that has kept deer movements to a minimum.

If I didn’t love bow hunting so much I’d stay inside and watch television. But no, I’m as stubborn as anyone I know, and if it’s deer season I plan to go deer hunting.

A person can’t shoot deer from inside their house with a bow. It means getting out into the weather, and I’d much rather walk through snow to get to my hunting spot than having a strong east wind at my back and trudging through the mud in another in a long line of rainstorms.

Now 60 years is a long time. I’ve seen rain and I’ve seen snow. I’ve seen very cold temperatures and snow in October and warm temperatures and high winds in December.

There have been years when my ranch roads were even worse than they are now, but back in those days, the roads had no gravel. I’ve worked hard on keeping my roads in shape, and along comes the monsoon season and turns them to mush.

Three more days and the season will end. Will my frequent diatribes continue or end? Ah ... they will probably end as we enter a new year. More of my energies will be focused on bow work, improving little things wherever I can, and planning for next hunting season.

That makes some sense, but in this era of frequent and dramatic weather changes, it’s difficult to plan ahead. No one knew what this fall’s weather would be like, and we certainly can’t gaze into our crystal ball and come up with solid answers for next year.

All we can do is do everything possible to make our season good, and since we can’t change the weather, let’s hope it changes in 2007 to a more normal fall. Give us some snow and some cold weather in December like we are accustomed to, and let’s see what happens.

I’ve written before that I am an optimist, and as such believe that things can change. This fall’s freaky weather had to come about for some odd reason, and perhaps next season, we’ll again see snow in October.

If that snow comes from the west or northwest, I don’t care. We can hunt, and cold, snow and a northwest wind will make deer move. And all we’ll remember about the 2006 season was that it was forgettable.—The Whitetail Wizard

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Closing The Season Like We Opened It

It appears that the 2006 season will close in much the same fashion as it opened on Oct. 1, with more east winds.

It’s difficult to compete with an east wind. We built some ground and elevated coops that are about as wind-proof as a blind can be. These are different than the old wooden coops we used for many years. Those things would allow human scent to escape.

The new ones are made of a light-weight metal, and they are tight. A carpenter made them up for me, and the shooting window height is easily adjustable. Some have vents to allow some air to escape, and to let some air in when using a small propane heater.

There hasn’t been much call lately for my Mr. Heater portable model that operates on one-pound canisters of propane. The normal winter weather with temperatures down to the low-teens hasn’t arrived as of yet, and the only good thing to come from this long spate of warm rainy weather is it is giving my rutting bucks a good chance to regain the weight they lost during the breeding period.

My new coops are waterproof, and porcupines or rodents can’t chew on them as they did the old wood models. The air-tightness of these newer blinds are what makes them so attractive. It’s possible to sit inside, watch deer through the tinted Plexiglas, and they can’t see in.

Of course, there has to be enough deer movement to keep the animals moving, and this year’s weather patterns during the fall has left much to be desired. I wonder if we’ll every get snow and cold weather this year.

Playing the wind is such an important part of deer hunting, and we’ve had to move some stands that just were not working this year. The reason is the cursed east wind.

I suspect that we’ll continue to see more east winds in the future, and would be greatly surprised if we were to revert back to 10 years ago when very little east wind was seen and the southwest to northwest air currents were the norm during October and November, and then more northwest and north winds were noted in December.

We can’t change the weather patterns or wind directions, and if it hadn’t been for my new air-tight coops this year, I’m sure our hunting success would have been much lower.—The Whitetail Wizard

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Claude Pollington: Deer Hunter

Oct. 1 is a day that is eagerly awaited while Jan. 1 is a day that most deer hunters hate to see arrive. We look forward to the first day of bow season with hope in our heart, and watching the last day of the late-season bow hunt come closer, is somewhat depressing.

People often ask me how I feel about deer hunting with a bow. They want an in-depth look inside my head, whether to see what makes me tick or why I’m so in love with bow hunting.

I’ve hunted with a bow for over 60 years, and it’s as natural to me as taking my next breath. I seldom consciously think about bow hunting with great personal thought, but let’s see if I can articulate some of my feelings.

