Anyone else have any plans for prep or hunting this weekend? Watch this weeks BHD episode Neal. Nicely done. I am typically not a big fan of hunting on weekends however my boy and I have a date Saturday evening. Going to drive a little more north then normal and check out some new stomping ground. I am going about it a little different scouting the aerials right now. I am looking at tracts that have that have shallow draws literally out in the middle of the crop (corn) fields that have pretty good cover with a tree here and there. That's where I think the big guys feel most comfortable early season. They have everything they need, nothing bothers them, and they don't have to travel much if at all. Also going to hunt the "kill tree" Sunday night as it will be exactly one year since I harvested my last buck. Assuming the wind is right... I need all the luck I can get.
No real hunting-related plans for the weekend, other than flingin' some arrows, and washing and air drying some hunting clothes and my day pack. I picked up my archery tags a couple of days ago, and I'm just counting down the days until GO time. Last weekend, my son and I performed a final check on stands, finalized shooting lanes and made sure we are good to go for October 1st. It has cooled down here some, and I am hoping for more cool weather in early October. The bucks I have on my latest trail cam shots have shed the velvet, and I am sure there are some rubs showing up here and there. It would be nice to see an early frost this year to knock down the skeeters and bugs. We have farmers in the area cutting corn, so that's always a plus. Early archery season usually gets better when the majority of the crops around our property are harvested. Good luck to everyone hunting this weekend. Be safe, and enjoy every second in the woods! Go get 'em!
Good looking bunch of geese........and a beautiful Lab! I don't know if I'm ready for 29 degree mornings just yet!
my hobbies are way to expensive to get into duck and goose hunting. Heck my wife was pretty upset when she found out I spent 350 on stuff for dove hunting! hahahaha. On a side note, who else here films all of their hunts? I work for an outdoor store and we are in the process of putting a dvd together for the store to play.
thanks beehunter raider will be 2 years old in dec jakeratt we are going to strap a gopro to raider this year and my son made a stand so we can put the gopro in with the decoys when seaducking
I am trying! I am on the stand again right now. I have the wind. He just needs to show 15 min earlier!
I have a deer bedded down about 45 yards away. Just seen color and movement. No idea if it's a buck or doe.
Only 15 min earlier?? I would say there is a pretty good chance that it could happen . Good luck, I better get a picture when you nock down this beast.
I have been hunting public hunting land and to be honest the deer are pretty sharp. I have had 2 encounters with doe thus far and have had my cover blown twice due to scent. Does anyone have any recommendations or tricks they have used in the early season. I currently spray down with scent away fresh earth and hunt down wind stands. I am thinking about trying a pair of rubber boots... I am also thinking about some of the other products on market i.e. detergent, body wash, ect. Before I go spend 50 bucks on products that are probably mostly baking soda and proxide, I wanted to see if anyone else had any best practices.
Here's what I do: Morning of hunt, I shower with Scent Away soap, washing my hair and body with it. I towel off, and dust my chest/arm pits with baking soda, then get dressed. My hunting clothes are washed in baking soda, air dried, and stored in sealed totes with some aromatic weeds from our property. Once I get out of the truck where I will hunt, I spray down my boots, legs, and upper body with scent away fresh earth spray. (In the past, I have used plain vanilla extract mixed with water as a cover scent, and it worked good too. Many old timers swear by the vanilla extract for masking scent.) After doing the above, I walk to my stand being as quiet as possible, and if dark, I use a red LED headlamp to light my way. I try to avoid touching or rubbing against anything on the way in. All this being said................the #1 most important thing is paying close attention to the wind. Always. Without exception. ALWAYS! You can sometimes fool a whitetail deer's eyes..........and sometimes fool a whitetail deer's ears............but you will NEVER fool their nose. They depend on odors to survive, and if they smell you, you are done. End of story. This is what I have done for over 25 years in the deer woods, and it has worked for me, and it is a routine I have embraced and become comfortable with it. I enjoy being successful bowhunting deer, but I don't obsess over it, because that removes the enjoyment from the equation. When bowhunting whitetail deer ceases to be enjoyable, I will hang up my bow. There is something magical about being in a deer stand on a crisp fall morning. It just doesn't get much better in my book!
