Whitetail Wizard

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

My Deer Book Will Soon Be Available

It’s been nearly nine months, and my baby will be born in the next two to three weeks. And I’m really excited about the upcoming birth.

My baby is my new deer hunting book. The title is: The Life Of The Legendary Whitetail Wizard, and pardon me if I brag a bit, but I’m mighty proud of it. My good friend Dave Richey http://www.daverichey.com had been after me for at least 15 years to write a book of my life and share some of my bow hunting strategies and tricks.

He kept me pointed in the right direction, demanded face-to-face meetings during his editing process, corrected my errors, and Kay Richey did all of the prepublication lay-out work with photos and text to hammer this book into shape. The cover is shown above.

The book is being published on high-quality paper, filled with (haven’t counted them yet) about 200 color photos and just a few black-and-white photos, and we expect publication sometime about Nov. 15. The photos are courtesy of Dave Richey, Dennis Buchner and from my family. Books will be shipped out upon arrival from the printer.

So what is this book? It contains much about my life, and more about me buying and building the new C. P. Oneida Eagle Bow Company, about my Buck Pole Archery Shop, the Buck Pole Deer Ranch and many bow-hunting tales. It is more than just about me shooting big bucks on my ranch; it also covers my hunts in other states and in Ontario and Quebec. On these out-of-state hunts I’ve taken antelope, black bear, caribou, deer, elk, javelina, moose, mule deer, nilghi and other game.

I’m constantly being asked by visitors and hunters who come to my archery shop to teach them how to accurately shoot a bow. I’ve labored long and hard for over 20 years to make our bows the best in the archery industry and I believe we’ve succeeded. To prevent anyone from misunderstanding me, I haven’t owned the Oneida Bow Company that long, but I’ve sold their bows for over two decades and bought the company in 2000.

One might wonder what my book brings to the deer-hunting table. There is much of what I write about that consists of hunting techniques that I developed years ago, and many of these tactics have never appeared in book form before. My wind direction testing method is worth the price of the book itself, and it works wherever the wind blows.

Some of my early life is covered, and how we hunted deer back in the 1940s and 1950s when few people hunted with a bow. I’ve hunted with a long bow, recurve and compound, and have over 60 years of bow-hunting experience. Sixty years of hunting deer means I’ve witnessed the highs and lows of deer numbers in this state, and I dare say that few people have killed as many bucks as I have. That’s no brag, just fact.

These days I preach proper deer management, and on a ranch the size of mine (1,024 contiguous acres), it’s not only necessary but vital that the doe numbers be held in check. Right now, on my ranch, the deer herd is about one buck to one doe, something even the large Texas ranches have trouble doing.

I’m long on teaching newcomers how to shoot accurately. I stress perfect practice, and offer alternative methods for practice around the house. My method is much like shooting instinctively, and people who use my internal red-dot sight (legal in Michigan and in most but not all states) can learn to shoot far better than they ever dreamed possible.

My book covers my life, buying the archery business, how to learn to shoot with great accuracy, hunting the rut, scoring live big bucks in the field, and much more. It is literally filled from cover to cover with color photos of live (and a few dead) deer. The book is loaded with solid how-to information from my 60+ years of deer-hunting experience.

I am selling two different books. Both have the same internal content with one exception. The limited edition of 250 numbered and signed copies has a limitation page and the paperback does not. The limited edition is a hardbound book.

Books are available by sending checks payable to Claude Pollington. Order from Buck Pole Archery Shop, 20669 30 th Avenue, Marion, MI 49665. Phone (231) 743-2427 and ask for Lori for credit card orders or for in-store sales. The price for the paperback edition is $35 postpaid. The limited edition copies are numbered and signed by me, and will sell for $110 postpaid.

More than half of the limited edition books have already been ordered, and it’s expected this printing of 250 numbered and signed copies will be sold out by the time the books are available to the public.

Order now to avoid disappointment. Thank you, one and all, for your patience.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Learning How To Shoot A Good Buck

The above title may be misleading to some hunters. Everyone who owns a bow, and who hunts for deer, thinks they have it figured out.

