Grow the Hunt

Hunting the Wind

-By Rich Miller

Hunt or don’t hunt? Since deer season opened a couple weeks ago, the wind has been really inconsistent every day that I have had a chance to hunt. Seems like every magazine article I read or television show I see is talking about which stand to hunt based on wind direction. Some say only hunt a certain stand during a certain wind, or don’t go into an area if the wind is wrong. I think there can be a lot of truth to this, but what about the hunter who doesn’t have the option of waiting on a certain wind? Some of us have to hunt when we have the opportunity whether bad wind direction, rain or uncomfortable temperatures.

When these conditions occur there are a few things I do that seem to be a little more successful no matter what the conditions. I am really obsessed when it comes to controlling my scent. I start before I ever leave the house with the clothes I plan on hunting in. I wash them and store them separately from any of my other clothes. I prefer to wash my hunting clothes with Code Blue’s laundry detergent with fresh earth scent. I don’t think it is any better than the unscented version, but it is the one I have always used and I have a lot of confidence in it. I store my hunting clothes in a really large Tupperware-type container with a sealable lid.

I also use like to use scent eliminator sprays. Whether I’m checking my cameras, filling a feeder or hunting, I always spray down before entering my hunting area. Field wipes have been a great asset for these hot September afternoons also. No matter how hard I try to take my time getting into the stand, I cannot help but work up a sweat. I use these wipes to wipe off my face head and neck. In addition to getting rid of the perspiration, it also feels really nice and helps cool me off.

I am not saying that I don’t pay any attention to the wind and if you take these precautions you will never get winded by a deer again. If the wind isn’t right for the stand, you want to hunt try to find a stand site that is a little more favorable for that wind direction. When you have the opportunity to get in the wood go for it, whether the wind is in your favor or not you have a better chance of being successful in the woods than you do sitting at home on the couch.

Can You Beat a Buck's Nose?

-By Brandon Wikman

There has been much discussion and controversy within the hunting community on what the ‘magic formula’ is composed of in regards to beating a buck’s nose.

From technologically advanced carbon-lined suits that absorb odor molecules, to magical mists that kill scent on contact, we’ve literally seen it all. There’s truly no telling what new scent elimination business will launch next or the latest marketing strategy a company will use. I’ve been taught, just like any other hunter across the country that trial-and-error is the only method to personally test your week’s pay on products that mask, cover or ‘eliminate’ human odor.

It is from these tried-and-true life experiences in the woods hunting, that we brew our own assumptions and conclusions. Personally, I’ve always believed that a deer will smell you 100% of the time once downwind of your location. No matter what you wear, how you smell, or what you see on television.

I do happen to think that using products that help minimize your odor is important, but not exclusive. Let’s take a look at an example: Any hunter who walks out of a restaurant, jumps into his truck, changes into his carbon-lined suit with a few sprits of scent eliminator and thinks he’s going to beat a buck’s nose is crazy, period.

Even though a deer will usually smell you once it’s downwind of your location, it doesn’t give you reason to skimp on the necessary steps in controlling your scent. I base my opinion on personal experience and priceless lessons from veteran hunters. The keyword is ‘minimize’, not eliminate. You will never totally eliminate every human-bearing scent particle that escapes your body, but on the other hand you can severely minimize it.

I’ve had deer directly downwind of me that never spooked, blew, or stomped. Although, they did lick their nose and toss back their head sniffing the foreign scent. They sniffed me out like we do a batch of freshly baked cookies, yet my scent wasn’t overpowering. Deer seemed to deal with the foreign odor and accept that a human was in the area at one time, but not specifically knowing when. I believe that is the difference between smelling like a human and smelling minimally like a human that sat in the stand a few days ago.

The moral of the story is that you cannot fully rely on using powder-based, plastic wrapped, next generation styled products that promise the world. I think we can all agree on how sometimes marketing and advertising can be deceiving, but that is how the game is played. It is our duty to make the better judgment and put our own seal of approval on a product.

The only tactic I do rely on is the old farm trick I use when hunting back at home. Considering the whitetail where I grew up were used to the potent smell of manure, silage, and tractors, I spent the afternoon at my uncle’s dairy farm before walking to my tree stand! Not only did it help me stuff meat in the freezer, but also arrow a few exceptional bucks.

