Every deer hunter dreams of owning a private hunting sanctuary. In my dream, I'm hunting a place where deer are hiding behind every tree and big bucks are as common as robins on a fresh-cut lawn.
Unfortunately, deer hunting heaven is a fantasy we dream about and rarely encounter. Most deer hunters practice their sport on federal, state, and other public lands. State Game Areas, Waterfowl Management Areas, State Forests, State Parks, National Parks and National Forests abound with hunting opportunities. It's on these lands that a deer hunter can get lost in the crowd or seek out the deer hunting spots others overlook.
Opening Day Hunting Tactics
There's no better time to be afield than opening day. It's no accident that most bucks are harvested during the first couple days of the season. During this period, the woods is full of hunters, and deer are confused by the sudden influx of hunters are on the move. The buck population suffers as a result.
Up to 80 percent the deer taken each year are harvested during the first three days of the firearm season. Of these animals, most are 18-month-old bucks sprouting their first set of antlers. The bucks that somehow make it through the opening day barrage earn a masters degree in survival.
Anyone who has hunted public lands knows that once the masses of orange coats start to invade the piney woods, whitetails put on a disappearing act that would make Houdini envious. Where do the animals making all those V-shaped tracks in the woods go after the first few days?
While it may seem like the deer have been beamed up to the Starship Enterprise, the prospects for hunting success don't have to be bleak. Whitetail deer (especially bucks) are resourceful animals and masters at keeping a low profile. Scoring on the bucks that live on heavily hunted public lands requires the hunter to be equally resourceful.
There are almost as many ways to fool an unsuspecting buck on opening day as there are hunters. Piles of young spikes, forks, and six-point bucks become opening day statistics because of hunters who were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right moment. We've all heard stories about the hunter who walks into the woods, plunks his carcass down on the nearest tree stump, and shoots a nice buck within minutes of leaving the truck.
It happens all the time on opening day. However, after the first shots are fired, the luck of opening day quickly fades. Many of the most popular hunting techniques and spots become futile and void of deer as the season wears on. Those hunters who sit on stands overlooking agricultural fields, meadows, powerline right-of-ways, and bait piles are the first to notice a decline in deer sightings.
Pressured deer rarely venture into the open unless they are boxed in and forced to bolt from one piece of cover to another. Deer become active later in the evening and only for a brief period each morning. Hunting pressure forces deer to stick to heavy cover, leads them to travel by routes that provide a low profile and causes them to concentrate their necessary movements during low-light periods. Just knowing how deer react to pressure is a major step toward intercepting bucks that have become adept at going detected.
The routes deer use when pressured are sometimes referred to as escape trails. Whitetail deer are very much accustomed to melting into heavy cover when danger threatens, however the route they choose isn't as easy to spot as the well-worn trails leading to favorite bedding or feeding spots.
Pressured deer use the contour of the ground for cover when moving. When I was in college working on my wildlife management degree, I had several opportunities to observe deer from small airplanes. Our job was to count deer for statistical and management purposes.
As we spotted deer from the air, the plane followed them for a short distance to get an accurate count before venturing off to find other animals. It didn't take long to notice that as soon as deer were startled into moving they headed for low ground.
Frightened deer instinctively stick close to low areas that by nature support thicker growth and more cover. You can bet your .30-06, pressured deer will also make a bee line to swamps, marshes, rivers, or creeks. It's a safe bet that the tougher an area is for hunters to move around in undetected, the more likely deer will take up residence.
Think back to some of the deer you've shot and trailed over the years. Where does a wounded deer head? The bucks I've shot usually end up in cover so thick it's difficult to get off another shot if necessary. I've trailed wounded animals to willow flats, prickly pear thickets, tag alder swamps, and cattail marshes. If the area has standing water so much the better as far as deer are concerned. Deer, especially bucks, aren't afraid of getting their feet wet to save their skins.
Noting these aspects of deer behavior has helped me successfully predict the movements of pressured deer many times. The key to being in the right place at the right time after opening day is knowing every inch of your hunting area and the spots most likely to be used as escape routes or safe havens.
Natural funnels that guide moving deer into an area small enough for a hunter to effectively watch are the ideal places to fool a buck that thinks his troubles are behind him. The saddle between two ridges, a stream that meanders through a tag alder thicket, and shelter belts that connect wood lots are just a few examples of natural cover that concentrates deer movement.
Getting to these natural ambush sites before the deer do is the tough part. The moment hunters pull into a state game area parking lot, commence to slamming truck doors, loading guns, waving flash lights, and crunching through the woods, deer are already alerted and on the move.
Getting ahead of these animals means you'll have to be in the woods well before other hunters start their morning trek. Being in the woods early and late in the day is critical to hunting success after the opening day shots echo danger. Plan to arrive at your stand 30 to 60 minutes before first light and hunt right up until legal shooting hour ends each evening.
Ideally, I try to enter my stand from the opposite direction I expect deer to approach. Doing so keeps me from spooking the very deer I hope to encounter. Unfortunately, it also means I often have to walk a fair distance overland to reach my stands.
This kind of hunting is an all-day affair. Pack a lunch and plan on staying put. As other hunters get antsy and begin moving around you'll be in prime position to catch a buck tiptoeing his way toward one of his safe havens.
One of the new handheld GPS units is going to guide my way into the deer woods this fall. These portable navigation systems, about the size of a handheld VHF radio and twice as handy, have a plotter screen that allows me to see both my current position and destination, gives me a compass bearing to guide me, and even tracks my speed over ground. I can set up a route to follow if the best way to reach my destination isn't a straight line, and traveling before dawn or after sunset is no problem. Not to mention I'll never have to wonder in which direction I parked the truck!