Without a word of bragging, few people have shot as many bucks as I have, and learning to shoot them consistently means several things.

Practice is important but perfect practice means doing everything right, every time. I sell bows for a living, and everyone who comes in to buy a C.P. Oneida bow, gets a large measure of personal attention from me, my son Matt or other members of my staff.

Shooting a buck with a bow is more difficult than drawing back and sending an arrow downrange toward the animal. A great deal of concentration is required, and we can advise you to have total concentration when taking a shot, but we can’t make you do it.

Total concentration only comes from many, many hours of practice and countless hours in the field studying whitetail bucks at bow range. Hitting a paper target consistently is quite easy because it isn’t moving.

A buck often has his head up or down, is moving or standing still, is listening intently for anything that may represent danger, but deer are basket cases of raw nerve endings. They are flighty, suspicious even of birds flying overhead, and they require far more skill to arrow than a paper target. They are living, breathing and cautious animals.

All good bow hunters develop their own shooting style, and it works well for them. Some people have a step-by-step procedure they follow, time after time, and it produce bucks for them.

I know a woman who has a step-by-step method. Here is what works for her: Keep both eyes on the buck, wait until the deer offers the best broadside or quartering away shot, know the exact yardage to the animal, watch the buck with both eyes, come to full draw, center the red-dot on a specific hair behind the front shoulder, double-check that a firm anchor point has be attained, take a breath, let it out, double-check the aiming point and anchor point, and touch the release trigger.

These specific steps come into her mind as Step 1, Step 2, etc. She has shot over 100 bucks, and still she follows her step-by-step procedure. It ensures that she doesn’t miss a step, and the mechanics of doing so enables her to calm her nerves before the shot.

I know many hunters who have a similar procedure when it comes time to shoot a buck. One piece of advice I offer is that once you establish the deer is a buck, and one you wish to shoot, forget about the antlers and concentrate on where the arrow must go.

All too often, a hunter spots a big buck, gasps at the size of the antlers, and hurriedly rips the bow back to full draw and whistles an arrow toward the deer. If they have been awed by the mass of antlers, it’s possible that they will shoot at the antlers.

Forget the head gear, and aim for a killing shot. I’ve never seen a hunter kill a buck by shooting it in the antlers, but have seen bucks that were hit in the antlers run off, unhurt.

Mechanical skills are exceedingly important, but so too is the art of total concentration. Let everything in your mind drift away, and concentrate on making a smooth and deliberate draw. Keep the head up with both eyes open, and concentrate only on the target area. Don’t lose your focus, and don’t lift your head when you shoot.

More deer are missed because the hunter lifted his/her head at the shot to see if they hit the deer. I know I hit the deer when I see the vanes disappear into the buck’s chest and hear that fluttering sound as the wounded animal takes out my Game Tracker string.

Properly done with the required amount of shooting skills and mental concentration, shooting a buck is easy. Hunters with a one-track mind, and the ability to focus on the job at hand, are the ones who arrow a buck every year.

Those who get caught up in the moment, and allow their mind to wander while aiming and shooting, are those who require more practice and must acquire a higher level of patience. Never take a hurry-up shot, and never lose your concentration.

Practice, and keep all of these little things in mind, and shooting a buck becomes much easier.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Bad Vision Needs A Red-Dot Bow Sight

My longtime buddy Dave Richey has been an outdoor writer for 40 years, and he and I have hunted together on many occasions. We taken a passel of deer on our hunts from Georgia to Michigan, and we’ve traveled as far as the Ungava Bay region of Quebec for caribou.

Twenty-some years ago he turned me on to a red-dot sight, and I manufactured a bow mount for it. That early red-dot sight was developed primarily for handguns, but once my bow mount became available, it took bow shooting to a whole new level.

And, oddly enough, the man who introduced me to the red-dot system is now benefitting from it. About eight years ago he lost his vision in his left eye, and now has reduced vision in his right eye.

He tried the fancy sights, lighted sight pins, and nothing seemed to help. I had him try what originally was his brainstorm after further changes, and suddenly he was back to shooting with confidence.

