Hunting For Deer

Transporting your bow in and out of big-timber can be risky when employing an ATV to reach your destination. To insure your rig is adequately protected, choose a quality case that will shelter your bow from dust and debris during the ride in and out. Shown here is a portable bow case from Blacks Creek. It easily attaches to your ATV for safe transport.

Conditioning Means Everything

Forget about hunting elk out west. If you’re not in shape when you hit the mountains of the East, you’re going to suffer. The bottom line is this. If you are out of shape you’re not going to go into the nasty places that gnarly mountain bucks like to hang out. What you are going to do is settle for the easy to get to spots that the majority of guys gravitate toward. The deer know this and therefore steer clear of those places for much of their daily travels. Get in shape and you will go where the deer are instead of where you wish they were.

Treestand Height Means Nothing

So many deer hunters are under the illusion that treestands have to be hung 15 feet off the ground in order to avoid detection. Bologna! Try that in the East and you will be 30 feet off the ground on one side of the tree and 15 on the other. That situation virtually eliminates half of your shooting area, so forget about setting your treestand a certain height. Instead, concentrate on your background, your camo, and any natural funnels that will diminish approaching deer’s ability to locate you before the shot occurs. Get down on the ground and walk past your stand from all directions. Look up at it, like a buck would, and you will quickly see what he will see. Next, adjust your height and/or which side of the tree to place your stand based on this information. You will see that higher is usually not better due to fluctuations in the terrain. Most hunters drop deer from less than 12 feet off the ground.

Scent Suppression System

As alluded to earlier, the mountain bowhunter must take his scent control measures to the extreme. Forget what the rules of the mid-west say. If you’re going to hunt where the majority of Goliath mountain bucks hang out, you’re going to encounter swirling winds. You see in hill country, the locations that hold steady wind currents are usually flat, easy to get to…..and beset with bowhunters. One hunter accepted this fact long ago and decided that unless he found a way to make deer think he was further away than he actually was, he wasn’t going to be very successful.

One hunter reflects upon his own experiences.

"Luckily, that was about the same time that Robinson Outdoors introduced a new item that promised to hide your scent from the nose of wary whitetails. From day one I noticed a difference while wearing their ScentBlocker carbon suit. Each year it has gotten better, my overall scent suppression system has gotten better, and most importantly, my success rate has vastly improved. For 2010, ScentBlocker introduces their greatest technology yet....“Cold Fusion”. It is with out a doubt the most technically advanced carbon fabric to date. It also promises to put to rest any doubts regarding the effectiveness or regeneration of carbon garments."

For more info on this and a multitude of scent suppressing products go to Scentblocker's Website.

Hunting Ugly

Some hunters to try and “will” deer to move through a certain area simply because it looks like all of the picturesque places seen on T.V. and in hunting magazines. They innocently think that is where the majority of bucks are killed; maybe so. That’s why “hunting ugly” is a pretty good motto to live by. After all, that is where the vast majority of eastern giants like to spend their time. Only during the chasing phase will they be somewhat more visible outside of the dreadful places they normally call home. Don’t expect a picture perfect setting. Those are few and far between and routinely hold the least amount of deer in hill country.

They Notice Everything

When choosing a climbing treestand you should opt for the lightest model you can afford. If you must sacrifice something, overall weight should be last on the list. Going light will offer more mobility and won’t impede your desire to hunt rough terrain. Hunter shown wearing Lost Camo.

Because of the remoteness, wilderness deer simply aren’t accustomed to human interaction and therefore become extremely sensitive to our intrusion no matter how slight it may be. When they do encounter an individual it usually signifies an attempt on their life. This conditions most of the deer (especially older class bucks) to avoid locations that are routinely occupied. For example, access roads, easy to reach treestand locations, and most open timber are rarely visited during daylight hours; simply because deer know these areas harbor the most activity and can be detrimental to their wellbeing.

On top of this, the effects of poaching also come into play. Again, the isolation of big-timber lends itself to this illegal practice. This pathetic excuse for sportsmanship is evident in a good number of deer harvested each year. This harsh reality is only mentioned because it is important to understand that for a mountain buck, there is really no such thing as a “non-threatening” encounter.

