Jeff Murray

Look For Community Scrapes to Find Post-Rut Pay Dirt

Online Editors — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:04:34 -0400

by Jeff Murray

Bucks commonly reopen scrapes during the post-rut. Problem is, they typically do so after dark. But according to Michigan whitetail expert and author John Eberhart (deer-john.net, one type of scrape is an exception to the nocturnal-visit norm. It’s what Eberhart calls a “communal scrape,” and when you find one you’ve struck post-rut gold. Here’s what you need to know:

#1 - This Scrape is Unique
For starters, it’s huge—typically the size of a car’s hood—and used by numerous bucks and does. When you find one, it’s hard to mistake it for anything else. Leaves and debris have been kicked everywhere, and the dirt is often peppered with tracks. You’ll catch a whiff of public restroom. “Also, communal scrapes are almost always found within small openings of dense security cover,” says Eberhart. “Bucks feel comfortable checking them during daylight.”

#2 - Communal Scrapes Are Scarce, But You Can Find Them
The key is knowing where to look. “In a given habitat, you’ll find them under the same types of trees,” says Eberhart. “Here in Michigan, they pop up under white oaks and secluded apple trees.” Cottonwoods and willows are used in Midwest farm country; balsam firs and black spruce in the northern big woods; and mature cedars and willows lining western riverbottoms. In each case, snoop along swamp edges and the bases of slopes, where thick cover and moist soils attract secretive scraping bucks.

#3 - Hunt Them at Midday
“The best action occurs between 9:30 a.m. and p.m.,” Eberhart explains. “Rarely will you catch a buck checking out a communal scrape at first or last light. That’s why I usually bowhunt somewhere else early, then still- hunt to my scrape stand at about 9 a.m. I’ll sit through the early afternoon.”

#4 - Get in the Thicket
There’s a strong temptation to set up right in the clearing where the mega scrape was made. The better plan, says Eberhart, is to back off a little. When possible, gun hunters should get in position at least 50 yards into the cover in a tree that affords a good view of the clearing. For bowhunters, he recommends a stand overlooking any trail downwind of the scrape and just inside the thicket’s edge. “You’ll still have good visibility into the opening,” Eberhart concludes, “but you’ll also have a chance at a buck that comes in only to scent-check the scrape from the trail. Most important, sticking to the thick stuff will break up your outline and allow you to steal into the area inconspicuously to tag a late-scraping buck.”

Catch Bucks Changing Beds When The Wind Changes Direction

fieldandstream-editor — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:00:00 -0400

During the early season, a cold front can coax bucks to feed during shooting light. But if you hunt hilly terrain, there's another type of buck movement you should be exploiting. All fronts are accompanied by a change in wind direction, which forces many bucks to change their beds-and you can catch them in the act.

Hill-country bucks tend to bed at higher elevations, usually along the sides of ridges, about a third of the way down from the top. By facing in the opposite direction of the wind, a buck can watch for predators in front while his nose sniffs for them coming from behind. When the wind shifts, however, these bucks must make a move to enjoy the same advantage. This diagram at right shows you how to intercept them.

This buck begins bedding near a bench along the east side of the ridge, with the prevailing northwest wind at his back.

When a front rolls in and the wind switches from the northwest to the northeast, the buck begins to move to the other side of the hill.

To get there, the deer isn't going to climb the steep peak. Instead, he'll parallel the hillside along a bench until he reaches a saddle, or even a subtle dip, where he can sneak across.

Whether you hunt from the ground or slip in and put up a quiet climbing stand, this is a great place to set up an ambush. Moreover, if you know that a certain wind shift is common in your area, you can find great spots for permanent stands. Just check the weather, then go catch your buck crossing over.

Four Mistakes to Avoid When a Buck Approaches Your Stand

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400

THE WHITETAIL THAT'S APPROACHING YOUR STAND has Pope and Young record book written all over it. All you need now is a good, clear shot—and a way to avoid the fistful of blunders bowhunters are prone to make at these critical moments.

