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The Best of Times, Part III

scheels — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:15:53 GMT

by Craig Enervold

Part III of a three-part series

Those that have read through to this point may already be thinking there is no way a golden late-season opportunity will exist for them, and some probably are right. But those willing to do some homework may find a few rewarding opportunities. Here are a few suggestions…

1. Look for a food source early that provides for a deer congregation in late season. Corn fields near large wooded tracts of land–especially ones possessing heavy bedding areas–may be golden opportunities! Even with heavy hunting pressure, deer numbers can remain strong after the pressure fades. Cover and a consistent food source are magnets for deer and provide excellent late season bow hunting opportunities.

2. Land bordering previously unhunted refuges, parks etc., may continue to have deer moving in and out throughout the late fall and early winter period. Look for these areas early and use informational sources such as topographical and aerial maps. These maps may hide productive bedding areas and critical deer travel funnels to and from food and bedding areas.

Also, if you are serious about filling your tag, hopefully on a good buck, be willing to drive a little further to reach these areas.

It was a Sunday morning, November 20, 2005, and I was set up between two distinct bedding areas. The weather could not have been more perfect, with little wind and warm for this time of year. I climbed into my tree stand at approximately 5:30 am this day with intent of sitting the entire day… if I had to. I was directly within the core area of the buck that was mentioned in the beginning of the Part I of this article.

Deer activity was brisk with deer passing by my stand about every 15-20 minutes. Smaller bucks passed by within easy bow range and good numbers of does and fawns were always present. By 9 am, things had quieted down. Off to my left, I could hear the distinct sound of deer running. A pair of does and 3 fawns ran by my stand, followed by a smaller yearling class buck. Things remained quiet again.

I recall looking at my watch at 9:30 am to monitor just how long I had been in the stand. I glanced up and saw a deer approaching my stand from along the edge of the field.

It was him!

He was just over 50 yards away…and closing! A large, brushy tree separated him from me at a distance of under 15 yards. The wind direction was perfect for deer passing me in the woods, but this buck on the field edge was going to pass directly through my scent path. Although I was considerably high in the tree, as soon as he hit my scent, he stopped, still concealed behind the bush. The deer sensed something was not right, and began to step out further into the field to investigate.

I was fairly certain that as soon as the deer figured out my location he was going to explode, so I drew my bow just before the deer had stopped. There was one small shooting lane through the branches of the bush and as he stepped further into the field and into this hole, I released. The deer was only 12 steps from his tree. The arrow hit perfectly behind the shoulder and I watched him run off and fold just 80 yards from the stand. My late season trophy, a 2-inch wide 5x4 had been claimed.

Whitetail bucks are aggressive, passionate and obsessive breeders and tend to rest little during the fall season breeding phases. Ignoring the late season bow hunting opportunities may cost you your long-awaited trophy. With a little thought, some homework and patience, you may find this period does provide you with unparalleled opportunities!

Craig has worked in the sporting goods industry for the past 18 years. He has hunted in Alaska, Northwest Territories, Quebec, Manitoba, Ontario, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. He is currently the Archery and Optics buyer for Scheels.

Cricket, Dana Middleton

990846 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:07:38 GMT

Facebook posts on Scheels page.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30438716&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=90735986 967&aid=-1&id=1023102635&oid=90735986967

Mike Huether/Gunner

994551 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:56:31 GMT

Gunner is an excellent hunter and family pet. He took 1st place at Sheels' 2009 Dock Jumping Contest in Fargo, ND. He is 5 yrs old and 85 lbs. This was his first time competing and trained only at our local lake, jumping off the wood boat dock.

The Best of Times, Part II

scheels — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:10:24 GMT

by Craig Enervold

Part II of a three-part series

Far and away, the biggest disruption in season deer activity–most notably the rut–is caused by the opening of the deer firearms season. As the vast majority of does (if not all) have yet to be bred before the firearm season opens, the onset of the firearms opener causes bucks and does to be pushed and driven and dispersed to the point of ultimate shyness and often times unfamiliar ground. Most breeding activity will become exclusively nocturnal.

Rut activity intensifies and is at near fever pitch typically (in my area) until the 7^th to 10^th of November. Then, at about the same time, bucks that have been in hot pursuit of does tend to “hole up” and isolate themselves with individual does up until the 16^th to 18^th of November.

Bow hunters must realize that there is not a single factor out there that signals or informs a buck that ‘the rut has ended’ and it is now time to go back to normal feeding/bedding patterns. On the contrary! Once a buck has gotten the odor of a doe(s) ‘in season’, they become evermore compelled to seek out to perpetuate the species. Bucks have no idea that the last doe in their core area has been bred and will continue to seek out those does left unattended and un-bred. This often occurs with less caution than before the breeding peak.

If one has ever witnessed the behavior of a male dog just after he has mated with a female, they can be absolutely out of control with excitement and enthusiasm after the act! This same trait is very notable also in whitetails. The urge to breed remains overwhelming. This is why the time immediately following the ‘rut peak’ can be one of THE most exciting times of the entire season. It’s the time for a mature buck to segue back to normal behavior. As I mentioned before, approximately November 20 through Thanksgiving and up to December 1 can be one of the greatest opportunities of the year. The chance of catching a good buck wandering between doe bedding areas, at any given time of the day, is very probable during this time and should not be overlooked.

