Some locations are good year after year. Finding the right tree based on land features that direct deer movement is an art, but once your find the right place, you annual success is bound to rise.  

By Bernie Barringer

Most hunters never see a Boone & Crockett scoring buck, much less have a chance to shoot one. Yet I have a bowhunting friend named Jim who shot two of them, one a typical and one a nontypical, only three years apart. What makes this feat even more impressive is the fact that he shot both of them, and a handful of other mature bucks, from the same tree.

He hit the treestand lottery in a way, finding a stand that is in a great location year after year. This location has a lot going for it, including a food source, terrain features that funnel deer movements and access that allows for minimal intrusion. I believe there are five attributes to the perfect treestand, one that produces sightings of big bucks year after year. Let’s have a look at these features.

Terrain

Certain things cause deer to move in certain ways. Topography is one of them. Ridges, creeks and rivers, ditches or draws, funnels, benches, swamps and even highways can influence deer movement. Sometimes these land features that influence deer movement can be subtle and sometimes they jump right off a map at you. You put a stand in there and here comes the deer. Yet, sometimes they are a mystery. Deer sometimes use the same trails for generations, but there is no clear feature of the land that would indicate why. Only the deer know why they use these areas, so don’t ask questions, just take advantage of the situation.

The stand where Jim killed those two B&C bucks has a drainage that funnels deer out of a park onto the surrounding farm fields. It’s a natural passage that allows the deer to remain concealed until they step out into the field and they take advantage of the terrain, which brings up feature number two.

Security

Mature bucks need to feel secure or you simply aren’t going to see them during the daylight. The killing tree is going to be in an area where the deer feel comfortable moving about. This means that you must offer them areas that are not violated for any reason other than trailing a deer that has been shot. You can go into these inviolate areas and look them over in the spring when you are shed antler hunting, but from two months before hunting season right through the season, no one goes in there for any reason.

The deer will use these inviolate areas for bedding and security. They will be buck magnets during the rut as the bucks cruise from one bedding area to another, checking for does coming into estrus. Your perfect stand site will take advantage of these areas without being too close to them. And the travel corridors from those sanctuaries to the areas where the deer feed must be as free of intrusion as possible.

Favorable Winds

 

Even the perfect stand site won’t do you much good if you can only hunt it in one particular wind. You might miss the majority of the rut waiting for the right wind. The best sites can be hunted in a variety of winds and tend to be forgiving of wind swirls. Stands on ridges tend to allow your scent to blow over the top of the deer. In the case of Jim’s stand, the draw tends to funnel evening wind currents out into the field where they dissipate. In the morning, the warming thermals take the scent up and away, and in the evening the cooling air is drawn down to the low ground where it is harmless.

Of course we take into consideration the importance of wind when choosing the stand site, but we must also consider the wind as we access the stand.

Free Access

This is the area where most hunters overlook. The killing tree must have a way to get into it and out of it without spooking deer. The perfect site isn’t going to work for many hunts if you can’t get to it without spooking deer, or you can’t get out of it without blowing deer out of a field. Smell is important so you must consider the wind direction, but you also must consider sound and sight. Can you get to the stand without making a bunch of commotion crunching through dry leaves or exposing yourself along the edge of a field? Big buck hunters who are consistently successful go to extremes to combat these issues. I know of one who planted a row of pine trees along the edge of his field so he could walk behind them concealed. In another case a hunter left a few rows of corn on the edge of the field to hide his approach.

Using a ditch is a perfect concealment tactic, and you can clean the leaves out to make it quiet. Take a chainsaw in the summer and cut down trees out of the ditch so you can walk in with a minimum of effort and noise. I once read that trails cut to the stands on the edges of food plots should not be made straight, but be cut so there is a curve at the end where the stand is located so deer can’t see you walking down the trail from a distance. Good idea.

The perfect treestand site, the one that will become your go-to location year after year can be hard to find and it can take some effort to develop. Sometimes it can be a mystery why some treestands seem to produce year after year, but most often, it’s a combination of these four factors that make a particular site the location for the perfect killing tree.