Bow hunting for whitetail deer is a deeply loved pastime, and hunting isn’t as much about killing a deer as it is about having the opportunity to hunt with bow and arrow. There are no guarantees of success and many chances to fail, but being afield with bow in hand is a powerful motivational tool for me.

I feel most alive while hunting. This is a matter of matching wits with an animal that acts instinctively, based on various stimuli that can cause deer to approach cautiously or without fear, and much of this movement hinges on a hunter and his personal skill levels.

Get winded by a deer or seen by a deer, and the animals will avoid the area. Making noise while climbing into a stand or be upwind of a deer, and the hunt can end before it begins.

Deer are a bundle of raw and frazzled nerve endings. A bird flying overhead can spook the animal, and this points out just how difficult it can be to get close to a deer. Hunters can spot-and-stalk deer, but it is very difficult. Instead, most people sit in an elevated coop or tree stand, and some sit on the ground and wait for a deer to come to them.

How a bow hunter moves into position at a stand can dictate success or failure. Any movement or noise at the wrong time can spook an animal, and if the deer is badly frightened, it will snort and run off with its tail flared and held high as a warning signal to other animals.

Bow hunting for whitetails is more mental than physical. There are so many different things a savvy hunter must consider when it comes to choosing a spot to hunt. Once a location is chosen, and the hunter is in his stand, even more decisions must be made.

We must judge distance, set personal limits on how far we can effectively shoot, and honor those values. We always must strive for those things that are ethically correct. We attempt to take only high percentage shots, and never take low percentage shots.

We study deer on a year ‘round basis, and watch them at every opportunity. We must become good at reading their body language, reading sign in the woods, know how and when to rattle antlers and use a grunt call, and must be a keen judge of antler size if we wish to become a trophy hunter. Some sportsmen never aspire to shooting a big buck while it becomes an all-consuming passion for others.

Bow hunting is something that can never be rushed. We must wait, with a rapidly beating heart, for deer to approach within our accepted range, and must learn never to hurry a shot. We constantly strive for a well-placed arrow that will kill the animal within a few seconds.

We cannot be called a serious deer hunter until we learn to respect that animal. We must learn where deer live, feed and travel, and respect that animal after its death. We must honor that deer after its death by using its meat to nourish our body, and always remember that animal as it was before we shot it.

Being afield and watching deer is as much a part of deer hunting as shooting it. We must progress through a wide range of emotions during a deer hunt, and never should the actual death of a deer be a time of joy. It is a time of sadness for many of us who hunt, and a time of responsibility to the animal to prepare the meat for our dining table. If the animal has a huge rack, the final place where we honor that deer is to have it mounted where it can be seen and remind us of who we are and what we must do to better manage our deer herd.

And just think: most people think that deer hunters are just out there to kill a deer without thinking of anything else. Hunters who are deserving of that title always think, and it is what makes a person a good hunter and a good steward of our resources.

The thinking deer hunter is a person who cares for and loves deer, and recognizes that killing an animal is in the greatest good of a well managed herd. Without dedicated deer hunters, this state would be over-run with whitetail deer, and that would not be a good thing for the deer or for us.—The Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Getting Back Into The Hunting Groove

A day or two of rest and relaxation is just what I needed. The Christmas holiday was a welcome respite, and now it’s time to jump back into the hunting groove again.

The season ends Monday evening at the end of shooting time, and we got just a tiny bit of snow last night but the weather has cooled off. It’s below freezing, and based on seeing some deer tonight, I believe the colder weather is helping to make them move.

I always have high expectation. Optimism is my middle name, but there doesn’t seem to be any signs that would indicate deer activity will take a sudden upward surge and provide more buck sightings.

Chances are very likely that we’ll continue to get a tiny bit more snow, and possibly a few more colder nights, but the chances of a bitter cold snap and lots of snow will probably not arrive in time to generate any great amount of deer movement between now and New Years Day.

I can live with that, and as long as some deer movement continues, my backside will be firmly planted on a seat in one of my blinds. I’ll continue to shift around, try some different locations, and keep hoping that a nice buck will wander by.

Will I shoot or pass on the animal? I suspect I’ll pass, and take another doe fawn or yearling doe to remove some of the stress that always hits a deer herd during the winter months. Too many deer causes stress, and this can be as hard on a deer herd as anything. It’s one reason why we work hard at thinning down our young doe numbers. It helps provide more food for the surviving animals, and a lack of competition for food helps to relieve stress.

