Video issues

Video promised is not cooperating...hopefully tomorrow sometime it'll be up and working. In the mean time I wanted to thank all following the site publicly, by email or just by re-visiting. Thanks to everyone! If you find yourself wanting to see an issue or topic discussed please contact me! Also if you have some awesome trail cam pictures or want me to post a survivor in my survivor page (above) just hit me up and I'll try to post as many as I can!

email me at tylanmiller(at)gmail.com   (use @, just trying to beat the scammers)

Busiest time outside of actual hunting...

I cringe every singe year when people tell me in September about how many stands they just hung, paths blocked with cuttings or how great their scouting trips were. That is the absolute wrong time for all of those things. Yes slipping in a few weeks before the season to make sure lanes are still open and stands are secure is going to happen, I do it, however your human 'stamp' on the woods should be as minimal as possible at this time...you never know what buck you bump out just prior to the season could end up on another hunter's wall.

A prime example of this is actually my 2011 buck, Trident. Trident was a buck we'd gotten photos of for months across a county road just a mile to our north and along a river bottom my father hunts. We thought for sure if either of us we're going to get him it would be my father. However, my dad finds out that another guy who hunts the property hung a stand just a few weeks out from the season right along one of the spots we'd been getting images of him almost daily...and the landowner decided cutting up some trees would be a good idea as well.

Needless to say, Trident, disappeared. Only to come up on the bad end of my arrow October 15th coming out of his new bedroom, the briars just across the road from his old bedroom...which just so happened to butt up to my father's 10 acres I primarily hunt...which the stands had been hung around the same time planting and fertilizing food plots occured (July/August).

Believe it or not in a mere week or two is the proper time to start that scouting. I will do 80% of my scouting this January after snow has set for a few days, 15% of it just making observations while putting in food plots and then 5% finalizing stands and lanes in early September. Atleast that's always the goal, and the snow I stated for January is key. The great thing about snow is it's like a carbon copy of the days activities. It'll show you whether deer were walking, running or browsing. It'll show you where they're sleeping, eating and staging. Pretty much January is going to show you where some of the best bedding is because trails are going to be going predominately to and from them to food sources. The biggest thing I'm looking for is locating the secondary trails which I overlook when snow wasn't on the ground. Yes, winter trails can differ some from fall but deer have certain trails they're going to use predominately...and locating those secondary and sometimes barely used trails can be the thing that puts you on a wiley old buck.

So get out there now! Don't waste the prime time to scout deer as they have not switched to their summer feeding patterns (which you observe when scouting in August and September) and you have the assistance of the snow on the ground.*

***TONIGHT I WILL BE POSTING A VIDEO BLOG ABOUT WHAT STEPS I RECOMMENDED TO A FELLOW HUNTER WITH ABOUT 70-80 ACRES OF WOODS ALONG A RIVER AND CROP FIELDS. EVERYTHING I RECOMMEND CAN AND IN MY CASE HAS  OR WILL BE DONE WITH MY OWN HUNTING GROUNDS.

**I will be posting about the hinge-cutting process at a later date as we (father and I) video ourselves doing them on our own hunting ground.

*If you live somewhere that snow is rare, this is still the right time to get out there for the reason stated above. You want to get out there while they are still in their winter/fall eating patterns, scouting summer feeding patterns are not nearly as valuable!

The art of whitetail ethics...

*Sometimes on this site I'm going to tackle just hunting issues or tactics that are not specifically geared or pointed towards small acre hunting or public land hunting....this is one of those times.

You've put in your time on the practice range. You've got your bow producing Robin Hoods occasionally and your gun is producing Davy Crocketts (two bullets in one hole). All the proper steps to be able to cleanly harvest a deer you have completed with flying colors. Then from your stand you see this deer walk up:

(click on the photo to see image even larger)

Now the origins of this doe's wound isn't 100% verified, but any experienced hunter can recognize the likelihood of that not being due to a bullet is next to zero. We can set here and beat around the bush about maybe it was a deflected shot or inexperienced hunter taking a tremendously long shot or perhaps this or that...but we all know this deer was probably a result of one of the two toughest shots to perfect; the head shot and the running shot.

These two shots occur every single year, in every single state and in every single county across the US.

HEAD SHOT:

Made popular because of its DRT (dead right there) capability, something appealing to any hunter. However, think of what can happen if you don't hit the "meat" of the head? You may just skin the skull deep enough to make living impossible but dying quickly just as impossible. You may hit the meat of the neck or where the esophagus meets the neck and make digesting food impossible=a slow and painful death for the deer. Another way to kill a deer slowly would be to produce something like in the pictures. Hitting the jaw structure will most definitely kill the deer...but there is no way of knowing how long that will take. Believe it or not the hunter who let me share these pictures actually said this doe can eat, albeit awkwardly. One can't help but wonder if she can eat at the rate her body will need throughout the winter months...also if I were to guess she may struggle with eating hard mass like corn, acorns or pecans.

Head shot, simply a shot I will never take. If you believe you can and will, practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. I would need to be able to produce Davy Crockett's from 100 yards away before I'd ever be able to let myself even consider such a shot.

RUNNING SHOTS:

These are not really shots you can practice, as most of the targets we all use are stationary. However, the ever popular 'deer drives' cause a lot of these. DISCLAIMER: Although I am personally not a supporter of deer drives, I understand they play a major part for lots of hunters and do not feel they are legally wrong. The reason I'm not a fan of drives are that the majority of the times the deer will be running when the shooters get a shot opportunity.