He has had seven surgeries on his left eye and nine on the right. To say his vision has deteriorated is an understatement.

However, he has fought a long battle with glaucoma, a vision-robbing eye disease. One night I put him in a pit blind on my land, and he made a perfect shot on a beautiful 8-point buck.

The story doesn’t end there. He feels, and has spoken and written about the red-dot sight for many years. He’s a firm believer in using my Pollington 33mm red-dot sight because it enables him to continue hunting with a bow.

“I’ve found that using a red-dot sight helps me see the deer well,” he said. “I know what my limitations are, and never shoot beyond 15 yards. My vision fades dramatically 15 minutes before legal shooting time ends, so any shots taken must come before then.

“That makes me concentrate on waiting for a deer to provide a broadside or quartering-away shot. I take only high-percentage killing shots, and last night’s buck was a classic example. Had that buck waited another five minutes, I would have passed up the shot regardless of how tempting it was.”

He said that red-dot sights are legal to use in Michigan and many other states (but not all) because the light is internal and doesn’t shine any visible light on the animal. The size of the red-dot is rheostat controlled, and goes from a big fat red spot for shooting in bright sunlight down to a tiny dot smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.

“Many people have impaired vision,” he said. “The red-dot sight helps them focus their attention on where they want the arrow to hit. Like any bow sight, it must be sighted in. Once it is, the hunter comes to full draw at his or her anchor point, raises the bow until the dot is on the target, and make a smooth release.

“It helps hunters to keep from canting their bow, and it forces them to do everything right. A sloppy anchor point means the hunter won’t be able to see the red-dot, and that should keep them from shooting.”

Richey doesn’t complain about his vision problem. He feels if nothing can be done to correct the problem, than it’s important to do everything right. I’ve seen countless bucks he has shot, and the arrow is always in the heart-lung area.

A red-dot sight isn’t for everyone. I know that and most hunters know that, but it is the perfect bow sight for people with vision problems. And oddly enough, it also works very well for people with keen eye sight.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

What Is A Bow Hunter?

The above title is a question that has been asked of me many times, and it’s always a very difficult one to answer. A true bow hunter is a combination of many things, all of which are upstanding and good.

*A bow hunter is ...

*A person who revels in nature, loves the outdoors, seeks a difficult challenge, equals the odds between hunted and hunter as much as possible, and who is finely tuned to the ways of the game we seek.

*One who seeks his or her game on a one-on-one basis, and who strives to get close enough to deliver a quick and certain death from a well-placed arrow.

*A person who masters accurate arrow placement, and one who spends long hours testing personal mettle against a whitetail buck that is more attuned to its surroundings than we are. This person shrugs off rain, forgets about windy weather, and laughs at a snow storm. Deer hunters hunt deer, and weather conditions are meaningless. We become one with the weather, and use it whenever possible, to our advantage.

*A hunter who thrills to the small things, and takes brief moments each day to savor the wildness of the animal being hunting and the land where such game lives. We don’t live for the kill; we live to have had the opportunity in this free society to hunt in a well regulated manner.

*Someone who knows that getting close to game means knowing and playing the wind, studying the habits of deer, knowing how and when to move, and being one with his bow and the land. He or she finds more love in the act of hunting than in the act of killing although the two are ever-entwined and a respect for the game we hunt is most important.

*One who enjoys the fine feel of a smooth bow, the effortless drawing of the string, the smooth feel of a carbon arrow, and the “whisst” of a arrow leaving the bow. It’s the silent but straight flight of an arrow, and seeing the broadhead hit where we aim.

*Having the knowledge of deer habits that allow us to defeat the most important protections that deer possess: the sense of a deer hearing the faint whisper of clothing against rough bark; a flicker of movement as a hunter comes to full draw prior to a shot; or the deer’s sense of smell that allow them to pinpoint a careless human presence.

*More than just someone who takes but gives nothing back to nature. A bow hunter is more than a person dressed in camo clothing with a hunting license in his pocket. We are caring, giving folks, who pursue deer with a passion. We are superb hunters because we must be to get close shots at 15 to 20 yards. We are the supreme hunting predator, and we take pride in our accomplishments without having to brag.