There are two or three other stands that have always been productive in late December, and I’ve been waiting until now to give them a try. One may put me in front of that big buck I’ve been hunting for three years.

The deer is here, on this land, and was seen three times so far this year. The troubling thing is I haven’t seen him yet, but those who have are people I trust to provide me with an honest report.

So, I’ll hunt every day for the rest of the season. If that big buck does show up, and at least grant me a peek at him, I’ll be happy. There is no doubt I’ll worry about whether he makes it through the winter, but my guess is that with the mild weather we’ve had, he is finding plenty to eat.

This has become a contest of skills and wills. The buck wants to avoid being seen, and I’m determined to find and see him. Time will tell who will win the ultimate contest, and even though I’ve shot some truly large bucks, I’ve also had some wily bucks outwit me.

That’s why they call it deer hunting.—The Whitetail Wizard

Monday, December 25, 2006

Taking A Break From The Deer Woods

Today was one of those day, if it hadn’t been Christmas, when I probably would have gone hunting. There was very little wind, and no rain or snow.

It was tempting to slip out to one of my blinds, kick back, relax from a hefty meal, and look for deer. Whitetail movements, except in the open fields, have been pretty slow. Few bucks are showing themselves, and the constant thought of the hunters I talk with, is for a cold snap and some snow to get the deer moving.

It was a good day to spend time with my family, visit with some of my kids and grandkids, and leave the deer alone for a day. Perhaps with a cold snap, they might start moving but with only a week of deer hunting to go, the chance of any serious movement is slim.

The option was to sit back on the couch with my binoculars nearby, and cut a glance every five or 10 minutes into the field right behind the house. If deer are seen, the big Swarovski binoculars can pull them up close for a better look.

Many of the deer behind the house have ear tags, and they have been present for several years. They are not hunted, and the big does always attract trophy bucks during the rut.

My thoughts today weren’t on big bucks, small bucks, does or fawns. There was very little thought about C.P. Oneida Eagle bows either although making and selling bows is how I pay my bills.

Today was a day away from hunting, away from thinking about deer or compound bows, and one of relaxing. I’ve been going hard since Oct. 1, and need a casual day to take it easy. Christmas is a great day to soothe the soul, relax the body, and enjoy my family.

It was a good day, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. No worrying about the wind direction, deciding where to place my hunters, or thinking about business. It was a day to relax, and if you’ll excuse me now, I’m thinking about a nice nap.

Stop by for a visit tomorrow. See you then.—The Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Studying A Whitetail’s Body Language

My deer-hunting experiences have been taking place for at least 60 years, and over that lengthy period of time, there have been many thousands of deer seen. My nature is an inquisitive one, and studying a deer’s body language is something I’ve done for many years.

It’s surprising what a deer will tell a hunter if that person takes time to study the animal and pay attention. Some of the clues are difficult to spot, and it make some time to learn what the deer’s body is telling you. Study each deer seen, and some of these tips will tell a hunter what to expect.

Deer are curious by nature, but also are very cautious. Anything a deer sees, hears or smells causes the animal to act instinctively. They don’t pause to think like a human, but their instincts allow them to form an immediate response. It may to run, study it closer or go on about their business without worry.

Here are some of the body language actions that a deer will often make.

*Twitching tail—A side-to-side tail twitch tells the hunter this animal in unafraid and not alarmed. Once that tail stops twitching, and the deer stands very still, head-up and studies something, it means they are alert and studying whatever they saw for possible danger. A return to a position with a lowered head and side-to-side twitches usually means they’ve seen nothing to trigger an escape response. They are at ease.

*The Head Bob --Almost all hunters have seen this action at one time or another. It usually happens when a whitetail is suspicious. It will lower its head, and immediately bring it back up hoping to catch something moving. A deer may do this dozens of times before it relaxes. Hunters must be aware of this head-bobbing action, and wait until the deer is truly relaxed before drawing on the animal. In some cases, although the head goes down, the eyes will remain fixed on the object of its attention.

