If you’re fortunate to live in a state with late season hunting (for example, we can archery hunt until February 3rd in Ohio), you might be in for a big treat this month. January buck hunting has its many challenges, particularly the weather. However, if you use the right strategies, you have good chances of coming face-to-face with the dominant buck of your area. Here’s why:

1. Second & Third Ruts: There are still quite a few does left to mate. Many young does might not have mated the first go round in November, and some of the older does might not have conceived. Does will be coming back into heat, and bucks will be hot on their trail. Make sure you dress warmly, and hunt the rut. This means staying on stand for long hours hoping to catch a buck hot on the trail of a doe. I also recommend some bleat calls to simulate does looking for action.
2. Empty Stomachs: Bucks have one thing on their mind from November through January - DOES! They are more active this time of year than any other time, and they eat less than any other time as well. By now, their fat stores are depleted, and depending on the weather, food resources may be slim pickings. These factors add up to equal vulnerable deer if you know how to hunt them right. If you state permits, this time of year is one of the most effective for baiting big bucks. I recommend a hanging feeder that distributes corn on a regular basis. Set it to disperse fairly large amounts of corn in the mornings and evenings…and make sure you’re warm enough to hunt them in the evening hours.

I’ve talked with some hunters at the local bow shop who swear by the above tactics. In fact, they often reserve their hunting vacation time for late January because the big boys are so vulnerable. Best of luck if you venture out…

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Hard for me to believe it, but I’ve been shooting a bow for almost 2 decades now. I started with a children’s kit, but by age 10 or 11 graduated to my first real hunting bow - it was the Darton Scout. Over the years I’ve shot and hunted with 5 different bows, but my choice of arrow remained consistent the entire time. I’ve always used Easton XX75 aluminum arrows. The main reason: affordability.

Arrows bend and break: If you spend a good chunk of the offseason target/3D shooting, you know that no matter how good you are, arrows bend and break. I frequent public shooting ranges, and you never know what hunters before you left in the targets. My arrows have hit inserts, other arrows, and believe it or not chunks of wood that were embedded in the targets. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I miss from time to time. When these circumstances occur, I feel much better about a bent or cracked aluminum arrow than worrying about price of more expensive arrows that might withstand the pressure.

Good enough to bring ‘em down: If you think about how far the hunting industry has progressed during the past century, you may realize that new innovations might not be as ‘ground-breaking’ as marketers try to convince us. Think about how archery started - wooded arrows that were carved from trees. Now we have metal arrows that are guaranteed to be straight, and we’re shooting them from high-end compound bows that shoot up to 300+ FPS. There is a threshold that was past a long time ago that sets us way ahead of our ancestors in terms of accuracy and tools to bag game. Because of this, each new ‘invention’ makes a smaller and smaller step, though at a larger and larger price differential. Therefore, I appreciate affordability over and above the next ‘new thing’.

What’s your take? I offered by take - aluminum over carbon, mainly because of price. What about you? What do you prefer and why?

One more thing: Here are some interesting articles on this issue. The First offers a bit of history on the evolution of the arrow, and the Second is Chuck Adams’ take on the issue.

Aluminum versus Carbon Arrows, archery, Crossbow, deer, Easton, hunting

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! For many families that means lots of turkey and stuffing, and for many hunters that means some time off of work to venture into the woods for the opener of gun season. In OH and PA, the gun opener is always the Monday after Thanksgiving. In fact, almost the whole state of PA shuts down (all public schools) for opening day.

You’ve probably read tip after tip about hunting, but there is 1 thing that I think is absolutely crucial to gun hunting during the season opener — GET TO YOUR STAND EARLY!!!!

WHY? Gun season is different than archery season in many ways, but most notably is the sheer number of hunters who show-up. What once may have been a private archery stand can become a field dotted with orange hunting vests. In many ways this scenario can be frustrating, but you can use it to your advantage by arriving early.

For several reasons (mostly because I either tagged out in archery or because I was in college), I haven’t always made it out on opening day. In my 15 years of hunting, I think I’ve hunted a total of 6 openers of gun season. However, 2 of these seasons I harvested a buck with 15 minutes of daylight (that’s 33%).

