The quintessential private-land deer hunter crops his meals plot, hangs his treestand, posts his path digicam, and waits for a daylight sample on a shooter buck. In the meantime, the everyday public-land hunter scouts his manner right into a tract of open-to-all floor, finds a stand of productive oak bushes, and makes it his go-to spot.
These are what we’d name “orthodox” looking suggestions and ways. These are frequent approaches that nobody actually questions. However what in regards to the unorthodox ways? What about these off-the-wall suggestions and ways that appear so far-fetched there isn’t any manner they’ll presumably work? Listed below are 10 genius deer looking suggestions that don’t make a lot sense (at first look). However I’ve used almost all of those ways with good success, and interviewed many skilled whitetail hunters who’ve as effectively. We’ll attest to the truth that they really work.
Pee in a Scrape (or Mock Scrape)
Hunters have been peeing in Gatorade and Dr. Pepper bottles for generations. For a number of years, I used to be among the many pee-bottle believers. However many seasons in the past, I departed from the group. Lately, I don’t carry empty bottles in my backpack. Why? As a result of human urine doesn’t spook deer. Quite a few high-profile deer biologists — together with Dr. Kroll — have said that human urine alone does not spook deer. Actually, deer may even come to research it.
With this revelation, hunters began peeing on the bottom once more. Finally, they began utilizing their very own urine to pee in scrapes or jump-start mock scrapes. Extremely, it labored.
As somebody who freshens numerous mock scrapes myself, I can attest that human urine can jump-start a mock scrape. I’ve had pictures of many bucks visiting and freshening new mock scrapes the identical day I visited them. Plus, it’ll prevent a couple of dollars (no want to purchase deer urine merchandise) and allow you to kill one, too. That’s a win-win.
Hunt Fewer Days
Logical considering would lead you to imagine that looking extra days will increase your probabilities of killing a deer. In some conditions, that’s true. Suppose stand places with nice entry and exit routes that provide just about zero odds of spooking deer which may odor, see, or hear you.
Sadly, I’d say virtually all tree stand places don’t provide that state of affairs. There’s virtually at all times a good probability of being detected alongside an entry or exit path to your stand, or within the stand itself.
Due to this, your greatest probability to kill a mature buck is your first sit. Typically, every sit thereafter presents decrease and decrease odds of encountering a buck. So, ready for a high-odds day (like a temperature drop when a buck is on a constant daylight sample) and looking fewer whole days can increase your odds of tagging a particular buck.
That stated, this rule applies solely to early season, pre-rut, post-rut, and late-season deer. I don’t prohibit my looking days through the rut.
Hunt on Windy Days
Standard “knowledge” says that deer don’t transfer on windy days. As we speak, we all know that’s a fable. Penn State College’s Deer Lab researched the results of wind on whitetail actions. Research from 2015, 2016, and 2018 decided that daytime deer actions elevated as wind speeds elevated. In brief, on days with greater wind speeds deer transfer farther distances throughout daylight. In distinction, nighttime actions decreased as wind speeds elevated.
For hunters, this elevated daytime motion is promising. Opposite to what Grandpappy at all times stated, windy days usually are not days to put in writing off. Fairly the alternative, in truth. Windy days are good occasions to go deer looking.
Hunt a “Unhealthy” Wind
For many years, folks have preached to “hunt the wind,” which suggests you should preserve the wind in your favor, or else. In most situations, I agree with this. It’s at all times true for entry and exit routes. It’s virtually at all times true for stand places.
However there’s a time and place for looking a “unhealthy” wind route. Some seek advice from this as looking a “just-off wind route.” Others name it looking a “fringe wind.” Regardless, that is when the wind route is essentially in a buck’s favor, nevertheless it’s simply off sufficient that it doesn’t enter your scent cone. This may give a mature buck the arrogance to maneuver in a sure route throughout daylight.
The Kentucky buck I arrowed this season was an important illustration of this. He virtually at all times walked with a quartering wind, or wind straight up the nostrils. If the wind wasn’t “good” for him and “unhealthy” for my entry routes and stand places, he didn’t present up. It’s a chief instance of how, when bucks get to 4.5 years and older, they be taught tips to evade hunters. Utilizing those self same tips to your benefit is a good way to see and tag an excellent buck.
On this hunt, I had an east wind. I think the buck was bedded about 100 to 120 yards from my stand location. If I’m proper, he walked about 80 to 100 yards northward with the wind quartering into him. Then, he probably fish-hooked and walked the following 40 to 50 yards east — with the wind straight up the nostrils. My stand was simply offset sufficient to have about 20 to 30 yards of separation between the sting of my scent cone and his line of journey.