Here are the four most common gaffes, and how you can keep them from spoiling your hunt:

[1] GRUNTING TOO SOON

Yes, a grunt call can be effective at bringing deer closer, so it's tempting to use it the instant a buck shows. But hold off. There's no reason to draw attention to yourself if a buck is already coming to you. Even if the buck pauses, don't call unless he starts off in the wrong direction or wags his head and neck back and forth, which often precedes a change in course.

[2] DRAWING AT THE WRONG TIME

There are two essential parts to solving this problem. First, you need to anticipate obstructions that will shield you from a buck's line of sight, and draw when he's behind one. Second, you need to (a) draw sooner when a buck is moving quickly and (b) take your time when he's taking his. You can improve both skills dramatically by drawing on every deer that walks under your stand, whether you intend to kill it or not.

[3] MISCALCULATING THE RANGE

This miscue happens far more often than it should. Don't complicate a great opportunity by trying to guess how far away your buck is. Get it right ahead of time by planting yardage stakes or by scanning key landmarks with an electronic rangefinder. If you choose the latter method, take extra care to avoid false readings from stray twigs or grass.

[4] POOR SHOT PLACEMENT

There may be no worse feeling in all of bowhunting than the nauseating regret that comes from making a bad shot on a trophy animal. To avoid it, carefully monitor a buck's body angle as he approaches, and wait for a double-lung shot. As you take aim, consider where your arrow must exit to pierce both lungs. Presumably, you've done everything else right if you've gotten this far. So don't forget this last crucial step.

On Target: The Right Arrows, Tuned-In, Make for Straighter Shots

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400

[1] BUY QUALITY SHAFTS

Do a little prepurchase research and you'll find that premium shafts typically have tighter tolerances than economy-grade models. A good benchmark is a straightness tolerance of .003 inch or less and weight variance of 3 grains or less. If you can find such figures at a low price, great. But if not, it's worth spending a little more, because tighter tolerances usually mean straighter flight.

[2] SPIN YOUR ARROWS

Before the hunting season, put broadheads on each arrow and check them all on an arrow spinner, such as the Arrow Inspector from Pine Ridge Archery (pineridgearchery.com). This device quickly reveals whether (a) your inserts are square to the shafts and (b) your broadhead tips and ferrules are true. If the spinning head doesn't wobble, there's no problem. If it does, take both head and shaft to your local pro shop.

[3] FINE-TUNE THE FLIGHT

Number the fletching of each arrow and shoot a group of six. Take any fliers that land outside the main group and twist the nock a quarter turn. This changes the shaft's alignment with the string, which alters flight and point of impact. Reshoot, keep track of these arrows by their numbers, and keep twisting their nocks until they all fall in line. Now you've got straight-shooting arrows that are ready for the field.

Three Hot Broadheads from 2007

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400

YES, IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT to hunt with a high-quality, deadly effective broadhead. But that doesn't make choosing among the myriad offerings a whole lot easier. We're here to help. Among the latest 2007 models, we've narrowed the list down to the three most promising.

[1] Perfect for the accuracy obsessed, expandable heads fly like field points. But you risk mechanical failure. And that's why the seemingly foolproof mechanism of the new PISTON POINT ($38 for three; 406-669-4141; pistonpoint.com) is creating such a buzz. This innovative head works like, well, a piston. On impact, the rear cylinder, which is connected to the tip by a shaft, thrusts forward with the full inertia of the speeding arrow to open the rear-deployment blades. These then lock into place and perform like fixed blades inside an animal. In flight, the head is .55 inch in diameter; after deployment it's 1½ inches. Ideal for deer and smaller game, the Piston Point is original and potentially groundbreaking.

