DO NOT BE AFRAID TO CALL
The
whitetail deer like all creatures on earth must communicate with each other
through different series of sounds and calls. Each call or sound represents
certain levels of emotion and have meaning. If a hunter understands the meaning
each sound represents and when to use them. It can be an extremely successful
tactic to add to your bag-o tricks. One particular call comes to my mind, that
has proven successful time and time again for myself and many other hunters
is...." The Buck Roar", when to use it is important. This particular call
should be used during the chase phase on through the rut, usually late October
on through Nov. Early use of this call will most likely cause in uneventful
results. Know your calls, what they mean, when to use them and your fear of
using calls might soon disappear with your new found successful tactic.
FORCE THE DEER TO YOU
There are two ways we can force the deer to our setups. The first thing that
you can do is use the deers everyday surroundings against them, for example.
pinch points and funnels, lays of the land that naturally force a deer to get
from point A to point B. As the hunter you need to set-up in between these two
points. But sometimes in certain set-ups the deer have many different options to
get from point A to point B. Answer...physically limit the herds options. This
means create obstructions that force the deer to use the trails nearest your
setup, use logs, branches or brush piles. Essentially you are corralling your
herd of deer to do what you want. The whitetail deer has the amazing ability to
adapt to sudden terrain changes that mother nature does so often present. In
short, the adaptability of the whitetail deer makes these tactics possible.
THE SWITCHEROO
Find an overhanging branch over an existing active scrape and remove it. Walk
several yards away from the scrape, then use his original overhanging branch and
put it over your man made scrape. Caution...remember to use powder less latex
gloves, scent is everything. This could aggravate the buck enough for him to
frequent the area looking for whose making scrapes on his turf.
THE SCRAPE DRIPPER
Do you have a buck that you know is there, but never see him or if you have a
trail camera and it shows your target buck is only active at night? This is
common. Deer are
nocturnal animals, which means mostly active at night.
so....throw the kitchen sink at them. One tactic to get a nocturnal buck to get
on his feet during daylight hours is the use of a scrape dripper. You hang it
over an active or man-made scrape and you fill it with your scrape juice. The
dripper only drips during the day which will condition the buck to visit your
scrape during the day. Curiosity could get your buck killed.
THE PERFECT TREE
Weather your tree stand hunting or hunting on the ground, picking the perfect
tree goes beyond its location. You must also take into consideration its size.
As a whitetail hunter its important to diminish your outline so the proper width
of the tree will ensure an exceptional backdrop. If your set-up is in the
perfect location and you pick a tree with an exceptional backdrop, this could
prove to be a deadly combination.
SPECIFIC SCENT CONTROL FOR YOUR AREA
The first thing I recommend is to use deer urine from your area. By this, I mean
find a local
whitetail deer scent collector. It would not make sense to hunt a
deer in WNY and try to coax him into your set-up with urine from a deer that
came from Canada or the Western US. In addition, why would you use a deer scent
that has been made in mass quantities and sent across the country to sit and
ammoniate on a store shelf. What Beast Outdoors has been lucky enough to be
involved with is a scent collector who collects a yearly limited amount of deer
urine that is kept frozen and fresh with no preservatives. Our answer to cover
up and curiosity scents is
Buckeye Scents. If you live in NY then I recommend
this whitetail revolution on your next set-up.
DON'T TRAP YOURSELF
Do not trap yourself especially during gun season when the hunter has the
advantage. If you have ever found yourself in this situation of being in a late
season hot spot where every night the deer come to your field to feed, however
you can't pin point the herds entrance to the field because it changes from
night to night. We all know that hindsight is 20/20, for example " oh if I
would have been sitting in this spot or that spot, it would have happened".
There nothing more frustrating being trapped in your tree and the deer make it
to the field with light fading and your in the wrong spot. Moments later, the
sun goes down and the hunt unsuccessfully ends. " The Answer"....stay on the
ground, stay mobile and use the wind on the previous hunts knowledge to make a
move before the sun goes down. Now your back in the game!