*Ears Up & Alert—The ears will come up and point in the direction of some suspicious sound. Often the eyes are staring in the same direction as the ears. Once it decides that all is well, the side-to-side tail twitch and lowered ears will indicate the animal is again relaxed.

*Ears Back—This ear position means one of two things: the animal is angry and ready to fight or is afraid. Does are notorious for laying their ears back, especially in the winter when food is scarce. An animal that is afraid will often lower its head in a more subordinate manner, and move out of the way of an oncoming deer.

*Stomping front foot—Such actions often are accompanied by a snort, which signals alarm. The alarm may be real or imagined, but once one animal starts stomping a front foot and snorting, other deer usually pick up on the signal. Even unseen deer will go through this routine if they catch any human scent. Deer also stomp their front foot as a challenge or warning to another deer that approaches their space. The front foot stomp is usually accompanied by an upraised and flared tail that also signals danger.

*Half-raised tail: This usually occurs during the rut when a buck displays some aggression toward another buck or a doe. If the animal is upset with another deer, this tail position may be accompanied by an ears-back attitude.

*Tail tucked under the rump: This is most often a signal of fear and a sign of a deer knowing it is in the presence of a more dominant animal. Dogs do the same thing with their tail in the presence of a more dominant dog. The deer will seldom run off, but it will back up or circle around and past the more dominant animal.

*The upraised and flared tail with the white hairs showing: This is the hunters worst enemy because it is a sign of fear, and the flared and upraised tail is easily seen by other deer and is a sign of communication. It means that this animal is ready to run off, and when that happens, the other deer will run. Often their escape is accompanied by blowing and snorting to further spread the danger signal.

*Some deer, who have heard, seen or smelled a human, may lower their head and slink off through the brush. Often a big buck that is close to heavy cover will do just this, and the human must be alert to even know he has been spotted.

Merry Christmas to one and all.—The Whitetail Wizard

Saturday, December 23, 2006

The Most Unusual Weather For Deer Hunting Ever

I’ve lived a long and full life, and over this lengthy period of time has been many hunting seasons. Some were good, some were horrid and some that are a mix of good and bad.

This year must go down as the worst season I’ve ever seen for whitetail deer hunting. I know I gripe quite a bit about the weather, but I make my living by selling bows and deer hunts, and bad weather affects archery sales and deer hunting.

Last year featured a great deal of bad weather, but it was nothing compared to this season. You name it, and we’ve had it during the 2006 bow and firearm deer seasons.

We began with far too many days of east winds in October and some rain, and then coasted through early November with some more of the same, and then got a bunch of snow late in the month and in early December. The white stuff lasted less than two weeks, and that was good except for swirling winds.

Then the rains came, and the mud puddles got bigger and deeper, and then it froze fairly hard one night and the roads were deeply rutted. Don’t worry, the rains came back with a vengeance. And then we had three days, and the weather and wind helped dry out the roads, and I decided to grade the ranch trails.

All day was spent bringing my roads back into decent shape, and then just as we started hunting, the rain started to fall and we’ve now had four days of on-and-off rain showers. A bit of snow fell last night but it was soon dissolved by rain after sun-up.

Now, I ask you. Does this sound like normal fall weather to you? It certainly doesn’t sound like it to me. There is absolutely nothing dependable about the weather this year.

Our October color lasted a few days under overcast skies, and then the wind picked up and the rain slashed down, and by the third week of October our fall color was all laying on the ground. Bus loads of people who came north for the color tour were sadly discouraged.

Many hunters who were hoping for a more normal season were disappointed as well. Patterning deer goes out the window unless you have some form of predictable wind direction.

Here we are, and it’s almost Christmas, and the ground is bare, muddy and wet, and who knows when the traditional cold weather and snow will move in.

We still have a bit over a week of hunting time left, and it would be nice to have a few days of cold weather, snow and deer that move in a rather predictable fashion.

I remain slightly optimistic about a weather change, but long-range reports dampen my spirits. The year 2006 may go down, in my history book at least, as the year when winter failed to arrive during deer season.—The Whitetail Wizard

Friday, December 22, 2006

To Hunt Or Not To Hunt: The Big Question

I hunted last night in the rain, and made up my mind that if it rained today, I wasn’t going hunting tonight. Guess what? It rained all day today, and as this is being written, it’s still raining.

