For many, hunting is a seasonal pleasure. But it has the potential to be a year-round pursuit, even when you are not in the woods chasing game. On this episode I talk about cultivating the joy of the year-round hunt.
Simple ways to enjoy whitetail deer hunting even during the off season:
Scouting and checking trail cameras to see what deer survived the hunting season.
Watching movement and feeding patterns in winter when cover is sparse in the woods.
Looking for new tree stand locations during the winter when cover better resembles its fall state.
Checking trail cameras to see what deer survived the winter.
Hunting for antler sheds.
Planting clover or other food plots.
Watching anthers grow via trail cameras over the spring and summer.
Creating habitat improvements.
Studying summer and fall movement patterns to help direct hunting locations.
Shopping for gear on Black Friday and after Christmas when deals abound.
Mounting antlers, tails, or your trophies of choice.
Talking about hunting and sharing stories.
Thinking about past hunts and anticipating new ones.
Every hunter will face opportunities to get discouraged with what seems like a poor hunt. But the very nature of hunting makes it a pursuit were success can happen in an unexpected instant. On this episode I talk about how quickly things can turn around and how you can take advantage of those unanticipated opportunities.
How to have more turn around moments:
Always be ready – If you are not ready and able to take a shot within two seconds you may miss turn around moments.
Pay careful attention – Whitetails, turkeys, and many other animals can appear unannounced, silent and seemingly from nowhere.
Assume there is always a deer close by – Don’t get lax or sloppy because you assume no animals are around. Your quarry really could be feet away from you and you not realize it.
Stay positive – You hunt better when you believe it matters. You can always have a good day in the woods, no matter what the animals do.
Never give up – Everyone has a time they need to leave the woods but realize success can come even at the last minute you are out there.
Everyone wants to take a buck with big antlers, but why? On this episode I talk about why the quest solely for big antlers is folly, while being honest about the nature of whitetail deer and what really makes a mature buck a true trophy.
In many ways antlers do not matter at all.
The hunt matters.
The skill, effort, and planning of the hunter matters.
Matching wits against wary quarry on its home turf matters.
Having fun matters.
For many the meat matters.
And taking a trophy that means something to you matters.
However there are reasons why the antlers do matter.
Mature bucks (relative to your area) are the most experienced and strongest deer in the woods.
These bucks are the hardest to find, hardest to get a glimpse of in daylight, and hardest to kill.
Taking mature bucks with any consistency takes a lot of skill, patience, woodsmanship, and planning.
Mature bucks usually have bigger antlers.
These antlers (no matter how big) are a trophy that represents the accomplishment of the hunter.
The importance of antlers rests solely with the hunter.
Antler size is relative to the area. In some areas a 3 year old buck is a mature deer. In other place a mature whitetail is 5 or 6 years old or older.
In some states a moderate 8 point is the king of the forest. In other states, hunters pass on large 8 points all day long looking for something more impressive.
When you know your area, you know when a deer is a personal accomplishment to you and that deer means something to you.
If you chase the approval of others you will always be empty and without joy.
Even a 2 point spike can be a trophy, if it is a trophy to you.
Antlers are more than just bone, they mean something, if they mean something to you.
We get into all kinds of trouble when we try to make antlers mean something to someone else.
While prevailing wisdom says sitting in trees or on the ground is the most effective way to hunt whitetails, it is certainly not the only effective way to hunt. On this episode I talk about the strategies and ideal circumstances that can help make still hunting an effective tool in your deer hunting toolbox.
There are several situations when still hunting is the best way for you to hunt, such as:
When there are no trees or good locations for blinds.
You are exploring new territory.
You just hate sitting to hunt.
You get tired of sitting.
You get cold, sore, hungry or impatient sitting.
You are moving from a morning hunting area to an evening area.
It’s fun. Even if your chances of success are a little lower, what good is a miserable hunt with better odds?
To maximize your chances of success still hunting you should:
Always walk into the wind, either directly or at an angle.
