                  15 Keys to Better Deer Hunting
        Want to improve your odds in the whitetail woods? 
                Give these tag-filling tips a try.
                         By J Wayne Fears


       To a whitetail hunter, "success" can be defined in many
ways, but if your definition involves taking your share of
large-racked bucks, you need more than luck to achieve it. Any
lucky hunter can sit on the right log at the right time and occa-
sionally shoot a big buck. Only a hunter who pays attention to
detail can do so consistently.
     If you want to have more than luck on your side when whitetail
hunting, try these proven tips:

     1) Put your total effort into the hunt. Hunt with a winning
attitude. It's not easy to put your all into a hunt when you're
freezing cold, the wind is blowing, it's raining hard, you need
more sleep, the bucks won't move, or you want to get back to camp
for lunch. Hunt every chance you get, with enthusiasm, regardless
of the weather. Deer are unpredictable, and only one thing is
certain--if you don't hunt, you won't be successful. Hunt with the
same zeal and alertness the last hour of a hunt as you did the
first.

     2) Outfit yourself to be a good deer hunter. Buy a good pair
of hunting boots and have them well broken-in before deer season
opens. Select your hunting clothes for comfort based on the
anticipated weather and method of hunting you will do. In cold
weather, dress in layers to retain your body heat. Get yourself a
day pack and make it a necessary part of your hunting gear.
Properly outfitted, it can enable you to stay comfortable in the
back country under most conditions
     without quitting the hunt early. Carry a rain suit, flash-
light, a change of socks, gloves, binoculars, rope, a compass, a
map of the area, a survival kit, lunch, a canteen of water, and
whatever else you think necessary to stay comfortable. An
uncomfortable hunter is seldom alert or successful.

     3) Hunt the difficult-to-hunt areas. One of the main reasons
many hunters never see large bucks is that they hunt only the easy
places. A buck that has lived long enough to have a large
rack--three or more years--is smart enough to spend a lot of time
in the thicker, more remote areas within his territory. This is
especially true when the woods are suddenly full of hunters.
     Some of the most successful trophy hunters I know hunt only
the thickest deer cover they can find. They prefer beaver swamps,
creek bottoms thick with cane and honeysuckle, timber cut overs
that are several years old, and overgrown, long  abandoned fields.
These hunters will scout the area thoroughly, locating trails that
appear to be used often. Using a portable tree stand, they will set
up so that they can observe these trails and may watch such an area
for several days from daylight until dark.

