Re: Whitetail Tips (jseasor)
Wow! Absolutely great post Jarred. There is deer hunting 101 for you beginners and a great reminder for you seasoned hunters. I fully agree one the necessity of scent control. I would like to add one more thing on that topic, scent follows air movement. In the mornings, scent will rise as the air warms, and fall in the evenings as the air condenses. So less stand height is needed in the mornings. But we must be aware of where and how the deer are moving. If deer are moving from a hollow in the evening toward your stand, you face greater risk of getting busted, move to where your scent will "pool" in an area that will afford you a shot first (downwind).
Again, absolutely wonderful post Jarred. Gosh I love this new forum
Re: Whitetail Tips (vatreefarmer)
Re: Whitetail Tips (vatreefarmer)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vatreefarmer »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Wow! Absolutely great post Jarred. There is deer hunting 101 for you beginners and a great reminder for you seasoned hunters. I fully agree one the necessity of scent control. I would like to add one more thing on that topic, scent follows air movement. In the mornings, scent will rise as the air warms, and fall in the evenings as the air condenses. So less stand height is needed in the mornings. But we must be aware of where and how the deer are moving. If deer are moving from a hollow in the evening toward your stand, you face greater risk of getting busted, move to where your scent will "pool" in an area that will afford you a shot first (downwind).
Again, absolutely wonderful post Jarred. Gosh I love this new forum </TD></TR></TABLE>
+100 great posts guys.
Re: Whitetail Tips (jseasor)
Good posts.
I saw some interesting scent control by wildlife biologists from the U of Georgia (working deer studies). They kept rubber boots in a plastic bag. They put them in on when they were about to go in the woods, and changed out of them when they came out. They had mineral spirits to clean them with a rag.
Another excellent sense that deer have is their hearing. I've climbed trees before daylight in a climber thinking that I am quiet, but friends have asked me why I made so much noise going up or down a tree. But, of course, I've heard them make a lot of noise too, more than they thought they were. There are some brands of climbers that make tremendous noise when going up and down a tree.
Moreover, when you walk in with a climber on your back and a gun in your hands, it's amazing how much clanking others can hear, particularly in early and late hours when noise carries so well. If humans hear it, you know the deer can. I guess we all make a good bit of noise in a metal climber while sitting in the stand when he shift, turn, mount the gun, get a drink of water, etc. I need to find a wrap to dampen the noise from contact with the climber.
Re: Whitetail Tips (Rawthumb)
This may sound silly and might look it. I have always found early in bow season(October in the north as far as my experience) that the leaves on the ground in dry weather make a heck of a lot of noise. As you are walking in to your stand try not to walk like a human. Try to think of what a deer sounds like walking, with a double paced quick short step. You are going to make noise no matter what, so might as well put them at ease of possibly fool them. I have had many come towards me from thicker bedding areas to investigate as I tip-toed at an odd pace through the woods to my target location. Saw my biggest buck ever this way, but had no good shot.
If you see me in the woods doing this, just don't laugh out loud and scare any away! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif
Re: Whitetail Tips (jseasor)
Great addition with the bow section! Bow hunting is a disease for me. Take bowhunting seriously like Jseasor suggests and you'll get the disease as well. Great post
Re: Whitetail Tips (jseasor)
Good tips Jarred, I have have been Hunting all of my life and I am 53 years old. The best tip of everything you wrote in my opinion is wind direction. I smoke , and as long as you are downwind you are good to go. I have been busted a few times as we all have, If you are upwind of a deer I don't care what kind of precautions you take, he is more than likely going to smell you. My point being , use the wind to your advantage.
Modified by spotdoctor at 8:30 AM 9/23/2008
Re: Whitetail Tips (jseasor)
Excellent post Jarred, couldnt have sdaid it better myself!!!
