Busted....again

Ok, to make a long story short. I am new to bow hunting, but have done my homework. I live in a rural neighborhood and deer roam freely all about. There is an adjoining property that belongs to the homeowners that is several hundred acres, of which no one is interested in hunting. Good for me, and lots of deer. The problem is that there is a buck on this property with a bionic nose and x ray eyes. He busts me EVERY time. I started out last year and actually took a shot at him, but missed. That was all it took for him. I hunted the area pretty hard (too hard I guess) he busted me at least two more times last year. I hunted the area at least 15 times. I understand hunting the wind, scent control (lock) etc. The FIRST freaking day of bow season this year, I got in my stand, did a little grunting, kind of a steady wind in one direction, damn if he didn't come in down wind and bust me at 40 yards. Game over. I have not been back to that stand but one time and noticed a deer jumping from far away, so today I decided to move away from the area and hunt the property line a few hundred yards away. Wind was light and variable.......bam......busted me again. I didn't even see him. What am I doing wrong? How should I approach this smart *** buck and how often should I try to hunt the area? Scraps every where. When ever he busts me he scares off all the deer in the neighborhood. How can I improve my sent control? I heard there is a pill you can take to help, I'm about to give up, this is nuts! Thanks

 

I would keep on moving your stand around and use a good cover sent.

 

Make sure your entry/exit routes are well planned out and up your scent control game.

This is going to be a tough buck to get without mixing it up.

 

hunt higher and with a comfortable climbing stand.There is a new awesome stand for bowhunting called the king-stand.We use it down in the thick swamps of the south,hunt long and high.The link to their website is the same as the stand name,king-stand.Good luck and hunt high!

 

Great advice! I actually have the original tree lounge. I have been tinkering with this for years, only now getting serious about it, and it's frustrating me quite a bit! So what kind of cover do you recommend. Natural earth or "no odor", or animal sent, (doe buck fox) should I be wearing the shoe things with sent on my way in. How soon after he busted me should I retry? Is he gone from this area for the next three weeks? My Entry point is a single gate that I have to go in every time, but there are roads for an abandoned housing development (ran out of money) so I can dart off where ever I think would be a good spot. Only thing is, this buck owns this land and everywhere I go, he is going to know about it.

 

Dont get too discouraged. One thing i learned, if possible, use the landscape to your advantage. What i mean is setting up in a spot where it might be inconvenient for them to come in downwind. Its hard to give suggestions without seeing your property first hand. Plus im no expert. Just dont give up. Couple things i do for scent control of course i wear a silver base layer with scent lok outer. This still doesnt always work. On hot days when you sweat like a pig you are just gonna smell. But as much as it sucks, when i take a shower i turn it to cold for a few minutes b4 i get out. This will cool you off and close your pores. Its at least a head start to keep you from sweating , also i drive to my spot with AC blasting. I got winded tonight by a doe that ive had the chance to kill 3 other times... she kept blowing and blowing.....dont think ill give her another chance. Funny thing is after she high tailed a small 6 pt came popping his head out of some brush to see what all rhe commotion was and offered me a perfect 20 yd broadside shot. I drew back for practice but hes just not on my list. Haha

 

Drop there is not a cover scent that will fool him. Sounds like that stand may be near his bedroom, it is difficult to successfully to sneak in a buck bedding area on a regular basis. If possible I would leave the stand in place when you get busted and sneak back in with a different stand slightly different location. I have used this tactic when an old nanny doe busted me in a stand. Pay close attention to the wind and your entrance route.

 

I would start with a couple of different things. I used to get busted all the freaking time but since I started doing these things that has gone way down.

First off is to up your scent game. Wash all your clothes in a Scent-a-way style laundry soap then use a scentaway drier sheet or dry outside on a clothes line. All the while make sure while handling your clothes you have your hands washed with scentaway or equivalent soaps and don't let your hunting clothing touch anything else. Next is store them in a rubbermaid or scent free bag. Lots of people say don't use rubbermaid or similar tubs but I know several people that do that have no issues. Also, clean your vehicle and spray it down with scent killer. Basically make sure everything you touch before hunting is as close to no scent as you can get it. Body wash, towels, wash rag, everything. Then once you get to the field spray down with scentkiller, Don't forget your bow and accessories.