     4) Get to know the buck's habits and habitat as if he were a
close friend. Read everything you can about the life history of the
whitetail buck, and spend some time with a wildlife biologist.
Listen to hunters who take bucks regularly. From all these sources
you can learn to anticipate a buck's actions and how best to plan
your hunts. This will take some time and field work. For example,
when a biologist tells you the favorite fall food of deer in your
area is Japanese honeysuckle, don't be satisfied until you can
recognize it in the woods.
     5) Look for old home sites when scouting. They often provide
deer a perfect hideout. Grown up and usually overlooked by hunters,
they make choice bedding areas. There may be an abundance of food
in the form of recurring garden plants, fruit trees, nut-bearing
trees, shrubs along fence rows, etc. The site of the smokehouse or
outhouse may have become a salt m lick. Water may be available at
a spring, stock tank, or even a windmill. Older topo maps are a
good  way to locate any former homesites.
     6) Develop an eye and ear for deer. Many hunters fail to see
deer in the wild because they are looking for an entire deer or a
deer standing in an opening. Unfortunately, whitetails, especially
mature bucks, don't often present themselves this way. Learn to
watch for any slight movement at a distance. The slightest flick of
a tail or twitch of an ear can reveal a buck to an alert hunter.
Learn to watch for parts of a deer: the glint of an eye, the tip of
an ear, sunlight shining on polished antlers, or a horizontal
line--the deer's back or belly--that seems out of place. If you are
still-hunting, occasionally stoop to look below the limbs and
brush.
     Knowing the color of a deer's coat during hunting season also
helps. Deer coats vary from reddish, usually in the summer, to dark
brown or gray, usually in the fall and winter. However, this can
vary from one locale to another. Local biologists or conservation
officers can set you straight on the color of deer coats in
the area you hunt
     Listen to sounds around you that may alert you to a deer's
presence. Deer walk very noisily in dry leaves, a buck may grunt
during the rut, and a deer feeding on acorns makes a popping or
crunching sound. Resist the temptation to make any quick movement
to identify a sound.
     7) Shoot from a firm rest. Many good bucks are missed simply
because during the excitement of the moment, the hunter failed to
take advantage of a firm support for his firearm. The stand or
blind hunter should plan ahead of time how he will take possible
shots. The stalk or drive hunter should use a sling and know how to
shoot using a tight sling position. Most experienced still-hunters
move from tree to tree so that they will have a shooting support
readily available. The hunter who takes his time, gets a firm
support for his firearm, and takes only well-placed shots doesn't
have to make excuses.
     8) Use binoculars regularly. All whitetail deer hunters should
invest in a pair of quality binoculars and use them on every hunt.
Many eastern hunters think only western hunters need binoculars in
their vast, open country. Wrong! Many successful hunters say they
spot more bucks with binoculars than with the unaided eye. Bin-
oculars are especially valuable during periods of low light such as
dark days, early morning, or late in the afternoon, and for
studying the edges of clear cuts, agriculture fields, or creek
banks.
     9) Wear yellow shooting glasses on dark days or when hunting
in dark timber. By filtering out ultraviolet rays, these lenses
increase contrast and improve visibility. They are good to use
whenever the light is poor. It's also important to wear them when
scouting, as they help in spotting sign in dark shade. They are
good protection for the eyes any time you're moving around in
brush.
     10) Pay attention to wind direction and air currents. A deer
can detect an upwind hunter by scent from as far away as half a
mile. Within 100 yards, a buck can pinpoint the location of a
hunter with the slightest air current. Considering this, hunters
must be very aware of wind direction and air currents. Many
seasoned hunters tie a length of sewing thread--about four
inches--to their rifle's upper sling swivel or the upper limb of
their bow to be able to check even the slightest movement of air.
It is surprising how much air movement occurs on what appear to be
calm days.
     An important air movement that many hunters are not aware of
is the up slope and down-slope movement of air near the ground
caused by the heating and cooling of the earth's surface. Starting
fairly early in the morning as the sun heats the ground, air
movement is up slope as warm air rises. In the late afternoon, as
the earth's surface begins to cool, the direction of air movement
has changed to down-slope. This can play a major role in
determining where to place a stand or the direction of a stalk. For
example, if you are hunting in an area with hills and valleys, you
might hunt hilltops during the warm part of the day and valleys at
daybreak or late in the afternoon. Knowledge of this air movement
can be especially helpful when you know the bedding and feeding
areas and travel routes of the deer in a specific area.
     Another air movement that can quietly carry a hunter's scent
a long way, especially on clear days, is the movement of air from
cooler to warmer spots. As the air is warmed and rises in a spot
where the sun hits it first, a flow of cooler air is drawn from
cooler spots to fill the void. How can this affect the hunter?
Let's say a bow hunter has his blind in a forest adjacent to a
clearcut where bucks are known to bed. As the sun warms the
clearcut first, the scent of the hunter in the cooler forest is
pulled into the clearcut, warning the bucks of his presence.
     11) When deer are feeding on agricultural crops, set up stands
on the approaches to the field rather than at the field edges.
Bucks feeding in open fields most often feed at night. They follow
a trail to a spot near the field during the late afternoon and hold
up there until dark before entering the field. A stand on a heavily
used trail some 100 yards into the woods from the field may catch
the buck slowly approaching the field or milling around awaiting
darkness.
     12) Use only masking scents that are common to the area you
are hunting--pine scent in pine woods, sage in sagebrush country,
cedar in cedar hills, etc. Don't overdo it and don't think wearing
the scent replaces the necessity of watching wind direction and air
currents. In fact, some of the best deer hunters I know never use-
a cover scent. They keep their hunting clothing and themselves
clean, avoid taking any foreign odors (smelly soaps, aftershave
lotions, gun oil, hair tonic, coffee, or food) into the woods with
them. They watch the wind religiously.
     13) Learn to sit motionless for long periods. Nothing gets a
keen eyed old buck's attention any faster than a squirming hunter.
The best tree stand or camouflage clothing won't conceal a hunter
who is swatting at mosquitoes, scratching his nose, wiggling his
feet, or constantly turning his body to look behind him. We hunters
are within view of mature bucks much more than we know, and
movement is our biggest giveaway.
     14) Exercise patience. Successful whitetail hunters take their
time in planning a hunt and don't change plans midway through the
hunt. If they select a stand, they stick with it, even though after
sitting there a couple of hours they see several other locations
that look better. They can spend several days hunting an area they
like even though they don't see any deer moving. When
still-hunting, they will take an hour to cover 300 yards.
     Perhaps what is most impressive about these hunters--and I am
convinced it is the reason they take more large-antlered deer--is
that they have the patience to pass up small-antlered young bucks.
By exercising some self discipline and passing up smaller bucks,
they sooner or later get a chance at a mature one. In most areas,
when you pull the trigger on a buck, your hunt is over. If you take
small bucks, you will rarely get a chance at a wall-hanger.
     15) Take advantage of natural cover when selecting a stand
site. Hunters often rely totally on camouflage clothing for cover
when on a stand. This is usually not enough. In a tree stand, be
mindful of your background from the perspective of a deer on the
ground. Have a tree or thick branches and leaves breaking up your
outline. Don't leave a rope dangling from the stand to wave in the
wind.
     When selecting a ground stand, find a tree or stump large
enough to lean against to break up your outline. Clear an area for
your feet and legs so that any movement won't make a lot of noise.
Use grass and saplings to help break up your outline, but don't
forget to clear out any obstacles to shooting in the logical
directions.
     The more comfortable your stand is, the more likely you are to
sit still. It is also a good idea to wear a camo face mask and
gloves when on the ground, in a tree stand, or stalking.
                                                         
