Deer Hunting The Rut Cruise Stage
As the rut nears, bucks will begin cruising the terrain in search of the first does to come into estrus. This time of the rut is known as the cruise stage.
The bucks will increase foot traffic during daytime hours. The bucks will often stay out longer during the morning and get on their feet earlier in the afternoon.
The rub lines and scrape lines will increase. The bucks will make the scrapes in areas that are frequented by the does. They will scent check these locations more often.
For the hunter, locating the rubs and active scrape lines while deer hunting will increase the odds for success. In most cases, these areas will be near doe food sources, bedding locations, and travel zones.
The use of decoys, grunt calls, and rattling antlers can also increase the chances of more buck sightings. The bucks will be more susceptible to responding to these types of setups.
Deer hunting during this early rut cruise stage of the rutting period can offer the hunter lots of excitement.
Know Your Deer Food Sources
Deer food is obviously an important factor in finding deer. Deer hunting land that offers a variety of deer food sources normally will hold more deer. Hunters need to know what types of food for deer is available on their property in order to be more productive.
Food For Deer
The food sources that a hunting property holds are usually easy to identify. This is because deer will eat a wide range and variety of foods. There are many farmland field crops such as beans and corn. There are fruits such as apples or crab apples. Acorns and other nuts are a favorite. Deer will eat hundreds of browse type foods. Modern hunters often plant special food plots specifically for the deer.
Hunt Active Deer Food
In most cases, locating such food does not present a problem for hunters. The issue that hunters face is determining which food is most likely to be eaten at a specific time frame and which area is the most active. The best way to remedy this is to be aware of when each food source is available and to keep constant checks on those areas.
Monitoring Deer Food
A smart hunter will keep good field notes each season while monitoring the available food sources. This is important because many times the food for deer will change from year to year. Browse type foods are the only constant from one season to another. Due to certain conditions, field crops, fruits, and nuts are not always available on consecutive hunting seasons.
Hunting Deer Food Sources
Through proper scouting skills, a hunter should be able to determine which foods the deer are actively feeding on. These locations will offer the best areas for deer hunting and good chances for harvesting the deer.
Know the land, know the deer food, and you will know where to hunt the deer.
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Windy Day Deer Hunting
Deer hunting on days that the wind is blowing can have an effect on both deer and hunter. Other factors such as temperatures and wind speeds often make a difference in what effect if any the wind will have. Here is some information and deer hunting tips for how to hunt windy days.
Light Winds
Generally, deer will not change any patterns when the wind is lightly gusting or even steady blowing at or below 10 miles per hour. Their senses are still tuned in well and they do not normally react any differently than on a calm day. The only real concern for hunters is scent control. A light breeze can blow human odors quickly to an alert deer.
Temperature And Wind
The temperatures can also factor in on windy days. When the temperatures are warm, the wind will help cool down the deer. However, during cold air temperatures, deer will normally stay put while the sun is out to gather much needed heat. They will be more active towards evening and after dark hours in order to stay warm through movement.
Medium To Strong Winds
Once the wind speeds begin climbing to 15, 20, 25 mph, the deer will often change their movement activity. Everything around them is moving which can fool their sense of sight. Their hearing is reduced and their ability to pinpoint and detect odors will be greatly decreased. Deer will become more skittish.
Problems For Hunters
Deer hunting under high wind conditions can present two problems for hunters. First, there is a safety issue if a tree stand is to be used. Always take extra care to avoid any accidents. The second concern may be locating the deer. Many times deer will be less active and move to more secure areas to improve their sense of safety.
Windy Day Deer Hunting Tips
The best bet for hunting is to find areas that block or reduce the majority of the wind. This may be the lower sides of hills, gullies, or ditches. This could also be in pine or hard wood thickets. Depending on how a particular property is laid out will determine what sections are the best to hunt. The lower the terrain is, the more likely the deer will use it.
Take note of these possible locations during normal scouting events. This will provide you with tree stand set up locations. Also, if the hunter has developed good still hunting skills, a windy day may provide an advantage and excellent opportunity for hunting on the ground. Remember to use good scent reducing techniques.
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Deer Hunting Open Country
Deer have the ability to disappear in any kind of terrain. Thick brush or wooded lands make their hiding easy. However, just because a property has limited or no tree cover does not mean the deer won’t be there. Open country terrain has deer too.
Hiding In Plain Sight
Deer will take advantage of open country hills, grassy fields, ditches, and field crops to hide out. I once observed a nice buck bed down in the middle of a cow pasture in a patch of two feet tall grass. The grass was only about three feet in diameter. The only thing visible was the antler tines.
