Quick Deer Hunting Tip: Tracking Deer in the Snow

When your hunting in the snow, you see tons of deer tracks, but you continue to your deer stan without much of a thought. While you're up on your stand, you start thinking about what you saw. "Man, those are some big tracks," you think to yourself. You get bored in your stand so you decide to check out the tracks. Here are some tips to help you:

How to Track Deer in the Snow:

-Tracks that are 3 inches to 3 ½ inches usually means it's a big buck.

-The edge of a track that is fresh will give to the slightest touch of your hand.

-Both does and bucks have dewclaws, but does will usually only leave the marks when running or in snow deeper than 3 inches.

-The hoof size is distorted in the snow, because when a deer lifts up its foot it drags a little, creating a larger track.

-The walking stride of a buck is usually between 18 to 22 inches. A doe will have strides generally less than 19 inches.

-8 or more inches between the right and left legs indicates a large buck.

-The midline between the toes of a deer will become frozen and be solid to the touch after 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the temperature.
-Your skin transmits heat at approximately the same rate as a deer's hoof.

-Most deer have longer outside toes.

For more quick deer hunting tips check out:

How to Collect Deer Antlers

For late season deer hunting tips check out:

Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips I
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II
Five Deer Bow Hunting Tips



For more tips check out: How to Kill Big Bucks

Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II

Don't Quit Now!

I'm continuing my previous post on post-rut/late season deer hunting tips with another article on the same subject. I'm just going to list a few more hunting strategies for late season deer hunting.

The Decoy:
Hunting with a decoy is a promising strategy at almost any time of the year. The only requirements are that you choose and use the decoys properly. For late season deer hunting, using a feeding doe with a subdominant buck tends to work the best. A larger buck will usually get mad when he sees what looks like a smaller buck stealing his hot doe. He will come after the subdominant buck and that's when you need to be set up with a clear shot at him.

Bump and Hide:
This can be done with one or two people. If you have two set up one person downwind of a buck's bedding area. The other person starts on the upwind side of bedding area and tries to push the deer up and locate where it was resting. The other person is sitting there to see if he can get lucky and have the buck walk past him when you bump the buck, but the first person is not necessary. You then leave for the day and come back the next day as early as possible and set up a stand over the site where you bumped him. The buck will usually return in one to three days.

Scout:
This is usually not considered an idea anyone would consider during hunting season, but it can be successful in helping you later this year and early in the next season. What you need to do is try to locate the new routes bucks are using after the rut. These usually are the same ones they used early in the season, but they can still change in the short amount of time. Once you locate these you can hunt with many of the strategies already listed in this and my previous post.

Spot and Stalk:
This is an excellent choice if there is snow on the ground or you are a proficient tracker. First you locate fresh deer tracks in the snow and decide if they are fresh or not (I plan to write my next post on this topic.). Then you follow the tracks as quietly as possible to not disturb other deer or to give the one being tracked any reason for him to believe he is being followed. You may have to follow the deer the entire day to get on shot at him, but it is usually less boring then sitting in a tree all day. You can also walk steadily through the woods looking for deer and glassing constantly in hopes of finding one without you spooking it. You then stalk it until in range and let loose the bullets.

All the techniques mentioned can be very useful if you used properly and at the correct time. My personal favorite is probably the "Spot and Stalk" because it tends to make deer hunting a little more interesting. It also seems more traditional, especially if done with a bow.

For late season deer hunting tips check out: Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips I
For deer bow hunting tips check out: Bow Hunting Tips for Deer

For more tips check out: How to Kill Big Bucks

Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips

The rut is over in most parts of the country and many hunters are hanging up the gun or bow, but this isn't the time to sit around. Post-rut can be the best times to kill a monster buck, you just have to know how to do it.

Food Source:
Bucks are tired after chasing does during the rut, and they need to rest and eat for the winter that is coming up ahead. Bucks will still be elusive until the hunting pressure calms down a little and you will need to locate food sources close to their bedding area. Later once the pressure has calmed down, the deer will move to a bedding area close to a prime food source (acorns, honeysuckle, corn, soybeans, winter crops, etc.). You can either set up over the food source or you can be more successful by setting up over a deer path that leads from the food source to the bedding area.