 From : Tom    Sat 17 Jun 95 06:36 


On [06-10-95  00:05] Rex Lesly spoke to James Roberts about Hunting

 JR> Are there any whitetail deer hunters on this conference?

 RL> james, I hail from the mountains of Northern Calif.  Spoken proudly
 RL> because I just escaped from the city last year.
 RL>
 RL> I earnestly hope to get back into hunting, something I haven't done
 RL> since childhood, and am looking for sources of information,
 RL> educational material, tips etc.
 RL>
 RL> My boy and I are practicing with bows and rifles, We are both very
 RL> good shots already, but neither of us knows squat about deer,  bear,
 RL> whatever.   So, we are empty vessels, so to speak, awaiting an
 RL> experienced voice in the wilderness.

I think that you will find it a most rewarding experience, especially if
you include your son with you. I enjoy getting out even if I don't see
or harvest a deer. The number one point in deer hunting is to always
hunt into the wind or at least a cross wind. Number two is to remain
silent and if hunting with a partner use hand signals. Do a lot of
scouting for places to hunt and look for rubs on bushes and trees where
the bucks rub their antlers. A long row of rubs in a generally straight
line area indicates that a buck is frequenting that area. I personally
like to wear rubber bottom boots (LaCrosse) as you leave neo scent while
walking. Another thing is about my clothing, my wife never washes it, I do.
I wash my clothing in 20 Mule Team Borax and Baking Soda, gets the smell
out and leaves no phosphates to glow. The deer can see the phosphates
even though you can't. That a trick that was used by snipers in Desert
Storm and it worked for them. I will include some more tips in a later
message.
--James


... A bad day hunting beats a good day at work anytime.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12


---
                                                              
 From : Tom           Jun 95 06:33 
 To   : All                                                                     
 Subj : Forwarded message from old area.                                        

* Forwarded (from: BAD_MSGS) by Tom Lane using timEd/2 1.01+.
* Originally from James Roberts (9:6900/8) to John Mudge.
* Original dated: Jun 11 '95, 12:11

On [06-08-95  00:36] John Mudge spoke to James Roberts about Hunting

Hello John,

 JR> Well mostly when the deer go into rut, I have them pretty well figured
 JR> out and manage to get a few each year. I have found that Tink's #69
 JR> really does the trick and pulls the bucks right on in if placed around
 JR> a little. I wear rubber bottom boots and use a drag rag with a few drops
 JR> of Tinks and walk the last 200 or 300 yards to my stand with the rag
 JR> dragging. Before I get settled in, I place two or three rags with the
 JR> Tinks about 20 yards out and around me. I have had bucks come looking

 JM> I have very rarely heard of anyone using scent (or dogs) for hunting
 JM> deer up  here.  Dogs may be illegal.  Scent is sold for use in bow
 JM> hunting though. Maybe I should keep some on hand.  When I hear of a
 JM> "stand" I think of a small  platform up in a tree.  Folks here used to