How Does It Work? If it’s opening day, I usually get to my stand at least 30 minutes before I would normally arrive. This gives the woods around me time to settle-down. Then, as other hunters venture to their stands, deer will be more likely to be pushed in my direction.

Case in Point: It was opening day of PA’s 1995 buck season (I was 14). Dad tagged out in archery, so only I had a gun in our stand. We were hunting a hillside that has a huge cornfield on top. About 15 minutes after we sat down (still 25 minutes before shooting hours), I noticed a silhouette of a deer walking through the recently cut corn field. Much to my excitement, I noticed a silhouette of a rack, too! The buck had been pushed out of a nearby pine field, likely while other hunters were heading to their stands. Dad and I were able to keep tabs on the buck until legal shooting hours. No kidding aside, I delivered a 140-gr.  ballistic tip bullet from my Remington 7mm-08 within the first minute of legal hours. If we weren’t there early, we would have pushed this nice 8-point (one of my best bucks to this day) out of the field and into someone else’s stand.

In Closing: I know it can be hard to get up that early, but it just might be worth it. Pack some leftover turkey and stay on stand all day…and get there a little early. You might be glad you did!

Happy Hunting…

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I’m need a little help, everyone. I’ve never hunted with a decoy before, and I’m wondering if you all could share your experiences with deer decoys while hunting. Since I tagged out, I’m thinking of experimenting with a decoy to do a little field study of my own, but I’d really appreciate your advice first.

1. What are your experiences with decoys?
2. Do you have any tips or strategies?
3. What about scents with decoys….yay or nay?

Looking forward to your responses…

decoys, Deer season, hunting tips, strategy

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I’ve read a few interesting articles over the past few years on what’s being called a “trickle rut”. According to the Team Whitetail Fanatic Resource Center:

A trickle rut occurs in areas where there are 5 or more does for each mature buck or daytime weather conditions are too warm to permit aggressive deer movement or both. With an unbalanced ratio, bucks won’t have to look too hard to find an available doe and there will be no noticeable peak in breeding activity. Unseasonably warm weather will often restrict deer movement to the cooler evening hours.
A trickle rut may last up to twice as long as a frenzied rut.

Many areas of the country, including the Midwest and Eastern states, are experiencing record highs. These highs may lead to decreased deer movement, even during what might usually be the ‘heart of the rut’. Here are a few tips that may help you succeed if deer aren’t moving as much as you would expect:

1. Remind yourself that the deer are still there (assuming you have a prime location). As Big K (head of deerPhD ProStaff) says, “The deer can’t go in!”
2. Find the travel routes deer use when their movement is limited. Search for food sources close to bedding areas. Deer may not travel all the way to the bean field you’ve been hunting if the weather is warm. They may stay in the woods looking for acorns and other vegetation.
3. Keep your eye on the weather forecast. If there is any sign of decreasing temperatures, head for the woods. These drops in temperature are sure to  get bucks moving. This may not coincide with your plans (work, family, etc.). If you have to take time off to hunt, I’d recommend waiting until the conditions present the optimal opportunity.

deer, hunting, rut, tips, trickle rut

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About a month ago, I shared my stance on Carbon Clothing. As many are aware, there’s now a pending lawsuit between some hunters in Minnesota and ALS Enterprises (and many other carriers of their products). If you’d like more info on this lawsuit, check-out Tom Remington’s post or one of my earlier posts.

As some of you may also be aware, I harvested a buck just over a week ago. In the initial story, I intentionally left out a few details that I’d like to now expand upon. If you look at the satellite photo I posted with a description of the story (North oriented at the top), you’ll notice that the deer approached from the East of where my stand was located. Winds were blowing due East at the time I shot at approximately 3-7 MPH. Do the figuring, and you’ll realized that this buck approached from downwind. My scent should have been headed directly toward him.

