Obtaining a new piece of hunting land can be one of the most exciting things for a hunter! There can be something said about hunting a new area with new bucks, new stands, and an entirely new look, but there is also a great deal of concern that goes with this.
Adam and Brian hang Muddy tree stands on a property they haven’t hunted a lot in the past.
Starting with a clean slate can be an awesome experience for any hunter, but the first time you step on that property it can be exciting and downright overwhelming. You are probably thinking “Where do I even begin? I have no idea where or what the deer are doing.” This is one of the most important times for that property. By choosing to be aggressive you can alter the travel patterns and the very demeanor of the deer.
That’s why when I start out on a fresh piece of property I always tread lightly. I never want to begin the search for stand locations by finding the thickest, nastiest area and deciding to hang my stands there. Chances are, that big buck could be living close by and I may bump him out and ruin any chance of killing him that year. When selecting my first few stands to hunt, I usually set up in more of an observation view. I’ll hang back 75 to 200 yards, depending on the terrain and visibility, and observe the deer movements. Once I’ve gotten a good feel for their travel pattern, I’ll find a tree to hang in close to those trails and I’ll move in for the kill.
Another important part of selecting my stand locations is hanging a stand for every wind. I always do this step to ensure I will have a place to hunt no matter what the wind direction is! I made the mistake in my younger days of hanging five stands and all but one could only be hunted on a north wind. Bad move! These days I enter a new property so cautiously that I alert very few deer and ultimately see and harvest more deer.
I recently read a report by the University of Michigan’s Museum of Anthropological Archeology about an interesting find at the bottom of Lake Huron. A research team discovered a network of structures that they suggest are hunting blinds and funneling structures left behind by caribou hunters. Their findings indicate that the ancient hunters had built rock structures to funnel caribou past ambush points.
Hinge cutting is a deer manager’s tool that places the tops of trees at ground level.
Reading this struck me in a pretty cool way. Not only had I been working on a new Redneck Blind location that day, but I was also making plans to enhance the natural funnel to that particular blind. Apparently some hunting techniques never go out of style! I observed deer at this location last year and noted that there are two main routes the deer take past the location of that blind. One is at twenty and the other is at sixty yards. By strategically felling a couple of trees on the sixty-yard trail, I hope to increase the percentage of deer that pass the blind on the twenty-yard trail.
I always try to learn from observations and often move stands according to patterns I observe. However, there are some situations when it is easier to bring the deer closer to me, than it is for me to sit closer to them; this is where the chainsaw comes in. By felling or hinge cutting trees in a way that persuades deer to move around them, I have enhanced many stand locations. Deer often choose the path of least resistance and I prefer that path to be in prime range of my bow.
The next time you are in the stand, remember it is important to record deer encounters while hunting. That information can be very useful in developing your own ambush strategies for use in future hunts!
Like most hunters, this is the time of year that I get really excited to see velvet antlers. I get just as excited when I see a flock of turkey poults or twin fawns! On these hot summer days seeing the next generation of wildlife, or more importantly – when I don’t see them, my thoughts turn to predators. It’s a good time to consider how beneficial my past trapping/hunting efforts have been and how I can improve on those efforts in the years to come. Are my techniques and timing helping the survival of deer and turkeys as I think they should?
My friend, Mark Pugh, had a trail camera that caught this coyote just after killing a fawn.
Balancing predator populations can be an important part of any deer or turkey management plan. As it should, the subject has gotten a lot of attention over the last few years (watch episodes 122 & 220) by the hunting and science communities. It is important for hunters and land managers to note that the timing of predator removal is a critical component of predator removal.
Spotted fawns and turkey eggs and poults are most vulnerable to predation. The removal of predators during the spring and summer months is a critical component of predator control.
At first glance this may seem simple; however, the difficult part of the equation is that in many states, trapping season is restricted to fall and winter months. In my home state of Michigan it is only legal to trap coyotes from October 15th to March 1st. In contrast, our neighbors to the south in Ohio have no closed season on coyotes, allowing trap lines to be out through the critical time of the fawning and nesting seasons.
Check your local regulations and see if there are any summer predator seasons. Whether it’s the challenge of predator calling or you setting a Duke trap line, consider putting in a little extra time during those crucial months when the next generation of game species is most vulnerable to predation.
The heat of summer is upon us and our food plots and native vegetation are starting to mature. For me, this sea of green is a reminder to look at all the plants that are growing on the land that I hunt. Specifically, I am looking for invasive plants. When I find them, I mark the locations of these invasive species on a map. This helps me to more efficiently implement a control plan as well as track the spread of individual species from year to year. These plants take valuable resources such as sun, space, nutrients, and water away from other native vegetation that are more beneficial to a variety of wildlife species. Controlling invasive weeds is an important management tool to promote plants that provide quality cover and nutrition for whitetails.
