Reflecting_On_The_Hunting

Many years ago I made it a habit of keeping a detailed journal of my hunting activities. I include information about everything: the weather conditions, wind directions, time of sunrise and sunset, what animals I had seen, how many deer and at what time of day, and what the deer were doing. I also include in my journal how many other hunters I encountered on a given day and what hunting tactics I employed and how they worked out.

Other information in my journal pertains to deer sign, food sources, terrain and structures plus other observations that are important to deer movement patterns. The journal is supplemented with hand drawn or actual maps of the area plus a few photographs. To some this may sound a little excessive but given the fact that it is next to impossible to commit all pertinent information to memory it helps me to remember what happened on each day I hunted. In addition, a hunting journal properly maintained over many seasons will provide you with distinct repeated patterns of deer movement, best times to hunt and other information relevant to becoming a successful hunter.

When the season is over I sit on a blustery cold winter day in my warm office with a cup of coffee, maps and hunting journals spread out on the desk before me. It’s time to reflect on the season that just passed. From the information I faithfully recorded I can see what went right and what went wrong and I tend to reflect and analyze the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of the mistakes. To be a successful hunter it is important to analyze and learn from past experiences, especially the mistakes. Keeping a detailed journal also has other benefits: after two or three seasons you will start to see patterns of deer movement and activity develop, best times and locations to hunt and in my case, flipping through journals from past years often inspires an idea for an article such as this one.

Here are some of the mistakes I made last season that you and I can learn from too.

Scout first then hunt:
A friend phoned up and said. “Hey Othmar, I have a day off work tomorrow- lets go hunting.” “Sure” I said and so off we went the next day. What I didn’t know was that my friend wanted to go to a new area, one that I have never seen before. We hunted hard all day long going by the seat of our pants. At the end of the day we were both tired and had nothing to show for it.

What I should have done is ask my friend where he wanted to go and then used Google Maps to look for likely spots where deer hang out. If you’re ever in a similar situation remember this. On a short, say a weekend long hunt, it is better to scout two days and only hunt one day. If you have a chance to plan even a day ahead then the free online maps provided by Google will be your best friend to study the lay of the land and find likely deer holding areas.

On the map look for the tell-tale signs like cover: agricultural fields that are also a feeding area for deer, stands of woods, swamps, woodlots, overgrown hedges and the like.

Look for terrain structures that are most likely deer travel corridors: narrow wooded fingers leading out of a bigger woodlot into fields, hedgerows connecting to larger cover structures, streams, ditches and other deer funnel-like features.

By studying maps you are able to eliminate up to 60 percent of marginal areas long before you set a foot on the land. When you arrive at the location you can avoid what my friend and I did which was walking miles to check everything out, and instead concentrate right on the potential core areas you found on the map. Scout a bit on location to chose a few possible stand sites. Then take it from there and adjust as required.

Don’t hunt deer sign- scout the terrain:
There was a time last year where I got carried away for a week or so observing a fresh rub line and some other buck sign on a ridge top. I got so excited that I forgot that after that many years of buck hunting I should know better then get fooled by a few fresh rubs.

The lesson here is ‘don’t hunt sign’. Scout for sign and then from that point scout for terrain features within 200 to 300 yards of the rubs that funnel travelling bucks through a narrow spot- things like a fence or creek crossing, saddles, wooded fingers and the like. Then look there for fresh tracks and hang a stand right there. Bucks mostly visit rubs and scrapes at night but during the rut they may travel nearby funnels all day long in search of receptive does.

If the buck doesn’t come to you then you have to go to him:
During the November rut last year I sat for three days in my stand and watched several bucks walk along another ridge 200 yards away. I don’t know what got into me but on the fourth day I was back in that same stand and the bucks were gone. What was I thinking? Not much I guess. Sometimes we get caught up in old school thinking. We have learned to stick to a stand and wait it out. But that is not always the best tactic. It fact it seldom is. Sometimes, especially during the rut you have got to move and you have got to move fast.