Somehow I eluded this awesome creature. Here’s my method of scent control:

1. I shower before every hunt with scent-free soap (if I have to go to work before hunting, then I shower prior to work with this soap)
2. I wear scent-free deodorant the days I hunt. I apply the deodorant to my underarms and my feet.
3. I change into my camo where I park my car. This camo is stored in an airtight container with earth scent tabs (to act as a cover).
4. I spray by body and then every layer of my clothing as I dress with scent control spray. I pay careful attention to my underarms, crotch, buttocks, and hair/hat. I also spray my head-net because I find that the net absorbs scent from my mouth.
5. I spray all of my gear.
6. I wear boots that are all rubber, and I spray them with the scent control spray. I pary careful attention to the soles of the boots because that is where a large portion of my scent trail will come from.
7. I wear carbon clothing (if you want to know why, see my earlier post).

A couple comments about these methods:

1. I am aware that you shouldn’t store carbon clothing in a container with cover scent tabs. Doing so causes the carbon to absorb the cover scent, which means it might be saturated so that it can’t work effectively on body odor. Why do I do this? Because before I was aware of this suggestion, storing the clothes with cover scent worked…and it continues to work.
2. I am a sorta scent-control freak. I talked with my wife about me using one of our bathrooms just for hunting stuff (i.e., nothing with scent goes in there during hunting season). I spray all of my clothes/gear as I undress as well.
3. I do NOT use any urine or other form of cover scent (other than earth scent tabs that I store my clothes in). My experience has taught me that cover scents that depict smells of other animals don’t work that great.

Some people’s opinion of my methods: I’ve been told that I’m obsessive. Some say I’m foolish for buying carbon clothing.

My Response: You call me obsessive? Have you ever seen a buck approach? He’s crazy obsessive about scent. He may only take 2 steps and between every deliberate sniff of the air. His life depends on it! I’m nowhere near the obsessiveness of my quarry! Further, for whatever its worth, the carbon clothing was a gift from Big K (head of the deerPhD Prostaff). I was told it was purchased on-sale off the clearance rack (my favorite place to shop). Further, it’s an off-brand, 5 years old, and only the base years. Add all those factors together, it wasn’t too expensive! Thus, I think it was well worth the price if for nothing else than the constant reminder I have every time I put it on to be careful of my scent.

So there it is…my stance and method of scent control. My experience tells me it’s worked pretty well…

deer, hunting tips, scent control, Scent Lok

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It’s been an unseasonably warm Autumn in the Midwest and Eastern States. Some say it’s global warming, others say it’s just a fluke. Regardless of the cause, this weather is affecting whitetail movement and your success in the field.

I mentioned a few weeks back how I decided not to hunt when the weather was so warm. But now it’s nearing the end of October, and the rut is approaching quickly. Several reports suggest that bucks are making scrapes and starting to move a lot more. So, it may suck, but hunt this warm weather. As pro-staffer, Big-K, likes to say, “The deer don’t go in…so they have to be out there.”

With that in mind, my prediction is that the changes in weather will produce the most opportunities for success. If your hunting time is limited, make sure you get out as soon as a cold front is on the horizon. Last week we had a cold front, and I noticed much more deer movement. When the next one rolls around, make sure you watch it from your stand!

deer, Deer season, hunting tips, rut, strategy, weather

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This tip comes from Big K, the Head of deerPhD’s ProStaff!

With Rut right around the corner, the best hunting is yet to come. You’ll see more and more active scrapes as bucks mark their territory and wait for does to respond. Bucks are known to urinate on the scrape of another buck, and when this happens, I hope your hunting nearby to catch the action!

A fairly well-known and frequently utilized hunting tactic is to buy some buck urine and pour it on an active scrape near your stand. I see two problems with this method: 1- it costs money, and 2- the urine can’t be as fresh as the real stuff. I’ve seen several bucks become very alarmed and behave very unnaturally at the smell of store-bought urine.

The Solution: Use the real stuff, and get it for free!

How? If you happen to have two hunting locations that are at least a few miles apart, then you can use fresh scent from scrapes at each spot to ‘activate’ each other. Here’s what to do:

• Bring a rubber glove (Not latex, they smell) and two Ziplock Freezer bags with you when you go hunting (make sure they are washed free of any odor)
• Find a fresh scrape, and fill your bag with some of the loose soil from this scrape (The soil will contain fresh buck urine).
• Break-off a branch above the scrape and place in the separate bag (It will contain scent from the pre-orbital glands)
• As soon as possible (preferably that same day), head to your other site and pour the dirt on another fresh scrape and hang the branch above it.
• HUNT CLOSE BY!!!