Finding Escape Funnels
Locating natural funnels in farm country where forest cover is somewhat limited is pretty easy. The woodlots in farm country are usually small and quickly covered on foot. Hedgerows and other shelter breaks are easily spotted by simply driving the back roads and farm trails.
Spotting typical deer escape routes in heavily forested areas is a little more difficult. A forest map that shows topography contours is an essential tool. Maps are often available at DNR and National Forest Service offices or private businesses like paper mills and lumber companies that allow public hunting on their lands. These maps show ground contours, forest types, swamps, rivers, improved roads, and logging trails.
Chartering a small airplane is an excellent shortcut to locating good deer hunting areas , and it's not as expensive as you might imagine. Two guys can share the cost of renting an airplane for less than some hunters spend on liquid refreshment.
From the air it's easy-to-spot routes deer are likely to follow when pressured, locate pockets of cover deer use as sanctuaries, and pick the easiest routes into these areas. When flying new hunting areas, keep a map handy to make notes on for reference when you're on foot.
Forest rangers, timber buyers, and conservation officers are other good sources of information when surveying a new hunting spot. These men make a living in the woods and can be a great help in locating access roads, forest trails, and other shortcuts to the back country.
Locating Overlooked Hunting Sites
It's well known that deer tend to seek out heavy cover once the hunting season gets under way. However, some of the areas I've found bucks hiding might surprise you.
Cattail marshes, new forest clear-cuttings, brushy islands surrounded by water, abandoned apple orchards, raspberry thickets, and even flooded corn rows are a few of the places I've encountered bucks with stealth training.
A couple years ago, I came face to face with a nice buck while hunting waterfowl in flooded corn rows at a State Game Area. It was mid-November and I was huddled down in the flooded corn peering out at my decoy spread when I heard splashing sounds coming from my left.
At first I thought another hunter was wading in to hunt the area. The splashing kept getting closer and I listened intently. Figuring I was going to get the last laugh when the hunter finally showed himself, I waited patiently.
Suddenly a high racked eight-point sloshed into the row I was standing in only 10 yards away. Muddy water dripped from the animals brisket, yet the buck seemed as content as a mallard in that flooded corn.
The buck didn't see me standing motionless in my full camo until I turned towards the animal and shouted BANG! Water, mud, and corn cobs flew in every direction as the buck wheeled around and bolted for safer ground.
Looking back, I'm certain that flooded corn was the safest place in the county for a buck with such a nice head set to be hiding.
I've also jumped deer numerous times from little swales surrounded by acres of plowed fields. Low spots that hold water in the spring are often left unplowed. Foxtail grass, prickly pear bushes, and other dense cover sprout up in these spots, making them ideal for a buck that's looking for a quiet place to wait out hunting season.
Bucks feel most comfortable hiding in places thick enough that they can be sure nothing is going to sneak up on them. These areas give bucks an opportunity to detect approaching danger and slip out the back door long before any serious threat occurs.
Wooded areas that can only be reached by crossing swampy ground, very dense cover such as clearcuts that feature timber fallen in every direction, and tracts of forest land that are isolated by meandering rivers and streams are prime spots to find pressure sensitive bucks.
Floating rivers in October for ducks is an excellent way to locate deer hunting sites. When the river doubles back to form an oxbow a pocket of ideal deer habit is formed. Set up your stand to watch the mouth of the oxbow and watch for deer trying to sneak into this natural sanctuary.
River oxbows can be reached by boat allowing the hunter a silent way to slip into his stand without spooking resident deer. A canoe or small boat also makes it easier to get a downed buck back to your truck.
Last Chance Bucks
Near the end of the firearm season hunters are blessed with another golden opportunity to score on a better than average whitetail buck. By late November hunting pressure is mild and deer start returning to their normal patterns of movement.
As the woods slowly return to normal, deer become vulnerable again to hunters. It's during this period that dominate breeding bucks slip back into a lovesick mood. Does that for whatever reason weren't bred during their first estrus cycle come into heat again. Along with these adult does, does fawns start coming into estrus for the first time.
The whitetail rut lasts much longer than most hunters realize. Much has been written about how the rut peaks around Halloween. That's true but another important breeding period takes place around Thanksgiving.
Have you ever seen a big buck in hot pursuit of a tiny doe weeks after the rut should be over? Few hunters realize that doe fawns born in June experience their first estrus cycle around Thanksgiving. Capable of reproduction at only five to six months of age, these young girls create a renewed period of breeding activity that may last a week or more.
A hot doe fawn will often lead a buck on a merry chase before giving into his attention. This little-known phenomenon occurs every season and can be one of the most exciting times to be afield deer hunting. During this period hunting pressure is usually light and bucks are more apt to be chasing does than trying to save their skin.
Some of the best late-season deer hunting takes place in the farm belt where deer may be concentrated into a small area. State Game Areas that are adjacent to cash crop farms are excellent places to find deer. Regions that have a large doe population are more likely to see late season breeding activity.
The late season is a good time to experiment with horn rattling, grunt calls, and matrix scents. Bucks motivated by sex are likely to respond to any or all of these aggressive hunting tools.
Hunting on public land is a challenge many hunters have no choice but to accept. Fortunately, there's no shortage of state, federal, and other public hunting lands to choose from. The deer are there, the land is there, and best of all you don't have to ask for hunting permission!
Copyright (c) 1996 Mark Romanack. All rights reserved.
Home | Library | Hunting | Big Game Hunting