Shooting a running deer isn't at all impossible, why just this year a hunting friend of mine dropped a very nice buck with a running shot. The key for him he said was his waterfowl background and taking moving shots is almost second nature for him. I on the other hand again would not have taken the shot, gone back to camp with the old story of the one that got away.

RESPECT IS THE KEY

No matter what your stance is on what shots should or shouldn't be taken, you should above all else respect the animal you are trying to harvest. That respect should raise your expectations for a clean harvest to a level that to some would seem unobtainable. You should know exactly where your bullet is going to hit the second you squeeze that trigger, or where your arrow is going to impact upon release. There is no excuse for taking shots that have a greater chance of producing an injured (or dead but not found) deer. Meaning if you know you are going to do deer drives, figure out a way to practice taking moving shots...if you plan on taking a head shot know you can hit a quarter every single time!

May these pictures serve as a reminder running and head shots can and have produced more injured deer than a stationary shot when one aims at the lungs/heart.

Too small to do anything?

In my opinion if you have 3-5 acres you too can do things to your hunting ground in an effort to up your harvests come hunting season. As I've stated many times, 95% of my hunting has taken place on my parents 10 acres or the tiny parcels (none larger than 4 acres) that touch my parent's property. I am a living testimony that not only can you be successful in harvesting deer, but you can harvest wall caliber deer (if that's important to you) if you put in the time and have the patience.

The biggest mistake thousands of hunters do is, nothing. They don't do a thing to up the odds. They are either to lazy, don't know any better or simply don't care. If you're reading this blog I'd say the third option isn't a possibility as you're researching/surfing online for information. Now if it's the first one, being lazy, I think you'd be amazed at how little time it takes to make your property attractive to more deer. If you just don't know any better, keep reading and absorbing knowledge from anywhere you can!

I'll share with you the 3 key things that I feel anyone with 3 acres or more can do to attract more deer to utilize your woods as a part of their lives.

(www.greatnorthernoutdoors.net)

#1-Encourage more browse. Deer love the corn, alfalfa and other crops that we see as we drive down the road, but when it boils down to it not all of us are blessed to hunt this fields...we find ourselves hunting small wood lots which at times seem to receive no deer usage! Research shows that one of the primary things deer need to thrive are the natural browse found in the woods. This is the easiest thing to do out of the three, all you need is a chain-saw (actually a hand saw would do in a pinch...just more work). If your woods don't have undergrowth or active ground level bushes and thorns 9 times out of 10 it's due to your canopy being too thick. There are two ways of solving this problem. Cutting trees completely or hinge cutting. Cutting the tree's completely can be helpful as you provide your self with firewood, but it takes underbrush and the dormant seeds in the ground a couple years to truly thicken the area up like we want. Hinge cutting solves this issue. Hinge cutting is when you cut through a tree just enough  that it falls but doesn't snap completely. This allows the tree to still bud come the spring and produce cover, natural fence/wall and browse the deer will love! Hinge cutting must be done before the sap starts flowing from its winter storage in the stump and roots (February/March is when we'll be doing ours).

#2-Food plots. Bringing browse to your property is great but supplying the deer with some supplemental food sources are an excellent way to attract deer. The important thing to remember about putting food plots in is that you'll never be able to compete with the destination food plots like the farmers have, so don't try. I guess I should first clarify the difference between destination plots and the type you should be putting on your property. Destination plots are like the ones I described, the huge corn, alfalfa or any other cash crop that the farmer's are planting. The plots you should be putting in are much smaller (as small as an 1/8th of an acre), which deer feel safe and secure in before heading off to night time feedings in the large destination food plots. It is these places that deer will feed during hours a hunter can take advantage of. The biggest keys are keeping them irregular shaped and not easily checked in one fell swoop. Make it so a buck has to check one, then the other, then the other. This can be done with planting site barrier plants like switchgrass, Egyptian wheat or forage sorghum around the plots. Hinge cutting around and between them is also a possible route to go. While I could talk about this topic forever, I must point out that the place I've gained the most knowledge from is sniperbowhunting.com, which coming in January will become a new site with new experts on it's staff. Randy Vander Veen, the creator, personally looked over aerials of our property and began to share with me these tactics and much more. I highly recommend any hunter looking to learn how to properly attack food plots, hinge cutting and so much more to check out the site (it's actually on the right side of this blog/site). 

(www.chelsesgreenhouse.com)

#3-Introducing trees that produce food or browse for the deer. Fruit trees, mass trees or berry bushes are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what plants will attract deer. All have their pros, but definitely come with some cons. Fruit trees are seriously like candy to deer, you have one that produces deer will be there...however they typically need a lot more work by you than anything else you can plant, which at least in my eyes is a major negative. Mass producing trees like oaks are absolutely amazing for deer, however they take years (even the fast ones take 4-5 years) before they produce enough nuts to make a big difference. I'll be honest though when a nut tree produces a great yield it can produce some of the best hunting you'll experience. Bushes/briars are easy to plant and usually get started, but the problem with them is some can take over and become borderline if not completely invasive. My advice is that before you plant anything make sure you research it. If food is your goal and you want it quickly dwarf fruit trees may be a good option, if you  are willing to wait plant a few oaks (Sawtooth produce the quickest). I'll be honest though don't overlook the trees most already do. One of the most valuable trees in our woods is one most tear up (we plan on thinning them some even ourselves), and that's locust. We have some locust trees in our woods that produce these huge bean pods (I'll post a picture here as soon as I make it out to the property). The great things about these trees are they have tiny leaves leaving the canopy slightly less dense and these trees grows like weeds almost if allowed...which is the main reason I'm excited about hinge cutting them this Feb/March.

