gunrunr
Life Member
I keep getting people in the shop frustrated with how their season is going and asking my advice. I thought I would post a couple quick ideas that may just help one of you succeed.
Hunt safe, shoot straight and most importantly - Have Fun!
- Don't forget to shoot your bow with broadheads and practice a little throughout the season. You spend hundeds of hours in the stand waiting for just the right buck to show up and then it can all be over in seconds. Quite frequently people tell me they missed the shot or even worse, wounded or cripple the buck they are after and can't find it, and more often than not, they haven't shot their bow in a month! Dragging your bow around the woods, in and out of the truck, up and down the tree on a rope, laying on the ground, etc. and it is quite possible somiething moved. Take a few minutes and take a few practice shots with a broadhead you have set aside for practice and make sure it hits where you want it to. If it does, GREAT - now you have even more confidence in your shot. If it doesn't then you have a chance to fix it at home and not spend many days tracking a deer in frustration. I shoot my bow with broadheads at least once a week - sometimes more.
- Don't be afraid to change things up. If you have already sat in that stand ten times or more this season - chances are sitting there ten more isn't going to get you the results you want. Deer pattern us as much as we like to pattern them. Keep changing things up and force things to happen. Couple of examples:
- On this years buck, things weren't happening for me in my normal go-to stands so I decided to spend a few days exploring other options. I hunted another farm of ours that hadn't worked well for me in the past and it worked out great with a big mature buck on the ground.
- Several years ago I was looking for a very speciific buck and never spotting him. I found a spot in a very narrow draw that didn't look good at all but produced lots of daytime buck pictures (but not the one I was after) On a whim, I hung a new stand the last week of November and the first time I hunted there it produced the logo buck for IowaWhitetail - a 206" beauty.
- Don't get lazy on your scent control methods and stand selection based on the wind. Find a good weather website online that gives hour-by-hour wind predictions (i use the personal weather forcast as kcci) and then use a good overhead satellite image of your hunting area (like google maps) and try to pick stand locations based on wind direction. If the wind is wrong - stay out! Scent killing methods all work to some respect but none are 100% effective, play the wind the best you can and do everything in your power to keep your scent down
- Pay attention to what the other hunters in your immediate are are doing. If they are constantly rattling and grunting, maybe you should stay silent. If they don't head to the stand until 4 o'clock - make sure you are there by 3. If two hunters are hugging your east fence line, maybe you should hunt the west side, etc. etc. etc.
- Know your area, your property, your neighbors and your deer - something in that knowledge will help you succeed. And don't forgot to know your own abilities, dont shoot farther than is ethical. I don't believe I have ever even shot at a deer over 35 yards with a bow in my entire hunting career - keeping the shots short and close is what bowhunting is all about - make ethical shots within your range and you'll have short recoveries and less headaches.
Hunt safe, shoot straight and most importantly - Have Fun!