A joint project by the University of Georgia and the U.S. Forest Service has a website that can help you identify potential invasive plants in your area (http://www.invasive.org). There are numerous invasive plant species throughout the United States. Each region of the US has different types of invasives that might include plants such as: princess tree, Russian-olive, mimosa trees, Japanese privet, nandina, Japanese barberry, shrubby nonnative lespedezas, bamboo, kudzu, Johnson grass, etc. After identifying an invasive species to target, it is important to consider multiple control methods. Many invasive plants can be controlled through prescribed fire, herbicide, or physical removal. Check out GrowingDeer.tv episodes 81, 185, 221, 222 for more information on a few of these methods.
One problem species in my neck of the woods is Berberis thunbergii or Japanese barberry. This spiny, deciduous shrub was introduced to the United States as an ornamental landscaping plant. Due to its resistance to deer browsing and ability to grow in full sun or shade, it is highly invasive. In the area I live, entire hardwood forests are laced with an understory of barberry.
This hardwood forest is laced with an understory of Japanese barberry, a highly invasive species.
Through chemical control (application of Glyphosate) and physical removal of Japanese barberry, it has been possible to transform undesirable habitat into a biologically diverse savannah that benefits deer and other wildlife. It is important to note that invasive control is often an ongoing process. Although this property has seen some success I must actively control new sprouts from the seedbed to prevent the return of barberry. Each year I walk all of the established savannahs with a back pack sprayer full of Glyphosate and treat any emerging barberry. If barberry is a problem on your property, click this link for more detailed information on alternatives for control.
Controlling invasive plants is a yearly task.
There is no doubt that controlling invasive plants is a long process punctuated with a lot of hard work. However, a little extra boot leather each year ensures that my initial investment will pay huge dividends for the wildlife here for years to come. Whether you have a large invasive problem or just a few plants starting to pop-up next to that new food plot you put in last spring, controlling invasive plants is a beneficial tool to improve the wildlife habitat on the property that you hunt.
Trying to pattern and harvest a mature buck sometimes seems like one of the toughest things to do in the world. They can be so illusive, so particular, and downright paranoid. The good thing about them is they seem to be creatures of habit, especially during the early season. They don’t try many new things and certainly don’t wander down the road (out of their home range) just to see what’s around the corner. With that being said, this is a great time of year to grab a pair of Nikon binoculars and head to the field and spot some bucks in velvet.
A nice buck standing outside the Hot Zone fence eating Eagle Seed soybeans.
Recently I’ve been spending some evenings perched in a Redneck Blind watching over the Eagle Seed beans. Not only am I watching to see the number of deer that are using the beans, but more importantly I’m watching the location of these deer, where they prefer to feed, which areas they avoid, and finally where they enter the field. I monitor where they enter the field the most because this usually doesn’t change a great amount. They may enter the field from a different side on occasion but as a whole they usually approach from the same direction. Do you wonder why they do this? It’s simple, they feel safe this way. The wind currents may be in their favor, they might be able to see the entire field before entering, or maybe it’s the path of least resistance. Whatever the reasons, deer can be patterned by the way they approach a field.
This week I took two of our summer interns and headed to a plot we call Raleigh’s field. We have a 15 foot Redneck blind positioned on the eastern end of the field and we knew some bucks were using the area because of our Reconyx camera. We ended up seeing nine bucks and three does. A couple of the bucks were really nice! It was a great night, but what made the night even better was watching all nine bucks enter the field on the same trail. After watching all of this unfold I can guarantee you that over the next couple months we will be hanging a Muddy stand near that trail hoping to tag a nice buck come September!
It’s a great time of year to get out and scout some bean fields and locate some velvet bucks! Get out there and nail down that opening day location!
The middle of June can be a boring time of the year for hunters. Turkey season has been closed for several weeks, even months depending on your state, and deer season is months away. The bucks are growing their antlers, but they’re a couple weeks away from really showing who they are. It’s a slow time of the year for a lot of hunters, but certainly not for the GrowingDeer team!
The Non-Typical Hot Zone fence is what we use to turn small food plots into dynamite hunting locations!
I’ve been sharing with you over the last couple of weeks several ways we are already preparing for deer season. Scent control, planting food plots, monitoring trail cameras, and now food plot exclosures. If you’re like me, not all your food plots are large in size. Food plots come in all sizes and shapes, but the small ones can be the most effective. Being small in size also means that the food source is more limited, making it susceptible to being over browsed and eliminating the chance of hunting over that food source during hunting season.