Young Does:
Young does usually don't go in heat at the same time as older ones. They go in heat later in the year. If you want to do well with this strategy you have to know where the young does travel and eat. You then set up near that area with a feeding doe decoy, "in heat" scent, and some bleat calls or you can set up in the buck's area (as previously mentioned in the food source) with the same set up. Both ways will work if properly executed.

The Drive:
I don't usually like doing drives (I feel it's for people who don't have the skill or don't put in the effort to be able to pick a spot and be successful with it.), but drives can be an engaging activity for late season hunting. One drive technique that is usually successful if you have about four or five people (it can be done with as many as twenty though) is just a normal drive through the bedding or feeding area of a buck. For this, have two people set up downwind from the chosen area. Then have the remaining people walk in a zigzag pattern though the bedding area with wind coming from their backs. Another technique is for a smaller group. If you know of a ravine or other funnel that deer frequently travel through this is the way to go for you. Have one hunter set up on the top of the ravine with his face to the wind. The other one or two people walk in a zigzag pattern towards the ravine. Both will be excellent ways to put deer in the freezer.

Deer hunting in the post-rut is usually not done as frequently as during the rut, but post-rut is easier to pattern deer and to kill them with your skill and not your luck.

For late season deer hunting tips check out: Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II

For other deer hunting tips check out:
How to Track Deer in the Snow

Deer Bow Hunting Tips

For more tips check out: How to Kill Big Bucks

Potential New World Record Mule Deer!!!

An expert, Boone and Crockett scorer (anonymity mostly because the deer is still walking), recently received a photograph of a deer that he believes could be a world record trophy. He believes that if this deer is shot this fall it will be the biggest non-typical deer killed by a hunter.
The first assumption by many will be that this buck is pen raised, but the farmer who photographed the deer says that it is not pen raised and that he has seen it on his farm several other times. The farmer doesn’t allow hunters but the surrounding land that is definitely with range for the buck do. I won’t release the area (first because I don’t know the exact area) but it is in a region where people don’t usually think of trophy deer hunting.
If I find any other information on this buck or if it is a hoax I will certainly try to let you know.



For more tips check out: How to Kill Big Bucks


What do you think about the deer is it a hoax or not?

Full article at http://fieldandstream.blogs.com/whitetail365/2007/11/is-this-the-nex.html

Deer Scents- How to Use Scents to Become a Better Deer Hunter

Many people believe that scents can be one of the best ways to lure a buck or doe inside killing range. I am one of those people. I have seen countless time when I put a ‘Doe in heat’ scent and later on a buck will appear and start trotting towards the scent. They usually stop about ten yards away, since they don’t see a doe near by. This stop is the perfect time to shoot. Though scents may be a great hunting tool, you have to choose them effectively to be able to use them.

Early Season:
Once a buck loses his velvet, his mindset and testosterone levels change. During this time, bucks are looking to mark their domain and establish a pecking order among them. In other words, they want to know who the King of the Woods is and who they can beat. This is the perfect time to set out buck urine scents. When a buck smells a buck urine scent, they naturally think it is another buck. They then set out to find the ‘other buck’ and know if it is the King or just another one and a half year old. You can also combine this technique with scraping noises simulating a buck rubbing a tree. These two techniques combined will send a high testosterone level buck insane.

Pre-Rut:
The pre-rut is considered the time 10-15 days before the peak of the rut. The peak of the rut is generally defined as the time when most does are receptive to breeding. This is also the time when bucks start fighting to win does and to establish their territory. There is also an increase in rubs and scrapes as bucks are getting ready to fight and are marking their domain. During this period, some sort of buck scent is still best. Buck scent combined with a decoy and some grunting and rattling can be lethal during this time of year.

Peak Rut:
This period is when bucks single out does and stay with them until they go out of estrous. During this period it is obvious that “doe in heat” scents will work the best. Bucks will be looking for a doe and if they smell one that they think doesn’t have a buck tending her; he will surely go towards the smell. This scent can be combined with a doe decoy, and it can be combined with a doe decoy and non-dominant buck decoy. The non-dominant buck will instill fire inside of the more dominant bucks making them more likely to come out from their usual deep woods habitat.

