BY KIRK CLARK B O WHUNTING MASTERING FOUR BASICS CAN GO A LONG WAY TOWARD FILLING YOUR WALL LEARNING is ONE OF LIFE'S NEVER-ENDING PROCESSES. UNDER STANDING WHITETAiL DEER is NO DIFFERENT; from the first time you enter the whitetail's domain until the last, you continually gain knowledge. Having pursued the illusive whitetail for the past 22 years throughout the United States and Canada has taught me valuable lessons. Persistence, stand location, calling and decoying, and knowing when to get aggressive have all played a part in my success. Utilizing these four key lessons can save you valuable time and get you a step ahead on the whitetail learning curve. LESSON 1: BE PERSISTENT* I began my vigil before dawn. Now with only 20 minutes of shooting light left, I was sitting, reflecting on the long, difficult day. The temperature never rose above 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and on more than one occasion I had seriously contemplated climbing down from my stand. I asked myself, "Why are you doing this? It's not worth it." I'm still not sure what kept me there. Maybe it was the hot scrape that was 22 yards out in front of me, or the five trails that merged together at 18 yards. Perhaps it was that I knew there was more than one monster buck cruising the area. Either way, as I was sitting there in the day's waning light, contemplating, I noticed movement in the thick brush in front of me. Within seconds a true North Woods giant materialized. As he paralleled my position, I sent a challenge grunt his way. Immediately he responded, changing direction to bring him into the open timber where I waited. Eventually he drifted away without giving me a chance to release an arrow, but not before I learned an important lesson. Had I decided to pack it in earlier and not maintained my persistence, I never would have encountered this monarch. Paying attention to Lesson 2 helped the author bag this Alberta bruiser, which was ambushed by locating a strategic funnel area. Not all funnels are apparent; analyze your hunting grounds closely and be sure to investigate any curious deer behavior you observe.
L SSON 2: TUNE YOUR STAND LOCATION One of the most-talked-about topics in whitetail bowhunting is stand location. Simply put, if you're not close to where the deer are, you won't get the shot. For years I have been a big fan of hunting stand sites that pinch deer travel down to a narrow piece of ground. Typically these locales are called "funnel areas," but not all of them are so apparent. On one occasion I was set up on a large tract of land, but wasn't seeing the deer movement expected. After a day on stand, I realized the activity was more intense 150 yards to the west. That evening I climbed down, pulled out my flashlight, and wentto investigate. Consequently, I learned something new. The area of concentrated deer activity was slightly higherthan the surrounding habitat. This rise, just 2 to 4 feet higher than the nearby area, was only recognizable by standing on it. Although it was a small change in elevation, to the deerthis ever-so-slight ridge was significant. They were using it to travel in the deep timber throughout the day. The next day I was perched off to one side of my newfound travel corridor, and at 2:18 p.m. a bruiser ambled along the rise. I arrowed him at 14 yards. IJSSSON 3: BECOME A CAL.UNG & DECOYING EXPERT Whether used in combination or separately, calling and decoying can be deadly effective. My good friend and Primes pro-staffer, David Holder, spends countless hours in the field each year perfecting these techniques. This past season he put together a sequence of calling and decoying that netted him his biggest buck to date. David was hunting a small parcel of land with mixed timber and fields. He located an area where a field narrowed between two patches of timber and strategically placed his decoy. When the buck appeared at the edge to make his crossing, David broadcast a series of grunts, convincing the old boy there was another buck in his area. Upon seeing the decoy, the big Illinois titan marched over and presented him with a broadside shot at less than 25 yards. Had it not been for the realistic calling to get the bucks attention, combined with tactical decoy placement, David would not have arrowed this giant. XTremeEQO? I Bowhunting WorU S3
LESSON 4: GErnxNG AGGRESSIVE PAYS OFF There's no set of rules on when to get aggressive and when to play it safe. You can only perfect this by spending time in the woods. But take note of the following experience to get an idea. This past fall David and I were in a location where the timber cascaded down in a series of benches to a reservoir shoreline. The key was figuring out on which bench to set up. All of them showed promise and had great deer sign, but having never hunted this location we could not be sure. We decided on one that had six trails entering into a small, grass-covered clearing. Early in the day the action was hot, with plenty of small bucks and does. Around mid morning the deer activity diminished. David and I noticed the majority of deer travel had been toward the bench above us. Knowing there were picked crop fields at the top set us to thinking; just because we had a lot of deer activity early in the day didn't mean we
would see a parade of animals that evening. At the r\sk of busting every deer out of the area, we decided to move our entire stand setup. This meant pulling stands, steps, and all of our video equipment. An hour and a half later we were perched in a new location, hoping our efforts would be rewarded. Late in the afternoon we heard him coming long before we saw him. Every two or three steps he would emit a deep-toned grunt. As he passed by my tree at 12 yards, I drew. David zoomed in with the camera as I gave a grunt. The Canadian giant drifted to a stop, managing to center his kill zone behind the only small tree in the immediate area. After an eternity of holding at full draw, my heart sank as he turned and walked directly away. A productive encounter? Absolutely! This was a classic example of when being aggressive paid big. Had we not taken a chance and relocated, we would never have gotten an opportunity at that magnificent 5x5. NOW APPLY Putting all these lessons in play is not impossible. Look at your hunting site and apply each lesson one by one. Are you persistent? Hunters have a finite number of days to get the job done. Make the most of them. Purchase stands that allow you to sit long hours in comfort. Wear clothing that will keep you comfortable on those cold November mornings. Above all, remember you can't get the shot if you are sitting on the couch. Get out there and stay out there, all day if necessary. You never know when something will happen. Is your stand in the right location? You've scouted hard, but are you consistently seeing quality deer for that property? If not, why? Step outside the box; look for unlikely areas that pinch deer movement down to a narrow tract. Downed timber, fencerows, field corners, rural home life, streams or rivers, or beaver ponds can create a funnel situation. Targeting these likely areas will increase your odds. Are you calling effectively? This means understanding what really works for where you are hunting. Some areas have a buck-todoe ratio that's nearly 1 to 1. In that instance rattling can be most productive. In other locations using a grunt call may work better, or a combination may be the ticket. Are you over-calling? A good rule to follow is no more than four calling series per hour. Also, be careful not to call at every deer you see. If you don't intend to shoot it, don't call to it. Is your decoy setup correct? When using a doe, remember bucks will usually approach from the rear. If using a buck decoy, know they will typically approach the head. Here's a tip: If you want bucks to approach from a certain direction, remove one antler on the decoy. Bucks will always approach the decoy from the weaker side. Do you know when to get aggressive? You've spent all summer scouting. You have your stands hung and shooting lanes cut. But if the deer aren't there when you are, then you must move. Just like you, I hate to give up a good stand location that I have time invest-