Now there is a lot of things even those of us with small parcels can do, but honestly those are my top three. I hope to go further into each one of these at some point, as there is so much more behind each one than I had time to post here. In the mean time get out there this late-season around the food or food routes and let me know if you meet any success!

Ruts come and gone...now what?

You've heard it many times, hunt the rut. It's true more bucks are shot during the rut than any other time...however I don't buy into the theory it's the only time to bag the big boy of the area. Right now is one of my favorite times to be in the woods with a buck tag in my pocket. One reason is that there's just something about hunting the cold and harvesting a buck that just feels special. The other reason is, they are predictable.

You pattern the bucks in your area going into the early season, however hunting pressure and the coming rut simply changed things before you could capitalize. You're left taking educated guesses during the rut hoping to get the big boy to step within range, but let's be honest he's got other things on his mind to worry about being where you want him to. Enter the late season.

Now that we're entering the time where most if not all the does are bred and bucks are beginning to think with the brain between the ears again. That brain is screaming one word very loud, "FOOD!" Find the food and the bucks won't be far away. This food source could be standing corn, rye grass fields or pretty much any other source of food that is in your area.

My dad's first buck ever, came in the dead of winter at the tail end of our muzzleloader season back in 2009. After going years without seeing a buck worth shooting or sadly losing them my father connected on one, hunting of all places 40 yards from neighbor's house and the road...reason? Honey-locust and their bean pods. Parts of our woods are loaded with these thorn covered Honey-locust trees that drop bean pods that run from 3 to 7 inches long. Once the snow falls and the crops are gone the deer absolutely hammer these things as they fall. Knowing this my dad positioned himself in a spot we'd hardly ever hunted but knew with the pods down anything could happen.

So the question is where's the food? I'm a big fan of small food plots or natural late season food like those pods because both are surrounded typically with better cover than a wide open field; allowing that big boy to step out while there's light to have a crack at him. The only thing left to do is be there when the deer are, which raises my next point.

It could be as simple as the
bushes that still hold leaves
or pods still attached to them.
(trochronicles.blogspot.com)

Years of experience have shown me that once the temps drop down in the freezing range and lower that mid-day hunting is big! Just today my father and I hunted a neighboring property known for great morning movement (a little standing corn still present near this property). Well, it was 7 degrees at shooting light...9 degrees after an hour...and 16 degrees when we finally called it quits. Total deer we saw: 0. Now this is where it gets interesting, on our way to our traditional after hunt brunch at a local diner we saw deer up and moving...at 10:30am. Then at 11:30 when I finally pulled out to head home I saw even more deer. Not 1/4 of a mile down the road were two deer, then along a busy highway I saw eight-plus deer on their feet and moving (one was a great young 8-pointer).

We both decided that this coming week, last week of muzzleloader, if we hunt we're going to try middle of the day. Sad thing is I should have known better, 3 of the late season does I've shot in the past 5 years have all come between 9:30am and noon. But like most hunters, I've fallen into the idea that morning and evenings are when you have to hunt.

Now if the temps aren't dropping the deer may continue to move just as they always have, but be sure to pay attention to the mercury. As it plummets, deer movement will almost always shift, typically moving as the sun begins to warm things up.

So getting on the food or travel routes to food, and being willing to adjust with the weather are the keys to increasing your odds this late season to getting your hands on some antlers.

Followers...

It appears something triggered a reset of my followers along the right side of the blog. If you are experiencing problems getting notified when things are added please re-follower!

Also lots are about to come this blog's way. I'm working on getting some products for some follower giveaways (so if you're one of the many that have visited but not followed be sure to!) as you'll have to be a follower to be applicable!

Next topic I'm going to discuss is late season hunting, look for it tomorrow or over the weekend! Good luck to all!

Public Ground 101

     When venturing into the idea of this blog/site I knew I wouldn’t be able to merely share my knowledge and make all who visit better hunters, because I’ll be honest I learn and am learning all I know from others. So with that in mind I sought out Rick DeStefanis, author of the great book The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting, which you can and should purchase (click here). I wanted Rick to share on a topic I’m still fairly young to, hunting public ground. I’ve been blessed to have at least a tiny chunk of private ground to hunt since I was young, however with the way the economy is going and how much land and lease rates are these days the common hunter is slowly being forced to hunt free public ground more and more.

So here is Rick’s Public Land 101:

Hunting public land, or heavily pressured timber-lease land can be a challenge for anyone, regardless of one’s level of experience.  That is where I do most of my hunting, and the deer there often tend to be smarter than average and much more wary.  There are, however, some things a hunter can do to put the odds in his favor.  First of all, make sure you have all your basics down.  That’s the simple things like scent control and wind awareness.  You already face a daunting challenge when you set foot on public land, so make sure you are prepared.  After that, persistence and a willingness to go where others don’t are the keys to success.

As with any area you may hunt, scouting is paramount.  However, what you are looking for in addition to deer sign is evidence of use by other hunters: ATV trails, deer stands or evidence of climbing stands used on trees, cut brush and of course, boot prints.  If you are finding a lot of this type of sign, keep moving.  One of the primary strategies I use on public land is to go deeper or further than the average hunter before I begin scouting in earnest.