*It is teaching our children, and our grandchildren, this ancient art of bow hunting. What we do is a time-honored tradition, and it is a way of life for us and for others who will follow the bow hunter’s creed.

We, as avid bow hunters, are above-average in our hunting skills. We rely less on luck, and work hard to elevate those hunting skills that allow us to succeed. We hunt, not because our friends do, but because we must. We need to hunt and we must hunt in order to achieve these skills, and it is through long hours of practice that we become proficient.

We are bow hunters, and we are most proud of it.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Use Natural Sounds While Deer Hunting

The big buck moved two or three feet at a time, stopped, studied the terrain on both sides and in front of him, sniffed the air, and then moved forward again.

He was going nowhere fast. It was obvious this buck had been spooked by another hunter sometime in the past, and he was cautious. There were no other deer nearby—just him—and he was taking his time.

Another few steps, and a slight turn, and he would be in range. I looked at my watch, and knew this buck was mine. Every day at about the same time the school bus would come clattering down the highway, stop in front of a nearby house, and the buck would raise his head and look toward the road and listen to the noisy kids.

He had just finished taking those steps when the noisy bus came to a gear-grinding stop. The big 8-point raised his head, looked out toward the road, and the sounds of the kids getting off the bus caused him to raise his ears. It was a natural sound he had heard many times before.

What he didn’t hear was my bow coming back to full draw as he stood quartering away. The arrow sliced in and that buck ran 60 yards before falling, his ears still hearing the children chattering out at the road.

Deer are accustomed to hearing all types of sounds. Some are heard so often they become second nature to a deer. A buck or doe hears the sound, recognizes it for what it is, and doesn’t become alarmed.

These natural sounds can work to a bow hunter’s advantage. I’ve deliberately placed elevated coops where the slightest wind will cause the tips of branches to rub against the roof of the wooden stand. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out when to draw on a deer standing out in front of that blind. That deer is accustomed to that sound, and hunters should wait until the branches start rubbing against the stand, and then draw, aim and shoot.

Years ago I had a stand placed on the ground near two trees growing out of a single trunk. Any breeze at all, no matter how softly, would cause those two trees to creak. I used the “creaking tree” trick to shoot a number of fine bucks over the years.

I had a stand once that seemed to be directly under the flight path of the Detroit-Traverse City late-afternoon or early evening flight. Perhaps this buck couldn’t understand what the noise was, but every day he would stop, lift his head up, point his nose toward that passing jet, and it always provided me with an easy shot.

I passed on shots at that buck for two years, waiting for him to grow a decent rack, and when he did and came by and was in front of me when the jet flew over, it was an easy shot.

Squirrels running through dry autumn leaves always seem to attract the attention of deer. They may see that squirrel running through the woods a dozen times each day, but whenever they scampered from one tree to another, deer often turn to look at them. This often provides enough noise to cover the drawing of your bow, and the scampering squirrel is actually working on your behalf.

Birds flit overhead, land in nearby trees, and are common sights for deer but they always turn to look at flying birds. The movement catches their attention.

Crows fly overhead, cawing like crazy, making enough racket so 10 people could draw their bows. Deer seem to pay more attention to a crow when it is nearby rather than when 300 or 400 yards away.

Bluejays serve the same purpose as crows except they don’t tend to range as far. Jays often flit from bush to tree limb, to the ground, and up to a tree again. Each time the bird moves it attracts the attention of a deer, and when the deer turns to look at the jay, that is the time to make your draw providing the animal is positioned properly.

Hunters must learn to take every possible advantage offered by natural every-day sounds. Wait for the deer to get perfectly positioned, and wait for a noise of movement nearby to attract their attention.

Use that time to come to full draw. Don’t hurry it because hunters usually have more time to aim and shoot than they think. Acquire the proper sight picture, hold steady, and make a smooth release.

Hunters who learn this trick seldom go without venison during the winter months. The Whitetail Wizard

Friday, October 26, 2007

Avoid Tunnel Vision When Deer Hunting

Tunnel vision occurs when a person is in a high-stress mode. The buck is seen approaching, and every so slowly it moves your way, and you want to shoot that buck. You need a strong desire to take the animal.