2) Wind. Sounds like you have looked at this before but hunt the wind and if it changes move to your advantage or just leave. This is very hard especially if your on limited time but it helps in the long run. Going along with this is do your best to know where the deer are coming from. This can be difficult as deer do not always follow the trail and sometimes just wander especially when feeding through the woods. Many times I hunt edges and funnels where the deer don't have a choice but to come in upwind. I want whatever is downwind to be an uncomfortable place for a deer to be. Like out in the open such as a field or section of woods with no real value to them such as no good bedding and little food.

3)If I get busted by a target deer I call that stand location dead for that deer. More so the tree than the location. I have numerous times been busted then had that deer look at that tree every time they come back. Even moving or placing a different stand 10-15 yards away can be enough to put you back in the game. I will say if a deer busts me and he/she isn't on the hitlist and generally doesn't hang out with the deer on my hitlist then I really don't care that they bust me. I have been busted then 10 minutes kill another deer in the exact same spot. They don't have telepathy. If your busted once your hunt isn't over unless the deer that busted you is the only deer you wanted to kill.

4) Hunt higher and trim less. This is a fine line but I can say this is the single most impacting thing I have done. I have only been bow hunting since 2009. Generally I hunted 10-12ft off the ground. I also trimmed like a banshee. Basically the area within about 20 yard of my stand looked like a logging sight. Remember those areas I talked about that make deer uncomfortable? Well I basically created those areas without realizing it. Not only that it made a 6'6" guy in a tree 12' up stick out like a sore thumb. So 2 years ago I decided I needed to make a change. I try to hunt at least 16ft up 20 is preferable. Then I was much more picky with my trimming. I try my best to visualize how deer would come in and what would give me the best shot angles even down to flight path of an arrow then I trim only those lanes. Now trimming less will sometimes lead to not having a good shot and letting a deer walk but on the upside this leaves a lot more limbs up for cover and gets you up out of their direct line of sight and more into their peripheral vision. Also I firmly believe this helps with scent as well. The further up you are the more your scent I believe has a tendency to blow over a deer near you and by the time it comes down it is so spread out that deer may smell you but have a hard time getting a fix on you. Since I have followed these rules my occurrences of being busted has pretty much been relegated to stupidity. Sure a deer will get an idea something is going on but if I mind my P's Q's once they start getting ancy they will usually either calm down or leave without spooking and generally I will see them again soon with no ill effect.

Sorry for the long read. Hope this helps and you get your deer.

 

Thanks frantic29. Lots of great info. I will be doubling up my scent control, getting a dedicated dry off towel, dryer sheets, take a'cold shower (been doing that for years lol) work on my car sent elimination, pour it on after I get out of the car, cover everything, sneak in and out as best as possible, keep moving location and climb high, hunt the wind. Ok, I'll give it a week before I go back in. Give him time to cool off and right before the rut. Thanks again everyone.!

 

Not sure I can help, because in 60 years of hunting deer and elk i've never used any kind of stand. I'm a still hunter. I also never use any kind of scent control, because I don't think it works, and the fact that I can get very close to game without it just verifies it for me.

What i'm very picky about is the wind, and movement. Make sure it's not your movement that's getting you busted. You've pretty much educated this buck to recognize you now, and it knows you're a danger. The wind is so important that I think some hunters who use scent control don't put enough importance on it. It always has to be in your face, and if it changes you have to back out. I was a gun hunter, but i'll use the same method now for bowhunting. Besides the usual means of checking the wind, I also tie a piece of thread on the end of my gun/bow. That way I can always see immediately if the wind changes, or swirls. A big problem in my mountain hunting. I don't fight it. The wind is king, and I just accept what it does, and adjust my direction, or back out.

Remember you need to see the deer before it see's you. If it's looking in your direction you need to freeze. He'll pick up on the smallest movement. Only move when he's looking away. If the wind isn't perfect for you. Stay frozen, and hope he moves off before catching your scent, and then slowly get in a better position with the wind. It's always better to back out than get busted. You'll never fool a bucks nose with scent control. Unless you can stop breathing. We stink to them like a skunk stinks to us.

Hope this helps a little. Good luck, and hunt smart.

 

Are you brushed in at all? I know a lot of times, especially in the late season, it can be hard to find a tree with significant cover. Its easy to get busted if your silhouette is skylined. Everyone else pretty much covered the rest. Hunt higher, scent control, wind, etc.