Look for those difficult to reach areas, old clear-cuts, buck-brush thickets and swamps.  This is where the older and smarter deer go when they feel the pressure.  What are you looking for?  Two things primarily: good natural forage (acorns, honey suckle, etc.) and natural funnels.  If one takes precedence over the other, I’d choose the funnel.  This is one of the key strategies to hunting public land.  You move in on foot early; well before daylight, and ahead of other hunters.  Keep noise and lights to a minimum. The wind plays a key role in this strategy in as much as it needs to be at your back if you are going straight in from an access point that everyone else uses.

Once you arrive at your stand location, the plan is to hunt facing back toward the direction from which most hunters will be entering the land.  This puts you facing the wind and in position to see deer moving away from the onslaught of hunters arriving at first light.  The wind direction doesn’t have to be perfect, but you must put yourself on the down-wind side of the trail or funnel you choose.  I have often had to only wait for first light to see deer that have moved deeper into the woods to avoid hunters.

The third part of this strategy is to keep the faith, and stay put.  You will occasionally see other hunters moving through the woods, and hear shots everywhere around you.  It can be somewhat disheartening when you feel everyone is getting shots but you.  The fact is that most of these shots are being taken at running deer, and multiple shots from one weapon normally don’t equal a kill.  Just sit tight.  The deer don’t always move in a mass exodus for the deeper cover.  They will sidestep hunters, circle and wait for the most opportune time to move.  I have often had hunters walk by, and moments later see a crafty old buck circling their back trail.

(www.whitetailbuckhunter.com)

This takes me to the last part of this strategy.  Don’t get off the stand at 10:00 a.m.  Most hunters, including stand hunters get antsy and begin moving more by late morning.  Many are working their way back to their vehicles for lunch.  One of my old hunting mentors taught me this many years ago.  Sit tight and you will see as many deer from 10:00 to 12:00 as you do at first light.  It’s true.  I killed eight or nine of my first bucks during this time.  And the ones that aren’t jumped or pushed to you, often feel the pressure lighten and begin browsing as they move to deeper cover.

Public land can be just as productive as those expensive leases if you use your primary weapon to its fullest.  That is your mind.  Keep thinking and you will find other ways to put venison in your freezer.

-Rick Destefanis

I wanted to show off my long over due hanging of my first buck ever (up till now it was redneck hung up haha)...also this text was really just a chance to see if my posting straight from phone works like it should.

Be sure to check out the Trail Cam page!

Just added two new pictures of an amazing buck a fellow bowhunting.com forum member has showing up on his property! This buck is absolutely amazing!!!!

New Page Added

You'll see now along the top of the site a Links & More page. Be sure to check it out from time to time. While I know there are thousands of hunting sites and blogs on the internet I wanted to share with all visitors and followers every website I frequent or hold memberships at.


Also if you have any great trail cam pictures be sure to send them to let me know so I can get them posted on the trail cam page!!


As always in the mean time be safe and good luck in your attempts to place your hands on some antlers!

The top #5 places I've drawn knowledge from

I know from my traffic stats on this blog that many a hunter has stopped in looking through my articles, stories and real life examples. If you find yourself returning from time to time, please choose to follow (click the obvious button to the right-à) as in the future I’m going to be having giveaways to which eligibility will be simply being a follower.

Now onto the purpose for this post, where exactly do I get the knowledge I’m sharing. Well, I’d be lying if I stated I am a whitetail expert, but I do feel I’m a step above your common hunter. The reason for this is the amount of time I’ve spent reading and absorbing information from those who are the real experts in the whitetail field. I’d like to shed some light on a few of these now: (to see a larger list of websites and or books I feel you should know or attempt to read check out the above banner right beneath the site’s title)ßwill be up by Wednesday 11/27/11*

Charles Alsheimer (website here)

I’ve been blessed to hear Mr. Alsheimer speak twice at a local church that holds a hunter’s seminar/banquet every year. The knowledge base that Alsheimer has, in my opinion, may simply be most expansive in the business. You’ve probably already known about him from his affiliation with Deer and Deer Hunting (an amazing resource!). They not only produce a TV show, but an online forum and publications that are as priceless as gold for hunters looking to expand their knowledge base.

(PIC COURTESY OF WWW.CHARLIEALSHEIMER.COM)

Perhaps the one thing I’ve learned most from Charles Alsheimer is the moon phase, and it’s affects on the whitetail deer. To learn more about this topic a must read book on the topic is Hunting Whitetails by the Moon. Other great books by Charles include Strategies for Whitetails, Whitetail: Behavior Through the Seasons and Quality Deer Management: The Basics and Beyond. While he has many others those three I feel are at the top of the list if I were to place in a hierarchy.

If you ever get the chance to hear Charles Alsheimer in person, DO IT! This amazing man will teach you more about hunting in one hour than you’ll probably learn on my blog in a week or month! Also as good of a hunter as he is, he’s an even better man of God…a huge plus in my book.

Rick DeStefanis                                         (COURTESY OF GOOGLEIMAGES)

Rick is the most recent person I’ve added to my collection of experts, but definitely not the least of them. I happened across a review for Rick’s book, The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting, and knew I had to get my hands on a copy of it.

Rick has had amazing success hunting trophy whitetails over the years…primarily on PUBLIC GROUND! That’s right Rick’s outfitters over the years has been himself and whatever public ground or small hunting spots he could acquire within an hour’s distance of his house. The knowledge Rick has to share is some of the most insightful and easily understood information I’ve ever read. To be honest there is far too much great stuff in this book for me to go into details, simply pick up a copy any way you can and read it…you can thank me and Rick once it helps you…which it will!