Once you be taught (and chart) the path community on a property, and perceive how deer navigate it, a “just-off” wind route hunts turn out to be extra possible. As a substitute of throwing darts at a map and guessing the perfect occasions to hunt, you possibly can hunt with the next diploma of confidence {that a} deer will present up throughout daylight. Generally deer odor you, however typically they don’t.
Strive a Wind Bump As a substitute of a Deer Drive
Folks have been doing deer drives for a few years. Normally, that takes a number of folks to push deer within the route you need them to go, and to cowl all escape routes. It’s a deadly tactic that’s resulted in numerous bucks on the wall and venison within the griddle. (Even the world-record typical Milo Hanson buck was killed this manner.) As we speak, there’s one other model of that technique. It’s known as the “wind bump” and it requires fewer folks to execute the play.
First, it requires a agency understanding of the property. To make use of this successfully, you should know the place deer are inclined to mattress and the escape routes they normally use. Then, from afar, have one particular person leverage the wind route to subtly push deer from these beds. One other shooter or two ought to submit as much as cowl the probably escape paths.
Use the “Bump and Dump” Technique
Some bucks transfer minimal distances throughout daylight. A few of these identical bucks, and others, mattress in places that make them virtually not possible to hunt. In these situations, hunters may implement the “bump and dump” technique, which is one The Hunting Public frequently uses with good outcomes.
This tactic requires a detailed encounter through which you truly spook the bedded buck. The bottom line is to not let him odor you, or he probably received’t return for a pair days (or longer). As a substitute, if the buck sees your motion or hears your strategy, however can’t fully inform what you’re, curiosity simply may get the higher of him.
Greater than probably, the deer will bounce up and run off simply out of sight. After that occurs, swing round to the downwind aspect of the bedding space. Then, grasp your stand and settle in; there’s an excellent probability the buck will return. When he does, anticipate him to fish-hook in from the downwind aspect the identical day, or presumably the following.
Invade the Bedding Space
Most trendy deer hunters advise in opposition to looking in or close to bedding areas. Typically they encourage hunters to hunt meals sources or transition routes between bedding and meals. After all, these are nice ways, however they’re on the extra conservative finish of the deer-tactics spectrum.
However the place do deer spend most of their daytime hours? The reply is inside and simply outdoors of bedding areas. Subsequently, these of us with restricted time to hunt can profit from looking the fringes and simply inside the perimeters of bedding areas. This high-risk, high-reward tactic has led to loads of failures, however numerous successes, too. The buck I killed this season (see above) was arrowed on the sting of a bedding space.
Sit a Bizarre Rut Spot
More often than not, deer mattress in apparent, predictable places. However through the rut, some guidelines exit the window. For instance, mature bucks typically push does into oddball places to get them away from different deer. Doing so decreases probability of encountering a rival whitetail, and so, the buck can concentrate on tending the doe.
Examples of bizarre rut-hunting spots the place bucks typically corral does embody brush piles, brushy fencerows, sinkholes, (typically) vacant woodlots, spots nearer to human inhabitation, and extra. Looking these areas, or at the very least glassing them from afar, can produce encounters with massive deer.
Stroll in at Daylight
Typically, hunters stroll in and climb into the blind or treestand an hour or extra earlier than authorized taking pictures mild begins. That stated, strolling in at daylight is perhaps simply pretty much as good or higher.
Typically we spook deer whereas strolling alongside entry and exit routes in the dead of night. Even after we don’t understand it, deer detect our presence. Subsequently, strolling in as taking pictures mild begins, and still-hunting to the treestand can lower the variety of deer you spook. It may additionally create a shot alternative.
Use Your Cell Cellphone to Clear the Subject
The afternoon hunt ends, and deer are nonetheless milling round. You possibly can’t name somebody to drive in and push the deer off with the truck or tractor, then choose you up. You don’t wish to climb down and spook the deer, both. Sitting there for 2 hours till deer go away isn’t an possibility. So what do you do?
Use your cellular phone to clear the sector. Begin with an excellent YouTube audio file of an ATV or tractor (whichever deer are used to listening to). Play the audio clip on full blast. After operating it for about 20 to 30 seconds, flip in your looking flashlight. The audio adopted by mild look will simulate an approaching car. It will push deer out of the quick space and help you climb down and depart. It’s a lot better than deer seeing, listening to, or smelling a human making an attempt to slide out of their stand in the dead of night.
Last Ideas on Odball Deer Techniques
As with most issues, deer looking is situational. For instance, utilizing one tactic in state of affairs A would by no means work, however that very same tactic in state of affairs B may give you glorious odds of success. To that time, the ways above ought to be used when it is smart to take action. Analyze the state of affairs, after which pull the best tactic out of your playbook.