Most Sign is Useless

Hunters have spent many long hours overlooking “hot” deer scrapes, only to go home dejected and empty handed. Buck rub lines, while informative in their own way, have yielded mostly the same results. For the most part, the majority of big-woods sign plays a very small role in the overall scheme of things. Understanding the lay of the land and how deer use it (funnels are key) will bring about more success than any scrape or rub-line strategy ever could. When you take the “topography” approach remember this, start by eliminating areas the deer are least likely to travel through. This will make the task of finding the likely travel routes much easier.

Expect the Unexpected

You don’t have to actually loose an arrow in mountain country to experience some excitement. Expect the unexpected. It could be a protective Black Bear with cubs in the pre-dawn darkness, an inconspicuous crack in the earth (mine break) under a innocent pile of leaves, or a treacherous ATV ride that somehow gets a little to crazy; sending your high dollar means of transportation rolling down a rock-strewn hillside. Make no mistake, the mountains are tough, the hunting is tough, the animals are tough, and getting there and back is tough; but that’s not the hardest part.

The Real Work

Without a doubt, the real work doesn’t start until your buck hits the ground. To make things easier you need a plan when it comes to retrieving your game. You’ve got two choices….uphill or downhill. Downhill, well, that one isn’t so bad depending on where your transportation is. On the other hand, “uphill” is going to make you work like you’ve never worked before. Forget about rolling out your ineffective “deer cart on wheels” and whisking away your trophy. Strip down to your base-layers and get ready for some lung busting, leg burning, crawling, grabbing, spitting and dragging. This is an important aspect of the hunt and should be well thought out beforehand. It is also a top reason the majority of deer hunters stay “close to the road”.

Dependable Bow

If you think this is the part where you are told what the best bow on the market is…you’re wrong. Well, almost.. When it comes to bowhunting, you probably understand that if you’re not confident in your bow, no matter what brand you choose, it can greatly influence you’re ability to perform at your best. Chasing mountain bucks demands you select a rig that’s dependable. Unsympathetic ATV rides over steep, rocky terrain, will test any bow systems ruggedness. Not to mention clawing your way up and down thicket-choked hillsides for days on end.

Overall the Mathews line of bows fits the popular on-the-move hunting style the best. Through the years they’ve proven to be fast, quiet, accurate and more importantly, dependable. One mountain hunter hunter has yet (knock on wood) to experience a malfunction in performance; despite subjecting them to some pretty harsh conditions. Check out what many are calling their best hunting bow ever at www.mathewsinc.com.

Elevate It

Don’t neglect the little things that make bowhunting so special. The magnificent colors of October, watching the sun rise over frost-covered leaves in mid November, or a late December snow fall, all make for truly memorable moments. Good times don’t always involve large antlers on the ground. Hunter shown wearing Lost Camo.

There is nothing simple about taking a shot at a whitetail in mountain country. The slopes are steep and the angle to your target changes with every step the deer takes. If you spend the summer months in the front lawn, standing upright in your flip-flops and shorts preparing for this type of shooting situation, you are going to have problems hitting what you aim at. Hang a treestand in the backyard and take every pre-season shot from it. Practicing exactly how you plan to hunt is the only way to prepare for the real thing.

What Matters Most

This is perhaps one of the most important points to consider. However, it doesn’t involve locating a funnel, a preferred bedding thicket, or the perfect tree from which to hang your stand. What it does entail is never loosing sight of why you got started in this joyous sport in the first place. It’s about taking the time to appreciate and enjoy all of God’s creations when you are in the timber. Why? Because pursuing mountain bucks will humble you like nothing else and if you base your success or failure on what waits for you at the end of the deer's blood trail….you will find little solace. There are blessings all around if you stop and look.

Conclusion

The coolest thing about all of this is that we have merely scratched the surface. Certainly, the mountain buck has much more to teach veteran hunters, and they are his humble pupil. Make no mistake though; The hunter first described is still that same small kid that fantasizes about a lonely forest, watching his arrow zip ominously through the cool autumn air…..still learning from each new attempt at fulfilling my dream of harvesting a “Mountain Buck”.