Are You Spooking the Deer on Your Way to Your Stand?

By Shane Gulbrandsen

The answer to this is, of course you are. And if they are not spooked, they are aware of your presence.

All the pre-scouting and work to get your stand just perfect, might well be all for nothing. Have you ever been on your way to your stand and seen tails fleeing or heard deer snorting? Sure you have, we all have.

Now you get in your stand and your confidence and excitement level is not the same as when you started out. After sitting awhile without seeing a deer, you start to doubt your chances and abandon your stand. If this sounds familiar you’re not alone.

This is something all deer hunters face and no sure-fire solution. I have taken many hunters to a stand over the years, as well as gone to a few stands myself. I have learned some things about how to increase your odds of the deer not knowing you’re in your stand.

There are many products on the market that help hunters get deer to come within sight – scents, calls, camo you name it, it is all for the same goal. The problem is if the deer already know you are there, you’re in for a long day.

Let me tell you about this one occurrence I observed. This one stand I was in is at least a half a mile from any road. It is solid bush and no clearings and you could hear the traffic go by. I had been in the stand about a half-hour, when this 11-point buck appeared. He was slowly walking and feeding without a care in the world. He could hear the traffic as well and paid no attention to it.

Then for some reason, a vehicle that I could hear heading down the road, started slowing down and eventually stopped. Now remember this is a half-mile away from me with solid timber the whole way.

As the vehicle slowed to a stop, the buck lifted his head and totally froze. There was a big broadleaf plant in his mouth and he even stopped chewing. The vehicle eventually started off again and the farther it went the more relaxed the buck got.
The buck eventually fed his way out of sight.

Now you may think that this is nothing new or no big deal but all this took place with the buck only 20 yards from me. He never had a clue I was there. He showed more attention to a sound a half mile away from him, without any concern that I was above him.

Just imagine that vehicle that stopped out at the road was me and I was on my way to the stand that I was already sitting in. Would that buck be in the area by the time I got to the stand? Would I be able to lure him back out with calls? Of course not, he would already be wise to what was going on. Whitetail deer (especially bucks) are creatures of habit and routine.

The plan years ago to get to a stand was to use the four-wheeler the majority of the way, then walk the rest. Makes sense right? Wrong!

In 1995 an older gentleman from New York was hunting with me. Getting off the four-wheeler and starting our walk in the dark was starting to get too much for the hunter. One morning he asked me to take him right to the stand with the four-wheeler. I stated that this would spook the deer and to walk in quiet would be best.

He then stated that we were probably spooking them more by trying to walk in quiet. He said to take him right to the stand but do not turn off the four-wheeler or shine a light up to the stand to help him see to get in. Once he was in the stand and set up, I was then and only then to get out of there.

The old fellow killed a good buck at first light that morning. He told me that evening that as soon as I left him he was watching the lights of the four-wheeler weave its way back through the bush when two bucks started to spar about 100-yards from him.

Now those bucks were probably sparring while we were on our way in and saw and heard the four-wheeler coming. They simply stopped and watched the four-wheeler come and then go and resumed their match. As daylight approached they had no idea the hunter was in the stand.

The 11 pointer I had watched from the stand that listened to the traffic, I had someone bring me to the stand with the four-wheeler that day. Once I was in the stand, the four-wheeler left. Eventually it got back to the road and I could hear it being loaded into the truck. I heard all of that and so did the deer.

If you can get the deer in your area to get accustomed to hearing a four-wheeler coming in and going out, I would bet that you would see more deer. To the deer when they hear you coming in, they think trouble is arriving. When the four-wheeler leaves, they think trouble has gone. Do not shut the motor off though. Let the deer concentrate on the bike.

My trail camera pictures also prove this method works. I have pictures of deer looking in the direction that I always approach when I come to exchange the card in the camera. Then I get photos of deer right after I have gone.

Try it this fall for yourself. Early in the year, start riding into your stand, sit a few minutes with the motor running then leave. The deer will get accustomed to this activity and you can figure they have you patterned. Have a friend bring you in to your stand when season starts. Maybe you can return the favor to your friend. I hope this helps someone get the trophy buck of there dreams.

Shane Gulbrandsen www.gulbrandsenoutfitters.com

Taking a Stand

By Tom Remington

 

Available in Audio

 

“Taking a stand” is an expression that is used in hunting in perhaps two different ways. For many hunters, it means going to your favorite location where you have erected your tree stand or blind and getting into it to wait for the trophy buck to come along. For others, including many Maine hunters, taking a stand means to locate yourself in a specific area and wait for that trophy deer to come by. That specific area is determined by occurrences that are taking place in the area you are hunting. Let me give you some examples of what I mean.

