When you hunt a large tract of seemingly inaccessible land there are some added variables to consider. First and foremost is the obvious lack of competition from other hunters. By and large, deer may not be as prone to vacate an area at the simple crack of a twig. By nature a deer is a curious animal that typically relies on confirmation of sight or smell to accompany sound before the association to danger requirement is met. You “can” move about and search an area cautiously if your initial setup has failed to deliver your own expected results. Keep in mind you are attempting to successfully break away from the proverbial rut that so many hunters get trapped in each year.
As for your hunting try to make your first few visits to your stand as lengthy as possible. It’s no secret that your first hunt on a new stand is basically the most exciting and with due relevance. Each visit deposits more human scent so your first visit is what some consider fairly clean with greater opportunity. Optimizing your time duration on the stand during these first hunts can pay high dividends. With little hunting pressure the deer will tend to move about more freely at all times of the day. During the sequential visits the area will begin to provide growing clues to human activity and alert the deer to the possible threat which could impose a change in their basic routine. Just as in any hunt you should give your stand a “cooling off” period to allow any human scent time to dissipate if you plan to continue hunting. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a single stand that I could hunt every single day with the correct wind so sometimes the “cooling off” period doesn’t come by choice. Rather it is dictated by the weather. Keep in mind that just like any hunting you shouldn’t force your hand when prevailing winds work against you.
Pay attention to the topography of your new location especially during the initial scouting. When you have a vantage point such as the bluff mentioned earlier in this article it behooves yourself not to do some glassing before heading down into the thicket. A forest that is comprised mainly of conifers, or needle bearing trees, will easily showcase your deciduous trees, leaf bearing, in quick fashion through the lens of a spotting scope or binoculars. The deciduous trees hold an inherent value due to their associated landscape. Typically you will find the deciduous variety of trees on portions of land that are higher in elevation. This by itself can lead to a preferred bedding or feeding area which is surrounded by lower outlying elevations. Deer tend to relate well to areas that form a small island of comfort for bedding by keeping themselves out of the damp or wet area when possible. Deciduous trees also tend to bring sunlight to the forest floor allowing for different stages of legumes to sprout which can be a primary food source. And, with a little luck, you may find an area of nut-bearing trees nestled within the confines of the deep forest. A single oak tree dropping it’s bounty of acorns can be like ringing the dinner bell to a whitetail deer. And, speaking of acorns dropping.
My hunting partner and I decided on opposite strategies for hunting that first year. He chose the area just below the oak bluff noting that it was ripe and ready for any buck in the area. He picked a spot below the ridge where the acorns were dropping and rolling down the bluff. This kept him out of sight of traffic and practically on the path where a decent 8 point buck would meet it’s fate. I followed my gut instinct and had a scaffold set over a mile back in the swamp where the spruce and cedars broke into a group of maples and birch trees that stretched for about two acres. It was a perfect bluebird morning when my arrow sliced both lungs on a heavy beamed 10 point buck that folded to the ground before it could run out of sight. We successfully hunted that same area for 2 more years utilizing different portions of the property before it was cut for timber harvest. I admit wholeheartedly that getting the deer back to the truck was a lot of work but the satisfaction was completely rewarding. And, breaking away from that previous rut I was stuck in opened the door to the following years of straying out of the box and walking my own path when it comes to hunting. I’d have to say if you plan to follow anyone’s trail, follow a twisted one. They tend to have more surprises around each corner.
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