These three terrain features are quite common across much of the whitetail’s range, but few hunters look for them. Here’s how to find and capitalize on these overlooked locations.

By Bernie Barringer

All serious whitetail hunters live for that magical time of the year; those three weeks in November when something amazing can happen at any moment. Bucks are on their feet at any hour of the day or night. Things like core areas and home ranges become meaningless as the mature males of the species pant and sweat and grind out the hours, searching for receptive females in a frantic effort to procreate during this short period of frenzied rutting activity. There is no better time to shoot the biggest buck of your life.

You wait for this window of opportunity all year. Don’t spend it in the wrong spot.

I hate that I spent so much of my life sitting in the wrong tree, but that is the nature of learning. Back in the 1970’s growing up in Iowa, I had no idea the potential that I had available at my fingertips. While I lived in the wrong part of the state for consistently producing big bucks, the big bucks were within reach; only a couple hours’ drive away.

But it took a long time to figure out how to put one of them in front of me. I would find a beaten-down trail or an area torn up with rubs and scrapes; then put up a stand. By the 1990’s I was finally beginning to figure it out. I finally killed a couple really nice ones and today, I travel all around the Midwest looking for mature bucks every year. My frenzy of rushing from state to state, putting up and taking down stands, checking trail cameras and walking miles and miles looking for fresh activity resembles the buck’s rutting activity for those three magical weeks.

But I have learned to be more efficient, and because I mostly hunt public land, I often find that the best-looking, obvious spots already have a treestand when I get there, and in many cases, have so much sign of human activity that the mature bucks of the area have learned to avoid them.

Before hunting any area, I spend some time looking over aerial photographs on Google Earth to find potential stand sites. Then, upon arrival, I look them over in person, taking note of the sign and the lay of the land. I want to know that when I put up a stand, it will be in a location that I can sit for a long period of time and the only way a fidgety guy like me can park his butt in a treestand all day is by having a supreme confidence that I am in a really great spot.

Particularly on those public areas and other lands that get a fair amount of hunting pressure, that spot is likely to be a site that most other hunters wouldn’t recognize. Here are brief descriptions of three great hunting spots that most hunters would overlook.

River Bends

I killed a 6-year-old buck on public land in Iowa a couple years ago on the 12th day of my seven-day hunt. I found a lot of sign of deer activity on the outside of a large, sweeping river bend on the fifth day of the hunt. Once in a stand, I began to see deer movement including one nice shooter buck, but most of the movement was out of range, so I had to adjust a couple times.  I had moved my stand about 100 yards twice over the next few days before I settled on the exact spot where I killed that old warrior. The location was where the outside bend of a river swept up against a steep bluff, which funneled the deer movement into a narrow corridor. This was a river that the deer could easily cross, in fact they can cross any river if they want to bad enough, but they much preferred to take the long way around and a distinct trail developed on a shelf along the steep bank.

Deer, like all animals take the path of least resistance when travelling. They are looking for places that it is easy to walk and that’s where the trails develop. Any shelf along the riverbank from the top to the bottom of the step bluff will have a distinct trail on it, and it will have the tracks of not only deer, but those of raccoons, coyotes, and all critters that roam the forest, because they all prefer to travel the easy route.

This was a perfect place to intercept a buck that was pounding the pavement because it very naturally channeled the deer movement into a narrow area, an area where I could easily cover with a treestand in the right spot.

Jumpers

I kind of lucked onto this type of location. I happened to see a buck come out of the tip of a draw 100 yards away when I was sitting in a treestand in a bushy fencerow. I rattled at him, but after a short look towards me, he crossed the top of the hill and entered the point of a draw on the other side. After that morning’s hunt, I walked over there and was surprised to see a series of rubs and a small trail with several sets of big tracks in it. I realized that it was a perfect place for a buck to jump from one drainage to another with minimal exposure. He was only in the open for a very short period; it was an ideal shortcut.