It stops, rubs a tree briefly, then stands back to admire his handiwork, hits another lick on the bark, checks it out again, and continues your way. He stops, and can’t smell you or any danger, but he is in no rush.

The anxiety level builds after the third or fourth stop to putter around doing big-buck things, and then he moved forward again. He is now 50 yards away and will soon have a date with destiny. Your breath is labored and ragged, and you feel a bit light headed.

His antlers are big, possibly the largest whitetail buck you’ve ever seen in the wild. He stands, out of bow range, and surveys the area. He doesn’t smell or see any danger, but he didn’t grow a rack with 10 good long points and a 20-inch inside spread by being dumb.

He stands, motionless, head up and looking around. He’s not spooky, just careful.

Satisfied, he moves to within 40 yards. The rack seems to grow even larger the closer he gets. You are sucking air, and begging for a 20-yard broadside side. The thought of shooting this buck makes you dizzy with excitement, and your heart is racing. A full load of adrenaline is streaming through your system, and the buck closes to 35 yards and then to 30, where he stands behind a thin screen of brush. Jolt after jolt of adrenaline has you as wired as drinking 10 cans of Ya-Hoo.

He offers a brief 25-yard shot but your eyes are riveted on that rack, and you don’t want to make a mistake. He’s coming, just let him move into the 20-yard range and then wait for a broadside or quartering-away shot at this huge buck.

Finally, he steps into range, turns to offer a quartering-away shot at 20 yards. The buck stares off toward other deer 100 yards away in the field, and you raise your bow, stare at the antlers again, come to full draw, aim and turn loose an arrow.

There is a large whack noise, and the buck races off while the arrow and broadhead sail off into the brush. Exciting, knowing you made a killing shot, you climb down and follow the Game Tracker string to the arrow. There isn’t a drop of blood on the arrow anywhere.

Tunnel vision had set in and when the hunter aimed and shot, he aimed at the major focal point on that buck—the antlers. He forgot to force himself to pick a spot behind the front shoulder. His continuous focus on the buck and his majestic antler was his undoing, and that is where he aimed.

Total concentration is paramount during the aiming process. Once I know a buck has antlers, and decide to shoot him, I never look at the antlers again. I focus on the heart-lung area, shoot and the deer dies.

A buddy of mine went on a wild boar hunt down to Tennessee with me, and I warned him against studying the length of the boar’s tushes. These big curved teeth are fascinating, and my friend looked at the teeth, aimed and hit the boar in the top of the head. It wasn’t an immediate killing shot, and I hollered to “shoot for the heart-lung area.” He did, and the boar died a quick death.

Tunnel vision doesn’t just happen to police officers in a fire-fight with some bad guys. It happens to hunters all the time, and most often to sportsmen with very little experience.

It can ruin a hunt, but there is no need for it. The trick is to determine whether it has antlers, and if it is what you want. Once that has been determined, forget about them, and intently focus on the vital area.

Once you draw back the arrow, and aim, do not look at the antlers. Pick a tiny spot, concentrate on that spot, make a smooth release, and do not drop your bow until the arrow makes contact with the deer.

Big bucks come often to the television hunters, but for most bow hunters like you and me, it can be a once-in-a-lifetime deal. The timing is too important to waste time missing an easy shot. Concentration, and not tunnel vision, is the key to success.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Close But No Cigar

The big buck appeared like a ghost from a bad dream. One minute there was nothing nearby, and the next found me looking at a 150-class whitetail buck.

He was 75 yards away, moving in my general direction through the fringe of a swampy wooded area. He moved slowly and cautiously, the way big bucks do once they’ve been shot at.

This big boy was an old buck, and I saw him once the year before but such thoughts often leave something to the imagination. My guess was that he was 5 1/2 years old, and had survived this long by being smarter than the average buck.

He tested the wind constantly, stood for long minutes checking things out before committing to a move, and I knew where he was heading. A nearby corn field had been half picked, and we’re hoping to get all of the field harvested before the predicted weekend rains arrived.