Randy Vander Veen and others at sniperbowhunting.com

I recently joined sniperbowhunting.com after searching the internet for some food plot advice. After watching Randy’s introduction video I knew I had to give this site try, and let’s be honest $10 a month is worth it if we learn even a couple new things towards downing more deer. The site is amazing, each month Randy adds new videos and information that you can learn from and then transfer to your own property. The thing I love most about is Randy attempts to do a lot of his teaching through video, real application you can see and not have to read about and make assumptions or guesses at what he’s saying.

Randy will take you through the proper times to scout, make hinge cuts, plant/clear food plots and how to better hunt your property. Randy truly teaches you a better way to approach your hunting ground and your hunting tactics. Land manipulation and properly placing stands as well as food plots are something Randy has learned over the years by his own successes and failures, which he openly shares.

Coming this December and into the new year I know the site will be going through many upgrades and welcoming 3 more experts onto the “staff” to strengthen the content on the site even more! Before you second guess the decision be sure to at least consider joining this site…I only foresee the membership fee going up as the knowledge base and success rates of the members increase, which trust me will happen!

Also have Randy study your property and you'll be blown away at the time he takes to study your case and make recommendations! We're planning on doing a lot of things this coming winter and spring just because of his advice!

Deer & Deer Hunting (website)

Mentioned in the Charles Alsheimer bit, but this website/tv show/publication is one that shouldn’t go un-noticed by any hunter looking to learn. I can contribute a lot of my knowledge to things I’ve read or watched that Deer & Deer Hunting have put out! Just go there and learn.

Bowhunting.com

There are tons of online hunting sites, this is in my opinion is one of the best. Todd Graff created something special that is for sure.

Not only does BH.com bring you a forum with other die-hard bowhunters to learn from, Todd and Justin Zarr bring you weekly videos during the hunting season that show true hunting on free ranging deer on properties around the country, although Midwest primarily. Todd continues to add great people to his Pro Staff, which is only increasing the content on the site. Be sure to check out their product reviews, pro-staff blogs and the huge storefront they have there with just about everything a bowhunter could need.

Father's Buck (pics and story)

I realize I haven't written the Part III of the series yet, but no worries it's coming. In mean time let me introduce you to my father and tell you how his season is coming along. 


After I harvest Trident, my father was set on trying to take Bow, the big 150 inch buck I've discussed in previous posts. Well folks that wouldn't be the first shooter he encounters, about three weeks ago he had a great 115-120inch 8-pointer right under him...which he passed on in hopes to have a shot at Bow.


Well fast forward a few days and you could find my dad up a stand watching Bow. He had worked in behind him, and THEN EVEN BEDDED DOWN 49 YARDS AWAY!! Sadly it simply didn't come together, but man to encounter a buck like that in person had to get the old ticker really going.


Then my dad had to go through the night where he helped a neighboring hunter drag out a big buck (see blog post)shot right near our one stand he decided last minute not to hunt that night.


After that encounter with Bow and the terrible news of that large buck shot, dad continued to hunt frequently but nothing worth taking came by and Bow was no where to be seen. Gun season opened up exactly a week ago here in Indiana and dad traded in his bow for his Thompson Center Omega. Again while he saw deer nothing worth taking...then today it finally  happened. With does moving all around him right from the start, this buck finally stepped out of a marsh and began meandering up and slightly away from his stand to his back right side. He believes the shot was probably around 60 yards or so and his shot was definitely on mark as the heart had a hole straight through it...let's just say he didn't go far at all!

As you can see this buck is definitely unique. His left side is broken off, apparently an old-possibly during velvet brake, after his G2. Given the brake he's a solid management buck and easily meets our minimum of 8 points or wide as the ears. We estimate him to be a 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 year old buck, which had some solid bases and mass carried through his beams.


Yet again our little niche in the hunting world produces another solid buck, even though it's size acreage wise would be laughed at by lots of hunters. We however know what we have and have taken and will be taking more steps to make it even better. I'll be sure to share with you guys our plans for "overhauling" our property this February/March with strategic hinge cutting, food plots and trail cutting. Till the next post, stay safe and good luck!

Bowhunters vs Gunhunters...who we really need to be against!

The following is a post of mine on an online forum (bowhunting.com) which I feel all hunters need to read, whether you're like me and primarily bow hunt or your more of the cold steel type.


Here it is:

I've heard so much blow back-and-forth between the two sides it's almost getting to a ridiculous level, fortunately I haven't seen much of it here.

Now I'll preface this with the fact this may be a long read for some of us , but one I feel we all should read and rethink our feelings if we need to.

It isn't the weapon in the hunters hand, but in the mind we really need to be against!

With gun seasons in full swing almost everywhere, all bowhunters make a collective grown, the blame game is back on full fledge. "They'll sling lead everywhere till they drop a buck." "They'll shoot the first brown thing that moves and has any kind of headpiece." "It's no longer safe to enter the woods." Just a few of the things I've heard bow hunters say personally, and I'll admit in the past I was guilty of myself; more than likely will say it again too as I am man and make mistakes. The fact is though, those things aren't only happening during gun season, bow season has those occurances or situations as well....just not as many instances because not as many take to the woods.

