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Tree Stand Safety for Deer Hunters

In the South almost all bow hunters are hunting from the tree stands and many of the gun hunters are, too. Hunting from an elevated position gives the hunter several advantages, such as remaining above the white-tailed deer’s field of view, keeping the hunter’s scent above that of a mature white-tailed buck‘s nose, and also increasing our visibility of the woods.

Unfortunately, as the use of tree stands has increased, so have the number of hunters injuring themselves through both proper and improper use. Deer hunting has become one of the safest sports in America, but with some common sense precautions it can become even safer.

Tree stands can be used safely. I have used ladder-type stands, climbing stands, lock-on-stands, as well as built-in stands made of lumber. I will not use a stand if it seems unsafe to me and neither should you. One important reason is simply because hunters are usually alone in the woods and far from both help and any type of medical attention. Continue reading “Tree Stand Safety for Deer Hunters”

Hunting Whitetail Bucks Using a Mock Scrape

So you’ve found an active buck scrape, but hunting the area has still left you empty handed. Chances are good that the buck is checking the scrape after hours — at dark-thirty. So how do you bring the white-tailed buck out without alerting him? There are many ways to tackle this situation, but here’s one of them.

First, you really want to make the buck believe that another buck has taken over his area. You can do this by working his active scrape or either creating a mock scrape. Both can be perceived as the same technique, but when creating a mock scrape you start from scratch.

When creating a mock scrape your primary concern should be not leaving any human scent at the scrape or even in the area for that matter. Rubber boots and gloves are not an option — they are a necessity.

Begin by choosing an area similar to the scrapes you’ve found. Make sure there is a “licking” branch located about 38 to 40-inches above the area to be worked. Start out by working the ground with the heel of your boot to reveal some fresh dirt. Typically this would be done in a circular or oval pattern. Keep in mind that this “worked area” does not have to be a hole in the ground! Simply removing the top layer of grasses or moss will work fine.

Because a buck always urinates in his scrape, you are going to need scent. Several different companies provide whitetail buck urine as both liquids and a gels, so pick one that you are confident in using. I suggest sticking with the liquid formula for this application. Otherwise, try the scrape switch method.

Liberally cover the fresh, exposed dirt with buck urine. There is no need to mix it in the dirt. Let it soak naturally as the buck urine would.

Next, you need to work the licking branch to complete the 1-2 combination. Go ahead and twist the end of the branch by turning the limb in all directions until you can remove a small portion.

I like to create the scrape just as described and walk away, but some hunters prefer to use a drip bag to ensure the scrape remains fresh. Also, if desired a preorbital gland scent can also be applied to the end of the branch to complete the scenario.

Check the scrape every few days for activity or place a game camera near the scrape if you want to keep a really close eye on it. Make sure it is scent-free, too! It’s a good idea to freshen up the scrape each time you visit until you see signs of deer activity. If you find that a buck has come by and worked the mock scrape, freshen it again and hang your stand. There is a good chance you might get a look at the buck if he’s working the area. And hopefully he’s a big mature buck!

Hunting and Mature Whitetail Buck Behavior

A white-tailed buck fortunate enough to have survived multiple brushes with death over the course of several hunting seasons understands that it can avoid danger by simply avoiding daylight altogether. Severe hunting pressure promotes nocturnal behavior in whitetail bucks – plain and simple. So how can savvy hunters with the desire to pursue whitetail bucks late in the season cope with this seemingly impenetrable nighttime armor?

For just a moment, put yourself in the position of a mature buck. Over the course of the last three, four, maybe even 5 years, he’s likely covered every square-inch of his home range. At one time or another, the buck has encountered humans during daylight hours, or at least detected human scent.

It is quite possible that a mature whitetail can recall areas where he previously encountered humans or their scent. Afterward, it will purposely avoid those areas during daylight. However, I’m willing to bet that mature bucks simply find comfort in thick cover and undisturbed areas where human scent is rarely encountered, if ever. Also, thick bedding areas are where bucks can easily hear an intruder approaching. Any area with good vantage points further intensifies their desire to bed and lay low.

Contrary to what some might think, even mature whitetails displaying the most extreme nocturnal behavior don’t simply find a nice place to lay up and sleep the day away. Even at the very least, a deer must take periodic breaks throughout the day to answer nature’s call.