Dog hunting is legal here in Alabama, although I don't like to hunt deer
with dogs. I like stalk hunting and just sitting on stand. A stand around
here could be a climbing stand that can be moved around, a ladder stand with
a seat on top or a shooting house overlooking a green field or a powerline
or gasline. It is legal to have green fields here and hunt around them so
long as the crop in them is not knocked down on the ground. We have a few
stands up in the forks of trees also. The scent is only effective during
the rut though. A lot of hunters around here use the same scent as I do
and have found it to be very effective during the rut. I have watched as
many as 25 deer in a greenfield at one time and it is very interesting.
You get to pick what you want, although the older bucks won't come into
the field, they stay back and you have to watch back into the tree line
for them and make some long shots to get them. An accurate bolt action
with very good light gathering scope is especially popular with this type
of hunting around these parts.
                                                                 --James



Kinkel 

Subject: Re: UV-Killer clothing spray

Bill  wrote:
>>I can't comment on the question about scents.  But on the UV question, I
>>can only attest to the fact that I do NOT use UV killers, I wear blaze
>>orange from head to pant cuff, and I have on MANY occasions had deer stand
>>5-10 feet in front of me.  It's not what color you're wearing, or if it
>>glows, it's MOVEMENT.  You don't move, they don't care.
>>
>>                 [snip]
>
>                [snip]
>
>   ... Many, and this is debatable, see in black and white or shades of
>greys... I don't know why... has something to do with the 'rods and cones' in
>the eye...  I am not a biologist but I think that's close to the reason...
>anyway, the movement and the smell are the two most important... in my book.
>
>whitail
>Bill 

   Are deer color blind?  No they are not; they just don't see color
the way humans do.  The 'rods and cones' concerns the light receptors
in the eye.  Rods are the more light sensitive receptors which pick up
shades of dark and light, in essence black, white, and all shades in
between.  Cones are the color receptors.  There are three different
types of cones, one for each of the primary colors that make up the
color spectrum or 'wheel' - red, blue, and yellow.  Deer do not have as
many cones as the human eye, and far more rods than the human eye; thus
scentists first felt that deer were color blind.  Further research has
shown that deer do see color, but in a unique way - they are dichromatic.
Dichromatic means that they only see two of the primary colors instead
of all three.  Deer have no cone receptors for the color red, thus they
only see the primary colors blue and yellow (and all shades of colors
that can be created by mixing blue and yellow, such as green).  What
humans see as red, deer would see as dull yellow.  The high number of
rods in deer eyes give them a peak vision in the ultraviolet light range.
Deer have greater visual sensitivity during twilight (peak ultraviolet
light) than humans do at high noon (peak visual light).
  How does this translate into hunting and "UV Killers"?  The UV Killers
probably would help most during first light, before sunrise, and at dusk,
just after sunset, when ultraviolet light is at its peak during legal
hunting hours.  Once the sun comes up over the horizon, visual light
(color light) predominates.  Do I use UV Killers?  Yes, because I feel
they give me an advantage during low light conditions.  The number of
deer which saw me in my tree stand, decreased dramatically once I started
using UV Killers.  Of course I completely agree with Bill, MOVEMENT is
the key.  Many of the deer that saw me before I started using UV Killer,
did not spook and run as long as I didn't move.  Still, I prefer to have
the deer not see me at all, thus I use the UV Killers because I want
every advantage I can get.

Bryan 

--



                                                        
 From : James     Thu 08 Jun 95 11:46 
 To   : Tom 

Hi Tom,

 TJ> the message from you, James.  I am an avid hunter from many years back
 TJ> and I want to talk and read about HUNTING.  I have hunted blacktails,
 TJ> mule deer, and whitetails.  I have found whitetails to be the hardest
 TJ> to hunt by far.  I am still trying to learn how to hunt them however.

 TJ> I am also an avid elk hunter, duck hunter, upland bird hunter, and
 TJ> rabbit hunter.  I grew up in Alaska and still go back there every few
 TJ> years for another trip into nostalgia.
 TJ> Where are you hunting whitetails?  And how successful have you been?

I'm down in the midst of whitetail country (Alabama). I'm just like you,
I've been hunting whitetails for about 35 years and I still find them
hard to hunt. I have found a few secrets about them in that span of time
and use it to help me put meat in the freezer. I have found them to be
curious creatures in that if jumped they will generally only run about
100 to 200 yards and stop to see what jumped them. If you can circle or
quietly approach from downwind after jumping one you will get a second
chance. I have heard from some old-timers that it is no use in hunting
them in the middle of the day, but I have had most of my sucess during
that time also. Another little trick that I have found is, if you kill
a buck in a good stand spot, more than likely another buck will take over
his territory within a few days and you can literally use the same stand
to take 3 or 4 bucks from. I have had a life ambition of getting to go
Elk hunting, so clue me in on some good techniques. I will give you some
more info in next message.
                                                               --James


 