The buck nosed the ground, following the track made by an unseen deer for 10 yards before turning back on his course toward the corn. At this pace, it would reach the dinner table just after dark.

The question was whether he would reach me or pass out of range through marsh grass and scrub brush before shooting time ended. A doe came squirting out of the marsh grass, moving away from the buck. The rut is coming fast, but she was nervous but he didn’t pursue her.

His intentions seemed quite clear: reach the corn field right at dark, feed, terrorize the younger bucks and young does, and be back bedded down before daylight broke across my ranch.

He kept coming, and was soon at 60 yards. There was a time when I was confident at shooting at deer, and killing them, at that distance. I’ve shot many bucks over the years, but this one was too grand an animal to try such an unwarranted shot in fairly thick cover. I never shoot at a buck that I’m not 100 percent confident of killing.

My bow was in my hand, and this was the largest buck I’d seen lately, but he would either come close enough for a slam-dunk easy shot or he’d continue on about his business.

He eventually reached the edge of thick cover, and would move through more open upland woods ... if he stayed his course. He would move out of the heavy cover and into the open, and then duck back in the cover, zigzagging ever closer to me.

He minced along like he had sore feet, and stopped every few steps. He was now 35 yards away, but still in heavy cover when his heavy white antlers could be seen. In fact, it was one glimpse of white antlers going up and down as he rubbed a tree that first caught my attention.

The wind was swinging a bit from north to northwest, and then he turned and seemed to move closer toward me. That turned out to be an illusion as he walked around a wind-toppled tree.

My watch showed there was but 10 minutes of shooting time left, and he was now at 30 yards but still five yards inside thick cover. The suspense continued to build with each step he took, and the big question was whether he would start sliding toward the more open part of the funnel or stay back where it was thick.

I’d shot a number of bucks from this spot, and all of them had walked into the thin part of the cover. One spot offered a 20-yard open shot but he was still 25 yards from it.

The clock was ticking, and even though I’ve shot many bucks this size over many years, each one is a new adventure. Honestly, the wait is an adrenalin-filled rush. He stepped forward, almost to the edge of the thin cover, and I’m glancing at my watch.

There was five minutes left, and two more steps would put him into the opening where I’d have an easy broadside shot. He put his head down, rocked on his feet, but didn’t move forward.

My bow was up, and I was ready to draw, but still he stood, rooted in one spot. And he was still standing there, two steps from a clean shot, when shooting time ran out.

He was so close, and yet so far away, and he stood there for 10 more minutes before moving on toward the corn field. It was a wonderful hunt, filled with heart-pounding excitement right up until the end, and after he moved off, I headed home.

Knowing that buck is there is important. I may or may not shoot him, but I will hunt him again. He is too big to ignore.—The Whitetail Wizard

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

More Rainy-Day Whitetails

There are times when a bow hunter can hear a whitetail coming for 100 yards. If the animal is upwind, and the leaves are as dry as corn flakes, the sound carries for a long distance.

Whitetails depend on their hearing for survival, and dry leaves advertise their presence. The opposite is true when it rains.

The leaves soak up the rainy weather, and a whitetail can ghost through the woods with barely a sound. This is an important reason for hunters to spend time in the woods when the rain is falling.

I’ve written before that deer love to travel when a soft misty rain is falling. There is a soft pitter-patting sound under such conditions, but it doesn’t seem to bother the deer. They seem to be able to separate that soft noise from a dangerous noise without a problem.

These soft rains seem to get deer moving earlier in the evening, and it appears that deer move with more confidence during a soft rain. They appear more comfortable moving between bedding and feeding areas, and they seem to eat and move without hesitation.

I’ve had customers ask if I feel a soft rain will carry human scent downward. I believe, to a small degree, that it does. I also think that low-lying ground fog will hold human scent near the ground.

Soft rains and fog seem to go hand in hand during the autumn months, and I’ve seen some of my largest bucks under such conditions. The fog seems to offer big bucks a sense of security, and they seem to be on the move. This is most certainly true during the pre-rut, rut and post-rut, when buck and doe activity is high.

