RATTLING UP SOME

RACKS

White-tailed deer hunters

love to rattle or simulate a buck-fight to draw other bucks into range. And such tactics work, especially at select times of the season. When it comes to rattling whitetails, remember these common sense tips that can pay off in bucks:

• Try rattling on calm, clear days. You want to rattle when deer can hear it.
• Don’t rattle when you don’t have good shooting light. Why draw a buck in when you can’t see to shoot?
• Don’t get caught with your hands full. After a rattling sequence, hang the antlers up and get ready to shoot. Sometimes bucks rush right in to the sound.

LAY OF THE LAND

Real estate’s three magic words—location, location, location—apply to successful deer hunting.

For example a bottleneck—a narrow passage in the landscape—is often used as a travel corridor by deer and if hunted correctly, it can “funnel” deer to a hunter in a well-placed stand.

Yep, knowing the “lay of the land” can be instrumental to success. Deer use cuts, passes, ridges, ditches, river bottoms, etc. as travel routes and as means for concealment.

Basically, such land features determine the daily routes of deer. Key on such locales and you are ahead of the game. With that in mind, here are some more tips:

• Obtain topographical maps or aerial photos of your hunting area. These are usually available through U.S. Geological Survey or the Soil Conservation Service.
• Using maps, you can locate obvious high or low spots deer are likely to use.
• Maps can also help you save time by allowing you to concentrate primarily on areas with the best potential.
• Also, be sure to get out there—on the ground—with map in hand. Seeing it on a map is one thing. Seeing it from the ground is another.

NOBODY KNOWS LIKE A DEER’S NOSE

Tricking a deer’s nose is no easy task, so get wind of these tips before a big buck gets wind of you:

• Scent-killing sprays are effective in helping eliminate or neutralizing odor. But baking soda can likewise be used. Some hunters sprinkle it on their boots, wash their clothes with it and even brush their teeth with it. And you might want to carry some to the stand with you to sprinkle in the air to check wind direction.
• Try hanging your hunting clothes out in the rain and then letting them dry, naturally. If you must use the dryer…don’t use any fabric softener sheets.
• Many hunters shower with scent-free soap before a hunt.
• Hunt only stands with a favorable wind. To ignore wind direction can and will cost you opportunities.
• Try taking chlorophyll tablets to eliminate body odor. You can find them at health food stores.
• Avoid touching anything in your hunting area with bare hands.
• If using a cover scent, use a scent that is natural to your area.

POST-RUT TACTICS

Deer hunting can get really difficult after the rut. Traditionally, the bucks have run themselves ragged chasing does and likewise experienced some increased hunting pressure.

Therefore, post-rut hunting can be challenging. However, with that in mind, here are some tips for hunting this time of the season.

• Concentrate on hunting bedding areas. Stay on the edge of such areas, and look for nearby trails that show the most buck signs, like large antler rubs.
• In fact, rub lines, often made before the rut, are excellent places to watch in post-rut periods. Bucks return to these “comfort” zones after the breeding season.
• Well-planned deer drives with small hunting parties can also be a very effective way to kill a post-rut buck.

By Wayne East, IHEA Executive Direct

You just graduated from a hunter education course. You  have been dreaming about the  adventures in the field that lie  ahead. You are excited that you  can finally go hunting.

Now what? You just went through a course that covered the basics of how to be safe in the field. But what do you want to hunt? Where do you want to hunt? Is it public land? Or is it private land where you will need to get the landowner’s permission before you can hunt there? How do you get permission? What equipment must you have? What equipment isn’t necessary but would be nice to have? Can you buy a license at your local sporting goods store? Or do you have to enter some kind of license drawing or lottery? Who can you go with? Do you know someone who is experienced and can teach you how to be safe and how to be a skilled hunter? According to research conducted by Responsive Management, most of us were introduced into hunting by a mentor— usually a father, grandfather or friend. Furthermore, most, if not all of what you know has been taught by that mentor. What if you don’t have a mentor? Even if you have a mentor, where can you go to get more information about hunting?

YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

The first place to look is your local wildlife agency. Give them a call and ask to talk with their hunter recruitment and retention specialist (if they have one) or their hunter education coordinator. This person should be able to tell you all of what that agency has to offer to new hunters. Colorado for instance has their Huntmaster program. These Volunteer Huntmasters have been screened and trained on how to mentor youth to become hunters. According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s website, Huntmasters plan, coordinate, and manage hunts and hunt activities, and lead youth and novice hunts. Huntmasters teach, coach, mentor and lead by example through working with their students and their student’s parents. This program is geared specifically to youth who have never hunted nor come from a family of hunters.

Many states and Canadian provinces and territories have special youth hunts, youth only hunting seasons, youth only public hunting lands, special fees for youth and so on. By contacting your local wildlife agency, you can learn of special programs designed for youth.

You can also look into the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) program. According to the NRA, YHEC is recognized as the most comprehensive youth hunting program anywhere in North America. They consider it a “youth graduate studies” program in outdoor skills and safety training for young hunters. Open only to those who have completed hunter safety training at the state or provincial level, the program is conducted under simulated hunting conditions to provide the best practical environment for reinforcing and testing a young hunter’s skills. From rifle, bow and muzzleloader shooting at lifesized targets, to wildlife identification, to map-and-compass orienteering and more, YHEC participants get hands-on training in eight skills areas, giving them expertise in all methods of take and all types of game. For more information on YHEC go to www.nrahq.org

ADULT OPPORTUNITIES

But what if you want to explore other ways to learn about hunting? What if you aren’t a youth? Maybe you just moved and don’t know where to hunt?

Of course you can always learn from friends and family, but if you don’t have friends or family that hunt, try joining a rod and gun club, sportsmen’s club or even volunteer on a local chapter of a non-profit group like Quail Unlimited, Mule Deer Foundation, Pheasants Forever, National Wild Turkey Federation, etc. Joining a group like this is not only a great way to give back to wildlife and hunting, but it is a great way to meet likeminded individuals and possible future hunting buddies.

Again a great source of information is your local wildlife agency. Many states provide advanced hunter education or continuing education workshops. Some states like California offer specie specific workshops (waterfowl, elk, etc.) that will teach you ways to hunt a specific kind of wildlife. According to the California Department of Fish and Game website these “clinics focus on the basics of hunting. The series includes sessions on how to hunt turkey, upland game, waterfowl, and big game. Topics covered in each clinic include type of firearm, ammunition, importance of sighting in the firearm, gauging distance, scouting, tracking, field dressing, shoot-don’t shoot scenarios, hunter ethics, landowner-hunter relationships, conservation, and safety. The goal of this series of hunting clinics is to develop ethical, conservation-minded, successful hunters through education…taking the hunter a step beyond the basic Hunter Education course.

The NRA offers similar advanced hunter education classes called Hunter Clinics. Even if you are a veteran hunter, clinics such as these can teach you specifics on how to become a better hunter.

Another good source of information is your local sporting goods store. Feel free to ask any questions you have about where to hunt, what type of equipment you will need and so on.

Congratulations on passing your hunter education course. Remember to always be a safe and ethical hunter. Happy hunting!