We, and I use 'we' loosely, blame gun hunters for messed up herd ratios, unsafe woods, bad perceptions by the general public and for tainting the woods with their blue jeans and tobacco. So wait, just because they have guns in their hands these things happen? Come on my fellow brethen, realize that is not the case. I know countless bow hunters who have harvested bucks and been done with their hunting season....great herd management huh? I've also know many a bowhunter to shoot any size buck (disclaimer...this isn't to say only big bucks should be shot, I'm simply stating this one to fight the idea that gun hunters are the only ones who shoot anything...I say shoot what makes you happy). And just make things clear, not every gun toting hunter is un-educated, has a camo collection consisting of flannel and denim, and shoot every single thing that walks.

I understand though, many of us have only had bad experiences with gun hunters, however please hesitate to lump them all in the same boat. It's similar to the crossbow issues so many of us are dealing with. Some of us are 100% against them...however there are many cases where pulling a compound bow back is simply impossible and a crossbow allows hunters to do what they love throughout a longer time window; is that a bad thing? Is it such a bad thing that so many guys and gals take to the woods with guns each year? No it isn't. I mean they're adding to our brethren and sisthren(?) . Some are intimidated by the TIME it takes to get good with a bow, get a deer within range, and time spent in the stand. Doesn't make them any less of a hunter if they don't desire to put in all that time...and some do, but simply with a gun.

*WARNING: THE NEXT PART IS THE MOST IMPORTANT!

It is not gun hunters we need to be upset with and for lack of a better word "fight", it is the un-educated hunter or the moral/character-less hunter. That is the group it is okay to be against, not just gun hunters in general. I can't remember the exact number of us, but a poll revealed not to long ago that even on this board many of us will take to the woods this year (if we haven't already) with a firearm of somekind...does that make each of us one of the "crazies" "idiots" or "stupid" hunters some of us have coined gun hunters to be?

The fact is each hunter is at their own level, and have their own definition of a succussful hunt or harvest. We, and I mean every single hunter, cannot pass judgement or blame them for any wrong doing if what they've done is legal and made them happy. The only hunters we can tag with the "crazy hunter" or "parisitic hunter" stamp are the ones who go about things illegally or with total disregard for fellow hunters, agreements or the animal they're "hunting".

So the next time you start discussing the never ending debate of bow vs. gun, just remember not all the bad apples are found in the same basket...each bushel has some and we need to pick the bad ones OUT instead of throwing the whole bushel away.

K...done venting. Good luck all as you take to the woods.

Part II: Food & Water

(I’ll warn you this is a long read, but hopefully a good one)

                So you have just a small 8 acre hardwood spot you hunt. You’ve come to notice that when the acorns are dropping the woods light up with activity…but then die to nearly nothing once the last one is spotted and gobbled up. Some will simply chalk this up to the common saying “Just the way it is” and simply continue to be frustrated hunting outside of the acorn droppings. Why? You’re hunting ground simply needs a different food source besides the acorns…yes it’s that simple. Others of you might have the acorn trees, fruit trees and even a small ½ acre food plot full of brassicas to ensure food is present throughout the entire hunting season….but you see nothing?! How close is the nearest water?

                It’s simple, in order to survive a deer needs 2 things: food and water. Genius right, thanks but hold the applause till the end of the write up. So let’s get right to it. If your property isn’t near or have both of those two elements you’re probably not going to see many deer, unless you are near bedding areas. Many just take what they get and go with it. They adjust their standards for acceptable deer to match their property…while there is nothing wrong with that, why not improve the property? Yes, you can make changes to even a mere 5 acres and encourage better deer movement then you’ve ever had before!

                “We’ve got to do something Ty.” My dad said as we discussed a few years back about the neighboring hunters we dealt with and how they’d “bullied” their way onto the same parcel of land we already had permission to hunt (3 acres at that! But that’s another story). “Well…I agree but what?” We then proceeded to put in our first food plot, we didn’t think, shoot we didn’t even plan it out we just did it. Now I don’t recommend this rash style of attack, but it was better than simply doing nothing, however years later we now are realizing if we’d thought it out and designed the food plots locations better we could encourage the deer movement patterns to change. This is why we’ve decided after this hunting season our property will be going through a “facelift” of sorts. Some of our old food plots will be changed or simply turned into pine stands. We will also be doing quite a bit of hinge cutting and clear cutting….all well thought out, planned, designed and attacked in a prioritized way.

                We don’t know if what we do will in fact stop the deer from running along our northern edge, but the one thing we learned from our food plots and small clear cut area is this: “If you create areas that are designed for the deer, they will use them!”.

                I shared all of that with you because with food we have and will continue to switch the deer movements in and around our property. We decided very early on that we had bedding areas on bordering properties and water was close enough that food was how we needed to attack our woods. You need to do the same thing. Once you establish which is a better choice food or water, make it happen. Yes you may have to cut some trees (I’m going to discuss that in Part III) but trust me, even an 1/8 acre food plot will get hit by the deer!  So let’s look at the possibilities once you’ve made the decision of food or water?

*I preface all this with a slight disclosure. Depending on whether you hunt public ground, private property that isn’t yours or hunt a lease property with others; you may not be able to make habitat improvements to certain degrees. However some state land does allow food plots as long as no trees are cut to create clearing and in some cases landowners may have slight rules for changing their property in any way. In either case ask, the worse the park or owner can say is no…and I believe you may be surprised at their answer if you approach it honestly and respectfully.

