Claude Pollington the Whitetail Wizard
Opening Day
Oct. 1 can be the best time of all to shoot a whitetail buck, but it’s also a time when hunters make some common mistakes. I’ve hunted for many years, and when I make a mistake now, I learn by it. There are many ways for hunters to mess up. Here are 10 common mistakes that bow hunters make. *Know exactly where you are going. Hunters who blunder around before dawn or late in the afternoon trying to find their ground blind or tree stand often spook deer. Sometimes they scare animals that never blow or snort, and the hunter proceeds to his or her stand hoping for a great hunt. Know your way in and know your way out, and don’t cover more ground than is necessary. *Don’t get too jumpy and take hasty shots. There are two high-percentage shots: broadside and quartering away. A hurry-up-and-shoot shot often is not as well aimed as we think, and a low-grade shot likely will wound a deer. A wounded animal can spook other deer from that hunting location. Wait and take a good shot. *Take your time. Don’t take the shot a deer gives you; wait and allow the animal to settle down before drawing, aiming and shooting. If deer are not spooked, they often will mill around before moving out of the woods. Wait out the buck, and if he doesn’t provide a good shot, hold your fire and try for him again another day.
*Hopefully every hunter will have determined where bucks will travel in their area. If a hunter climbs into his stand early enough, rather than an hour before shooting time ends, he may be rewarded with a shot at a buck he has seen many times. If the stand is properly positioned, sit still and wait patiently for your opportunity. *Make certain you are downwind of the travel trail. Watch for sudden wind direction changes, and if the wind blows into the area where the buck comes from, leave. Sticking it out in a stand and hoping the wind will switch may lead to to scaring off any buck or doe. *Being downwind and scent-free is only part of this deer-hunting puzzle. Hunters also must sit still. That means being absolutely motionless, and few people can sit without moving a muscle for two, three or four hours. Even a small movement at the wrong time can spook deer from your hunting area, and they may not return. *Make certain that no part of your ground blind or tree stand squeaks.
A faint squeak when a buck is within 100 yards can scare off the animal. This also means not having anything that can be accidentally knocked to the ground. A dropped bow release can bounce off a ladder-stand, and scare an unseen but nearby buck out of its wits. *A common mistake that first-time bow hunters make when hunting over bait is to shoot the first deer they see. Ninety-five percent of the time the first deer to the bait will be a button buck. Sit back, study the animal through binoculars, and wait for other deer to arrive. Hunters who shoot the first deer to a bait site almost always shoot button bucks. Wait, allow the doe fawn and their mother to feed, and often during the last 30 minutes of shooting time, a buck will arrive. *Hunters who have deer nearby when shooting time ends should un-nock their arrow, and sit quietly and wait for the deer to feed off. Sometimes the hunter may have to sit for 30 minutes after dark before they move on. A hunter who moves when deer are nearby will never see a good buck. Stay legal, remove the arrow and wait. *Deer can’t count. If two hunters arrive on a four-wheeler, one gets off and gets into the stand, and then the other hunter drives away, a nearby deer will think it’s the same person coming and going. We’ve dropped people off, drove away, and the hunter shoots a buck while the vehicle noise can still be heard. The reverse is true after shooting time ends: a truck or four-wheeler pulls in and spooks the deer away, and the hunter gets out of the stand, gets in the vehicle and it moves off. It’s the vehicle noise and movement that spooks the deer, not the hunter.
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