Frankly I don’t know of very many people who hunt these places I came to identify as “Jumpers,” but they can be absolutely dynamite if you find one in the right spot. These drainages may be referred to as hollows, ditches, draws or ravines depending on the local jargon, They are all checked by bucks cruising for receptive does. The place where an arm of the ravine reaches out into a field near where an arm of the adjacent ravine comes out will be used as a crossing point for bucks moving from one to the other.

You absolutely have to burn the booth leather to find the good ones. Looking at an aerial photo will give you dozens of these to check out, and most will have little to no sign, but when you find the one the bucks really like to use, you will know it. Rubs, tracks and often a scrape or two will be the tip-off that you are in the right spot.

The wind can be tricky in these locations; it tends to swirl and dance and it will fool you often. Hunt these spots carefully and only with a light wind. One of my favorite places to hunt these is where the trail coming down the arm of the ravine intersects the main trail going down the middle of the ravine. This may be down the slope a distance where usually the wind is friendlier.

Field Corners

In keeping with the theme that bucks do not like to expose themselves in the open any more than is absolutely necessary, the corners of fields are another overlooked stand site. These are basic and simple locations, easy to identify on an aerial photo or a topographical map. Heck, you can even see them from the road many times. They are everywhere in farm country.

We are talking about the square corner of an open field that has woods on at least two sides of it. Because they do not like to cross open areas in the daylight, bucks will travel around the point, keeping just inside the woods. This creates a pinch point of sorts that concentrates their travel patterns. These pinch points up your odds of being within range of a buck by funneling their activity into a small area. Bucks also use them when scent-checking the field; they will cruise around the downwind side of a field to smell what does and other bucks may be in the field.

Interestingly, these places can have lots of sign or little to no sign and it doesn’t seem to make much difference during the rut. For some reason, I have seen these areas all torn up with rubs and scrapes or, on the other end of the spectrum, maybe just a very faint trail. The amount of sign in these areas seems to have no relation to the amount of travel they get when the bucks get on their feet and begin cruising.

I like to start monitoring these locations with trail cameras the end of October, which helps me learn which ones are getting the most use. I have found that if there is a lot of food in the area, say for example that the open field is corn stubble or alfalfa, the area will hold more does and be more conducive to bucks moving around the field corners. Once the field is plowed up and the does are feeding and bedding elsewhere, the amount of travel around the corner may drop off considerably.

Because I hunt mostly public lands which receive a lot of pressure from other hunters, I have found that the most obvious funnels, pinch points and areas with rutting sign get so much attention that the bucks soon learn to avoid them. If you learn to look for those less obvious points that concentrate the travel of cruising bucks, you can take advantage of not only the rut movement, but the tendencies of bucks to avoid the other hunters. This will help you put yourself in a much better position to bag a big one.

Using Google Earth and mapping apps

The advent of online aerial photography has been one of the greatest scouting tools ever. It has significantly changed the way hunters can research an area before ever seeing it in person. Great locations often jump right off the computer screen at you. These resources include online aerials such as Google Earth, Bing Maps and great apps for your device such as Scoutlook Weather and OnX maps. I have found that many of those locations only look good “on paper.” You have to get out there and walk them out, looking them over in person. Some of the spots that barely seemed worth a second look turned out to be some of my most consistent producers.

I believe one of the reasons that terrific spots on the screen turn out to be disappointments is because the aerial photography can’t show land relief well. Bucks travel based not only on terrain features such as woodlots and fields, but also on topography. You simply cannot read topography well on the computer screen. You have to have your feet on the ground to complete the puzzle.

For this reason, I recommend picking twice as many great looking spots from the computer screen as you think you will need. Some of them will disappoint upon arrival, but one or two of them may turn out to be the scene of your great elation when you walk up on the buck of a lifetime.

Using calls to bring in a buck can be hit or miss and many hunters just give up trying. But if you learn to use these three calls in the right place at the right time, you will be a believer.