Food

                You chose food, which means water isn’t something the deer in your area lack on a regular basis. Food may not be lacking around your property but it is something you feel could add to your property. Food plots are the quickest and easiest way to introduce food to your property whether it is mature woods, recently logged out woods or even open grassy areas with hardly any mature trees. The first mistake many hunters make is they pick a spot and start clearing a square shaped spot as big as they’re comfortable with…WRONG! I’ll take an 8 acre property with two or three 1/8 acre food plots on it over that same property that has a 3 acre rectangle shaped food plot on it, that deer can see a long distance in it. Why? Simple, deer want to feel secure and the more secure they feel the more likely they’ll move during daylight. To get them not only moving on your property but also doing that during daylight hours is our main objective! That was one of the mistakes my father and I made with our first food plot…while it isn’t a cube shaped one it is far too open for a deer to feel secure in it. This coming spring we’re going to be separating it into two small ones with hinge cutting as to create two smaller food plots that a deer can’t see for more than 30 yards or so, hence feeling more secure.

(example...now this one in my opinion isn't the greatest but it's pretty darn good. Picture courtesy of google images.)

                While everybody has their preference when it comes to shape, I’m a fan of the kidney shaped food plots or the Y format just so long as you keep them on the smaller side. To create that security the more cover you can have surrounding them the better, whether that be planting bushes, hinge cutting trees or allowing undergrowth to flourish around the new plots. This surrounding cover does 3 things; it allows the deer to feel protected and secure, hides your movements heading into a stand near the plot if deer are present and it will allow you to choose where the deer enter the plot from by creating openings.

                If that doesn’t sound like a promising set up, now connect one food plot to another little one. Notice I didn’t say just plant another food plot like 30 to 40 yards away, I said “connect” them. If you create a natural path for deer to move from plot to plot where they once again feel secure they’ll use that path more than any other available. In order to do this 2 approaches could be taken. The best way if allowed is hinge cutting between the two plots. This hinge cutting process is where you cut into a tree just enough to make it fall but hopefully leave a part of it still attached to the trunk. If done in the late winter time before spring occurs, nutrients will still flow up (during spring) that piece connecting the now fallen tree and the stump creating some amazing browse for deer and a almost solid wall blocking travel. The combination of these fallen trees and the now undergrowth booming due to no more canopy over head is going to produce a pretty thick area in a rather short time (after only 2 years the undergrowth will reach a height that can hide almost an entire deer’s body when standing).

Couple hinge cut examples. The last two show how you can block a trail leading to or from your plots very easily:

(all 3 pictures courtesy of iowawhitetail.com)

                What you do then is “connect” the two food plots by clearing a path in this hinge cut mess. The main thing you need to remember is NEVER MAKE THIS TRAIL STRAIGHT!!! This is due to the security factor and how a deer feels more secure when they can’t see for great distances, it will also hopefully slow them down to get a better shot chance. These paths are deadly set ups for stands as the deer will pass through them feeling very much at ease, if you do your part that is.

                Now there is plenty more to discuss for food plots but I’ll delve into seed choice and soil testing at a later date, for now let’s discuss water.

Water

                Some would say, and up until 2 months ago I was one, adding water to your property without spending a small fortune is impossible! Well, I was wrong and can’t believe how easy it is to do. It’s so easy that even though water isn’t something the deer on our property are in high demand for we’re still going to be adding it more than likely this next season.

                Have a kiddie pool that’s not getting used? That’s right, a kiddie pool. I have met and read about numerous guys using everything from kiddie pools, old hot tubs and even just simple tarps to create watering holes. The key is to keep it simple and don’t feel you have to provide a ½ acre pond sized watering hole. No matter what you use the first thing is location. Do you want to hunt the water, the trail to or from the water, or do you want the water to be a safety zone where the deer are never hunted? Once that’s decided and you choose a spot there’s a couple approaches to keeping water in it. The honest to goodness best way is to run hose/piping to it and just simply turn in on every now and then…however some places this just isn’t an option. You may have to transport water into the hole from time to time depending on rain, or simply rely upon the contour of the land and rain to keep your water hole filled.

(Obviously I would have atleast painted the thing brown or earth tone and put some dirt in it, but you get the idea. Picture from http://www.archerytalk.com/)

                I’ll admit I’m a novice at this and will be just as interested as you all to see how it goes for us, I’ll be sure to post pictures of the process for us! The most important thing I’ve learned from others who have done it is if you do a tarp, kiddie pool or something similar you need to fill it with dirt first no matter what. This creates a more natural pool setting and won’t spook deer if they step into it, where a vinyl bottom may feel wrong to them. If you simply want to dig a hole and let nature do its thing I do advise you look into bentonite clay powder. This stuff will make a hole almost water proof, allowing water to sit in the hole much longer as it won’t be absorbed into the ground.

(An example of a way to feed a simple dug hole. Picture from Bowhunting.net)

                In closing just remember by doing nothing, nothing will happen. But, if you decide to do things to the habitat with deer in mind, nothing will get worse. As a matter of fact I can say with quite a bit of certainty it will only get better! Hopefully, this part of the series made you at the very least start thinking about what you could do to encourage better deer movement on your hunting property, and in the end increasing your odds at harvesting more deer.

*Next and final Part III will discuss manipulating the habitat by cuttings, plantings and other tactics.

Real Quick...

Well...bad news but encouraging news for others hunting small wood lots like my father and I. One of those neighboring hunters to the north arrowed a 120ish inch buck last night. Bad news is another big buck down and not able to grow, but it isn't the huge one "Bow" so my dad still has a chance. 

