I recently watched a hunter on a television show in Iowa bag a bobcat with his well-placed arrow.
He jumped up and down, celebrating while scaring every buck off the property. I understand shooting a bobcat. They eat rabbits, my favorite meat, and make beautiful taxidermy mounts. But this guy was in huge buck country.
I am not critiquing the hunter. He found his trophy. Hunting should be how one perceives it, within the parameters of sound values. But the cat was clearly dead, so why did he jump out of his stand to celebrate. The key to bow hunting is becoming part of the woods.
Bow-hunting season is the beginning of enjoyable hours on a deer stand. You see more types of wildlife during this season of stealth when quietly sitting in total camouflage is the required technique. Hunters sometimes hate to fill their tags. Sitting in a quiet place and watching nature is relaxing.
Bow hunting deer requires patience and knowledge. Many hunters see deer, but that is only the first step. The key is doing everything correctly while adding a hint of luck.
An important key is setting up your deer stand in a productive spot. The best hunters set up several portable stands in hot areas. This provides adequate morning and evening stands. Most make the mistake of using the same stand no matter what time of day it is.
“The main key of setting stands up is scouting first,” said Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland, of the Mossy Oak Camouflage Company. “I sit and listen in the woods well after the hunt is over and it is dark. That gives me an idea of what direction the deer are coming from.”
This also gives Strickland the idea of where to set up stands. He might set stands up deeper in the woods where much of the deer sound came from. Three or four afternoons of working these spots will eventually put you in the right spot.
Strickland looks for areas with fresh deer sign. Then he sets up the stands and hunts as long as sign stays fresh.
Weather is another key to his hunts.
“Deer feed heavily during a cold weather snap,” he said. “This makes deer active in the evening, especially during a dark moon phase. Deer require full stomachs for keeping warm while bedding.”
Strickland makes sure his portable stands are set up around food sources. This requires determining what the deer are feeding on. White oak acorns or occasionally water chestnuts are sought out by hungry deer. Row crops are also good.
“A key to the morning hunt is finding funnels,” said Eddie Salter, a professional hunter from Alabama. “These areas are a small strip that connects with big woods. Funnel areas often run between corn fields and woods providing cover and food.”
Deer tend to stop in funnel areas when traveling. These smaller areas allow closer shots that are required for bow hunting. Remember to watch wind directions when approaching these spots. Your human scent will immediately spook every deer out of the area.
Always move into the wind. Wind at your back pushes warning scent straight at the deer. A deer biologist once told me that deer have the ability to break down different smells.
For example, a deer might smell your doe urine scent, toothpaste, deodorant and body odors – no matter how hard you try to be scent free. Masking scents are good, but no substitution for hunting into the wind.
Choosing the right stand relies on patience and watching the deer’s changing daily habits. Pay close attention to deer activity and set up your stands accordingly.
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I recently watched a hunter on a television show in Iowa bag a bobcat with his well-placed arrow.
He jumped up and down, celebrating while scaring every buck off the property. I understand shooting a bobcat. They eat rabbits, my favorite meat, and make beautiful taxidermy mounts. But this guy was in huge buck country.
I am not critiquing the hunter. He found his trophy. Hunting should be how one perceives it, within the parameters of sound values. But the cat was clearly dead, so why did he jump out of his stand to celebrate. The key to bow hunting is becoming part of the woods.
Bow-hunting season is the beginning of enjoyable hours on a deer stand. You see more types of wildlife during this season of stealth when quietly sitting in total camouflage is the required technique. Hunters sometimes hate to fill their tags. Sitting in a quiet place and watching nature is relaxing.
Bow hunting deer requires patience and knowledge. Many hunters see deer, but that is only the first step. The key is doing everything correctly while adding a hint of luck.
An important key is setting up your deer stand in a productive spot. The best hunters set up several portable stands in hot areas. This provides adequate morning and evening stands. Most make the mistake of using the same stand no matter what time of day it is.
“The main key of setting stands up is scouting first,” said Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland, of the Mossy Oak Camouflage Company. “I sit and listen in the woods well after the hunt is over and it is dark. That gives me an idea of what direction the deer are coming from.”
This also gives Strickland the idea of where to set up stands. He might set stands up deeper in the woods where much of the deer sound came from. Three or four afternoons of working these spots will eventually put you in the right spot.
Strickland looks for areas with fresh deer sign. Then he sets up the stands and hunts as long as sign stays fresh.
Weather is another key to his hunts.
“Deer feed heavily during a cold weather snap,” he said. “This makes deer active in the evening, especially during a dark moon phase. Deer require full stomachs for keeping warm while bedding.”
Strickland makes sure his portable stands are set up around food sources. This requires determining what the deer are feeding on. White oak acorns or occasionally water chestnuts are sought out by hungry deer. Row crops are also good.
“A key to the morning hunt is finding funnels,” said Eddie Salter, a professional hunter from Alabama. “These areas are a small strip that connects with big woods. Funnel areas often run between corn fields and woods providing cover and food.”
Deer tend to stop in funnel areas when traveling. These smaller areas allow closer shots that are required for bow hunting. Remember to watch wind directions when approaching these spots. Your human scent will immediately spook every deer out of the area.
Always move into the wind. Wind at your back pushes warning scent straight at the deer. A deer biologist once told me that deer have the ability to break down different smells.
For example, a deer might smell your doe urine scent, toothpaste, deodorant and body odors – no matter how hard you try to be scent free. Masking scents are good, but no substitution for hunting into the wind.
Choosing the right stand relies on patience and watching the deer’s changing daily habits. Pay close attention to deer activity and set up your stands accordingly.