By Bernie Barringer

It took me four years to draw the nonresident Iowa deer tag that had me sitting in a tree in the southeastern part of the state. I was positioned at the head of a steep ditch leading down into a woodlot, but I was surrounded on three sides by tall CRP grass. Typical of Iowa, it was a very windy day.

About 100 yards away, a buck’s head appeared above the tall grass and his headgear made my heart beat a little faster. The mature, thick-antlered 10-pointer was walking from right to left, heading to the next ravine. I pulled a call out of my pocket and put it to my mouth.

The Buck Roar

Now back up 20 years or so. It was in the early 80’s when I first heard a buck make the loud guttural grunt that has become known as the “roar” or “growl” depending on who is selling the call which tries to imitate that sound. Let’s just say it was the loudest, distinctive grunt I had ever heard. It was an aggressive sound and I knew it would bring in a big buck if I could make that sound. I spent years trying to imitate that sound with grunt tubes but nothing worked, mostly because they turned into a squeak when you try to get the volume you need. Then Primos introduced the “Buck Roar” and I finally had a call in my hand that could make that sound.

In order to overcome the rushing wind on that November day in Iowa, with a buck 100 yards away, I blew into the Buck Roar as hard as I could, “BLAAAAAAAAAT!” Just like in the movies, the buck turned and walked right to the base of my tree where I watched my arrow slice between the ribs of my largest buck to date.

This call has limited application, but when it’s right, it’s super effective. For mature bucks that are on the prowl looking for action, they simply cannot resist the urge to check out the source of the sound. The reason? Because bucks make this noise when they are in the presence of a doe in heat that just won’t let them mount her. This is a frustration sound bucks make when they are just hours, sometimes minutes from being able to breed. Any buck who hears this sound knows it means there is a hot doe in the vicinity and he is going to check it out.

Doe Bleats

Grunt tubes can imitate the sound of a doe bleat, but are better for just imitating the grunting vocalization of a deer. Deer hear these ordinary grunts every day and rarely pay much attention to them. Cut the can type calls that you turn over in your hand do the best job of imitating the drawn-out bleat that really gets a buck’s attention. It’s a variable-pitched wail made by does when they are in heat or in trouble. It’s a doe’s way of saying, “here I am, come over here.”

This sound will call in bucks you can see or can be used blind in an attempt to call in deer that might be in the area within hearing. I use this call from time to time whenever I am hunting near a bedding area. The key to this call, and any call for that matter, is using it in an area where there is ground cover or a terrain feature the deer cannot see over. If a deer can see the area around your stand and don’t see any deer that could have made the call, they are probably not going to come.

When the deer is coming, stop calling. Call again only if they show signs of losing interest or start moving away.

Rattle Right

Many hunters have had little to no success with rattling, and that’s usually due to one of two things. Rattling works poorly when there are few mature bucks around or if the buck-doe ratio is out of balance. You need to be in an area where there is a good number of mature bucks and there is a lot of competition for breeding. Where I live in Minnesota, does far outnumber bucks and there is little fighting and interaction between bucks during the breeding season. Every buck gets in on the action. I have had excellent luck bringing in bucks with rattling antlers in other states.

Bucks are remarkable in their ability to pinpoint the source of a sound. I can’t count the number of times I have rattled antlers and had a buck run literally right to the base of my tree. I groan at the memories of being caught with the rattling antlers in my hand when I first see a buck staring right at me, preventing me from getting off a shot. For this reason I have become more conservative in my rattling.

I no longer crash the antlers together for long periods, which increases the odds that a buck is going to sneak in and catch me off-guard. My typical sequence starts out with 15-30 seconds of light rattling in case any deer is nearby. Then after about five minutes, I give the rattling a little more gusto for 15-30 seconds. After another five minutes, I use 2-3 periods of about 5-7 seconds of rattling as hard as I can with about 30 seconds in between. If any deer are going to respond, this offers the best chance of attracting them without having them pinpoint your location.