I just wanted to share this with the readers as it may encourage those of you hunting small acreage spots that come this time of year there is no telling what might show up! This brute was not a regular!

Part two of management due before the end of the week! Make sure to keep checking back!

Part I: Harvest Decision and Minimum Establishment

                Now I’d like to take a moment to explain the 3-part series of "QDM" blogs I’m going to post. These are designed for the hunter wanting to better the deer herd on their property and up their odds of both seeing and harvesting deer year in and year out. I will discuss how to establish a minimum level for bucks, how to properly harvest does, stand positioning and how to manipulate the land in your favor. The information will be of use for any level of hunter, whether you’re a pure meat hunter who could care less about antlers or those of you looking to possibly get a set of antlers in your hands that you consider a good buck.

Part I: Harvest Decision and Establishing a Minimum

                You look in the paper or on the wall of your local deer check in spot and all you see are guys taking bigger bucks than you…shoot you haven’t even seen bucks that big in the stand ever! You go home dejected and simply frustrated…the next time you climb your stand an awesome thing happens a basket 6-pointer walks by and you make the perfect shot. While you celebrate and calm yourself down in your treestand you hear something…you look to where you heard the sound and meet a set of eyes connected to a huge 8-point buck. He takes off and you set there shocked at what just happened.

                Now, some may say this is highly unlikely…you haven’t hunted enough. The biggest buck I have taken was following a yearling 4-pointer by no more than 5-10 minutes. Big bucks aren’t big because they’re dumb, I’ve witnessed numerous times older bucks allowing the younger ones to lead the way. Let’s be honest for a moment, things will happen, every single hunter has taken a deer they now wish they wouldn’t have. Mine is a tiny 8-pointer I took one season when I couldn’t take going another season 0’fer. I have since regretted that decision and wondered if I’d have another nice set of antlers in my man cave just asking for someone to ask the story behind that bad boy if I would have let that 8 walk.

                Now some of you may be thinking you have only 5, 10, 20 acres of land to hunt, you don’t have the area or the resources to not shoot the first buck you see. Granted some places are more likely to have big bucks traveling them, however there are good solid bucks everywhere you go in most of the Continental United States; with the key being if you’re willing to wait for one?

                So the first step in becoming a quality hunter is two parts in my opinion. The first is the most crucial; take does when needed. You will know your deer herd better than I do, and know when your doe population is getting far too high. Now you may be saying, but Ty I only have 17 acres of ground with hunters surrounding it. Okay, fear not I’m in the exact same position see this map:

                I circled the places my father and I have permission to hunt, he owns only 11ish acres of it all. You’ll see we deal with quite a few other hunters and I didn’t even mention to the North and South there’s more on different properties. So as you can see I relate to those of you saying there is no way we can manage a herd’s doe population without a large chunk of ground. Not true, it just takes a little more work is all. You need to at the very least become acquaintances with these other hunters and if nothing else request they tell you when they harvest buck or doe (don’t worry about how big the buck is) and document this. You’ll begin to get a bigger picture of just how your local deer herd is affected each and every season. We learned that 9 does were harvested on the property to the Southwest…which led us to only harvesting 1 doe as they took over 70% of the does harvested within the properties pictured on that map. Without actually seeking out the other hunters and knowing their affect on the deer herd size, it would be quite easy for over harvesting to occur.

                The whole goal to harvesting does and tracking it is to try to obtain a buck to doe ratio of somewhere between 1:2 and 1:3. Meaning there’s 1 buck for every 2-3 does in your local deer population. It's estimated that the normal US herds are around 6:1...not ideal. This will increase the activity level of bucks during the rut as there isn’t as many does to go around, thus increasing the chances of harvesting more and better bucks over a span of years.

                The second part is the hard part for some hunters, picking the caliber of buck you’re going to consider a shooter. This is a personal choice you and/or your local hunters need to make. It’s great if you can get other hunters on board, but to be honest isn’t always going to be the case. We’re lucky enough to know that nearly every bow hunter during early bow season are not going to harvest any real young or small antlered bucks. However, come gun season we are less fortunate and realize every single year nearly half of our adolescent bucks will be harvested…we still however persevere with our set minimum my father and I established. We have a minimum of “Must have either 8 points or be as wide as their ears.” Now that minimum obviously is thrown out the window if come late season we get an injured buck coming onto our property or a buck we know is  3 or 4 and still under producing in the antler category. The key though is that we’ve established a minimum, and stuck to it. For some of you that might be a point minimum, say 4 points. Others may say only 120+ inch deer can be harvested; whichever it is set it and do it.

                Now sticking to it at times will be hard. There will be times when you haven’t seen anything, not even a doe, for weeks and a little 5 pointer walks up and begs to be shot. If it falls below your minimum will you have the resolve to not shoot it? Allow me to offer some encouragement to keeping that deer alive. Think about the bucks you see during a hunting season, how often do you see the exact same buck? Usually not too terribly much, maybe every other time to the field if we’re lucky right? An example of this is that of all the bucks I’ve shot, none of them did I see twice in the same season. That means I saw them once and harvested them that same time. If that’s the case then you passing up that 5, could be the difference between him living that year and dying; he just may slip all other hunters for the rest of the season if you let him walk. Yes, you may never know or he may get harvested by another hunter; but you letting him walk put one more buck back into the buck pool other hunters have to shoot from (meaning one more that will live).

                This is just the first part to establishing a level of QDM on your hunting property. The next will be Food & Water: Which Do I Need More Of?