Giving up an evening hunt is not something that comes naturally to me. We’re having a shop party, and there were details that required my attention, and so I took the easy way out.

There is something about missing one precious hunting day that rankles me. One part of me would like to be out in a stand, but common sense and practicality also mean something to me.

First of all, being a practical person, there was little justification in going hunting tonight before a party. Nothing would be accomplished by doing so, and even though a buck can move anytime to a stand, the chance of such movement tonight after a two-day rain seemed remote.

I’m not the sort that takes sitting out one night very well. There always is a slim chance of seeing and getting a shot at a trophy 9-point buck that I’ve been hunting for three years. I’ve never seen this buck, but two or three times each year, the buck is seen by someone else, almost always in the same general area.

So, giving up one night to the weather, is one less possible chance where that buck may have put in an appearance. The odds of that happening are probably less than hitting the Lotto jackpot, but it still remains a lost opportunity.

People who faithfully read my daily weblog know that deer hunting, and especially bow hunting, is as serious as a coronary to me. I’ve heard the story from people who have seen this buck, and they say it is a massive high and very wide 9-point that could easily gross 200 points.

Three years of effort has gone into hunting this buck, and I’ve yet to see him, but it’s easy to keep going. Thoughts of that buck, and of seeing him within bow range, continue to haunt my dreams. This animal has made me addicted to him. He is the object of my day and night dreams, and he is an itch that needs scratching.

I’ve shot some 180-class bucks, and they were massive animals, but something that would green-score 200 points is nearly impossible to comprehend. A few bucks that large are taken every year somewhere around the United States, but nowhere are such animals plentiful.

This buck is probably 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 years old, and he just keeps himself tucked away. His core area seems to be the area that I often hunt, but it’s very possible he lives outside of the core area where he has been seen, and strolls in on occasion for a look around.

Am I ready for him? Will I be nervous if and when he steps out in front of me? I’ve shot enough big bucks over the past 40 years that I think it’s possible to keep myself together. There may some rapid heart beats, a brief shortness of breath, but what I need is an opportunity.

I’ve switched stands in the core area, hunted over bait and without bait, refrained from hunting the same stand two nights in a row, and I’m adept at playing the wind. This buck won’t catch my scent, and it would be most difficult for him to slip by without being seen.

So, it continues to be a waiting game. It’s like playing cat-and-mouse, and he seemingly refuses to be cast in the role of a foolish mouse. He avoids me like I am Typhoid Mary, and every once in a while I find what I think are his tracks in the mud or snow.

They are big foot prints, splay-footed, immense deer tracks that are much too large to be a big doe. They are his tracks, I like to believe, and they are occasionally seen in this core area.

Are they well and truly his tracks or those of another unseen buck of comparable size? I don’t know, but missing just one chance at this old boy, makes me feel bad. But, I’ll sit out tonight and probably tomorrow night, and perhaps Santa will nudge him my way on Christmas Day.

One can always hope.—The Whitetail Wizard

Thursday, December 21, 2006

A Guy Can’t Win For Losing

We’ve had three straight days of dry weather, sunshine and wind, and my roads were ready to be graded.

I jumped into my bulldozer with the blade on it, headed out behind my house and onto my ranch lands, and spent the day grading the roads. A few spots were still a bit soft and gnarly, but by taking my time it was possible to grade every mile of road on the ranch.

Just before it was time to go hunting, dark clouds moved in, and it began to rain. It rained all the time we hunted, and the wind was a patchwork of errant breezes from almost all points of the compass.

My choice was an old favorite. it was called “Execution Knob” 30 years ago for good reason, and now we usually just refer to it as “The Knob.” There is an airtight ground coop on top, and there are at least good bucks hanging around in the alders that border The Knob on two sides.

I sat in a different stand last night and never saw a deer, and tonight saw a pair of small bucks and some does, but nothing of size. The rain came down harder as the hunt progressed, and about 5 o’clock there was some snow mixed in with the rain.

The temperature stood at 36 degrees, and the combination of rain and some snow started to work on the ranch roads. I was hoping that once they were graded, and the temperatures dropped below freezing, that the roads would firm up.

Who knows if the rain and snow will last all night, or if the temperature will fall below freezing. The problem areas are what concern me about warm weather and rain.

