2 Big-Buck Tactics to Remember

Here are a couple of things you have never thought about; they will help you smack a buck this fall.

Don’t walk on a trail. Rather, parallel it as far as you can on the downwind side. If and when you have to cross, back up for momentum, run, jump far/high and land on the other side to minimize scent/contact with the trail. (You old guys might want to stretch a bit beforehand so you don’t pop a hammy.) Luke Strommen, who snapped this picture of me doing it one day in MT, said, “Damn, you can still get some big air for an old guy.” Smart you know what :)

Don’t touch rubs and scrapes like you see guys doing on TV and in pictures. Rather, stop 30 yards or so downwind of sign and glass it and the surrounding terrain/cover. Not only do you minimize your scent and disturbance in the area, you get a bigger and clearer picture of how deer come and go to the sign. That gives you a better idea of where to set your tree stand to kill Mr. Big.

Comments

[neal south Ga.]

Hey Mike
you are up early this morning or late last night.
Great comment on jumping the trails and staying away from the rubs and scrapes been doing it for years, have seen many times what scent can do to a deer coming by my stand,changes their whole attitude and direction!!
got pictures of a couple of south ga. bow kill bucks I killed this past season to send to you soon,(as soon as I figure out how,computers give me fits!!)
check your blog several times a day,great opinions and info.
have a great day!!

[Syfert]

Mike, When I first saw the picture I thought you were jumping because you came accross a snake.... haha

Good advise but how do you remember where the trails are while walking to stands in the morning?

[Chris Butler]

Mike, i have always tried to stay clear of trails and other signs in the woods. Anybody heading out for some spring gobbler?

[Cody]

Good info Mike. I have always just stepped over the trails but I did make a mistake I think by touching a rub and getting too close to a scrape this fall. My brother and I were scoutinga new place and came across a monster rub, as big as my thigh, with about a 2 foot scrape nearby. We tooka picture with brothers leg next to the tree to show are hutnign party how big it was. No one ever thought about it but we definitely never saw a buck big enough to make that rub the whole season. Kept seeing more and more rubs lik epopping up in different areas though. Going back this season to try him out again :)
Cody

[jstreet]

Great tips Mike.

It's amazing how many TV hunters put their hands all over the rubs and kneel down and stand right on the side of a scrape, touch the licking branches and then proceed to tell us mere mortals how we should hunt this particular type of sign.

I want to hunt where these guys do. Apparently the deer are pretty stupid!

Jim

[bowkill1978]

I think the guys on TV just touch all that stuff for "show." Great tip on jumping over deer trails. I've never thought of that but I'll be jumping all over the woods next season!

[Flatlander]

hey Jim, if you look close on most video when they touch the rub right before they head to the stand to hunt it........the setting(sunlight,weather,etc.)is different.
usually these guys hunt hundreds of days a year and don't film all the details until after they get the kill shot.....so they go back and re-inact the pre hunt(usually not there property so they don't worry about screwing up the area)...................sounds hokey but it is not easy filming every thing it takes to make a show.........most folks don't have the budget of Realtree or Scentlok to have
2 camera men and 4 cameras........so take what you watch with a grain of salt

[jstreet]

Flatlander,

I know what you are saying. It'll be raining and light in one shot and then almost dark in a shot that's supposed to have happened before. It cracks me up.

My point about them touching the scrapes and stuff though is still valid. You should never touch that stuff period, even for TV purposes.

Have a good day,

Jim

[Eric Williams]

I just wear "elimitrax" and don't worry about where I walk. Then the wind is your only concern, not where you walked in.

[BIGKAHUNA]

Hey mike, you said you like to hunt montana on Halloween, so I thought for a second you might be the headless hunter! I couldnt find you head for a minute. LOL. Anyway its all valid. Any precaution you take is going to give a little more edge on hunting such a smart animal. Lets go one more, how about the topic of deer not being bothered by human urine? I know guys who pee right out of there stand and say deer walk right up and smell it. What is your opinion? Thanx

[jstreet]

Good topic Bigkahuna,

I've read about people not only urinating off their stands but also in scrapes.

I've never done it, but supposedly Grant Woods and other biologists say urine is urine and deer can't tell the difference.

As for me, I don't know if that's true or not so I drag my pee bottle in and out of the woods all the time.

Jim

[Flatlander]

the most successful hunter i know has about 2 dozen, yes 24 whoppers on the wall and they range from 125" to 150"-160"'s and he urinates not only out of his stand, he does it in ground scrapes..............he did this one afternoon and put me in a stand over the scrape and i saw several does come in an investigate.........they seem to be intrigued and drawn to it............no bucks showed that night but i have helped drag plenty of his deer that did. i don't use that strategy myself but maybe i should
??????????

and just maybe a 175" buck does know the difference.........they know more than most other deer do to survuve.......so maybe i won't try it??????

[BIGKAHUNA]

Thats pretty much what Ive been told over the years but some how I never wanted to take the chance. I think its probably fifty fifty ratio of yes and no but its interesting to hear actual accounts of people tryin it or not.

[Josh]

It looks you are about to slam into that tree Mike.
And hey, I've been meaning to tell what a great site you got going here. Keep up the great work!

[Chad]

I've tried peeing in scrapes and in mock scrapes that I've created. Its worked for me too. Never had a real wall-hanger come in to investigate, but I've had smaller bucks come in and check them out. I once had a small 8 come in, check out a mock scrape i just peed in, and proceed to tear up the area and pee in the mock scrape. It was pretty cool to watch.

[Rodger]

Had a huntin' buddy a few years ago who made a mock scrape and peed in it every time he hunted that blind. Every night a buck came by and refreshed it. Never saw it as it was completely nocturnal but apparently he never noticed the difference(the buck that is). Me, I've got a funnel and a hose that goes into the ground.

[Syfert]

I have been peeing off my stand, in scrapes and scrape drippers for 3 years now. Many, many trail cam pics of bucks just after doing so.

I often wondered if it was actually the sweetness? Like if I drank a bunch of soda would they come for the unprocessed sugars or are they really going after the "pee".

Either way it has worked for me, both my brothers shot bucks off scrapes I had been mockin and I have as well.

[bill reiman]

Mike, if you wore alpha burleys you wouldnt have to jump over nothing....and good scent control clothing. Just a thought.

[ian in wisconsin]

a back flip would have been awesome Lol!

[ian in wisconsin]

actually a front flip

[Luke Strommen]

I am still amazed!