Most Popular Rifle Caliber

It never fails. Year after year, as hunters gather around the fire at deer camp there is always one debate that somehow comes up. One hunter makes a comment about the 30-06 being the best deer caliber ever invented. Then another hunter chimes in talking about how he has dropped more deer with his 270 than anyone else has or ever will with any other particular caliber. Not long after that, lovers of the 30-30 feel the need to defend its honor among the lovers of the 243 or 7mm. This is the type of great debate that can get rather heated and go long into the night with no pronounced winner. Moultrie wants to get you ready to defend your rifle of choice at deer camp this year. Vote for your favorite or suggest your own by commenting on this post.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Opening Day

-By Rich Miller

Well opening day finally got here. I got in the woods about four o’clock. It had been partly cloudy all day until I climbed in the stand and that is when the sun decided to come out and make it feel like it was 100 degrees. Luckily, after about an hour and a half, the heat clouds rolled back in and we received a couple off and on rain showers. The rain cooled things down considerably and made it a much better afternoon for deer hunting.

I was set up overlooking a clover food plot bordered by thick cover on each side where the deer bed and a hardwood ridge behind me where the deer will usually stage up before entering the food plot. There have been a good many deer in this vicinity. A bachelor group of three bucks have been frequenting the area, but mostly does and fawns. I have gotten a lot of pictures of one buck in particular that is a really nice deer for the area I am hunting, and given the opportunity, he is the deer I want to take.

As it always does the wind was swirling all afternoon and getting pretty gusty at times. It was real slow for the first couple of hours before and during the rain. I usually see a lot of turkey in this food plot but they were not even stirring. The rain stopped around seven o’clock and it seemed like the woods had finally woken up. Birds started flying around chasing each other all over the place. Squirrels were jumping from tree to tree and every time one would hit the ground running my heart skipped a beat, making me think a deer had snuck up on me. I even had a couple of rabbits pass underneath my stand sneaking out trying to get to the clover without being spotted by a hawk or owl that hunts the area more than I do.

At five minutes after seven I looked over my left shoulder trying to spot what I thought was a squirrel when I saw a flicker of a white tail. It was a little fork-horn buck that I recognized as one of the three bucks that run together. Then there was some movement beside him and it was the five-pointer, the second of the three. But where was big boy at, and why wasn’t he with his two buddies? After watching the two little bucks for a few minutes I caught movement to their right, and there he was.

The bucks were browsing around on the ridge behind me munching up acorns that the squirrels had cut from the tree, and in no time he was inside fifteen yards. The bad part was he wasn’t clear enough for a shot. I was thinking they will feed there for a few minutes then enter the food plot and offer me a shot somewhere between fifteen and twenty-five yards. Well, being deer they didn’t do what I had planed for them. They decided to take the trail that goes behind me and brings them to cross about fifteen yards from me. The problem with the deer going this way is they are going to be down wind of me. The first little buck came through my shooting lane and got too far ahead of the other two bucks and he got my wind before the big buck got to my shooting lane. They didn’t spook too bad, they just were not sure what was going on and eased back into the thicket they came from.

The rest of the evening went by and I saw a big doe with two fawns and one other small six point. It turned out to be a great opening day hunt. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to get an arrow in the big eight point, but he is still there and maybe next time he won’t get so lucky.

Don’t Stink Up the Woods!

We all know how sensitive a deer’s nose is, and how important it is to eliminate human odor before entering the woods. Don’t take the chance of scaring off that big buck you’ve been pre-season scouting. For a limited time, Code Blue Scents is offering a free pack of Field Wipes with the purchase of any scent elimination product. The Field Wipes are perfect for wiping the scent off your trail camera or other equipment.

Opening Weekend

-By Brandon Wikman

The opening weekend of deer archery proved to be one of most memorable weekends I’ve ever experienced at Bluff Bucks Outfitters in Buffalo County, Wisconsin.

Friday night was exciting. The camaraderie at hunting camp was truly the definitive of what hunting with a bunch of good ol’ boys is all about. We shared tips, tricks, and success stories, as well as the all too familiar failures. Everyone dug into the memory bank and passed a few good ones for the entire camp to hear.