An all-night rain will undo every good thing that the grading did for my roads. What makes my land so good for deer is the topography of rolling hills, open fields, cedar and tag alder thickets, huckleberry marshes and other low-lying areas.

Tag alders and huckleberry marshes are common in wet areas, and in many locations, the ranch roads go through one or the other. The ground is wet to begin with, and more rain that falls just turns the roads into a quagmire of mush that is nearly impossible to drive through.

Staying ahead of the roads and their problems reminds me of a line from a Gordon Lightfoot song: “I feel like I’m winning when I’m losing again. Sundown ...”

The rain was driven ahead of a swirling easterly and southeasterly wind, and the deer didn’t move well. There is little reason for deer to move if they don’t have to, and tonight, there was no need.

We’re gearing up for the shop party this weekend and for visiting relatives over Christmas. I know some will hope to go hunting, but I doubt that we will hunt tomorrow night or Saturday. A few may hunt Sunday after we celebrate Christmas, but there are only two things I’d like for Christmas this year.

Cold weather and then some snow. It would be the best Christmas present I could get. —The Whitetail Wizard

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Time Is Getting Short

Every day when I greet the dawn my thoughts turn to bow hunting. The number of days are slowly drifting away, and we’re still waiting for some normal cold weather and snow.

You see, that is what makes deer move. Thirty-five to 45 degrees doesn’t do it, and bright weather isn’t much of a factor in causing whitetails to get up and go prowling for food.

It’s a fact that mild weather has been a major factor in a pronounced lack of deer travel this fall. The blame can be laid at the feet of too much rain, too much wind and too little cold weather. Factor in the steady diet of east wind, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a bad stew of deer hunting conditions.

Is there anything to be done? Nope!

All a person could do is to hunt every possible day and hope for the best. It’s not much to pin one’s hopes on for this spell between Christmas and New Years Day.

In most years in the not-so-distant past we always had snow by now. Granted, we had a good bit earlier, but then the weather warmed and the snow turned to rain. The only good that could come from a day like today and yesterday is the blustery wind would help dry our my roads.

One would think that deer would be easy to see and to hunt on a 1,000-acre fenced-in enclosure. That kind of thinking doesn’t give whitetail deer much credit for surviving by their instincts. The animals on my ranch are as wild as any deer living anywhere nearby on private or public land.

Deer are not dumb, are not stupid, but are products of their environment and they survive by trusting their instincts. Ask anyone who has held a dangerous job or has been to war, and they all say they are alive because they learned to trust their instincts.

Those who do not soon perish. The same is true for whitetail deer. They learn to trust their natural instincts. They don’t have the ability to think and rationalize like a human being, but if they stay alive for 2 1/2 years, their level of trusting their instincts is very high.

Watch a buck. If he slips behind a hunter, and catches your scent, one of two things will happen. He will dash madly off in the opposite direction, and the does will blow and snort, and every deer in the area is on red alert.

The other possibility is the deer may move slowly away, using every bit of available cover, and never make a sound. Those deer are seldom if ever seen by a sportsman.

So here we are with about 11 hunting days left. The deer haven’t been moving well, and when they do move, it is just before dark.

The only thing I can think to do is to get to your stand a bit earlier than normal because deer can and will pattern hunters. If they see humans at a certain time two or three days in a row, it’s easy to assume they are alerted to human activity. They may move off and get into an area where they haven’t seen a hunter.

Your buddy climbing quietly into his tree stand may just bump a deer that moves away from his activity and that movement may place the buck in front of you. In the old days, hunters would get cold and move around a bit, and the deer would bump into another hunter.

Now, in this era of hunting coops, it seems that no one moves much. If you know that other hunters get into their stand at 3:30 p.m., for instance, it may pay to be in your stand at 2:30 or 3 p.m.

Complaining about the weather doesn’t work. All we can do is vary our routine, and hope the actions of other hunter will push a dandy buck out in front of you. It’s worth a try during the waning days of this deer season.—The Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

A Case For Reducing Our Doe Numbers

The only difference between managing a private deer herd and the state managing its deer herd is the number of animals involved. A simple equation must be kept in mind at all time.