 

Morning breaks and you are headed for one of your favorite hunting spots and on the way in, you notice other hunters in the area. You think about it a minute and realize that often when this happens you know exactly where deer like to cross when pushed by other hunters. Another example may be when you are hunting with one, two or three other hunters and once you have discussed what each of the hunters in your party are going to do, you decide to go sit or wait at one of your favorite places you know deer travel through when hunted by other hunters.

 

Whatever the reasons are that you might decide to “take a stand”, you are not equipped with portable blind or tree stand – there is just you, your rifle, a survival pack and perhaps a “hot seat” to sit on. There are proper ways or should I say less intrusive ways to take a stand that will increase your chances at seeing or bagging a deer.

 

 

Deer, and especially the trophy bucks, are not stupid animals. They are much like us in that they are creatures of habit and what seems to have worked for them once or twice, their instincts will direct them in that same manner more often than not. You as a hunter need to learn what those habits are and apply them to your hunting strategies.

 

Here are a few examples of how deer might react under certain circumstances. When you hunt an area often, it shouldn’t take you too long to learn the layout of the land – deer know this layout better than you do. Remember what transpires each and every time you hunt in a particular section. If deer get pushed or jumped, where do the go? What direction were you traveling, what was the weather, what direction was the wind blowing and what was the time of day, just to name a few. This may seem like a lot of information to process but it is what makes hunting enjoyable. It is part of the chase.

 

By learning these bits of information, you can determine better how to hunt that area. If you know that under most circumstances when deer are pushed out of that area from hunting pressure, the deer escape via a well hidden ravine on the west end of the land it would only seem logical that that would be a good location to take a stand and wait.

 

Over time, you will discover some very rewarding places to take a stand. Perhaps that place will be a favorite knoll, ravine, crossing on an old logging road, ledge, swamp, field or next to an apple orchard. Wherever it is, once you get there, don’t ruin a good opportunity by not knowing how to take a stand.

 

I repeat, deer are not stupid nor are they blind. One of the biggest mistakes inexperienced hunters make in taking a stand is to remain in the open. Many times I have suggested to a fellow hunter to go to a particular spot on an old woods road and wait. When I arrive at that point, I find them standing smack dab in the middle of the road.

 

When taking a stand, you want to be able to see well enough to spot a deer and that can be accomplished without standing in the middle of the wide open area. Look around for a minute or two when you get there. You should have knowledge of what direction you think a deer might come and where the favorite crossing spot is. Assess the wind direction, sun, etc. and from that determine in what general area you should be, i.e.. put the wind in your face and sun to your back if you can.

 

Once you’ve determined in what general area you should take a stand, now is the time to find the best strategic spot available to you. Is there a bit of a rise or knoll that would give you a better view? If so, use it. Find a place on that rise where you can camouflage yourself with the natural surroundings. If you are standing alone in the open and a deer comes by, chances are that deer may not recognize you as a human and danger but it will more than likely determine that you are something that doesn’t belong there. The deer will turn and go in another direction and you are left looking like a fool.

 

Put your back to a clump of trees or underbrush. If you can put some small bushes in front of you – enough to help blend you into the surroundings without impeding your site to shoot. If you are going to sit down, find the spot and clean it up. Make it so any small movement on your part doesn’t create noise – deer have acute hearing. Sit in a manner that is conducive to making shooting more easily accomplished. What I mean by this is simple. The spot you are watching for deer is more than likely relatively small. Hopefully small enough so that you don’t have to keep turning your head from side to side – that’s too much movement. Sit so you can see and you can raise your rifle easily when needed.

 

If you opt to literally stand when you take your stand, again find a place where you are best camouflaged and clean the area where you will stand. Move the dry leaves and branches from under foot. The result should be a moist dirt area free of crackling leaves and twigs. Any movement by you of your feet should be silent. Stand in a position that affords you the best sight and when necessary you can raise your rifle to shoot with the least amount of movement – deer will spot the slightest amount of movement or noise on your part.

 

The bottom line is to use common sense. This is actually a game of hide and seek. The better you can hide yourself and at the same time making every effort to keep a clear vision for yourself, you are increasing your chances at success.

 

One last thing that I will add to this is to have patience. I know in my early years of hunting, I would take a stand somewhere and run out of patience. I would decide to move to another spot or get antsy and start shifting positions only to hear a deer running off in the other direction. The hunter with the most patience will in the end be the one that brings home the deer while your buddies, family and other hunters will be wondering why you and not them.

 

Happy hunting.

Lawsuit Filed Against ALS Enterprises, Inc.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL 42 PAGE PDF FILE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA

Theodore Robert Carlson, Mike Buetow, CIVIL ACTION NO.: 07W3970 RHKIJSM
Gary Steven Richardson, Jr., and Joe
Rohrbach individually on behalf of
themselves and all other Minnesota CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT
residents and entities similarly situated,

Plaintiffs,

v.