Learn these three calls and you will find success with them if you use them in the right places at the right times. With all calling, make sure you are positioned in such a way that the deer have to come over there to find the source of the sound. Rattling in open hardwoods or flat ground with good visibility isn’t going to work well if the deer can simply look over there and don’t see a deer. I will go into that in more detail in a future column.

Too many bowhunters stay home during October because the reputation of the “October Lull” has them discouraged. Here’s how to improve your success during each week of this maligned month.

By Bernie Barringer

In the past, I never really got serious about my deer hunting until the rut. I’m definitely not alone in that regard, many bowhunters ignore the opportunities the month has to offer. Certainly, it’s not like September when the bucks are visible and on predictable daily routines, or November, when the bucks are running around in a testosterone-induced stupor. But October has some advantages, although each week brings new challenges and opportunities.

Week 1

The thing I like most about the first week in November is the opportunity to hunt in pleasant conditions without mosquitoes. The early frosts have eliminated the pests and turned the woods colorful and it’s a great time to be outdoors. The deer hunting locations for me mainly revolves around food in the evening and bedding in the morning. The movements have some regularity to them and with the help of scouting cameras and observation; you can find a buck to target. Another advantage to this time is the solitude. Since most bowhunters are waiting for the rut, you can have the woods to yourself. It’s a great time to hunt the public land that will be full of hunters in November but will have few fresh boot prints in October.

Week 2

These advantages carry over into the second week, as well, but you can add food into the mix. Crops are being harvested and cut cornfields become magnets for the first week or so after they are harvested. Deer move into these fields because the acorns are getting cleaned up and the readily-available missed corn is easy pickings. Ears of high-carbohydrate lie on the ground in plain sight and deer migrate to these areas en-masse.

As the weather gets colder, bedding areas become more predictable. Overcast, windy or rainy weather sends the bucks into the thickets where they have some protection from the elements. Savvy hunters who know where these areas of thermal bedding cover are found can take advantage of the deer as they move out of the cover in the evening to feed, or back to the cover in the morning.

Week 3

By the third week in October, the effectiveness of calling and rattling is rising. Scrapes and rubs are everywhere, but not being checked often just yet; still, they are excellent places to make some noise. Setting up over early rut sign and rattling can be very effective at this time. The last two weeks of October and the first week of November are the only times when I feel that blind calling is effective enough to be worth trying. By blind calling, I mean making attracting noises without actually seeing a deer to call to.

Blind calling with a grunt call and rattling must be done from the right location, however. Avoid areas of open timber where the deer can see long distances. If they can see the area where the sound is coming from but don’t see a deer, they probably won’t come. A decoy can help, but better yet, put a barrier of some sort between you and where you expect the deer to be. Even a small rise in terrain that they can’t see over can be enough to make them walk over there to investigate the source of the calling or rattling.

Week 4

The success of calling and rattling continues to grow through the last week in October, but the real area of focus is the sign. Those scrapes that were mostly undisturbed during most of the moth are suddenly getting a lot of activity. Areas all torn up with scrapes and rubs can be excellent places to park yourself in a treestand for long hours during the end of the month.

Here’s a key tip, get downwind of the area, particularly if those scrapes are found along the edge of a field. Bucks avoid exposing themselves to open areas during the daylight and they are unlikely to walk right up to a scrape along the edge of a field unless something really attractive hits their nose. They will often work those scrapes from 30-40 yards downwind, from the cover whenever possible for them to do so. Keep this in mind when you choose the right tree for your stand.

The final week of October offers the best chance of the entire month to attract a buck with a good deer lure. I have had excellent success using a scrape dripper with some Special Golden Estrus or Active Scrape to keep fresh scent going into the scrape during daylight hours. Warm daytime weather causes the dripper to expand, making it drip scent into the scrape. Cool weather at night causes the scent to contract, pulling air back into the container where it stays until it warms up. The advantages of having fresh scent applied only during daylight are obvious.

So don’t give up on the maligned month of October. Sure this time period has some challenges, but if you focus on the advantages, you can be wrapping a tag around a buck before most hunters are getting serious about their hunting.

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