Be as quiet as possible. You do not need to be 100% silent, but you cannot make more noise than a deer walking.
Always be ready. Always have your weapon in your hand so you can shoulder it and fire without delay, movement, or noise.
Hunters should be able to focus on hunting without needing a graduate degree in thermodynamics, but if you want quality gear that performs under icy conditions you need to know the basics of how different insulations work and what is on the market. On this episode I talk about the major types of natural and synthetic insulation used in hunting gear so you can make informed decisions when considering what gear to buy and use.
Types of Insulation & Insulating Materials:
Cotton – The worst material for cold weather hunting gear hands down. It is only warm until it gets wet, then it drains the warmth out of you.
Wool – Very warm, preforms well when wet, but you need a lot of it for outer layers. Merino wool is revered as the best for socks and base layers.
Down – The gold standard by which all insulation is measured by. Warm enough to keep a goose alive flying at 3,000 feet at 50 MPH when it is 20 degrees outside. And thin and light enough to still enable a bird to fly 1,000 miles in a single day. But it is not very warm if it gets wet.
Treated Down – Chemically treated goose down designed to keep the insulation from getting wet to improve warmth in moist conditions.
Fleece – Specially knit polyester that is good at keeping wind out and great at trapping heat in while wicking away moister. Makes a great mid layer and liner for an outer layer.
Polyester Fill – A no frills and no special brand generic inter-garment insulation that helps keeps you warm and dry.
Thermolite – Slightly more frills and fancier branding than Polyester Fill. Geared at providing lightweight insulation.
Primaloft – Essentially a synthetic goose down developed for the military, designed to be as warm as down but also retain its insulating properties when wet.
Thinsulate – Another down alternative, this insulation is best known for its thin fibers and thus thinner overall profile making it ideal for many specialty applications ranging from pants to gloves.
Cocona – A science heavy synthetic insulator that focuses around helping maintain an ideal core temperature. If you are cold it helps you warm up, if you are hot it helps you cool down.
Most synthetic insulations are geared to help deal with moisture and retain much of their warmth when wet. But each has its strengths. It is hard if not impossible to definitively say which synthetic insulation is warmest. It more so depends on the application, the amount used, and all the other factors that go into garment construction. And of course, you can find quality gear without spending excessive sums of money. You just need to understand what you are looking for, what kind of gear construction is ideal, and where to look. Here is another episode I did about How To Find Super Cheap Hunting Hear.
Listen to the episode to learn more about each type of insulation and what types activities they are best used for.
When the temperature drops and the wind blows you need to dress for the weather in order to have a comfortable hunt. On this episode I talk about the niche that bibs fill and what features are important for helping you pick out a pair that is right for you this deer season.
The difference between the best bibs and the worst bibs are two-fold, it is a factor of the construction and materials.
The main elements of bib construction include some or all of the below:
Outer finish – This is the texture and ultimately the noisiness of the garment.
Outer layer – This provides wind and/or rain resistance.
Insultation – This determines how warm the bibs are and what conditions you can expect that warmth to function under.
Inner layer – This is the part the touches you and should hold warmth and wick away moisture
The materials most often used for bibs include:
Natural fibers like cotton or wool.
Natural or treated goose down.
Cheap polyesters, usually with no fancy brand names.
Better polyesters like fleece.
Fancy synthetic insulation, like Primaloft, Thinsulate, Cocona, etc.
Weather proof membranes like nylon, Gore-Tex, etc.
Cost is mostly a factor of construction and materials. For new hunters I recommend gear with the right construction for your hunting needs while not worrying about the fanciest of materials. This helps you find something that is built for your activity but is still relatively affordable.
Listen to the episode to hear how these elements work together and find out which are most important for your specific needs.
There are few things that help with whitetail hunting more than getting into a tree, but what can people do if they are uncomfortable with heights? On this episode I talk about multiple deer hunting strategies and alternatives for people who are afraid of heights.
Here are four options for people who are afraid of heights:
Double up on safety and consciously work on pushing through your fear. (It worked for me.)