Some important notes about this method:

• Do NOT mix the soil and the branch in the same bag. Each has scent from a separate gland, and it would be quite unnatural to mix them.
• Make sure the sites you use are far enough away so as to get urine that is unique to the area you are hunting. This urine will make a buck think that there’s some new competition on his turf.
• The more active the scrape, the better (b/c you’ll get more urine mixed in with the scent)
• The sooner you can use the soi and branch, the better
• You can refrigerate a day or two if need be.

There you have it - a free and completely natural mock scrape!

Deer season, fake, hunting tips, mock scrape, rut, scrape, strategy

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A number of bloggers have noted the extremely high temperatures this year (see Dave Richey, Bright Idea, and HuntingLife) and its effect on deer movement. I have to admit that here in Ohio, I was thrown for a loop. Two weeks prior to deer season, it was in the 50’s, and the deer were moving! However, there seems to be good news on the very near horizon. Weather forecaster is predicting 12 degrees lower today, and another 10 degrees lower tomorrow for the Midwest. Mix that cold weather with some scattered showers, and I think we have the makings of some good deer movement (well, if only deer movement could be predicted by weather and weather alone!).

Deer season, hunting tips, rain, strategy, weather

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While the issue of scent control is open for debate, it seems that most hunters acknowledge that a deer’s foremost defense mechanisms is a good sense of smell. Not surprisingly, hunters use a lot of resources (time, money, energy) in their attempts to deceive a deer’s nose. With the marketing of products dedicated to scent control, it can be easy to forget other important factors. To increase your odds at success this year, make sure you pay at least as much attention to what I’ll call Sound Control & Movement Control.

1. Sound Control - It doesn’t take much noise to alarm a wary deer. In the woods, all sound is magnified because there is no ‘background noise’ to dampen it. All it takes is a slight creak of your treestand, a cough, or sound of your clothes rubbing to ruin an otherwise perfect set-up. Here are some tips to help keep you quiet:

• Buy quiet clothes. I have two favorite archery jackets. One is a “Jerzees” pullover, and the other is a Remington zip-up fleece. I found both at Wal-mart for less than $20 on sale…and both make no noise when I move. You can test clothing in the store by rubbing its fabric against itself and listening for yourself
• If you’re going to invest money in clothing, purchase rain gear wisely. Rain gear has a tendency to be very loud. Some people argue that it’s okay to be loud when it rains because the rain is already making noise. I disagree because the sound of rain on cheap rain gear is artificial. This year will actually be my first archery season ever with rain gear. My wife got me a set for Christmas while we were engaged last year. It’s so quiet that I won’t mind wearing rain gear even if there’s a slight chance of rain. It’s almost as quiet as my regular hunting clothes.
• Test your gear in the preseason. I like spend a few hours climbing a tree with my treestand, pulling up my bow, and practicing any movements I might make to shoot a deer. I take a notepad with me to document anywhere I hear artificial noise (usually caused my metal touching metal). I then devise methods to silence these sounds. Usually, it only requires a little camo adhesive designed for this purpose. In years past, I only ’silenced’ my bow. But after a practice session like I just described, I learned that I could decrease a lot of sound by ’silencing’ several parts of my tree stand.

2. Keep still - There’s not much worse than spending a few hours in a stand, only to make a few unnecessary movement that spook a deer before you were even aware of its presence. My biggest time in this area is to be over cautious.

• If you hear something, turn your head slowly to check it.
• Before standing or sitting down to stretch or relax, check your area thoroughly for any sign of deer.
• If a deer is in sight, position yourself for shooting only when the deer’s head is behind an obstacle (such as a tree), or when the deer looks away. Don’t get fooled into thinking that deer aren’t looking when their head is down in a feeding fashion. Many deer “trick” predators by putting their heads down while actually looking up.
• Practice drawing your bow or raising your firearm slowly and quietly.

Here’s to a quiet and still hunt!

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