Before you delay your vacation time or change your normal hunting plans, there are a few things that need to be detailed.

Due to firearms season, including the lengthened muzzleloading season, whitetails can be heavily pressured from the first weekend of November through Thanksgiving. If you are in a heavily pressured hunting area, the chance that you will witness the above rutting behavior is almost nonexistant. To see this first hand, it is imperative that you hunt exclusively ‘unpressured’ deer. This is where land managed under quality deer management principles will provide for this added opportunity. The ability to witness and hunt undisturbed, unpressured and relatively unhunted whitetails during this period is truly and unforgettable experience.

The crux of quality deer management is to not only let the smaller class bucks survive until at least the following year, but also to provide a secure area for the deer to leave them as undisturbed as possible and to allow for a full opportunity to breed successfully. This typically means to avoid penetrating any key, quality bedding areas throughout the duration of the season. This does not mean the bow hunter should not hunt this area throughout the main bow season, but instead hunt it with more added caution to avoid pushing the deer to other heavily hunted grounds.

Certainly, as a bowhunter, the goal is to have land that is exclusively ‘bow hunting only.’ If there are firearms hunting on the same grounds, it is strongly suggested there must be a given area that remains off limits to hunting pressure. All precautions must be taken to hunt these deer in a calculated fashion to minimize the probability of pushing them to adjacent, heavily hunted property. This cannot be emphasized enough. Please re-read this paragraph as it contains the key to hunting in the later part of the season.

Deer, within time, tend to recognize quickly areas of security and lessened hunting pressure. Not only will does congregate there, but so will bucks. If you have two or more of these areas of security within your hunting property… Katie, bar the door!

The second point to be considered, especially when bow hunting the north country, is weather conditions. A mid-November blizzard will most assuredly push deer to the heaviest cover or within close vicinity to a more consistent food source. Even though you have made all of the preparations and precautions mentioned above, this time of the year is most unpredictable, and weather can change hunting conditions in a blink! The bonus here for some bow hunters is deer will not only be given a secure area with minimal hunting pressure, but with luck, a food source will be left over from the fall harvest. This will be your “diamond in the rough” and help you keep the deer within your core hunting area.

Shadow is always ready to go train, at 6 months she found a way to get into the truck. Now two, she has a Junior title and on her way to complete Senior. She has put up many pheasant in Minnesota and South Dakota. This dog loves to train for test.

645498 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:14:01 GMT

Buster & Barry

990849 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:46:02 GMT

Buster is a 4 1/2 year old Standard Schnauzer. Since his training began at age 1, Buster has taken to hunting extremely well in the multi faceted world of calling predators. Buster hunts on the Texas/New Mexico border with his owners, Barbara & Barry, and is instrumental to the success they enjoy hunting predators.

Buster sits patiently beside the hunter while calling, being watchful for coyotes coming in. A great number of the times calling, if more than one coyote comes in and one is taken, the other runs off, and Buster goes forth and hovers over the downed coyote while the remaining one is drawn back for a shot, resulting in more coyotes.

Buster also tracks coyotes for recovery. He is an avid rabbit hunter in addition to predators.

The Best of Times, Part I

scheels — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:32:05 GMT

by Craig Enervold

Part I of a three-part series

I could not help thinking I was looking at yet another 'intoxicated' mature whitetail buck as I watched with interest at a 140" bruiser out cruising through an open field, head down and appearing in a worn out drunken stupor. Not that big of a deal, except it was just before 2:00 in the afternoon, he was alone AND it was the 18th day of November… a time typically where many bow hunters get the most frustrated and have hung their bow up for the season.

The rut, or whatever is left of it, tends to discourage most late-season archers as deer activity and sightings are pushed to an all time seasonal low, mostly due to the past two weeks of the most intense hunting pressure a deer is put through all season. It drives whatever animals that have survived the pressure to progress to an even more ‘nocturnal’ behavior.

If there ever were a time during the year (other than the first week of November) to get excited about pending opportunities with trophy class animals, for me, the week prior to Thanksgiving through the first week of December has to be it!

For the majority of bow hunters pursuing antlers, the end of October through the first week of November (or opening day of the firearms season) is typically THE time to be in a tree stand. It's especially true when considering a grueling day sit, as it is no true secret that buck activity spikes (or appears to) during this time. Most bow hunters find it obvious that as the firearms opener approaches, the intensity of deer activity is at a fever pitch and if there were ever a time during the season that a mature buck will make a fatal error, it is during this 'phase' of the breeding season.

Countless articles have been written about bow hunting and the seasonal phases of the rut, from hunting early season whitetails, to stubborn mid-season bucks, and the much anticipated 'rut period.' Much fewer will focus on the 'post breeding' phase of the rut. The reasons are obvious… there just doesn't seem to be much to write about.

In this series, I'll share why I feel that approximately November 20 through Thanksgiving and up to December 1 can be provide one of the greatest opportunities of the year.

Bradley Too & Princess IV

692600 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:07:16 GMT

^{Bradley(a St Bernard) and Princess (a Weimaraner) stand ready to "do their stuff". . .Whether hunting for "sport" or more serious "rescue work," it makes little difference to these two team mates!}

Deer Hunting 2009

820539 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:03:24 GMT

My 1st deer

4x4 Muley, taken near Winnett, MT

987517 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:03:02 GMT

Taken ~ 4 miles west of Winnett MT on the Teigen Block Management Area.