Im currently reading this book by the Eberharts and I have to say Im a bit lost...they are talking about primary scrape staging areas, secondary scrape staging areas, early rub lines, rut phase stands, funnels, saddles, funnels between bedding, funnels between bedding food, funnels between staging areas, rut staging areas, Oct lull staging areas...on and on and on....man I don't know if any of this applies to me...is this stuff only for places with a balanced herd? I mean some years it's hard to find major buck sign here, not because they don't live here, they just don't leave a lot behind b/c there so many does here...anyone read this book? does relate to your area?
I've read it and found the areas he's talking about. The main thing is to look in thick cover for most of the scraping areas and all hunting areas should have some sort of funnels wether its a terrain funnell or a cover related funnell.Funnels between bedding areas should be easy to find.Usually its the thickest cover connecting the two areas or a narrow strip of woods between the two that the deer must pass through to get from one to the other. My advice would be to buy the dvd's that he has out. He will show exactly what you should be looking for on them.
I mean I know what he's saying, the terminology and ideas are what I have been studying for a few months now, I get what he's saying, I just don't know that it is applicable for my part of Va....we have so many does our rut stinks bad...I just don't know if these rut strategies and things will work for me...but I will say I believe the funnel idea no matter what area it's in will be of some importance to my hunting...I have hunted sign, scrapes, rubs, tracks and droppings in food sources etc...for over 20 yrs...and I have taken some 100-120" deer in those yrs with a bow...but this style of hunting has yet to produce a buck that is P&Y and there are several in my woods....Im doing something wrong and I think I have never purposely hunted a funnel...that I believe is going to be the ticket...I did get that the whole book revolves around hunting thick cover all season and the use of funnels all season...my problem is knowing the difference in funnels....
You're beginning to learn chinese VA... it will be difficult at first... because of words lost in translation between you and the (or any) author. But you're learning. You should realize not every buck will EVER reach P&Y status. It's just not possible. Some 4 yr olds will go 105... some will go 205. Don't pay so much attention to size of the antlers.. learn to age your deer.. nutrition and genes we can nearly never control.. but we can help them with age. A 120" buck is something to be proud of... but a 120" buck taken before his prime (will say 4 yrs for this convo).. is counterproductive to what you're wanting (a P&Y) in this case. You can't control alot of factors in hunting for a P&Y VA... but if you give them age you'll have a better chance for reaching your goals. But with all that said.. if you're taking ANY 4 yr old deer regardless of what he scores on top his head.. you have my respect.
Duke thanks for the advice and I hear ya...over the years I believe I have taken maybe 3 bucks 3.5 to 4.5 yrs old..with the bow...the rest were 1.5-2.5 yrs old...but I hear ya, i just want to learn how to get close to those older bucks...yeh it's Chinese to me right now b/c I don't even know if the things they talk about even apply to my lands...hell on most of my lands, I can't tell you where they bed b/c the whole dang property is a bedding area or could be...
Having a balanced herd would certainly help but yes this stuff applies to you. No I didn't read this book but it sounds very interesting. These topics relate to every area. You just need to learn your area good enough to use his info. I like Dan Infalts approach because of the simplicity. He starts at the source- the buck bedding areas. Locate these areas and try to intercept the bucks. I'm sure this is exactly what Eberhert is trying to tell you. he is just breaking it down by different times of the season. Knowing where the does hang out is also important during the rut. Also remember that you can only be as good as the area you hunt. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Thanks magic, I have not heard from you in a while....I was wondering about you...glad to hear from you...I realize that reality has to be kept in mind, but I think Im ok on that...I mean I know Popers are not behind every tree, but they are on my lands every peice has at least one deer that would be something I would consider mounting.. I realize that I need to learn more about how deer use my lands as well...I think whether my herd is balanced or not, bucks will use funnels and cover ...wouldn't you say so..??
The areas I hunt are huge public land pieces that everywhere you look could be bedding areas. The key is to cover as much ground as possible and find those buck and doe beds. There will always be spots that they prefer to bed. Then find the food sources and the funnels will start to show up. The areas I hunt it's hard to find the kind of funnels like they show in the magazines (like some perfect hourglass shaped woods pinched by 2 lakes). One mistake I think hunters make is hunting a funnel without a reason. If it's not a funnel between 2 places that bucks want to travel then the funnel is worthless. In most cases the best "funnels" are an edge of 2 types of cover that draws a line between doe bedding areas or low spots in the land. I have the luxury of getting snow so finding these travel and bedding areas is much easier
magic, when you say an edge of 2 types of cover, you talking like changes in timber or timber breaks? say from short thick pines to more open mature pine/hardwoods??
Anywhere on the edge of where it gets thicker. Most often where the woods changes like it goes from more open hardwood to more brushy undergrowth. Sometimes it can be the edge of a pine plantation. Sometimes the edge of a clearcut. Sometimes just a change in elevation where different trees grow like the transition between high ground hardwoods to lower ground pines. One great place to hunt is where high ground drops off into swamp. That whole edge along the swamp is always a great rut spot. You will also find bedding areas on that downward slope just back into the thick stuff far enough to be concealed.
Ebehart hunts here in MI, one of the worst states to hunt mature bucks in. His tactics are geared for finding a mature buck and hunting it.
I'll have to check that book out. During some all-day sits this season, I read "Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails" by the Eberharts and found it helpful. Nothing revolutionary about the tactics really, but they explain it better than some. I'll read about anything they write b/c the proof's in the puddin' - consistently killing old bucks on pressured land is impressive to me.
I read Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails and like Gri22ly I found that the techniques and terminology tend to get very granular. For the sake of what I haven't figured out yet because the overall theme is pretty much what you get from any other book or article about hunting mature bucks. Perhaps it is because of what Germ said in that he hones in on one particular deer so he gets down to the most minute detail. I did find the book very helpful overall and have learned a good deal from it.
The thing I took from the book more than anything is that one must work hard year round and think about all the small details when bowhunting.
Which theories of Eberharts do you believe are false? Are you talking about Scrapes and what he considers some to be "Primary"
That is not what I got out of the book at all. I got in states like MI, PA, Minn you have to do things a bit different, not work harder, but do things a bit different. I am convince guys in "big buck" states work just as hard if not harder than me. What John talks about to me is the tactics used in Iowa are not going to work very well in MI. Hunting mature deer is a year around deal, so I have read most of Johns stuff, Joe Brooks and my favorite was Higgison's. I go back to use Higgison's philosophies more and more about hunting.
Josh, I didn't get that he was blaming pressure as much as he was saying you need to alter the way you hunt when there is added pressure. Like you said, that is nothing new. I do think he goes almost out of his way at times to make big buck kills in other states seem "easy". And like you said, that is what people who hunt pressured areas want to hear. He has found a niche in whitetail literature that is working for him, and I enjoyed the chapters I did read. And its true, ITS NOT MY FAULT! I mean, it can't be. I could kill mature bucks every year if I hunted "easy to kill" states like Kentucky. But what fun is that. :D Yes, I'm kidding.
LOL, I'm glad I didn't go do a search on Higgison. I'd be banging my head against the wall. I'll add that to my list of off-season-to-do's along with Blood Brother's Hunting Hill Country Bucks. Thanks