Grant and I found the solution to this problem a few years back when we laid our eyes on the Non-Typical Hot Zone fence. This system can protect up to a half acre food plot! It’s super easy to assemble and you can have a quick, simple, effective way to protect your crops. The Hot Zone fence uses two strands of poly-line and one strand of poly-tape, spaced apart appropriately. It looks like an average Joe, let alone a deer, can jump it but we’ve been amazed with the results! Check out episode 217 (watch here) to see an awesome evening of hunting for Grant and I over the Hot Zone fence.
There are several ways that hunters keep deer out of their food plots until the appropriate time, but few are as simple and effective as the Hot Zone fence. This simple tool and a little elbow grease can turn food plots into dynamite hunting spots in the coming months! We’ll continue to monitor our food plots as the summer progresses and share pictures of the difference between our unprotected Eagle Seed beans and the beans that are protected!
Its fawning season and many fawns will be killed by predators. There’s often a substantial difference between the number of fawns born and the number that survive until six months of age. That’s why most biologists use the term “recruitment” to describe the number of fawns that survive to six months of age.
During the past few years there have been studies by many universities that show coyote and bobcats can kill a high percentage of fawns, even in areas with good hiding cover. More and more landowners are acting to balance the predator and prey populations on their property as a deer and turkey management tool.
Unfortunately, most landowners ignore the most numerous predator – ticks. The Center for Disease Control reports that cases of tick borne illness in humans have been increasing for a decade. Most studies indicate that tick populations are increasing.
I use prescribed fire to reduce ticks on my property.
Some folks are fast to blame increasing deer populations for the increasing tick populations. This is odd given many deer populations are decreasing throughout the whitetail’s range. Tick populations are strongly influenced by the quality of their habitat in addition to available hosts.
Simply stated 50 deer can feed as many ticks as 100 deer! However, very few ticks survive without good habitat. What is good tick habitat? You might be surprised to learn that moisture is one of the primary ingredients of good tick habitat. A deep layer of leaves, fields of grass that are rarely mowed/burned, or any layer of vegetation that holds moisture can be good tick habitat.
This is because ticks require moisture to survive. If ticks become dry (desiccated) they die rapidly. Researchers have shown that proper use of prescribed fire is an effective tool to reduce tick populations. Fire can remove duff layers (organic matter of fallen leaves, etc.) and moisture for long enough to cause ticks to desiccate. However, ticks will repopulate the area once a duff layer develops. Ticks will be brought into the area on mammals seeking the lush vegetation resulting from the fire.
To significantly reduce tick populations often requires the uses of prescribed fire on an annual or bi annual basis.
For a lot of hunters, scent control is only practiced during hunting season and a few weeks before season. True scent control for deer hunters should be a year round activity. Unfortunately for most of us, we only have one set of hunting gear that we use for all types of hunting – coyote, deer, turkeys, etc. With each style of hunting there are different areas of concern regarding scent control. There are the hot days of spring when hunters walk through the hills chasing turkeys, all while working up a sweat. There are the damp cold days in November sitting in our Muddy tree stands waiting on a rut crazed buck. Even the snow covered days in January calling in coyotes. All of these hunts bring moisture and ultimately odor to one key area of your hunting gear – boots.
The tools we use to help with our scent control!
The boots you wear to your tree stand are one of the most likely pieces of your gear to spook game due to their smell. You sweat in them, you walk through mud puddles in them, and you walk through creeks with them, every step you take while hunting is in your boots. That’s why it’s extremely important to take care of your boots and maintain proper scent control. I believe every pair of boots has an “odor life.” Of course when you buy your boots they have a “new” scent to them. Once that odor is removed and they’ve been properly taken care of, they now enter into the “boot life.” If boots are taken care of properly they can last several hunting seasons, but there are numerous things to avoid. Not wearing them in gas stations, walking through the mall, hiking, anything that clogs them with foreign odors is key. Keeping them clean, dry and stored before each hunt is the best way to increase their life.
We treat boots after every single hunt with Dead Down Wind foot powder. This powder absorbs the moisture and destroys the odor, making sure the next time out our boots are as odor free as we can get them. Next we’ll spray the outside of our boots with Dead Down Wind field spray. This destroys any odor on the outside of our boots that may have collected during the hunt. Then we place them in our ScentMaster Box and turn it on, making sure as much odor as possible is removed from our boots. The box will heat up to 130 degrees, removing any moisture remaining in the boot and also filtering out any other odors that might have been missed. This system not only controls a huge part of our odor but it also greatly increases the life of our boots!
Don’t postpone your scent control this summer just because deer season is months away. Fight the odor now and tag your buck this fall!
