Ladies, the opening day of deer season is here, for those of you who don’t hunt but your husband does, he will probably be in the woods the next several weeks and that leaves you plenty of spare time, peaceful time. I go to the woods for the peace and quiet. However, if you want to learn what the big “to do” is about, keep reading. I have written down some things that work for me while hunting and maybe it will make your time in the woods more enjoyable and productive.

I have been making a mental list of things to have ready for deer season. Hunting clothes dragged from the attic, finding the ever faithful orange hunting vest, (if it had eyes and could talk, it would certainly have some deer tales to relate.) My mittens/gloves, I use the mittens that have the fingers cut off and flap that flips over or back on the back of your hand. That makes it easy when focusing binoculars or getting ready to take a shot. I’m not sure if they are classified as gloves or mittens, whichever, they are handy and easy while hunting and keep my hands warm because they are lined with thinsulate. If the temperatures are on the warm side I usually opt for pair of unlined camo pants with silk long johns to ward off the early morning chill or the evening cool down at dark. If it is cold I go for the lined overalls with my long underwear a turtle neck shirt, my ole faithful black and blue sweatshirt. I have worn that thing for fifteen years or more and about 90% uof photos taken of deer harvested I have that shirt on. It very warm and cuts the wind very good. I’m not sure why, it is a blend of synthetics, it’s a simple black, blue and green color but not a camouflage pattern. If it is cold and windy layer that with a very large wind shirt under the sweatshirt and over the turtleneck. My hunting is a simple insulated jacket with four pockets that hold a small bottle of water easily, an apple, or cheese and crackers, and on a good breakfast day, a turkey sandwich. I know they manufacture fanny packs by the hundreds, but the old hunting coat has offered ample room for whatever I may stash in it. It also has a hood and on the windy cold days I pull it over the hood on my sweatshirt which goes over my hunting cap that is lined and water proof. I think it is actually a bow hunter’s cap. It has a very short bill which I like. Well, I’m almost dressed, a pair of warm socks that have some type of insulation that I pull over a pair of thin socks of any type. If I get socks to thick, they tend to bind on curves of my boots and cause my feet to ache or slow blood circulation and THAT makes my feet get cold. I wear the LaCrosse rubber boots that are abut knee high. I have a pair that is called Burly that I have had about five years, but year after year I go back to my old faithful  pair that are called Grange. They are broken and limber and yes I do have tire patches to plug holes where they have worn thin and have holes. But you know the old saying “fits like a gloves”, that is a good description of the Grange and how they wear. Now if it really cold, in the teens, I have a pair of army boots. I’m not sure what their official name is, I call them Mickey Mouse boots because they look just like Mickey Mouse’s shoes only taller. My mother got them for me several years ago for a Christmas present. Now I’m dressed and you know the old saying, “all dressed up and no where to go.” Just kidding, I do know where I am going opening morning.

I have a pine tree staked out beside a small ditch that separates a small stand of hard woods from some twenty year plus pines. Kind of sounds like bass fishing doesn’t. Hunt the edges, the food sources, the cover, you can use that system in hunting or fishing. Spawning season or the rut, both species make themselves more visible and accessible than any other time, except for feeding. Even feeding time the older bucks usually don’t come out till after shooting light is gone. I say usually because there are always exceptions to the rule.  

The past few years it seems as if the rut has started somewhere around the start of black powder season (December 1st). I say this because I am usually cooking/catering the start of black powder season and only hear from others and my Dad what the deer are doing. Last year was a little different. Maybe because the weather stayed warm, of course I have always thought the rutting season doesn’t begin because of a cold snap in the weather but the moon phases. What ever the reason, it seemed as if the bucks were chasing does and more visible after the beginning of the second gun season which was December 16. I saw more activity than the past years during this time before Christmas.

Whenever the rut begins, I try to hunt places where the bucks may be traveling or I should say where does are traveling, feeding, or bedding during the day. These may be close by well used trails. Check out the hoof marks around trails. This will give you an idea of how well used the trail is. Look for a bare dirt area, the hoof marks are easy to see and you can tell by the size of the tracks what size deer are using the trail.

Feeding areas are always a good place to spot a buck. Food plots draw deer like Ryan’s and Barnhill’s draw people to the buffets. That’s what they are, a food buffet for the deer. Some food plots are better in the morning, some in the evening. I usually decide which is best at what time by taking a head count each time I hunt there. If the does do start coming in a field and they keep looking in the woods you can bet there are other deer about to enter the field also. If they act really nervous, odds are it is a buck about to enter the field with them.

Early in the season you might want to park yourself around a big ole oak tree. Judging from the tree in our yard, there are acorns. I’m not sure how long they will last but earlier in the year the deer will be around them eating acorns and it is a good place to see deer.  

 Several times that I have been leaving the woods during the middle of the morning or the day, I have seen bucks and does lying down in the woods. They are usually on the side of a hill and by hill I don’t mean a high hill, just a small slant or grade in the woods. Walking slowly and as quietly as you can is a must. I walk a few steps, stop and look around the woods using my binoculars, looking for a small part of the deer and not a whole animal. I have learned to spot the nose of a deer, an antler that looks like a limb from a distance, even an eye.  It is remarkable how deer blend into their surroundings. That’s why I always think; only God could make camouflage like that.  That’s why I say use your binoculars while looking through the woods. The binoculars allow you a close up of what you are seeing even in close quarters, they aren’t just for distance, if you will, use them as a magnifying glass. I use Leupold’s Wind River 10 x 42.

I do use a climbing stand. And yes, I am afraid of them. You can be seriously injured if you don’t use them safely. When I get the stand attached to a tree safely, the next thing I do is fasten the safety harness. Mine will not climb a tree without it. I pick trees that are tall and straight and very few limbs. Pines usually work well. No rotten or dead trees. I also have a small hatchet that I chop small limbs with. Being new to the climbing stand, I don’t get to high, twenty- thirty feet. Higher would probably work better, but I am more comfortable at this range. A few times I have been climbing up or down the tree and deer would come into view. They have looked at me as if I was a squirrel on steroids and kept on grazing or walking, but wouldn’t run away. 

My gun of choice is a Browning A-Bolt in the 270 caliber with a 4 x 12 Nikon or I use a Browning A-Bolt 25/06 with a 4 x 12 Leupold. The 25/06 is a lighter in weight and also in knock down power than the 270. I am usually shooting in fairly open areas and I try to keep my shots less than 200 yards. No particular, reason. I feel more comfortable in making a closer shot.

These are some of my preferences for hunting and of course my Yamaha Bruin 4 wheeler. It comes in handy when hunting open bean fields that are abut a mile away from my truck (although I do need the exercise of walking). It also is nice for hauling deer out of the woods.

Disposable hand warmers are good on the cold days and easy to pack in a fanny pack or your coat pocket. If you stay comfortable and warm while hunting you will enjoy your time outdoors more. I hope some of these ideas will help. Then you can cook the deer meat you harvested. 

Aim straight.

Kathi