Deer management occurs by controlling the numbers of antlerless deer. Too many does quickly leads to an out-of-balance deer herd. Once that deer herd gets too far out of balance it is difficult to bring it back.

Herd numbers can be controlled through legal hunting, and the primary focus of management on my land is through hunting. We manage for big bucks, and that means taking small antlerless deer.

Some of this herd management occurs during the early bow season. We encourage our hunters to shoot a young doe fawn, and allow the adult does to do the breeding.

This always results in a few does taken, but not nearly as many as is needed. More does are shot during the firearm deer season, and then it takes a few weeks before the animals begin to move in a somewhat normal pattern again.

Muzzleloader hunting allows us to take even more does, and once the bow season gets underway, a few more deer are taken. However, we often approach the end of the year with the need to take more deer.

Once snow covers the ground, and competition for food is keen, we will keep whittling away at the antlers deer numbers. It’s a slow process to remove the number we feel is necessary to maintain a private deer herd with far fewer immature does.

One other problem the state has with deer management is managing the people who hunt them. Here at the Buck Pole Deer Ranch, we also have to manage hunters. Friends often help me remove does, and it’s a thankless job to do so. I trust these people to shoot does and not the larger bucks, which provide a tempting target.

The state has 730,000 hunters to help them take antlerless deer. There is me, some family members and a few friends, who help me remove excess doe numbers. Some may find this process disturbing, but it’s no different for us than for the state except for the numbers of hunters who hunt and number of deer removed.

We look for small deer, check to see that no growths extending above the skull, as is true with button-bucks. We avoid taking button-bucks whenever possible, and concentrate on the small does. It’s a fact that if the winter is long, cold with plenty of snow, many of these late-born antlerless deer will perish from starvation because larger deer won’t allow them to feed.

A killing shot eliminates that particular young animal, and it provides some of the finest eating to be had. The venison from a young doe taken during the fall and early winter is absolutely wonderful. It is fork-tender, and although there isn’t much meat from one of these younger animals, what there is can provide marvelous meals.

I’ve learned over the many years of owning my private deer herd that killing some of the young does isn’t fun, but many of these animals are given to people who genuinely need the protein. We manage our deer for the greatest good of the resource, and some hungry folks get fed.

The result is a healthy deer herd with plenty of bucks. That is what herd management delivers. --The Whitetail Wizard

Monday, December 18, 2006

Tricking Out a New Bow

A gentleman came into the archery shop today, toting a bow made by another manufacturer, and told me he could really shoot his old bow.

He wondered if a C.P. Oneida Black Eagle or Extreme bow could make him shoot better. I suggested he shoot a dozen arrows with his bow.

He had the bow all tricked out. A ultra-large peep site, five fiber optic sight pins set for various distances, a level on his sight bar to make certain he wasn’t canting the bow, and he began to shoot.

The guy was one of the best shots I’ve seen in years. He could lay a dozen arrows side by side, top and bottom at 20 yards, and have 12 arrows whose nocks could be covered by a silver dollar.

“Mighty fine shooting,” I told him. “Now let’s try shooting one of my bows. We’ll start right out with the Extreme.”

I handed the bow to him, and he complained that it didn’t have a peep site nor did it have sight pins.

“You don’t need sight pins and a peep sight with this bow,” I advised him. “Just give it a try. Hold your head up straight, look at the target, keep both eyes open and come to a firm anchor point. The red dot will be perfectly aligned with the target and your eye. Here, give it a try.”

He did everything right except hold his head up straight, and he closed one eye. He said that is how he shot with his peep sight and sight pins.

“Well, this is a bit different,” I said. “Just try it a few times my way. You have to undo one habit and create another habit with your eyes.”

The man was a quick learn. He brought the bow up, held his head up, kept both eyes on the target, and when the red dot came to rest on the target, he hit the release trigger. He shot another arrow.

“It looks like they are close to the target and to each other,” he said as we walked down to remove the arrows. Both arrows were barely touching each other. “That’s pretty good for my first two arrows with a new bow.”

He stood back at the 20-yard line, and shot one arrow after another. Plunk, plunk plunk ... they all thumped into the target. The guy was like a machine, and once he said “uh-oh.”

We walked down to pull his arrows again, and his group was something to see. The 12 arrows were too close together in some cases.

