With hunting season now over, I like to look back on the previous season and remember my achievements, and failures. It seems like an eternity until next fall when we can get back into the woods in search of our personal trophies. Everyone likes to take up different activities to get us through the long winter here in the north country. Some like ice fishing, some go predator hunting, some go snowmobiling, and some shoot targets with their bows. But they all have one thing in common, passing the time until next hunting season. Now is the time where you look back into the past and figure out what worked and what did not. I’m always searching for the perfect set-up to find the deer of a lifetime.
Most hunters would agree that mistakes we made early in the season will have a huge affect on the outcome. Here are some of the most common mistakes made which make or break our season.
First of all, over-scouting is one common problem that can cause failure as the season goes on. Too many of us go into the woods early in the season with very little knowledge of where the deer are feeding or where they like to travel, but on the other side some do too much pre-season scouting and ruin their chances before they even can knock their arrow and broadhead. Too much scouting of the same area only makes deer more aware that something is not right. The second the pickup door opens, deer are on the alert and are patterning you as you are trying to pattern them. They have an internal clock that remembers the person, or the vehicles arrival and departure time. The approach that I feel works best is long range scouting in the beginning. Try to first locate deer and watch them from the road at a distance that your optics will handle. After you locate deer, keep an eye on when and where they come into the field for their meal. Next you should make one or two walks along the outer fringes of the trees to locate stand sites near the entrance and exit routes based on your previous observations. As you walk the fringes, keep an eye on old rubs and scrapes to figure out where the bucks are moving and place stands from there.
Next common folly is over-hunting. Some hunters fail to realize the value of the element of surprise. There are three things that affect your ability to hunt a stand without being detected. The first thing is, do not hunt the stand unless the wind is ideal. Second is to enter and exit your stand from a direction that crosses as few trails as possible. The third problem comes from walking to a stand using the same trail as deer do. The best is to find a different entry and exit routes than deer trails helps keep your presence undetected.
Just like early season scouting, in-season scouting must be done not to disturb the deer. When going to and from your stand, keep an eye on new sign. If you are not seeing the number or quality of deer you expected, make a brief scan through the woods, looking for fresh sign and new trails. Another option is to hang an observation stand in the distance if you don’t see deer after a couple of days in the stand, chances are the deer have moved, so you should move also.
Finally, stand placement and orientation can be nearly as important as knowing if deer even exist in the area. I like to hang my stand on the opposite side of the tree than the deer are approaching from. Doing this allows me the ability to look over my shoulder, and scan the area without being spotted. Another consideration is if possible, when the deer are approaching you make them look into the sun, it will make it harder for them to see you as they come within range. If you can’t get within range to shoot, it will be very tough to fill your tag. Don’t let the deer know you are there!
Deer hunting is a sport where those who are dedicated get results. If things aren’t going your way, take a step back and look into your tactics and see if these situations are applying to your hunting. You may want to try approaching the next season a bit differently.
