Tips

Using a Decoy

Where and how you place your deer decoy may determine how successful you are, and which sex and size deer respond to the decoy.

1. For safety use a decoy with blaze orange, hang fluorescent tape nearby, or hunt from an elevated stand.
2. Don't get human or unnatural scent on the decoy. Use gloves when carrying and positioning the decoy, then spray it with deer scent or cover-up.
3. Place the decoy in a high use area; near trails, rubs, scrapes, bedding, staging or feeding areas with nearby cover.
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VIDEO Tip(s)

How to Trap Beaver

Duane shows us how to set a good beaver trap

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Watch Your Back

When spot and stalk hunting, you can hang out on a ridge for hours glassing and not see a thing. When its time to exit your glassing spot, sometimes it helps to double back or go slowly when exiting. Deer and elk recognize when a threat is leaving an area and will sometimes use that time to break cover and move to a new location. Watching your back when exiting from or moving to your new spotting location may give you a slight advantage on your next hunt.

7 Tips For Deer Hunting Public Land

1. Get a map. Preferably a topo map and an aireal photo of the area where you'll be hunting. You can find good topo maps on the Internet at several areas or contact the USGS for an index. A good map will show you many things. Some of the things you'll be wanting to look for are: where are other hunters parking, areas that will funnel deer into a tight area such as saddles in ridges, potential feeding and beddeing areas, waterways, old roads, etc.
2. Do your scouting. This should go without saying, but you'd be surprised at how many just pick a place and go hunting without ever setting foot on the place. Prepare for success by using some boot leather to get the feel of the land and to try and pattern both the Deer and Deer Hunters!
3. Pattern the Hunters. Since you'll likely have company from other Hunters when visiting Public Hunting area, get to know where they park and the areas that they'll likely be hunting. Use this information to determine Where Not To Hunt! You can also use this information to determine likely areas where these Hunters will push the Deer as they're coming and going to their stands.
4. Hunt the Midday. It doesn't take long for Deer to pattern the Hunters. They know that most Hunters will be out of their stands by 9 a.m. (many much sooner) and walking around before heading back to their vehicles for coffee, lunch and a nap. Plan on hunting during the midday hours. I can't tell you how many Bucks I've seen from 11 to 3 on Public Hunting land. If you've done your homework and are set up away from the other Hunters, you may be pleasantly surprised at a visit from a Buck during the midday when other Hunters are back at their trucks taking a Siesta.
5. Call the Manager. Part of your pre-hunt scouting should be a call to the Manager of the Public land where you'll be hunting. They can provide valuable information on Hunter access and likely spots to find a Buck during the Hunting Season. They can also let you in on how the Deer herd is doing and clue you into what the Deer are feeding on.
6. Plan on getting your Deer out. Many Deer Hunters never plan on how to get their Deer out once they have it down. They never think about it until they are faced with the daunting task of dragging a Buck out of the woods. It would be smart to invest in one of the Big Game Carts advertised in the Outdoor catalogs.
7. Think outside the box. As I said earlier, Deer pattern Hunters much better than Hunters pattern Deer. If most hunters are Hunting fields or easy to reach areas, do something different. Find thickets or other areas where Hunters will not hunt. Swamps and overgrown clear cuts are two of my favorite areas to hunt on Public land. I love to hear Hunters say "That area is too nasty to hunt, you can't see very far in there". That's the kind of place I want to be. The group of guys I grew up hunting with were the first to hunt the flooded timber for Deer. No one else would put on wader and go in after the Deer. Now, many people will but few are successful because the lack the patience and experience to still hunt the flooded timber properly. Do and go where other Hunters will not!

Shadow Games

Most bow hunters know how to set their stands to keep the wind in their favor. Sunlight should also be considered. Where your shadow falls in relationship to where you expect the deer to be matters. The movement of your shadow as you draw your arrow can spook the deer.

Make a Trail

Deer love heavy cover. Try clearing a path through the cover that would be beneficial to the deer. A deer usually would prefer the easy route. Once the path is established hunt over the path in a tree stand.

Shed HuntingTips

Best places to look for sheds:
1. Winter Feeding Areas With so much up-and-down head movements to feed and watch for danger, antlers are especially susceptible to falling off here. Plus, deer numbers are often more concentrated near food sources during the prime "shedding" months of January and February.

2. Bedding Areas

Next to feeding areas, deer spend more time in their bedrooms than anywhere else. 3. Creek/Ditch Crossings Look for terrain features where a buck is likely to "rattle" his antlers lose, such as jumping to cross a creek, ditch or fence.

4. Major Funnels

Ravines often force deer to funnel through one area, concentrating the places you have to look. The more deer using a given path, the more likely one of those deer was a buck that recently lost his headgear. -North American Hunting Club

Which way is the wind blowing?

Air currents carrying your scent can have a big effect on your hunting. Try carrying a small squeeze bottle filled with unscented talcum powder. If you can't figure out which way the wind is blowing just hold it up and give it a little squeeze. The drift of the powder will instantly give you the wind direction.

How to Make a Food Plot

Be Quiet

Being quiet that last few steps Be extra quiet as you approach your deer hunting stand. Prior to hunting season, use a rake to clear leaves and twigs from your stand approach trail. Rake the trail for about 50 yards from your stand. During the hunting season you can rake your trail as you leave your hunting stand. Being extra quiet that last 50 yards is very important when hunting bedding areas.

Tip of the Week

How to Hunt a Storm Many hunters know that deer move heavily in front of an approaching storm. Few realize that much of this activity takes place six to eighteen hours before the storm arrives. During the final few hours before the storm they'll often be bedded down in thick cover. The lesson here is: be out from half to a full day before the storm arrives.

Do It Yourself Skull Mounts

Let's face it: Getting head-and-shoulder mounts of every big game animal you shoot isn't economically practical. Fortunately, European (skull) mounts present an inexpensive option, and are easy to do yourself. Here's how: -Remove the hide from the head and cut away as much meat as you can. -Boil the skull in a large pot, adding dish detergent to cut grease. If antlers are attached to the skull, keep them out of the water so they don't become discolored. -Remove the skull from the water every 15 minutes. Use a semi-dull knife to scrape any remaining tissue from the skull. Repeat this process until the skull is completely clean. -Every time you take the skull out of the pot, pack Borax into the brain cavity to soak up all the moisture. Use a screwdriver and scoop out all the dried up Borax. -If any teeth become loose in the process, apply a small amount of super glue to make sure they are stable. -Rub Borax all over the skull and let it sit overnight, then rinse under cool water the next day. -Mount the skull to a board or add a wall mount directly to the skull. Easy, eh? -All you need are some supplies to get you started. *North American Hunting Club