When you see a big buck run a ridge or in a river bottom, don’t just sit and pray that he will come your way. Get up when the deer has passed by and is out of earshot and move your stand to where you have seen the buck. It is possible that he will be gone tomorrow, but then again he might be back again, rutting and chasing does. What have you to loose? Nothing! So you might just as well move the stand and maybe get lucky the next day. One thing is sure: if you sit one, two or three days, like I did, he will be gone for good with a doe or he will have run into another doe two miles away. So move whenever you can to where the deer are.

How can you shoot if you’re afraid to move?
One morning I glassed a cut block and spotted a huge buck bedded down on the edge of an alder thicket 300 yards away. For over an hour I stalked carefully closer to within 60 yards of the buck. Suddenly the buck looked up, probably sensing my presence. Older bucks have what we call a sixth sense. They just know when something does not feel right. I froze in mid movement fearing he would see me. For twenty minutes I remained still in that position then the buck jumped up and was gone.

I almost cried from the frustration that after all the agony I endured from remaining still in an awkward position for twenty minutes, the buck just escaped. We have been taught by our fathers as they have been taught by their fathers to be still and not move as much as a single muscle because the buck will see the slightest movement and spook. So we naturally freeze. One of our bad habits is to be too timid when a mature buck comes close, or when we come close to one. Ingrained with that doctrine we dutifully freeze and don’t move a single muscle. Many good bucks get away because of that.

What I should have done is to be more aggressive and move. Mind you, you still need to be stealthy and smart, but you need to be more proactive too and take action. Keep an eye on the buck while shifting slowly into position to take the shot. Move slowly and smoothly avoiding any hasty or jerky movements. Aim the gun or bow at the deer and be ready for the moment of truth at a split second’s notice.

Whether you hunt with a bow or firearm, take the very first clear shot that presents itself in the vital area. Know your shooting lanes and distance to the target. If that first clear shot presents itself take it right away. Don’t hesitate or wait for a better shot, because a better shot seldom presents itself. If you hesitate or wait it is likely that the buck will be gone and gone for good. In addition you just made the buck smarter and thus harder to hunt the next time you see him, if there is going to be a next time. Big bucks get big and old because they are smart and fast learners. These bucks rarely make the same mistakes twice.

First look close by:
Standing behind a large Ponderosa pine at the top of a long power line right of way winding down a hillside I glassed the tree line on either side. I started at the bottom about 500 yards away when I suddenly caught movement in my peripheral vision next to my left side. Without moving my binoculars I glanced over to where I saw the movement. I almost got a shock when I spotted a monster buck less than 25 yards away. The buck hadn’t seen me and slowly meandered across the cut line. He came out of the woodlot right under me.

Quickly I took my gun from my shoulder, kneeled down and got the gun up. The buck still had not seen me and nibbled on some shrubs. Looking through the riflescope there was a screen of small trees right in front of me. I had to move three feet to my right to get a clear shot. But if I moved I would run out of cover and the buck might see me. I decided that I had nothing to loose and moved. The buck caught my movement and looked at me, realizing that he was in trouble he jumped lightening fast into the tree line and was gone.

I made two very big but common blunders that morning and it cost me a trophy buck.
The first blunder: When I took up position behind that tree I did not get ready to hunt. I still had my rifle hung over my shoulder and I didn’t pick my shooting lanes. In short I behaved like a tourist- not like a hunter. Whenever you’re out hunting be ready to hunt and expect the unexpected. When you take up a stand familiarize yourself immediately with your surrounding and pick shooting lanes, so you’re not caught by surprise.

Blunder number two: When you glass a large area start closest to you and work your way out and ever so often take your eyes away from the binoculars without moving them and look all around you in your immediate vicinity. The buck you have been waiting for all your life might just step out right in front of your nose. Many deer are missed because hunters have the tendency to look to far in the distance and miss what is going on right around them.

Conclusion
If you’re not keeping a hunting journal now’s the time to start one and stay with it. Believe me there’s no better way, besides be out there and study deer, to become a better hunter then by reflection on past seasons with the aid of a journal and learning from your past mistakes.