3 Reasons NOT To Walk To Your Stand & How To Pattern That Buck By Driving

In Texas, we have some very large properties to hunt.  To date, I have hunted properties from 200 acres to 12,000 acres.  Some high fenced, most low fenced and I have come to the conclusion, that hunting these properties, of course, requires different strategies,  Strategies change from year to year and from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. But the one thing that stays constant for me is driving to my stand.  Call me lazy or scared of the dark or whatever you want, but a little experience tells me that getting there efficiently without spooking the deer yields better results.

About 10 years ago, I hunted a property that was about 1200 acres.  There were 10 hunters on the lease and it was frowned upon to drive to your stands.  Especially if you had to pass close by another stand to get there.  So, in the interest of going along and not getting booted off the lease, I walked.  Most of the time, I had somebody drop me off at a gate and walked about 1/2 a mile mostly down a sendero to my stand (thanks to Google Earth, I know this is not an exaggeration).

Here are a few reasons Not to walk to your stand.

Noisy... I stumbled over rocks, tripped on stumps, & sweated (BUCKETS... remember we are in TX).   If there was a deer (much less a buck) bedded down within a mile of that sendero, I guarantee you he slipped out and went the opposite direction once I passed.

Safety... Every Saturday morning for 3 weeks, I got in the stand 30 minutes or so before daylight and right at dawn, a coyote would run right down the same path I took to get to the blind. The first week, I fogged up my scope trying to get a bead on him because I was still sweating.  The second week, I couldn't stop him, and the third week he made his last trip down that trail.  I always wondered if he was trailing me or just happened to be on the same trail.  But even if he was just on the same trail, that is a little disconcerting in itself, because my scent had to be fresh.  He knew I was there somewhere, and he chose to follow the same trail... You do the math!

Photo Courtesy Twisted Oak

Scent Control... Back then, the whole scent control craze was in it's early stages with the new products and scent control technology on the market.  It was new to me anyway. My idea of scent control then was more cover scents or lures than elimination. Couple that with hunting the wind and the fact that my blind was 100+ yards away, I was not too concerned.  However, we as hunters and bowhunters have learned a thing or two about scent elimination and how to use these lures and scents more effectively.  If we minimize our footprints, we minimize our scent trail.

Several years later, after many of the original members of the lease left and my friends and I took over, we relaxed those rules and allowed people to drive to their stands.  My buddy Trae had an electric golf cart re-purposed as a hunting vehicle.   He once dropped me off at my blind (a different location), I hopped out and walked about 20-30 yards to my stand.  About two hours later, while I had deer at the feeder, a doe came wandering down that road.  We had corned the road too, so she had her head down sniffing and looking for more corn.  As soon as she got to the spot where I stepped out, she stopped, threw her tail in the air, looked at the blind, and started blowing and stomping.  I was busted.  She didn't see me, she didn't wind me, she winded my trail.  From that point forward I got dropped off at my ladder.

Think about it, even if you are very careful, walking down that sendero and a deer is bedded up just over the ridge (but you don't know that), you are headed into the wind, you are wearing soft pliable soled boots that don't make noise, your backpack is soft and quiet, you are doing everything right. You slip over that ridge and there is your dream buck.  He knows you're there now, but you don't. You walk up within 10 feet of him and he bolts.  He's not stopping until he is 2 counties away from there.

Now, same story, but now you are driving down that sendero.  The buck hears you coming.  His flight response kicks in as you get closer and he runs, but since the rancher drives through there everyday or few days (let's be honest, that IS WHY the road is there), you keep going and he only runs to the other side of the pasture or he jumps the closer fence and heads down into the creek bottom. Now, at least your buck is still in the same county and you might just see him chasing a doe or checking a scrape later in the day.

Also, consider this, you may have just reinforced to this deer that this is a good place to bed.  He heard you coming, his escape route worked, he is still alive, and HIS doe is still back in the area he just bolted from.  Chances are, he's coming back... and now YOU have him patterned.

www.twistedoakhuntfish.com

Hunting The Rut

Don Bell, Founder of Code Blue Scents has spent more than 30 years researching deer behavior specifically in regards to scrapes and human scent management. In a FREE SEMINAR this Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 11:00 AM, Don will explain the rut and dispel our misconceptions at Twisted Oak Hunting & Outfitter Supply. If you want to hunt that buck of your dreams this season (not just anything that strolls out in front of your feeder) and feel confident in you strategy, be there on Saturday.  You won’t be disappointed.

When thinking about the rut, I (probably like you) have always had in my mind the images of bucks chasing does until they are both completely exhausted by the chase.  I know that this is part of the process, but I have learned that there is so much more to it.  If you are anything like me, you have had re-occurring dreams of that chase unfolding in front of your stand while you carefully blurted out a “meh” to stop this insanity while you took the shot.

