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GRANT: Father and son Pro Staff team Nathan and Levi Remole live in northern Missouri and one of their favorite ways to enjoy Creation is by going hunting.

GRANT: Levi is 13 years old and is already a skilled outdoorsman. Levi was excited when the 2020 deer season started in northern Missouri because at that time of year deer typically are on a food-cover/ food-cover pattern.

GRANT: In ag country, soybeans often have not matured by the September 15th opening of deer season and deer are typically feeding on the leaves.

GRANT: It was Levi’s strategy to hunt near soybeans the second day of season.

NATHAN: (Whispering) We finally got all settled in. It’s the first hunt of the year for both of us. It’s September the 17th, early season here in north Missouri. I’m being super quiet because we think we may hear one.

NATHAN: (Whispering) We’re probably going to take whatever comes out as long as it’s either a mature buck or a doe; we will shoot a doe, too.

GRANT: It wasn’t long into his hunt when a yearling buck appeared.

GRANT: Levi was looking for a mature buck or a doe, so this one got a pass.

GRANT: Not long after the young buck walked out of sight, Levi spotted a doe feeding his way.

GRANT: The G5 Montec head passed easily through the doe and she didn’t make it far.

LEVI: (Whispering) That’s awesome. Let’s go. Look at that. Just soaked. That’s the G5 Montec.

NATHAN: (Whispering) Yeah.

LEVI: (Whispering) That thing is sweet.

LEVI: (Inaudible)

NATHAN: Good, quick, clean, ethical harvest.

LEVI: (Whispering) Man, I think – I mean I just got double lung. I mean, I got some in the shoulder, but it went straight through her and buried it five inches into the ground, so. That’s pretty awesome, so.

LEVI: (Whispering) It’s just been – it’s been an awesome hunt. Just super great.

NATHAN: (Whispering) Good job, buddy.

LEVI: (Whispering) Yeah. Thanks.

NATHAN: (Whispering) This buck’s coming in. He’s curious.

GRANT: It was only the second day of season and Levi had already provided his family with fresh venison.

GRANT: Let’s fast forward about a month and a half. By that time soybeans have matured and their leaves are either not palatable to deer or the crop has been harvested.

GRANT: Bucks often change from that food-cover / food-cover pattern, at least during the daylight, and become much more difficult to find.

GRANT: During the pre-rut of October, the pre-rut or rut is really heating up and bucks spend much more time seeking does.

GRANT: This change in behavior often results in a need for hunters to change their strategy.

GRANT: We recently shared that during the morning of October 30th, Nathan and Levi were hunting near a travel corridor.

GRANT: During that hunt Nathan tagged a mature buck they knew as Kicker.

GRANT: Of course, Nathan and Levi were busy the rest of that morning dragging the deer out and processing the venison, but that afternoon Levi had some time to get the Winchester out and do some practicing. And that was important because the next morning was the opening of youth deer season in Missouri.

GRANT: Levi and Nathan had plans to hunt the next morning overlooking a CRP field that has a strip of timber running along the southern side. That strip of timber serves as a travel corridor for bucks that cruise by that bedding area and scent check for receptive does.

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GRANT: There was a south wind forecast that morning so Levi and Nathan could slip into their blind from the north. The blind was positioned to overlook the CRP area and the travel corridor and they could get in there without alerting any deer in that area.

LEVI: (Whispering) Watch his head.

NATHAN: (Whispering) That back doe is looking back.

LEVI: (Whispering) I know. I might resituate my gun.

NATHAN: (Whispering) (Inaudible)

LEVI: (Whispering) I’m sure there’s gonna be another deer coming out the way that last doe acted.

GRANT: These does did exactly what Levi and Nathan were expecting. They passed through that travel corridor.

LEVI: (Whispering) They’re looking back and that one doe she’s kind of dropping to the –

NATHAN: (Whispering) I see. (Inaudible) Something.

LEVI: (Whispering) Probably a buck the way they’re acting because they’re not acting –

NATHAN: (Whispering) I think so too.

LEVI: (Whispering) – they’re not acting spooked.

NATHAN: (Whispering) No.

LEVI: (Whispering) By the mulberry. Oh, there he is.

NATHAN: (Whispering) Where at?

LEVI: (Whispering) He’s pretty – he looks pretty good.

NATHAN: (Whispering) Where at?

LEVI: (Whispering) He looks pretty good.

NATHAN: (Whispering) Oh, man. He’s (Inaudible). Yeah, he’s a shooter.

NATHAN: (Whispering) Can you stop him?

LEVI: (Whispering) No. I’m letting him walk, I think. I don’t know.

NATHAN: (Whispering) If I could –

LEVI: (Whispering) Okay. Stop him.

NATHAN: (Whispering) Wait until he turns sideways. (Inaudible)

LEVI: (Whispering) When he turns, (Inaudible).

NATHAN: (Whispering) Take your time.

LEVI: (Whispering) Stop him. Can you stop him right there, dad?

LEVI: (Whispering) You done?

NATHAN: (Whispering) Yeah.

LEVI: I think I got him.

NATHAN: Watch him. Watch him.

LEVI: Yeah. He’s down, daddy.

NATHAN: Nice shot, buddy.

GRANT: Of course, Levi was excited to go check out his opening morning buck.

LEVI: Yeah. That’s a nice buck. So we got a closer look at him now. We’ve got him pulled out here. And really happy with him. He was about 170 yards away, I think. About.

LEVI: After a closer look, we think he may be a three-year-old. He’s a really big-bodied deer, but still super, super happy and blessed to get him. I’m just – awesome, awesome deer.

GRANT: That’s a heck of a buck, Levi. Congratulations.

GRANT: Within two days, Team Remole had two mature bucks down. And they’re hunting strategy for this time of year was spot-on.

GRANT: As I mentioned before, during the pre-rut bucks will be moving a lot searching for receptive does. And that means travel corridors are a good place to hunt, especially if the travel corridor butts up or adjoins to a bedding area.

GRANT: Team Remole’s hunts during the pre-rut also showed a different hunting strategy for hunting with a firearm versus a bow.

GRANT: Folks hunting with a bow need to set up about 20 or 30 yards away from where they expect the shot to be. And when hunting in a travel corridor, that often means getting in the corridor and, even further, looking for something that creates a pinch point or bottleneck within that corridor.

GRANT: Folks hunting with a firearm have a much more extended effective range compared to hunting with a bow. And that means those hunters, if appropriate, can stay back further; maybe cover more ground and not risk getting in there where their scent might swirl or movement might alert a deer.

GRANT: As more and more does become receptive as we move toward the peak of the rut or the maximum number of does being receptive at one time, I often like to hunt near thick bedding cover.

GRANT: It seems that does, especially receptive does, will seek out thick cover once they’ve paired up with a buck. They don’t necessarily want four or five bucks trying to tend them and they can get in thick cover and kind of hide from the melee going on where a bunch of bucks are trying to pair up with does.

GRANT: I’ve tagged a bunch of good bucks using this strategy.

GRANT: The GrowingDeer Team has been using these and other techniques and they have been very successful the past couple of days. So we’re working overtime trying to bring you more than one episode every week.

GRANT: You don’t want to miss these great techniques and hunts, so please subscribe to the GrowingDeer channel.

GRANT: The pre-rut and rut are certainly great times to be outside enjoying Creation. But more importantly, it’s important to take time every day to be quiet and listen to what the Creator is saying to us.

GRANT: Thanks for watching GrowingDeer.