Why Open Terrain
Sometimes the terrain will dictate how a deer uses cover. There may not be any thick cover around, so deer take advantage of whatever is available. Hunting pressure can also make deer move out of the woods and thickets and into more open country.
Hunting Open Country
Deer hunting in open country can be just as productive as any other environment. A good pair of binoculars can be used to scout and spot deer from distances. Adequate camouflage clothing and proper scent control is a must.
A spot and stalk can be an effective way for deer hunting in open terrain. Make sure to use the wind properly. The wind in your face or a cross wind blowing away from the deer is best.
Another approach is to set up a natural or portable ground blind. A blind is an excellent tool for open terrain deer hunting. Look for fresh deer sign and place the blind accordingly.
Don’t overlook open country terrain when considering a deer hunting location. It may just be the spot where the big boy is hiding.
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October Deer Hunting
This article offers tips for deer hunting during the month of October.
Food Sources
Acorns are falling offering a good food source for the upcoming winter. Look for areas with a small growth of oaks that are actively producing acorns. Also look for any seasonal foods that are becoming available to deer in your area. Evening hunting over remaining field crops may still be effective.
Rubs And Scrapes
As October progresses, there will be more and more signs of rubs and scrapes appearing. Look for and hunt near rub lines and active scrape lines. Pay close attention to such signs that are found deeper in the woods near bedding areas.
Bedding Areas
Evening hunting near a deer’s bedding area may be one of the more effective approaches. October is a transitional month between the active summer feeding schedule and the rutting period. Deer sometimes become seen less often during the month. A bedding area set up provides the hunter the opportunity to catch deer when they first get up.
Lures And Calls
October is the time to begin using and experimenting with different lures and calls. The rattling antlers and grunt calls become more effective. Deer lures start coming into play towards the end of the month.
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Deer Hunting Corners
Deer Hunting Tips – A corner is where two or more sections of land come together. These locations can occur naturally or be man made. Setting up a stand and deer hunting an active land corner can be an effective way to increase deer sightings. The deer will often use corners as travel routes.
Finding Corners
Aside from walking on foot, one of the best ways to locate corners is by viewing a satellite or aerial photo of the land. Google provides excellent tools for such information. A photo will help in distinguishing how and where terrain changes occur on a given piece of property. These changes will provide a starting point for locating the most active corners.
Types Of Corners
There can be many types of corners on any given property. Here are a few examples. An oak or hardwoods grove that joins a field. A swamp edge that joins hardwoods. Rolling hills that join flat land. Two distinct types of woods that meet such as oaks to pines. A cut over that joins a field or standing woods. Basically anywhere that two different terrains meet.
How Deer Use Corners
Deer will often walk along the edges of different types of terrain. They will use the corners to make directional changes and to cut across from one area to another. A corner will often funnel deer travel to a specific location. For example, deer will most often enter a field from a far corner.
Deer Hunting Corners
After viewing a photo from above, it is then time to enter the area on foot to prepare for deer hunting. When evaluating a corner for possible set up locations, apply proper scouting skills to help with determining the best place for a stand. As with most hunting tactics, the areas with the most deer activity is generally the better locations.
A good approach is to set up 10-25 yards along the inside or the outside of a corner. Pay attention to the wind direction and only hunt if the wind is appropriate for the particular area. Also make sure to take scent elimination precautions.
Good luck and be safe.
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How To Prevent Spooking Deer
Deer Hunting Tips – Most if not all hunters will at some time or another spook a deer while deer hunting. The key to success is limiting these occurrences. Here are a few helpful tips to prevent spooking deer.
Scent Control
Scent control is probably the number one factor in spooking deer. Use proper scent control clothing and other products to reduce the chances of being detected. There are many techniques for masking human odors. Make sure to always have an action plan before hunting. Don’t take short cuts as they will result in an unsuccessful hunting experience.
Over Hunting
Another common mistake made by hunters is to over hunt a particular area. Deer will begin to detect and pattern a hunter that walks through the woods along the same path every day. It is better to limit hunting a specific stand location to only 2-3 days at a time.
Stand Placement
It is important to consider stand placement and how a stand might be seen by deer. Make use of shadows and avoid hunting when a stand is in direct sunlight. When possible place stands in trees that provide limbs and leaves for natural cover. Increase stand height in trees with no cover.