A.L.S. Enterprises, Inc., Cabela’s Inc., JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
Gander Mountain Co., Bass Pro Shops,
Inc., and Browning Arms Co.,

Defendants.

Plaintiffs Robert Carlson, Mike Buetow, Gary Steven Richardson, Jr., and Joe
Rohrbach individually on behalf of themselves and all other Minnesota residents and entities similarly situated, by and through their attorneys, Merchant & Gould and Hein Mills & Olson, P.L.C., as complainant against defendants A.L.S. Enterprising, Inc., Cabela’s Inc., Gander Mountain Co., Bass Pro Shops, Inc., and Browning Arms Co., (collectively “Defendants”), allege the following:

CLICK HERE FOR FULL 42 PAGE PDF FILE

Illinois Youth Deer Hunt set for October 7-8

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Illinois Youth Deer Hunt set for October 7-8

Blaze Orange required for all hunters in counties open to Youth Deer Hunt

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The annual Illinois Youth Antlerless-only Deer Hunt is Oct. 7-8 for those youth who have a valid permit issued earlier this year by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) permit office for the specific county they plan to hunt.

Youth hunters must be accompanied by a non-hunting parent, guardian or responsible adult who has in his or her possession a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card. Both participants must wear the required blaze orange cap and upper garment with a minimum of 400 square inches of solid blaze orange material. Shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to sunset.

Counties open to the youth hunt are Adams, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, DeKalb, Edwards, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Knox, LaSalle, Lawrence, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Richland, Schuyler, Scott, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Williamson, and Winnebago.

The IDNR sites in the counties listed below are open to youth hunting during the youth deer hunt (contact the site for other special site regulations):

• Adams – Mississippi River Pools 21 and 22.
• Adams/Brown – Siloam Springs State Park.
• Calhoun/Jersey – Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area (SFWA).
• Crawford – Crawford County SFWA.
• Franklin – Campbell Pond State Habitat Area (SHA).
• Hancock – Cedar Glen State Natural Area (SNA).
• Jackson – Kinkaid Lake SFWA.
• Jackson/Union – Giant City State Park.
• Jasper – Newton Lake, Meeker SHA.
• Jefferson/Franklin – Rend Lake SFWA and Corps of Engineers-managed areas of Rend Lake.
• Jefferson/Hamilton – Ten Mile Creek SFWA.
• Jo Daviess – Apple River Canyon State Park (Salem/Thompson Units), Rall Woods SNA (Falling Down Prairie), Hanover Bluff SNA, Tapley Woods SNA, Wards Grove SNA.
• Johnson – Cache River SNA, Glass Hill SNA, Cypress Pond SNA, Deer Pond SNA, Skinner Farm SHA, Ferne Clyffe State Park – Cedar/Draper Unit only;
• Lawrence – Chauncey Marsh.
• Perry – Pyramid State Recreation Area.
• Pike – Ray Norbut SFWA, Mississippi River Pool 24.
• Randolph – Turkey Bluffs SFWA.
• Randolph/St. Clair – Kaskaskia River SFWA.
• Schuyler/Brown – Weinberg King State Park including Scripps and Spunky Bottoms units.
• Union – Trail of Tears State Forest, Union County SFWA, Devils Island SFWA (Union county portion only).

All Illinois residents who buy or possess firearms are required by law to have a valid FOID card. FOID applications can be obtained from any firearms dealer, law enforcement agency, including the IDNR, or printed from the Illinois State Police website at www.isp.state.il.us. To obtain a FOID card, complete an application and forward it along with a $5.00 fee and a photograph to the Illinois State Police, Firearm Owner’s Identification Unit, PO Box 19233, Springfield, IL 62794-9233.
Youth hunters are reminded that archery deer season will be underway and archery hunters will be afield during the Oct. 7-8 youth hunt.

All other hunters are reminded that if they are hunting in a county open to youth deer hunting, they must comply with requirements to wear blaze orange.

###

The STABLEY OUTDOORS Radio Show to begin airing September 17th

The “STABLEY OUTDOORS” Radio show will begin airing on Skinny Moose Radio Monday, September 17th. The show will run every Monday at 12pm & 8pm EST.John Stabley, the host of “STABLEY OUTDOORS” will be bringing you outdoor news from around the country. The content will consist of Outdoor Event & Trade Show Coverage, Interviews, Fish & Wildlife News Coverage, New Product Updates and more.

John is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He resides in a small town in Southern Illinois surrounded by an abundance of wildlife, cornfields and timber. When not out in the wild scouting, hunting or fishing, you can usually find him at an Outdoor Trade Show or helping with a Children’s Volunteer or Non-Profit Program. John is the Vice President of Global Operations for Skinny Moose Media & U.S. Hunting Today. He also enjoys traveling across the country and visiting different Outfitter & Guide Services.