You can work yourself to death attempting to be scent free. The issue is a deer can smell 10x better than a dog. Their sense of smell is just to good to be defeated. No matter what you do they are going to smell you. Kind of like someone taking a dump using air freshener that is scented like a pine tree. It just smells like a pine tree took a dump. Only with a deer's nose its 10,000x worse. Although I take some precautions I don't put near as much effort as I use too. I have found it makes an insignificant difference after a certain point. I wash my cloths with baking soda, use a odorless shampoo, scent free deodorant, and brush my teeth with baking soda. I tote my gear in a sealed container and I always change into my hunting cloths in the field. And I never, ever wear my boots anywhere but in the field. Just as importantly they stay outside to air out when they aren't in the tote. You should do the same with your pre-field cloths. I have a pair of warm ups and a pair shoes (slip ons) I wear specifically to and from the field. It will absolutely wreck everything you have done if you get into cloths that have been washed in regular detergent right after you shower. I also have everything ready to go so I literally run out the door right after my shower. Avoid making stops such as at a gas station on your way to hunt. This is a big no no... I try to get all that out of way the day before. I know a lot of guys won't wear a face mask but I swear by it. Not necessarily to conceal your face but it helps with scent molecules from your breathe. Which is by far one of the most smelly things coming out of your body! I will also say that spraying gear down with "scent killer" is anti-productive to me. Here is why: This comes from years of experiencing working with hunting dogs. Dogs have a tough time scenting game when the air / ground is really dry. Moisture retains scent. I refuse to add moisture to my cloths by spraying some product that is advertised as "scent killer". In the end you must do everything you can to have the wind in your favor.
I am a firm believer in scent control. I drive 1 1/2 to hunt and I never wear the same clothes to the stand as I do on the way home. I have 3 sets that I take with me 1 to wear to stand, hunting clothes then clothes to wear home. If you wear leather boots I use Nose Jammer and well I hate to admit it but I have 2 deer kills on film where they walked down the same path we did walking in. They were not spooked at all. I use all dead down wind products and the same for washing my clothes as well. I also have recently purchased an ozonics, I love it and well I think it works and many of the test prove it. I am not saying that deer do not smell the nose jammer or ozonics but, It does not seem to bother them
Another very important factor to consider when talking about deer and scent control are the deer you are hunting, and more importantly, WHERE you are hunting. I first encountered the following train of thought while talking with Gene and Barry Wensel years ago at a deer expo: The basic theory was that deer react differently depending on the surroundings in which they live. Deer in the "big woods", where human interaction rarely, if ever, occurs outside of hunting season, react much differently to human scent than deer that reside in urban areas. In the area of Illinois where I live and hunt, we basically have what I like to call "wood-lot" deer, and wood-lot deer habitat. That is, we have parcels of wooded areas, broken up by agricultural fields, subdivisions, and scattered home and farmsteads. The Wensel's (and I) believe that deer react much differently in this type of environment, because they are surrounded by humans, and human scent. I have also hunted the 250,000+ acres of the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois, and I can honestly say that the deer that live there, in the "big woods", react much differently to human interaction, and human scent. The big woods deer have not become as tolerant to human scent, or any "foreign" odor for that matter, and they react accordingly. There are several factors that go into what deer will and will not tolerate. Any foreign odor, human or otherwise, if strong enough, will cause deer to be alarmed. I think we all can agree that alarmed deer are very difficult to hunt. The best bet of all? Learn and pay attention to what the winds do in your hunting area. That will put deer on the ground for you.
Thanks for the tips guys... I have rewashed my gear and invested in a container to transport my gear. Im also going to check out some of the products Jakeratt recommended. I have to agree with Beehunter in the fact that there is definitely a difference between "woodlot" and big woods deer. The area I have been hunting is definitely big woods and the deer are twice as sharp as my local farm hunting spot. This is my second year hunting big woods and its a different ball game, but the bucks make it worth it. I'll let you guys know how I make out! Ill be back out the first week of October. Best of luck to everyone, hunt safe, and lets get one down.
Hey guys - i'm off the grid for a few days. Family is moving this weekend and it will be hard for me to get out much this weekend and next... but have no fear - the rut is near! Good luck to the IL boys - opening is coming up fast! I can't wait for cold temps and leaves to fall! BHOD!