He had stacked two arrow, shot vanes or nocks off two other arrows, and three of his aluminum shafts had grooves down them. It was a group as good as any I’ve seen in all of my years in this business. The nocks could have been covered with a 25-cent piece.

“How about that?” he said, while turning and grinning at me. “Is that a tight group or what? It’s the best group I’ve ever shot.”

I shook his hand, and politely inquired whether he’d come close to shooting that type of group with his old bow. He said he hadn’t, and also said that it was the first time he’d ever stacked an arrow.

“Can I shoot some more?” he asked. “I want to shoot again to make sure that wasn’t an accident.”

Since he was shooting his arrows, I politely told him that he only had five more arrows because he had stacked two, shot the nocks or vanes off some, and had grooved three others.

He could have cared less. He shot his remaining five arrows, and the group was so tight that he grooved two more arrows. As this rate, by the time he was done, he’d need another dozen arrows. I resisted the temptation to rub my hands together.

He shot what was left, and asked the question: “How much?” I gave him the answer, and he wondered about the carbon arrows. I suggested he shoot some of mine. and he quickly ruined two of them.

I’ll take the bow, the red-dot sight, a dozen carbon arrow, and one of those releases you use. He asked if I wanted his old bow, and I said I had no use for it, and he said he couldn’t put two bows in one case, so if I didn’t mind, he’d leave the bow here and take his new bow home in his old case.

The whole thing didn’t take 60 minutes, and here again, I didn’t have to do any selling. The bow, sight and release sold itself.

Now, the burning question now is: what will I do with his old bow?—The Whitetail Wizard

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Sunshine & Moving Deer

OK, today wasn’t a complete waste. The sun came out, and some deer moved as the weather turned colder this afternoon.

The only bad news was the wind was gusty. The deer seemed to greet the sunshine much like humans do. It almost acts like they enjoyed the day after this lengthy spate of rain, snow and high winds.

Sunshine is like what our parents used to tell us about cod liver oil. It’s good for you. Now me, I could never swallow that philosophy or the nasty tasting stuff.

A few deer were wandering around my hunting area back in the heavy cover, and also more deer were spotted out in the fields, so it appears as if they are moving a bit more often now. That can change.

It’s an odd thing, this movement or lack of deer movement. I’ve also seen it when it comes to steelhead fishing. A bit of sunshine seems to perk everything up, including the angler and hunter.

Over countless years of watching deer, and paying attention to what seems to trigger their actions, sunshine after a lengthy spell of cloudy weather seems to do it. The same applies just before a big storm comes blasting through the area, and the deer seem to enjoy the sunshine but move before the storm to fill their belly.

It can be interesting to watch deer moving for the first time once the sky clears. Some tread slowly while others dash out of heavy cover and scamper about like children.

Deer, however, can be very cautious. Look at it this way: the animals have survived October and early November bow hunters, the Nov. 15-30 firearm season, and the December muzzleloader season and December bow season. Those deer that have survived have probably seen other deer get killed, and that’s why these animals move slowly.

They check out their surroundings, test the wind, stand motionless in thick cover for long moments, and they are looking for danger. It doesn’t take much to trigger Panicked movement from these deer.

They often spook from the sight of a bird flying overhead, and I’ve seen deer run nonstop for 200 yards when a chipmunk or squirrel scampers through frosted leaves. A car door slamming 300 yards upwind will accomplish the same thing. Any foreign noise or movement spells imminent danger to deer, and they usually take evasive action to avoid any confrontation.

The sunshine is wonderful after a long spell after dark clouds and overcast skies, but remember that deer have been in danger for almost three full months. More December deer are spooked by a slight noise or movement than for any other reason except being winded.

Deer will constantly test the wind, and being downwind of the animal is the best advice any hunter can remember. Just because the sun has come out, and the deer have moved a bit, doesn’t mean the animals can’t be scared away.

Just once this month, consider what deer do from their point of view. They move slowly, stop often, and look hard at things and sniff the breeze. They expect danger but they don’t expect an absence of perceived danger.

Be quiet, don’t move, and set up in a stand where the animal will always be upwind. Do that, and it’s still possible to kill a December whitetail.—The Whitetail Wizard