[2] You can count on a fixed-blade head to be durable and to maintain its integrity as it penetrates game. Magnus' new SNUFFER SS ($32 for three; 620-793-9222; magnusbroadheads.com) is simple, reliable, and deadly on deer and bigger game. Basically, it's the excellent original Snuffer made far more compact for today's faster arrows. Constructed of stainless steel that's soft enough to be resharpened, the SS comes in 100- (1 1/16-inch cutting diameter) and 125-grain (1 1/8) sizes.

[3] After years of majoring in one-piece steel models, G5 now has a great new option for archers who want the guaranteed factory-edge sharpness that comes with replaceable-blade heads. Available in 100 and 125 grains, the STRIKER ($33 for three; 866-456-8836; g5outdoors.com) features a unique blade-locking system dubbed ANIX that secures each blade snugly under the cut-on-contact tip. The ferrule is stainless steel, and the surgical .03-inch blades cut a 1 1/8-inch channel. This is an eye-catching design that should have no problem stopping your next buck, black bear, or elk.

How to Approach Your Tree Stand Without Spooking Nearby Deer

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400

BRANCH OUT As you remove branches to create shooting lanes or a clearer path, place some along your trail, pointing in the direction of your stand. These discreet markers keep you from bumbling around noisily in the predawn. Light-colored birch and aspen work best.

SMOOTH YOUR TRAIL Few blunders will give you away more quickly than the sound of your feet falling on crunchy leaves or brittle twigs. Before the season starts, use a lawn rake to groom a trail along the last 50 to 100 yards leading to your stand.

WALK SOFTLY The fleece overboots that Western hunters use to stalk elk and mule deer work great for stealthy travel in the whitetail woods. Wear Safari Sneakers from Crooked Horn Outfitters ($25; 877-722-5872; crookedhorn.com), for example, while heading to and from your ambush.

CALL WHEN YOU CRUNCH Always keep a game call or two handy. If you do snap a twig or trip over a log, you can cover up your noisy misstep by yelping like a hen turkey or bleating like a fawn. Then pause for 30 seconds or so before quietly moving on.

WRAP YOUR PACK Most stand hunters stow their outer layer to avoid sweating on the way in. And most packs are made from noisier material than hunting clothes. So kill two birds with one stone: Wrap the jacket around your pack and tie a knot to keep it in place.

SEE RED Having trouble finding your stand in the dark? Go ahead and switch on a small flashlight, but use a red filter over the lens. Whitetail vision is yellow- and blue-sensitive, which means that red is more difficult for them to see—and they'll be less likely to bust you.

Surprise Big Bucks With a Backup Stand

fieldandstream-editor — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:00:00 -0400

It's often said that first impressions are more accurate than second guesses. But 30 years of deer hunting notes tell me the opposite is true: My backup stands have outproduced my primary ones by a margin of roughly 3 to 1. A recent telemetry study conducted by Connecticut wildlife biologist Howard Kilpatrick may explain why—and it could also help you situate your backup stands for better success during the upcoming season.

In the study, 60 radio-collared deer being monitored to measure the effects of hunting pressure proved very sensitive to the sight, sound, and scent of multiple hunters in the woods. The deer would respond by moving to progressively thicker cover. To anyone with even a little experience hunting deer, this isn't groundbreaking news, to be sure. But what the study revealed was that the radio-collared deer didn't bolt for the next county, as many hunters believe pressured deer do. Instead, they merely slipped into the nearest thick cover within their home range.

What does this mean for your strategy? Assuming you have done the requisite preseason scouting to find a buck's core area and have positioned a primary stand to intercept him, also take the time to locate the nearest thickets and set up a secondary stand or two. Clear shooting lanes and create a backdoor access route now, while deer are still in their summer patterns.

Then leave it alone. A backup stand's biggest asset is its element of surprise. Start the season by hunting your primary stand. You may very well score there. But if that setup starts to peter out, move to your ambush in the thicket. That's where your buck probably went—and now you're all set up with the perfect place to get him.