Tune in with the rest of America and enjoy the show.

This link will take you directly to Skinny Moose Radio

http://www.skinnymoose.com/radio/skinnymoosemedia.asx

Guided Missouri Duck Hunting

Because of lenient regulations, liberal bag limits, inexpensive license fees, location along the Mississippi flyway, and large quantities of many duck species, Missouri duck hunting is popular among waterfowl hunters. According to Jim Low of the Missouri Department of Conservation (mo.gov, 08/19/07), surveys have determined that the estimated number of ducks has increased 14% since last year and is the 5th highest since 1955. During the duck hunting season, they can be hunted from a half hour before sunrise until sunset. Ducks frequent flooded soybean and rice fields, which we offer seasonal leases for. Read more

My First Deer

Saturday, October 4th, 2003, SC – That afternoon, I set out on my second hunt of the day with my guide leading the way. It was only my fourth day ever of serious deer hunting. It was a rough walk through a grown-up clear-cut. We walked through brush that Brair Rabbit wouldn’t have touched! I didn’t mind it though; cause I had a good feelin’ about the hunt. We got to the location where he wanted to setup, and we got our stands hung around the tree. My guide scampers up the tree about as quickly as a one of those pesky squirrels! I, being an inexperienced climber, took to my stand with confidence; because of the feelin’ I’d been having about this afternoon. So, up I went! I had no problems climbing up. I got to the height I needed to be at and as I dug the top seat part of the climber into the tree for the last time it slipped down about 2 inches. After gathering my thoughts on that slippage, I took my seat in my climber for the first time hunting. Recently, I had bought a Summit Revolution climbing stand. Read more

What Good Can Come From Legislating Fair Chase?

By Tom Remington

A nasty and heated debate has already begun in North Dakota over a proposed ballot initiative that is intended to put an end to high-fence hunting. The Attorney Generals office has yet to come up with a title for the initiative and the petition, which will need 12,844 legal signatures, hasn’t received a single signature yet. Read more

Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger Program Accepting Donations for 2007 Deer Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2007
Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger Program Accepting Donations for 2007 Deer Season

More than 1.4 million meals provided to needy families thanks to hunters donating deer

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is again encouraging deer hunters in Illinois to consider donating whole deer to the Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger (ISAH) program in 2007. ISAH coordinates the donation and processing of venison providing meals to food banks, food pantries and charitable organizations throughout the state. Started in 1989, the ISAH program has coordinated the donation of more than 359,000 pounds of venison, providing more than 1.4 million meals for those in need.
“We appreciate the thousands of deer hunters in Illinois who have made a habit over the years of donating deer they harvest to help feed needy people in the state,” said Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Acting Director Sam Flood. “The Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger Program really does make a difference, helping turn the abundance of deer in Illinois into a bounty for food for less fortunate families.”
The IDNR and the Illinois Conservation Foundation encourage hunters to donate deer and a tax-deductible $50 contribution through the ICF to help cover the cost of processing the deer into ground venison.
The IDNR also earmarks $100,000 from the state Wildlife and Fish Fund to assist in covering the costs of processing venison for the ISAH program from deer taken by hunters in areas of the state with growing deer populations. The additional funding is provided through non-resident archery deer permit fees.
“Illinois food banks and food assistance programs served more than 4 million meals last year in Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Carol L. Adams, Ph.D. “Partnering with IDNR and local organizations to receive food donations helps us achieve our goal of providing people in need with a balanced diet.”

“We hope this additional funding for deer meat processing through the Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger program will encourage hunters and landowners to obtain additional antlerless deer permits to assist in our deer herd management effort while helping feed hundreds of children and their families,” Flood added.
2007-08 Deer season dates
Illinois Archery Deer Season: Oct. 1-Jan. 17.
Firearm Deer Season: Nov. 16-18 and Nov. 29-Dec. 2.
Muzzleloader-only Deer Season: Dec. 7-9.
Late Winter Antlerless-only Deer Season: Jan. 18-20, 2008.
Monetary donations to Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger can be made to the Illinois Conservation Foundation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271.
The funds help cover the costs of processing venison by nearly 50 participating meat processors throughout the state.
For a list of meat processors handling venison for the Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger Program, check the IDNR web site at http://dnr.state.il.us/legislation/isah/.
For further information about Illinois Sportsmen against Hunger, contact Tracy Shafer, ISAH program coordinator, at 217/785-5091 or by e-mail at Tracy.Shafer@Illinois.gov.

Perfect Camouflage

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tommy Mohrbucks and I’m your average middle aged bow hunter. The name is actually a moniker that refers to my Texas Hold’em internet identity, not bucks of the deer variety . I have a tremendous passion for both Texas Hold’em & bow hunting for white tail deer. Read more

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