One thing about fog is it distorts the sense of sound. I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to a buck grunting as he tends an estrus doe, and in the fog, my vision and hearing is limited. I’ve seen bucks appear and disappear in the rainy fog without ever seeing the doe, and there have been many times when the doe is visible but the tending buck cannot be seen.

It’s at times like this that a hunter has to be alert. I remember one night several years ago just before the Nov. 15 firearm season opener, when I saw a half-dozen bucks appear and vanish into the fog. All were moving, all were grunting, and the antler and body size of each one indicated they were individual animals.

Judging distance in the fog can be difficult. I’ve talked with a number of people who know the far edge of their bait pile is 20 yards away, and if a doe or buck appears in heavy fog, they feel the animal is much farther away that it appears. They aim high to compensate for this imagined difference and shoot over the animal.

The best advice is to put out markers if you are not using bait. A measured distance must be believed, even if the fog makes the animal appear much farther away than what it is.

I like rain on the roof, rain after my crops are planted, and rain (on occasion) when I’m hunting. I dislike a steady diet of it, and I compare that to eating steak every night. One soon grows tired of it.

Hunting in the rain isn’t too bad. It offers something a little different to a bow hunter, and that is fine by me. I enjoy a variety, a change of pace, in my hunting, and I can hunt in anything except a downpour or when the lightning is dancing in the sky.

Most of all, I like to hunt in those soft misty evening when the darkness comes early because of heavy rain clouds overhead, and when the whitetails seem to slip up on a guy. That is when a hunt really means something to me.—The Whitetail Wizard

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

My Hotspot Wasn’t So Hot Tonight

A great thing about deer hunting is it’s much like Michigan’s weather. If you don’t like it today, wait until tomorrow and it will probably change.

Tonight’s weather featured a cool snap with a temperature in the low 40s when I climbed into the stand. Over the year, bow hunters often play hunches, and sometimes they pay off and other times they don’t.

My brainstorm flopped tonight. The wind had been northwest, which was fine for my spot, and it was supposed to switch northwest which would be even better.

When it comes to weather forecasters, it’s hard to trust them. Instead of the wind going northwest as predicted, it went north. It’s not a good wind for my spot even though I was inside an elevated coop.

Three bucks came to me tonight, sneaking with the wind and skirting the cover edge. One was a big buck with light antlers in places, and other spots were darker from rubbing on trees and dragging his tines through his scrape.

There wasn’t a doe in sight, and these three buddies seem to have lost any love they once shared for each other, and it was a night of hard stares, ears flattened to the skull and all seemed as lost as I felt.

The bucks moved to me early, stayed out of range and seemed content to circle the little wood-lot where my stand was. It was obvious they were looking for does, and equally obvious they were looking for love in all the wrong places.

The smaller buck headed out for parts unknown after just a couple minutes of trying to be friends with the other two. Perhaps he was the smartest buck of the bunch.

The two bucks—one a big 8-point and the other a decent 10-pointer—acted like two adolescents who have been stood up on their first date. They milled around, shuffled their feet and once I thought the larger buck would move my way and into the open, but he seemed content to hang back in heavier cover.

The biggest buck apparently thought the departing buck may have known something he didn’t, and with two jumps was in full stride. The 8-pointer stayed with what appeared to be his only plan, and then came the unmistakable sound of a buck grunting in the distance.

The sound was moving toward this buck, and he seemed a bit fidgety because this critter was likely bigger than he was. He faded into the brush, disappeared and then a doe darted down the trail. A minute later a nice wide-racked buck came through the brush, scent trailing her from downwind.

His downwind path took him through heavy cover and out of my sight. He could be heard grunting for two or three minutes before the sounds faded away.

I stayed until the end of shooting time, and lowered my bow and walked out of the woods. Not a single deer snorted at me, and the open field was still light enough to see.

There wasn’t a deer in sight. Who knows, but perhaps tomorrow evening will be a hot time at the old hotspot. Tonight’s hunch didn’t pay off, but whatever my decision tomorrow may be, some deer will probably pass in front of me. And, for any bow hunter, we can’t ask for anything more.