Unless your creating a rattling sequence or performing a drive I learned that being still and quiet while deer hunting was paramount to seeing deer and even moreso to shooting deer. I also learned that when you can’t adhere to these basic rules that your most likely better off to leave the stand rather than tipping your hand to every whitetail in the area. So, what can you do to increase your attention span and spend more time hunting? Here’s a few pointers that have helped me through the years and increased my total time spent on the stand by hours, not minutes.

Be your own mentor. As crazy as it may sound it really comes down to discipline and creating structure. If you use the mindset that you are leading and teaching by your actions you inevitably underscore the basics as you would when teaching a new hunter the groundwork of successful deer hunting. Act as you would if you had a new hunter along with you on the hunt anticipating that first whitetail to pass by your stand.

Challenge yourself to keep your mind active and occupied. I often scan the woods from my hunting area for fresh buck rubs. I’m not speaking of a quick scan across the landscape. Pinpoint the known travel routes that you are hunting and visually inspect the base of each tree from your blind or stand. It sounds like an exercise that would take seconds but when you deliberately view each tree from your vantage point it can pass the time quickly while still keeping you alert to your known entry and exit points that deer frequent. It’s not uncommon to view a deer standing just beyond a clear shooting lane when viewing the trails with this extended attention.

Adopt additional hunting techniques like calling and rattling. Calls like the fawn and doe bleat are common throughout the year and can be used to set the tone that this area is safe. Obviously calls like the tending grunt can be used during the rut. In either event there are numerous social deer calls that can be used to your advantage not just for the sake of calling deer but for spending some extra time hunting. Typically I refrain from calling during my first couple of hours on the stand. My objective is to hunt the local herd that I know reside in the area. I prefer to execute that hunt by utilizing the element of surprise. I’m not looking to draw attention to my location at this point in the hunt. When I get to the point where my attention starts to wander I break out the calls and create a short, soft sequence of bleats in 15 minute intervals. My anticipation and attention levels begin to soar as the senses once again become alert with this additional interaction. The same can be done with rattling although the usage will be more dictated by the season and any expected response.

I’m sure there are many hunters out there who also use portable media devices to listen to music, play games, surf the internet, text message, and whatever else is available. For myself that is merely a distraction away from the actual hunt which in turn dampens the attention span. My own exercises for lengthening time hunting revolve around the hunt itself with a sharp focus on staying alert and hearing what is taking place around me.

All in all if your deer hunting falls into any of these categories they could have serious drawbacks to your realization of filling your hunting tags. Try stepping back for a moment with an honest judgment of your annual hunting activities. You might just find that with an adjustment or two that the taste of fresh venison backstrap’s goes down much easier than tag soup.

author website: visit | author bio

Page : 1 2 3 4 - view entire post