Hunting Fishing Blog

Whether you're a weekend hunter, seasoned pro, or a beginner, my rule is you can never have too much hunting land or too many ponds to fish. I wanted to share some of the things that I have done in the past to gain access to new hunting grounds. The first thing I do is figure out where the best looking spots are in my home area. Keep in mind it's easier on your wallet and your truck if you can gain access to ground that's closer to your home. If you have to drive far distances, then that's ok too, but the closer the better I always say. Once you have an idea of where, you then need to use the Internet maps like google earth to take a closer look at the grounds from above. Then you can judge the size and the crop to woods ratio.

Once you have made a decision on where you want to focus your efforts, it's time to gain permission. You don't want to disturb a farmer that's hard at work in the field by driving right up to him and slowing him down. Keep in mind he has a lot more to do than you, so that's why he's working and your not lol. That will get you an instant no, I can guarantee it. What you do is you pick a nice rainy day when you know he's not planting or in harvest depending on the time of year. Then in the evening you simply knock on doors being very polite and respectful to the land owners. I just simply tell them who I am, what I do, where I'm from. I ask them if they allow permission for bow hunting only on their property, along with a lot of small talk about crop prices and things. They are more likely to give permission for bow than gun, due to the fact that most people don't want a stranger with a gun on their property, makes since. So that's good news for bow hunters.

Now remember you will get a lot of NO's but you will get yes's as well. I knock on twenty doors every preseason and might get two yes's and that's a lot of time and gas but it pays off big when you create great memories in the great outdoors. If you can just be patient and persistent good things will come. Stay after it and gain any piece of ground you can and hunt hard as long as you can. It's hunting, its the chase not just for big bucks but for the right piece of land, the right tree, the right food source and the right time. Its all about what you know and a little about who you know. I thank god every time I get to climb into the stand. Also, make sure you thank the farmer that lets you hunt his land because after all, he is the one paying the taxes on your hunting paradise. Good luck to all and be safe.   

If you are anything like me, you may get restless pending hours in the treestand deer hunting with no sign of life outside of a few birds.  On these occasions you could try some stalking through the woods but this should be done right, especially if you are stalking as bow hunter and not a gun hunter.  With the limited distance of a bow a hunter must be must stealthier in order to be effective. 

Stalking is pretty straightforward, walk quiet and slow, but understanding the walking pattern can give you an advantage.  This pattern refers to moving through the area like another native big animal would.  Whitetail deer do not typically walk through the woods at a continuous pace; they stop frequently and graze or check their surroundings.  So an ideal walking pattern would include the following:

• Walk slow, heel to toe
• Pick your feet up and place them down, do not drag them
• Try not to snap large twigs, it is an unnatural sound
• Stop every ten to fifteen steps to mimic the pause of a large game animal

Got any other things that work great for you?  Post them in the comments below and we will try to update this article to include them.

In the last article I covered how scent control is vital to monster buck hunting and now we will discuss location.  Hunters don’t like moving through brier bushes and thorny shoulder high brush.  For the whitetail buck, though, this is ideal territory.  With their smooth fur coat, the briers slide across them and do not snag as they do on most hunting gear and camo.  Monster bucks typically avoid major cow paths, deer highways, and typical animal crossings.  Their preferred territory puts them deep in the thickest and hardest to reach areas.

This major detail is one reason why many successful hunters prepare to embark far from the beaten path to connect with a bruiser buck.  Especially when hunting public land, it is highly recommended that a hunter travel into unmarked territory.  In studies via GPS- researchers found that most hunters travel only a short distance into public land areas and their more successful fellow hunters travel much farther.

Got any other things that work great for you?  Post them in the comments below and we will try to update this article to include them.

Let me start out by saying that wind is a major factor in whether or not you even see or get a mature deer in range or any deer for that matter. Always pay very close attention to the wind while in the stand. If it's still early in the morning or afternoon and you need to make a switch to another stand I highly recommend it. You want to always put yourself up wind from where you believe the deer may be coming from. When calling or rattling the buck he will always come in downwind of your location to scent check you to be sure there is no danger. This is when all the scent control you have done pre hunt will determine the outcome. Also when using a decoy it's best to have the buck decoy quartering to you and upwind from you, that way when a buck comes in and circles downwind to get head up for the battle you have a broad side or quartering away shot. I prefer my sets to be at 20 to 25 feet but you need to do what is comfortable to you. Also when setting this high off of the ground always wear a safety harness or vest. As far as thermals go this is how it works. The thermals are pushed up in the morning along with your scent so you are less likely to be caught during morning hunts. In the evening when the thermals are being pushed downward toward the bucks best defense which gives him a little advantage as appose to morning but I prefer an evening hunt any day over morning, their always seems to be more action. Ultimately you want to gain an edge by being wind alert and as scent free as possible. If the wind is swirling all you can do is hope for the best. I mean after all it is bow hunting, anything can happen.