Post Rut:
This is after the time when most does are susceptible to breeding. “Doe in heat” scents still work very well during this time. They sometimes work better because bucks will be eager breed one more doe that season. Food scents might also work if the area you are hunting doesn’t have a plentiful harvest of food. Food scents work because after the rut bucks are worn out and malnourished, and this is the period where it is crucial they stock up on food for the winter ahead.

Scents can be one of the best tools for a hunter. Scents, when used right and combined with calling and decoys, will greatly increase your chances of harvesting a deer.

For more deer hunting tips check out:
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips I
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II
Five Deer Bow Hunting Tips

For more tips check out: How to Kill Big Bucks

Five Bow Hunting Tips

Bow hunters don’t kill good deer consistently because they have a rabbit’s foot in their pocket. It is true sometimes deer hunters are lucky and a monster walks by, but those are isolated incidents. To kill deer consistently with a bow you need to practice and be using some sort of plan to outsmart the deer.

Location:
When picking a hunting location, you want to make sure your stand has some of the several necessities. First you need to be able to access your stand without spooking deer. This is one of the harder items to accomplish. One way to help accomplish this is to cut a path to you stand during the summer. You also will need at least two stands for different wind directions. Also, you will need a location where deer will pass within thirty yards of you stand during shooting hours.

Pack it Light:
Another tactic is packing light so you can do more stalking and still hunting. What you need for this set up is a light tree climber and the minimum of gear so you are not dragged down during you hunt. To be successful you need to hunt slowly and patiently so you do not spook or miss deer.

The Little Things:
The little things all add up to be very important and can be the difference between a shot and staring at a bobbing white tail as the deer jumps away. First thing to do once up in a stand is check you safety harness (What do you mean you don’t have one!?) and your bow to make sure they are functioning properly and that you can make a complete draw and release without getting a twig caught. Also, double check you shooting lanes, even a small twig can move your arrow enough to be off target.

Know the Land:
To be successful every year, you have to know every foot of the land you are hunting. This allows you to be able to change your plans quickly and to be to know where the most likely places the deer will be during a certain time. To do this you have to be able to observe deer and the signs throughout every season. Then once you file away that knowledge you will be able to be more consistent during the hunt in the coming season.

Start Early:
Trimming shooting lanes and putting up stands several months before the season will help let deer settle down after you disturbed their peace. Also, while you are trimming and setting up stands don’t forget to make a path to your stand so you can get their quietly. I have seen times when a person does all the work for the season a week before and they don’t see anything because they have spooked all the deer.

Being a successful hunter isn’t all about luck (though it certainly helps), it is about the preparation and practice you put in before the season. So, practice, be smart, and kill a deer this season.

For more deer hunting tips check out:
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips I
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II

Summer Deer Scouting Tips - How to Scout Deer in the Summer

for all you slackers.
There are many different ways to scout in the summer from trail cameras to just walking around in the woods looking for deer signs. These are some of my favorite ways to scout in the summer.

Scout from a Distance:
You can scout from a distance many different ways. You can sit on the edge of food fields with binoculars or a spotting scope and watch as deer come and go during the twilight time. As you do this you should be paying attention to the certain areas where you can set up a stand that will be where most the deer come in and out (or where the big buck does). You can also scout from your truck or car if the area you hunt is littered with roads.

Use Trail Cameras:
Trail cameras can be a great way to watch deer trails or food plots without disturbing the deer with your presence. The best trail cameras are the ones without the normal flash these don't spook deer (which is why we use trail cameras). You can put a trail camera anywhere you suspect a big bucks comes through or where you think there is a deer trail littered with does (this will help during the rut when all the bucks are searching for does).

Find the Core Areas:
When I'm talking about core areas I mean their bedding areas, food plots, and trails. You can do this with aerial photography or with trail cameras or if its early enough in the summer or spring you can just walk through the areas you suspect to find these areas and look for clues. Once you find these areas you can set up a stand/s that will take advantage of your hard or easy work.

If you take advantage of these tips your percentages of success will greatly increase. I know people who when doing these strategies have increased their success rate by two-fold.

For more deer hunting tips check out:
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips I
Post-Rut Deer Hunting Tips II
Five Deer Bow Hunting Tips