| As you all know when archery hunting for big | | | | get one "first time" in each stand per season. |
| game, it is so important to get your intended | | | | Knowing which your best stand is during the rut |
| trophy up close within your comfort zone of | | | | should be the best and first time you use this |
| shooting. You've been scouting from a distance | | | | stand. For me, in Michigan, the best time to |
| the entire pre-season and have a large buck in | | | | archery hunt falls during the first week in |
| your area. You know by now most of his habits | | | | November. While I am hunting in October, I treat |
| (where he is bedding down and his route to his | | | | this time almost like scouting. I try to hunt good |
| feeding grounds). Hopefully, by now you have | | | | stands where I might get a shot at a trophy, but |
| placed several stands at strategic points where | | | | I try to stay away from my favorite hunting |
| your trophy is traveling. What do you do on | | | | spots until the rut goes into full swing. |
| opening day of the hunt? | | | | By using several tree stands (portable tree |
| First, you must know your best chance for | | | | stands), this will allow you to hunt many different |
| success from your stand is the first time you | | | | areas without disturbing your trophy. By this, I |
| hunt it, because every time after that your odds | | | | mean rotating the area you hunt each time you |
| go down. This is just a simple fact of archery | | | | go out. By using portable stands, you can change |
| hunting for large game, especially whitetails. If you | | | | frequently or maybe just move the location of |
| continue to hunt the same stand, eventually the | | | | your stand by as little as 30 yards or so. Taking |
| deer will learn you're hunting them and start to | | | | the time to enter or leave your stand in a |
| avoid the area. They learn they are being hunted | | | | different direction will also increase your chances |
| by seeing you or by the scent you left behind. | | | | of not disturbing your hunting spot. During |
| Every time you walk to your stand or come back | | | | October I like to hunt feeding fields, trying to stay |
| from your stand, you are leaving a tell tale sign or | | | | out of my wooded areas until the rut hits. Then in |
| scent that the deer will pick up on very quickly. | | | | November I sneak back into the woods where I |
| If you educate just one deer, you are actually | | | | know the mating will take place. These areas are |
| educating many deer, maybe the prize trophy | | | | usually closer to where the does are bedding |
| buck you are hunting. Deer communicate through | | | | down and where the does funnel into an area |
| body language. If a doe approaches your stand, | | | | going to their food sources. Normally, you will see |
| knowing something that just isn't right and starts | | | | the buck scrapes and rubs in these areas. Finding |
| walking stiffly or stamping her foot or maybe | | | | these areas will increase your chances of bagging |
| worse, blowing and snorting, she is shouting "Hey | | | | your trophy buck, especially if you have not |
| everyone, this place is dangerous." This is how big | | | | disturbed the area all season long until now. |
| bucks learn and it is why they will leave the area. | | | | During your archery big game hunting season, you |
| In keeping the element of surprise by scouting | | | | need to know why your good stand goes bad |
| smarter and hunting more carefully, it will | | | | and how to avoid that from happening to you. I |
| ultimately lead to more and bigger bucks being | | | | firmly believe that a good hunting strategy begins |
| bagged by you. | | | | with managing your impact around the area you |
| I was taught by my Dad and through my own | | | | intend to hunt during the full rut. The 10 percent |
| mistakes that hunting the areas where the rut | | | | that bag bigger and more bucks have learned this |
| occurs before the rut occurs can dramatically | | | | lesson well. But then of course some are just |
| change or even worse, ruin your chances of | | | | "LUCKY" and stumble upon a big buck just out of |
| bagging your trophy. Remember that you only | | | | chance. |