Try a fully enclosed tree stand or elevated blind setup.
Scout for high hillsides that have fallen trees where you can hide behind the overturned root balls.
Work on playing the wind and brushing in ground blinds to get the most possible out of ground hunting.
Listen to the episode to hear about how you can implement each of these strategies and the pros and cons for each.
Getting into a tree may be the single biggest thing you can do to improve your chances of success hunting whitetails, but how high do you need to go? On this episode I talk about the factors of how altitude effects deer hunting and what the optimal height is.
Take Aways
A deer’s world is on the ground: their food, cover, bedding, friends, lovers, predators and just about everything else exists between 0-5 feet off the ground.
The trees are home to birds, squirrels, and leaves. Things that are of little interest to whitetails.
Deer can and do look up. But they rarely have a reason to unless they hear something or catch a glimpse of movement.
Altitude even helps the scent equation because it gets our smell off the ground so it is less pronounced.
Terrain does effect how high you should climb but only to a minimal degree.
The higher you go the more negative effects begin to stack up, such as:
Poorer shot angles with harder to hit vital areas.
Further from the deer, which impacts archery most.
More branches and obstacles can get in between you and your target.
The higher you climb, the more time and energy is spent climbing.
Piecing together high climbing systems increases the risk of an accident.
There is no doubt that ATVs can make deer hunting more convenient, but do they have a negative effect on deer? On this episode I talk about the impact of all-terrain-vehicle use on deer hunting and when the best time to use off road vehicles is.
Pros:
ATVs are a great way to get deep into the woods quickly.
ATV’s can be enable hunters with physical disabilities/limitations to overcome barriers to whitetail hunting.
ATVs are an amazing asset to help recover game from the woods.
ATVs can help you get lots of gear deep into the woods with ease.
ATVs can be used in certain scenarios with no impact on deer.
Cons:
ATVs make a lot of noise.
ATVs make vehicle noises in places that deer are not used to them.
ATVs can spook deer, particularly mature bucks.
ATV use can contribute to lazy hunting habits and poor woodsmanship over time.
ATVs provide a false sense of security because the deer can flee long before you are close enough to ever see them.
The truth is, there is a best day of the year for whitetail deer hunting. But that day is not the same every year. On this episode I give you the tools to help you discern the best day of the year to hunt whitetails in your area.
The rut happens at the same exact time every year, no matter what. The latest science available demonstrates that the rut is mostly likely caused by decreasing daylight. Which means it will occur at the same time of the year, every year, no matter what else happens. Weather will never make the days longer or shorter so it will not change when the rut occurs.
Bucks are going to breed does every day and night during the peak of the rut. But there are days where they will move more during the daylight. Contrary to popular belief, the moon does not impact when the rut takes place. It has no bearing at all on the breeding season.
The moon does not determine the rut, the days getting shorter does. Hunting by the moon phase has been a popular philosophy for hundreds of years. It has been somewhat helpful because you can use the lunar calendar to get you into the right ballpark of when the rut will take place. So, long ago it was beneficial because it helped track seasons before better calendars were available. But the moon never did cause the rut. And trying to track moon cycles today is mostly a waste of time.
The moon can play a small part because brighter evenings can lead to more nighttime activity which turns into a slower morning but with more movement at mid-day. Again, this does not cause the rut, but it can help us feel up the best time of day for hunting when the sky is clear and the moon can provide extra light at night, but the weather plays a much larger part in helping us determine when deer will be more active during daylight hours.
The effect of weather and temperature is relative. There is no magic temperature or conditions. It is all about how the weather is compared to how it has been. When colder days follow warming ones, deer tend to move more during daylight hours, they are refreshed and do not overheat so they feel less hindered to move more. And if it’s very cold the movement can help them stay warm.
Likewise, deer tend to move more right before or right after a big storm. They move to feed and to mate. Often, they will be easier to hunt during these times because they have been pent up weathering the storm and may be less cautious as they seek out food and rutting company.
