Here are some
proven hunting tips that will help you this coming season!
E-mail us with any
hunting tips you might like to share with other hunters
Making the Decision to Shoot
One of the most disappointing things our hunters experience is
when they kill a buck that is smaller than what they really wanted.
Between when the buck is shot and when the buck is found, the antlers
somehow get smaller, or go through what some people call “Ground Shrink”.
This is not due to lack of good bucks on the ranches we hunt, it happens
because the hunter often shoots the first buck they encounter.
They go into what we call Kill Mode.
Kill Mode is when a hunter decides in his/her mind that they are going to
kill the animal they have just seen. Once
the hunters mind is in Kill Mode, it is difficult for them to change their mind.
Their mind will “talk them into” killing the buck, and they may even
imagine the buck is bigger than it really is.
I have actually had to grab hunters by the shoulder to
make sure they were not going to shoot a small buck.
Sometimes hunters will raise their rifles to shoot small bucks that I
have rattled in. I will tell them
not to shoot, that we can find something better, but the rifle will go off and
the hunter will have shot the buck. When
I ask the hunters why they shot, they often say that once the buck was in the
crosshairs they couldn’t stop themselves from shooting.
That is part of the secret to curing the Kill Mode problem, do not look
through your scope until you are ready to kill a buck.
When you see a really good buck, there is often no
question about whether you should shoot. If
you do have some doubts about the size of the buck, take a moment to evaluate
the rack. Are the antlers as wide as
the ears? Is the buck an eight or a
ten point? Does he have good mass?
Are any of the tines broken or missing?
These are all questions you should ask yourself BEFORE you send that
bullet on it’s way.
Once you have answered these questions and you feel that this
buck meets your standards for a shootable buck, THEN go into Kill Mode!
Decide that there is no way this buck is going to get away, that you are
going to kill him grave yard dead. You
are going to make Ron gut this buck and drag him out, no matter if the buck is
directly under your tree stand or 300 yards away on the opposite ridge.
Laying a Scent Trail
This tip is for laying a
scent line for luring bucks close enough for a shot. You will need a
fishing reel with fairly heavy monofilament line on it and enough line to reach
across the travel lanes you think the buck is using. We take a small plastic bottle with
a pull off lid like a milk or juice bottle. We poke a hole in the lid and run
our line thru it and then tie a scent free drag onto it. You then put your scent
and drag into the bottle and replace the lid. Secure the bottle to something
solid at ground level. Then walk back to your stand letting the line string out
behind you. Then put your fishing reel at the base of your tree and leave it
until your next chance to hunt. You are now ready to use the drag. When
you return to your tree you simply jerk the drag out of the bottle with the
string and reel it in slowly. You have now put down a scent trail with out
having to walk thru your hunting area. When you get ready to leave you go put
the drag back into the bottle and maybe freshen up the scent and leave. The drag
will be ready for your next hunt and your scent will have had time to clear out
of the area.
Stopping a Buck for the Shot
This
tip is for stopping bucks for a standing looking away shot. We take a deer's tail that we
have cut off another deer and nail it to a tree across from our stand or in the
direction we want the buck to turn and look when he stops. You need to tie some
string to the tail and run it up to your stand so when you pull on the tail it
will raise like a does tail. Do not put the tail to close to the trail. The tail
needs to be about a minimum of 20 yards away from where you want to stop the
buck but he has to be able to see it easily. The buck will not miss it when you
flip the tail and will stop dead still and look at the tail to try and figure
out where the deer is that just flipped its tail.
Creating a Trail
This tip is for
making deer cross and walk closer to your tree for a shot. We call this brush piling
because that is what you do. We position cut trees and use natural brush piles
to make the deer move where we would like for them to go, they will walk
where the going is easiest. We have also used hog wire to do the same thing but
you must have it high enough so they will want to walk around it instead of
jumping it. This works best if you are trying to funnel them to existing trails.
Laying a Scent Line to your Tree
This
tip is for laying a scent line to your tree. Buy a chalk line like they use to
mark straight lines on walls and floors. Take all the chalk out if you already
have one and replace it
with the scent of your choice. Tie the end of the line to a tree or limb and
walk to your stand letting the line spool out behind you. This really lays a
trail and it stays since the string has so much of the scent on it the trail
does not weaken like when you use boot pads or other methods. Wear your rubber
boots and try not to touch any limbs or vegetation as you walk. You will want to
keep this in a zip lock plastic bag for obvious reasons when packing in and
out. Do not reel it all the way to the base of your tree or you might end up
with a tough straight down shot.
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