DON'T BE A CREEP

If your arrows are missing high or low, you've probably compromised your anchor point by "creeping" forward at the shot. Train yourself to quit this bad habit by using New Archery Products' Creeper Peeper ($20; 800-323-1279; newarchery.com), which attaches conveniently to your cable guard and lights up the instant you alter your anchor point. Perfect for the practice range, it's designed for use while hunting, too. —JEFF MURRAY

Collect Tarsal Glands to Attract Whitetail Bucks

fieldandstream-editor — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:00:00 -0400

SOME COMMERCiAL SCENTS CLAIM to contain or approximate the real thing. A whitetail's tarsal or "hock" gland is the real thing, and it can be especially effective for that reason. But you won't find any hanging from display racks alongside the hottest bottled scents. Getting your (gloved) hands on tarsals and keeping them potent requires a little extra work. Here are the basics:

Cut Them Out
Collect tarsal glands from fresh deer kills whenever you can. Tell your buddies you want the hocks of the deer they harvest (assuming they don't); stop by deer check stations; sign up at your police station to help recover roadkills. Wear rubber gloves and use a sharp knife to carve out the dark tufts located at the elbow of the deer's back legs, leaving the skin on. Gather mostly doe glands but also a few from bucks.

Bag and Freeze
Store tarsal glands in a freezer until you need them. Vacuum-packing is the best way to avoid freezer burn and extend their serviceability. Otherwise, put the glands in a double layer of sealable plastic bags and squeeze out as much air as possible. During the season, thaw and store them in a refrigerator between daily hunts or back in the freezer for longer periods. Kept correctly, each gland will give you about two weeks of good use.

Hang Them Up
With a knife tip, punch a hole in the skin around the gland. Run a string through, and hang it about 3 feet above the ground within shooting range of your position. A common setup is to put two of them upwind (one to your left and another to your right). Tree-stand hunters sometimes add a third just above their heads.

Glands extracted from does seem to work better in most circumstances. But a good setup for rattling in a trophy buck during the pre- and post-rut periods can be a buck tarsal placed in between two doe tarsals.

Take a Stand: Choosing Where to Setup in Bow Season

fieldandstream-editor — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:00:00 -0400

BOWHUNTERS HAVE VERY LITTLE WIGGLE ROOM when it comes to tree-stand location. You need to plan your shots precisely in this game, and a stand that's even slightly in the wrong spot—a little too high or low, or a tad too close to or far from the hottest sign—can cost you your deer. The perfect setup is shown here. Study it carefully, and try to re-create it when you hang your own stands this fall.

Adjust the height of the tether on your safety harness so you can't fall below the stand, making it easier for you to get back in if you do slip.

Whenever possible, pick a tree with branches and possibly foliage that will help keep you obscured, and don't prune unnecessarily around the stand.

Hang your backpack and/or rattling antlers on a branch or tree step within easy reach of your nonbow hand, but out of the way of shooting lanes.

Hang your bow on a holder within easy reach of your bow hand.

KEY COMPONENTS
Before you ever hunt from a stand, you need to determine precisely where to sit, then give yourself a clear shot. Below are three important considerations.

1. Height Matters
The surrounding terrain and vegetation should factor into how high you position your tree stand.

Hang your stand 20 to 25 feet high or more if the leaves are already down or the skyline is bare, if you're positioned on a sidehill, or if deer will approach it from the front.

You'll want to hang it 12 to 18 feet high, however, if you're in thick cover with plenty of background foliage to break up your silhouette, or in a tree with lots of branches, or on a knoll.

2. A View to a Kill
Create three shooting lanes: two to the front of your stand and a larger one behind you, which makes it a little easier to turn around and shoot. Prune for complete arrow clearance, cutting saplings at ground level and using an extension pole to cut high branches.

3. The Dead Zone
Choose a tree that puts the hottest deer sign (as well as any deer scent you use) between 15 and 25 yards away from your stand. This is the dead zone. For most hunters, anything beyond it is a little far for easy, clean kills; anything closer creates a very steep shooting angle.