One study conducted during the winter found white-tailed deer will take as many as 22 such breaks a day! This means that during daylight hours, you can expect a buck to get up and move around approximately 10 times. Whitetails typically stand at these times and generally travel at least a few feet from their previous bed before lying down again.

In addition, though mature bucks’ major foraging activity often occurs under the cover of darkness, they’ll take advantage of these two-minute daytime bathroom breaks to stretch their legs, browse on available vegetation or mast and, depending on the time of year, rub their antlers on a small tree or two before bedding down once more.

Over the course of a day, and after 10 or so repeated episodes, a buck may move 100-yards or more, depending on the size and shape of the cover available.

Late in the season, mature white-tailed bucks may not move much during daylight hours, but they do move. So remaining vigilant and hunting hard is the ticket.

ELCAN Digital Hunter Rifle Scope

ELCAN Optical Technologies has a rifle scope equipped with camera and video capabilities that photographs or videos automatically when you pull the trigger! In addition, the digital scope can be used to take a picture or video of whatever it is you are looking through your scope without pulling the trigger. Today, we are specifically talking about the:

DigitalHunter DayNight Digital Riflescope by ELCAN Optical Technologies.

We all know the effort it takes to video our own rifle hunts. It’s not easy! But what if you could easily and efficiently record exactly what you see? That’s what this scope can do for you – it records while you shoot so you can review shot placement and document the harvest in general.

Continue reading “ELCAN Digital Hunter Rifle Scope”

Big Kansas Buck Has Third Antler in the Eye

The buck pictured here was harvested by Rex Covell of Shawnee, Kansas, during a Miami County archery hunt on October 23. The big whitetail buck, which actually has three antlers, has a drop-tine-like antler which passes through the head and drops out adjacent the buck’s left eye!

Covell said he is still on cloud nine.

“I had moved my Tri-Pod deer stand just a couple of days before, and I got in the stand about 4 in the afternoon. I was watching as other animals were around. A squirrel was near and I was watching it when I heard another noise. I looked around and this big buck had just jumped the fence and was coming right toward my stand.

It was all over in a matter of seconds. I didn’t really see the antler growing out by the eye, I just saw he was a big buck with a tremendous rack. I just had seconds to shoot. He was walking in when I let go.”

Here’s how the hunt went down: It was about 6:30 p.m.

Covell said the big buck ran only 30 to 40-yards before dropping dead. He was using a PSE bow, with a Goldtip shaft tipped with an After-Shock point.

He was amazed when he saw the antler sticking out from below the buck’s eye. “I thought at first he had been in a fight and the other buck’s antler had embedded and broke off,” he said. It was a while before he learned it was an abnormal antler growth giving the buck three antlers.

He called his friend Clarence Cooper of Paola to give him a hand. He also got in touch with Jeff Fraka, official Pope & Young scorer of white-tailed deer antlers. He was trying to explain to Fraka about the extra antler and Fraka broke in with:

“I know just what you are talking about. I’ve got a picture of him!”

Naturally Covell couldn’t believe it, but when Fraka e-mailed him a picture he had gotten on his Cuddeback trail camera in 2006, he believed.

“I would think it was the same deer,” Covell said. “The one Fraka had a picture of had a growth of some kind in the same area as the one I took.”

“I have a mineral lick the deer visited for four years before relocating to where Rex took him,” Fraka said. “I really believe the minerals help all deer in developing larger antlers. I can’t explain this abnormal antler from below the eye, though.”

A third antler may be scored, Fraka said, it’s just put in the abnormal (scoring) column.

“I was really wanting to have a whack at him,” Fraka said, “but I never saw the deer where he hung out for four years from my tree stand. I had at least 75 pictures of him in different stages. He green-scored at 192 4/8 inches non-typical.

I’m 90 percent sure this is a deer that was known to me as Boneface. He had disappeared from where I had a few Cuddeback pictures of him last year in velvet in August. He was not quite finished growing in the velvet photos. If this isn’t him we sure have some freak nasty genetics running rampant here in Miami County, Kansas.”

“Rex is very fortunate and a very serious deer hunter,” Fraka added. “I know a lot of people doubt it is true. I guess they are just the negative type.”

“By far it’s my biggest one ever,” Covell said. “I guess he would have weighed between 250 and 300 pounds.”

Of course he is having the head mounted. It will be available for display when the mounting is completed.