I have since learned bits and pieces of other theories many of which probably hold an ounce of truth or without the correct context mean absolutely nothing.  I can’t tell you how many times I have tried mock scrapes, rubs, etc. How many times have you been winded by that big buck because you didn’t have sufficient scent control or more importantly and more likely you disturbed the habitat entering your stand?  The answer is that you probably don’t even know because you never saw or heard him. 

The truth is, we already have most of the answers, but if we can put the puzzle together in the right order, we will be much more successful hunters.  Don, who is the hunting industry’s foremost scent specialist will walk us through the process step by step in a fun, informative seminar that is sure to enlighten us.  Hope to see you there.  If you have any questions or would like to reserve a seat, comment below or call the store at 830-336-3364.

Should I Plan My Hunting/Fishing Trips Around the Moon?

As we (here in Texas) begin to look forward to deer season, many avid hunters are planning their vacation time for the upcoming deer season.  Should we plan by the moon phase?

When I was in high school, we lived by whatever rudimentary tables and such that we could find in a magazine.  We skipped out of school when the tables said good fishing (for the record, we were not the brightest and I would never condone such a thing now).  When I crossed the stage at graduation (Whew!), the Vice Principal pulled me in close and said “More studying and less fishing Chris!”.  Little did he (or I for that matter) know, I would end up with a hunting and fishing store and writing about my experiences. 

Photo: Chris Carson

For years now, I have been the proud owner of a Casio Pathfinder watch.  It has a feature that gives you the moon phase and “best times” as told by the number of fish displayed on the watch. To this day, I have a hard time resisting the urge when I see 4 fish on my watch. We have all seen the Solunar Tables printed in magazines (My personal favorite is in Texas Fish & Game Magazine).  There are other products on the market that will predict the best times to hunt and where you should be in order to bag that big buck. Rest assured I will be picking one up soon. In fact, if I can talk my partners at Twisted Oak Hunting & Outfitter Supply into it, we will be carrying something along those lines in the store.  I have my eye on the Deer Hunters’ Moon Guide.

So, should we plan our trips to the woods around the moon? Since I have owned my watch, I have been making observations that I would like to share with you.  As I understand it, there are 4 major /minor feeding times related to the daily lunar cycle: moon overhead, moon under foot, moon rise, & moon set.  Also, we are conditioned to hunt and/or fish in the evening and morning because we believe these to be feeding times or transitional periods or any number of other theories put forth over the years. 

Observations:

1. I do typically see an increase in both deer feeding/movement, and fish biting or surface activity during all of the times mentioned above.
2. The duration of activity seems to be more intense, last longer and be more predictable around a full/new moon.
3. The ¼, ½, & ¾ moons also seem to have the same effect, but to a lesser degree.
4. Usually there is a build up to the peak of activity that lasts several days and a decline, but when it’s done, it’s done. 
5. Weather will impact these observations both positively and negatively depending on the situation. Dropping pressure, front moving in, cold weather, always a good time to be in the stand.
6. This is the best one. When any of those moon phases coincide with or are close to sunset…. You better be ready.  Throw the rut into that equation and/or the right weather… I’m getting excited just thinking about it. If you don’t see anything then, move your stand.
7. UPDATE TO ORIGINAL POST:  You will notice that when major and minor feed times occur, there are tell tale signs.  There is more activity in nature.  The birds are flying and singing, the woods or the water seems to come alive with sounds and activity.  You will see more of the tell tale signs when this occurs, so be where you think you have the best chance at these times, but look for activity where you didn't see it before.  If you're fishing move to it, if you're hunting, think about these places when planning your next hunt.  Your prey hunts during these times; use that to your advantage.

These are just a few observations from a guy who spends a lot of time in a deer stand and on the water, or in a field scanning the horizon for that indisputable shape of a dove headed your way, or easing up on a dog pointing a covey of quail, or calling in a turkey from the next ridge.

Cole's First Redfish 27 7/8"
Photo: Chuck Crowsey

However, I will also tell you that there are times when I want to throw this whole theory out the window.  In fact, a couple weeks ago I went fishing with my brother.  My prediction was: we would catch fish, probably do fairly well, but we were going to have to work for them.  Long days in the boat. A lot of searching. Figuring out what they would bite. I was wrong. We were releasing keeper trout after catching our limit by noon and decided to go see if we could hook up on some reds; where we put 4 or 5 fish in the boat and I personally caught my two biggest Redfish of my life in about an hour.

So, when is the best time to go hunting or fishing? 

As I have learned time and time again… When you can!

31" Redfish
Photo: Chuck Crowsey

Personal Best Redfish as of 3/29/16 @ 31"
Photo: Chuck Crowsey