We all stayed up a little later than normal from the anxiety that deer season was only hours away. By twelve in the morning everyone, including myself, finally began dreaming about big bucks.

The owner, Butch Fox, woke up everyone from their slumber and began making breakfast. The first thing I did was jump into the shower to minimize my scent before scaling up a tree. After a nice morning refresher, I grabbed a small snack and ventured into the bluffs with my cameraman. The morning setup was tailored just for morning hunts. We had to swing in from the back entry route up a bluff, which sloped down to a field. We anticipated intercepting deer that were on their way back to bed.

Saturday morning’s temperature was in the mid-70’s and the humidity was through the canopy! It was not only a sticky day, but a soggy one also. The rain drizzled on and off the entire morning, which made things extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant. Regardless, we still spotted a few does and small bucks. We sat for a solid 3-hours before sneaking out and off the bluff.

My cameraman and I began to discuss the evening setup on our way back to camp. We had a full day ahead of us to determine where we were going to be perched that evening. There were a lot of options that needed to be narrowed down.

We made a decision to hunt a soybean field because of wind direction. The stands were hung 100-yards in the woods in a white oak tree. This was a perfect staging area because deer kill time by browsing in the acorns before venturing into the field.

We were in the stand by 4:30 that afternoon. Both my cameraman and I took every necessary step in being silent to not spook any game. There isn’t anything worse than spooking a deer and having it blow down the entire side of a bluff. It’s happened to me before.

An hour into the sit, I spotted the first deer. It was a young 8-point with red antlers. It must have shed its velvet within the last day or two. The immature whitetail hung below my tree stand for almost twenty minutes scrounging up every acorn in sight. After stuffing his belly, that buck was satisfied for the moment and moved toward the soybeans for the second course meal.

The sun began drooping down the hillside and light shadowed. It was getting to be primetime. I opened my bag and grabbed a grunt tube. I mimicked a young buck grunt from every direction around the tree. I refer to the strategy as blind call casting. As I softly whispered to my cameraman about where a deer may show up, I caught a glimpse of antler in that very spot! The buck stood statue-like for ten minutes, motionless. His eyes were pegged to the base of our tree. My cameraman managed to roll footage, while I tried controlling my fluttering heart. I couldn’t tell how big the buck was; yet I knew it was by far the biggest I’ve ever seen in the wild from a tree stand.

At a mere thirty yards, he stood behind some bramble brush. All I could see was his head and top of his back. The buck needed to take a few steps forward before I was comfortable with firing an arrow. He didn’t. Instead, he stood with his eyes laser focused in my direction. The giant buck couldn’t take it anymore and lost interest. I watched him take a few hops back into the nasty thickets he called home.

When we brought back the footage to show everyone at camp, we estimated the 10-point buck at 165’ inches. A near Boone and Crockett whitetail stood in front of me and there was nothing I could do. I made the humble decision to let him walk instead of praying my arrow would blow through the tangled brush and into his vitals for a clean kill.

I will never forget the feeling of being so close, yet so far away. I hope my decision will reward me with another opportunity at this trophy class deer. I just feel honored to have the opportunity to see a buck of that caliper.

Albino Deer

Here are two photos of albino deer that were captured on Moultrie game cameras. We contacted Steve Ditchkoff, an Auburn University Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management, to see if he could share some insight about these “rare” deer. Ditchkoff said that it is not really that uncommon for albinos to be born in the wild. He has seen several species of animals that exhibit albinism. Ditchkoff states that albino animals have a high mortality rate because they stick out and become an easy target for predators. Due to heavy predation, Ditchkoff said it is somewhat uncommon for animals to make it to adulthood - thus making albinos a rare sight in the wild. Since albinos are so rare, they are protected by law in most states.

There are many myths and legends about albino deer that have been passed down through history. Many Native Americans believed that just seeing an albino deer would bring them good luck. These “ghost deer” were thought to bring magical and healing powers. Killing one of these animals would ultimately cause a hunter to lose his hunting ability and may ultimately cause the death of the hunter in some kind of freak hunting accident.

Thanks for sharing these photos with us, hopefully it will bring us all good luck in the upcoming season!

