Deer Hunting Archives - Page 187 of 197

27 03, 2015

Coastal Blacktail Longbow Buck

admin2020-06-10T09:19:38-04:00March 27th, 2015|BigDeer, Deer Hunting|3 Comments

Guest blog from my young friend and adventurer Austin Manelick. A "ghost of the coast" with a longbow and cedar shaft is a great accomplishment: There's something special about the Oregon blacktail deer, one of Fred Bear's favorite species to hunt. Roaming the coastal forests of the Cascades with stick and string chasing the ghost of the coast is a soul-cleansing experience. I found this buck while running through the woods back to my vehicle. I was in a hurry to get back to my car and had let my guard down completely. The chunk of national forest I was hunting paralleled a busy back road adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. Out of nowhere a buck sprung from his bed and [...]

18 02, 2015

Deer Hunting: 5 Reasons You Didn’t Shoot a Big Buck Last Season

admin2020-06-10T09:19:51-04:00February 18th, 2015|BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|11 Comments

The 2014 deer season is over, and if you hunted hard but didn’t shoot a big deer, I have some ideas why: You hunted a poor area. You’ll never shoot a big buck if you hunt where no big bucks live. Sounds elementary, but it’s not. If you’ve hunted a farm or woods for many years and have killed plenty of small to decent bucks but have never seen a monster, you need to look for new ground to hunt. A different farm or woods 20 to 50 to 100 miles down the road may have little pressure and better habitat, especially better year-round food sources for deer. Get permission and your odds of shooting a big deer go way up. It’s worth [...]

21 11, 2014

4 Mid-November Deer Rut Tactics

admin2020-06-10T09:19:53-04:00November 21st, 2014|Deer Hunting, Deer Management|2 Comments

This is a transitional time in the woods. Some does have been bred, others are still to be bred, bow season is still on in some states, the rifles are starting to boom (or will shortly) in other areas. Four things to keep in mind: #1: Hunt where two or three ridges converge and peter out into a creek bottom or swamp. The thicker the cover the better. If food sources are anywhere close, the spot will be a dumping ground for lots of whitetails. No doubt you’ll find trails, rubs and scrapes. Set a stand or blind on a vantage 150 yards or so downwind of a convergence of hills and watch for a day or two. Once you [...]

14 11, 2014

How To Hunt Buck Scrapes

admin2020-06-10T09:19:53-04:00November 14th, 2014|Deer Hunting, Deer Management|1 Comment

Mike, I haven’t had much luck hunting scrapes, what do you suggest? Emory P. from PA Emory, I hear you man, scrape hunting is dang unpredictable. But here’s something to think about. A University of Georgia study found that three, five or more bucks might scrape like crazy on one ridge or in a creek bottom, while other sets of scrapes only 300 yards or so away might go cold overnight. So you always have to be looking for and hunting the hottest scrapes with the most buck activity right now. I suggest: If you hunt a set of scrapes for two or three days and don’t see a buck, pull out of there immediately and scout for hotter, fresher scrapes 200 [...]

6 11, 2014

Deer Rut: 3 Scent Strategies

admin2020-06-10T09:19:54-04:00November 6th, 2014|BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Management|4 Comments

Buck Stink: One November morning I shot a 10-pointer, walked up, took a step back and said, “Man, you stink!” The buck’s hind legs and hocks were black and wet from rub-urinating in scrapes. I held my breath and started gutting. Leaves popped. I looked up and saw another 10-pointer bearing down on me, rack poised for battle and the hair bristling on his neck. I crouched behind the dead buck. A rut-crazed animal like that is unpredictable and potentially dangerous, and I figured staying put was my best bet. The intruder marched within 10 yards, grunting and giving me the sideways evil eye. When my deer didn’t pose a threat, the bad buck whirled and trotted off. Ever since that day, I set a [...]