Be Prepared For Bow Season

SOMETIMES STANDARD BOW hunting methods don’t get the job done, so you have to resort to tricks.

For example, where there are deer, there are also turkeys. Both are extremely wary animals and along with that comes extremely keen senses, particularly their hearing and sight.

Either one is very tough to sneak up on. With that said, it is not uncommon to see whitetails feeding fairly close to turkeys.

I tried an experiment one day. I set my portable blind up on the edge of a field one day while hunting turkeys. Early in the predawn, I set up a few turkey decoys near the blind and then climbed into my humble abode and waited for the turkeys.

Although that particular day did not produce any gobblers in the field, it did bring a few deer. As soon as the deer hit the open field, they showed signs of extreme caution as they looked directly at my blind.

After two weeks (at least it seemed like that), actually only a few long minutes later, they decided they did not like the big bush that was not there yesterday. I took my mouth call and softly yelped a few times; and like magic, the deer decided that all was safe. They paid no attention to the blind at all after that and actually fed much closer to me. The smile on my face showed that it is true. You really are never too old to learn something new.

Here is another trick that worked extremely well. I quickly put my math skills to the test one day and decided that 3 plus 1 equals success. In this particular scenario, I was talking about three turkey decoys and one deer decoy. Now THAT is a deadly set up.

Time after time, I witnessed deer that would stop and look at my array of decoys. After hearing me do a few soft turkey yelps, they were persuaded that all was safe. So they came to my decoys, unaware that they were about to have a bad day.

I have written about driving deer during bow season. Yes, it does work. Here is a deer-driving trick that works great if you have two or three hunters, preferably three.

Through your pre-season scouting in a small woodlot, you already know which escape route the deer prefer. With the wind in his face, one of the above-mentioned hunters is on a stand that offers him a good shot to the anticipated escape route.

The other two guys, equipped with radios or cell phones, walk on opposite sides of the woods walking parallel to one another while they talk to each other in loud voices about whatever they want (The football season is a favorite topic of conversation for me).

Once they get to the end of the woods, they start to walk back the same way they just came. Except now, they spray a foreign substance, like WD 40 or Old Spice, whatever, on the brush or branches as they walk past them. After that task is done, they can start the zigzag approach through the woods toward the waiting hunter.

The bedded whitetail will be compelled to get up and find safety elsewhere. He won’t go left or right because he heard voices and can also smell the “ghost” hunters on the outside of the woods. The only place he feels safe is on the escape route and right into the path of the waiting bow hunter.

Congratulations! You just made your own little funnel that forced the deer in the direction you wanted. Success!

Last year I made my way to my tree stand and was equipped with the items I spoke of earlier. I followed the deer trail back toward their bedding area, being careful not to get too close. I located a major deer run that intercepted other smaller ones.

In short, I had found the mother lode of deer trails. It was in some thick cover, but this was a blazing trail that was dug down deep with deer prints. I followed the trail in the general direction of my tree stand. I soon realized that the main trail was starting to go in the wrong direction.

I grabbed my brush clippers and took a few branches down and made a small barrier right on that main trail. I added brush and just about anything else that I could find and simply piled it on the main trail.

Then I cleared a path toward my stand. I made it obvious that this was a pathway and much easier to follow. It worked like a charm.

The whole project only took about two hours out of my day, but I was sure that the payoff would be worth it. I stayed away from that particular woodlot for a week. Then when the wind was right for that stand, I headed out with high expectations.

It was an afternoon stand that was overlooking a trail leading to a well-used food plot. I had a few does come by early that offered a good shot, but I was going to wait for a nice buck.

I heard grunting in the distance, but the sun was going down fast. I was hoping that the buck would move in a little faster, but that was not to be. At least not this night.

I was assured of one thing though—my plan had worked. It would just be a question of time for me to see a nice buck from that stand.

These tricks have all worked for me, and I know of a few more as well. But hey! while I will admit I know a few more, I need to keep some of them a secret, right?

Perhaps these tips will inspire you to try out some of your own “crazy” ideas that just might work. If for some reason they do not, I guarantee that you will still have fun trying them. Just remember “crazy” is okay, as long as you think of safety first.

 

—story by LOU MARULLO