Return On Investments

-By Rich Miller

I have one more week until the opening of deer season. Most of the bucks I am getting on camera are all out of velvet sporting those polished up hard antlers. Over the last week I have found a lot of horned trees and several pawed places. I have a camera on one of the pawed places, but I haven’t been back to check it yet. I think several different bucks are using the same place; I just want to see if they are any size.

In the last couple of weeks we have been getting a little rain and it is really starting to show in my food plots. We planted a couple of plots last week just in time for the rain. I have been using the Moultrie ATV Spreader for spreading my seed and fertilizer, and man, you talk about making things easy. In one afternoon we planted three different fall food plots in just a few hours. We already had the ground prepared so all we had to do was fertilize and seed. It took more time to drag in the fertilzer than it did to spread and seed. Even planting clover and chicory, which is really small seed, was easy. We simply closed the adjustable gate down and it broadcasted the seed very evenly without over doing it.

I got into a discussion with some guys over food plots at a show last weekend and they were asking “how big a food plot should be?” My opinion is no larger than you can do it right. What I mean is when planting your food plot don’t make it bigger than your means. Whether it be means of your equipment or wallet. I would rather have a small plot that is planted and fertilized the right way than have a big plot that is just seed on the ground called a plot. Don’t till up three acres of ground to plant if you are only buying enough fertilizer for a one acre. When you read a bag of seed and it says the plants will have 38% protein, they should have a disclaimer that says “only in ideal conditions with proper liming and fertilizing.” Also, more seed isn’t better. When you purchase a bag of seed it will have the instructions on the bag of how many pounds of seed per acre. Most of us will have to guess at that, but try not to over do it. When planted correctly the one acre plot will produce more forage than the three acres will, and we will get a lot better return on the investment we call food plots.

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Opening Weekend: Where's Your Tree Stand?

-By Brandon Wikman

We are officially on the cusp of a new beginning and fresh start to the opening of the whitetail archery season. A very short window of opportunity awaits us, and we must take advantage of it, right now!

I’ve soaked-up enough wisdom from professional hunters, television shows, magazine articles and first hand experiences to know your odds of firing an arrow into a buck opening weekend is extremely high! It can be just as good as the rut. Why? During the rut, it’s difficult to pinpoint a buck. There’s no telling what trail he’ll use or field he’ll show up in. The only surefire way to tell is to smell out a hot-doe, but our noses aren’t near that great. Unless your hunting a funnel or pinch-point, there’s no telling where a buck will cruise.

During the early-season, whitetail are more apt to show up in the same field, using the exact trail, time-and-time again. It’s the same routine schedule they’ve been doing for the past few weeks. With enough luck, and patience, we’ll be able to make a sneak attack on him.

Early-season is a time when deer haven’t been heavily pressured. They’ve been left alone to recuperate and adjust for nearly a year. The only true harassing they’ve received was potentially vehicles stopping on the road to look at them.

If we’ve done our basic homework, our location should already be plotted, stands hung, and a general idea of the deer in the area. All of these components will grant us an ‘A’ for effort. We must realize that this is a fresh start and we need to try to keep it that way so deer won’t know we are hunting them.

MUSICAL STANDS
I always like to play the game, musical stands. It is a term used by some hunters, which primarily means alternating after 2-3 consecutive sits. This will keep your stand fresh. Every single time we take a step into our hang-on or climber, we’ve already scent dusted the entire entry route with human scent. Minimizing our odor with scent eliminators is helpful. Using sprays, clothing detergent, and carbon lined suits isn’t going to fool a whitetail’s nose 100% of the time. Be sure to have enough stands scattered around your property, or soon the deer herd will be hunting you.

THE GOODS
Any farmer who has been around long enough will tell you that whitetail are consuming soybeans, right now! This is a very brief timeframe to cease. No food source is better at this particular time than soybeans. Once soybeans begin to ripen within a few weeks, acorns will substitute the whitetails craving.

I have placed two stand setups along a soybean field. I’ve strapped a stand in each corner of the field, which is where I’ve observed most deer activity. I am not planning on hunting there opening morning for the simple reason that I’ll spook every deer out of the field by making an entry. Most field stands are primarily for evening sits.