Wind Direction
Try to hunt with the wind in your face or downwind of deer activity. All to often the wind is what gives away a hunters location. Keep regular checks while hunting to make sure the wind has not changed. If you find that the wind is not favorable it is better to not hunt that location.
Travel Routes
Another problem when it comes to spooking deer revolves around entry and exit routes. Always make sure to have access routes to your hunting area that will not come in contact with the deer. Also having more than one travel route may be beneficial in some situations.
Hunter Movement
Another factor to consider is limiting hunter movement while hunting. Some hunters get fidgety when on stand. Deer will notice sudden movements so if you have to move make sure to be slow about it. Unusual movement can cause deer to spook even if unaware of the hunter.
Use these deer hunting tips to help reduce the risk of spooking deer. Be safe and good luck.
Bow Shooting Tips
Bow Shooting Tips – Hunters that venture into the woods with bow and arrow in hand face many challenges. One of the most important is the ability to accurately and effectively make shots on whitetails. Field experience provides the best training for becoming efficient. However, a few basic skills will get you started.
When To Draw
Ideally the best time to draw a bow on a whitetail is when the deer’s vision can not detect any movement by the hunter. Often this occurs when the deer passes behind a tree or some other natural cover. If the eyes on the whitetail can be seen, the deer can see the hunter. Since shooting a bow requires considerable movement, the hunter must always be aware of the deer’s field of view.
Angle Of The Deer
The angle in which a whitetail is standing can also create problems. The ideal angle for an accurate clean shot is with the deer standing broad side or slightly quartering away from the hunter. Any other shot reduces the chances of success and increases the chance of a non fatal shot.
When To Shoot
The best time to take a shot on a whitetail is when the deer presents a clear and open field of view for the hunter. Make sure the angle is right and that the deer is in range of your shooting skills. Always stay alert as often there is only a small window of opportunity before the deer will pass by. Make sure to use proper follow through and watch the impact of the arrow.
Good luck and be safe.
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In And Out Of Hunting Areas
Deer Hunting Tips – Many hunters make the mistake of placing stands or blinds without considering how they will get in and out of the hunting area. In reality, it does little good to find an excellent hunting location if it does not provide safe access for the hunter. The hunters will be detected and the area will be avoided by the deer.
Proper Planning
The key to proper planning is to realize that the entry and exit route of the hunter may not be the same. For example, if hunting along a field edge during the evening, the hunter may be able to walk along the edges going to their stands without alarming deer. However, when leaving the stand, the deer may be in the field which would require a different exit route to avoid spooking the deer. Proper planning is necessary.
Stand Set Up
When an area to be hunted is located, prior to placing any stand, the hunter should first find the best routes for entering and exiting. This will require a mental change for many hunters. More often than not, hunters will place stands with little consideration as to how they will enter or exit such locations.
Always remember to factor in how you will get to and from each area when considering a good stand set up. Good luck and be safe.
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Deer Hunting Pressured Areas
Deer Hunting Tips – High pressured areas can make for some tough deer hunting. Deer will often change their activities or even become strictly nocturnal making them even more difficult to hunt. However, there are a few things that a hunter can do to improve the odds of seeing deer.
Go Deeper
Many hunters don’t take full advantage of the property they are hunting. They hunt relatively close to their vehicles only moving a few hundred yards or so away. When the pressure is on an area, go deeper into the woods than other hunters. Deer will often change their travel areas so getting away from others can be productive.
Stay Longer
As with any hunting situation, the more time spent afield will only increase the opportunity for success. Especially with pressured areas, staying a few extra hours or even hunting all day may be the best approach. Make sure to have adequate supplies and a comfortable stand to help with staying focused.
Hunt Midday
Another idea is to change the normal deer hunting schedule. Most hunters will use the morning and evening approach. While these times have always been considered the best, taking a different plan into the woods for pressured areas may up the ante. Try a nine to three or something similar. This way you will already be on stand when others are coming in or out.
Hunt Mid Week
When the pressure is on, deer sometimes will detect certain activities and lay low for a few days. Most hunters use the weekends as their primary deer hunting days. When possible, try setting up a mid week hunt. Often this will catch the deer movement being a little more active.
Hunt The Weather
Many hunters prefer to stay home when the weather is rough. This means less pressure on the deer. Although the conditions may not be great, deer hunting in rain, wind, or snow may provide another opportunity for those brave enough to endure. Make sure to use proper gear for comfort.
These deer hunting tips are provided as helpful suggestions for pressured areas. Be patient and go the extra distance for success. Good luck and be safe.
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