Re: Whitetail Tips (jettdog68)
Yep, you have to play the wind. Every year I put together a map of all my hunting stands, all layed out on a topo or ariel map. I number everything and even indicate what the best wind directions are for morning or evening hunts. Wind direction is always the determining factor in narrowing down what stand to sit in.
It is tough sometimes though. You want to keep hunting a hot stand, but that stand will turn cold in a hurry, if the deer you are trying to hunt catch wind of you.
Your best chance of bagging a deer is the very first time you sit the stand. I think back over the years and I have shot a lot of deer the very first time I sat the stand, with the correct wind direction.
Re: Whitetail Tips (ProcraftMike)
i am with you..i have 2 on the wall, 1st sits in the stand.. http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif
Re: Whitetail Tips (jseasor)
One thing I'd add to the scent control tip is to not touch a damn thing if you can help it. Most hunters are real concerned about their footsteps but think nothing of pushing aside a branch if it helps them be quieter.
I had this reinforced to me one time when I was hunting a new spot. I was running late and hurried past the tree I was planning to use for my climber. As I approached the tree I lifted a horizontal sapling with a gloved hand and ducked under it. I attached my climber and went up only to find I was in the wrong tree and couldn't see a damn thing to my left. Went back down and moved to the correct tree. But as I assembled the stand, I dropped the top half onto the bottom and made a god-awful racket. Believe me, it wasn't with much confidence that I settled into the seat but was hoping that maybe a wandering buck might show at dusk.
I wasn't there 5 minutes when I spotted a doe feeding towards me. 45 minutes later she reached the spot I walked through and didn't seem to notice my tracks but one sniff of the sapling sent her tail to half mast and she stiff-legged it back in the direction she came.
I think deer in general can be quite forgiving of boot tracks esp. if it's a place they expect to find human scent (like tote roads) but not near bedding areas.
Re: Whitetail Tips (BP in ME)
Re: Whitetail Tips (bayoubugman)
WIND DIRECTION!!!!! I have found this to be THE most important factor in the equation. My two hunting buddies, and myself, have started to really pay attention to the wind in the last 3 years. We will not hunt a stand if the wind is not favorable. No matter how hot it was yesterday, or whenever the wind was right. The proof is in the pudding, a 130 two years ago, a 160 last year, a 140 and a 135 this year! Not bragging, just saying, if you stick to it, it works.
Great info on this post guys! Hopefully it will help more of us be successful.
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Re: Whitetail Tips (ChampioN181Benton)
One tip for working on stands. Get a man lift for $500 a weekend. Really comes in handy. Not every club can afford that but if you can, its a good investment for some
Re: Whitetail Tips (90xpress)
Re: Whitetail Tips (DLABORDE)
Gather up sticks, foliage, acorns, what have you, enough to fill a Mason jar 3/4ths. full, cover it with rubbing alcohol and let sit until the following hunting season. The best cover scent ever as it comes directly from YOUR hunting area!! The alcohol will extract the oils from everything YOU place in the jar and is a helluva lot cheaper than store bought! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif
Re: Whitetail Tips (Terry Anderson)
I agree that the best cover scent comes from the area to be hunted but I do it a differant way. I take a rubbermade tote box and put whatever gear I am hunting with at the time. I line the bottom of the box with dirt and leaves. Then as I am layering my clothes into the box take leafy twigs or sticks and layer them into the tote along with the clothes. The more of your area you can seal up with your clothes the more your clothes will smell like your area. You are in his living room and hes gonna notice something out of place or anything that smells a little off. Kinda messed up but area of cattle pastures and horse farms, its real easy to find a cover scent for your boots. Use you imagination there. Remember the smell of grandmas house, and how it always smelled differant. Everybody doesn't smell the same and I bet that if you walked in my house it would be differant than yours. And vice versa. Take every precaution you can but remember this, you will never be able to fool a deers nose. Its not possible. You have to play the wind, the weather, and the location in order to get the reward you are looking for. If you spend too much time worrying about scent, then you will forget about something else...and the something else is what will cost you most of the time...