Shoddy Deer Hunting Advice

[Shed Hunter]

Only thing I disagree with is the comment that bucks over 3.5 seldom visit scrapes. Otherwise, great article BW

 

[TLRanger]

Pretty well hit the nail on the head! Lucky for us deer are not as smart as some people think.

 

[ROVERBOY]

I pretty much agree with him on everything. Deer are probably not all that smart but, they do have great survival instincts. Older deer don't always take a lot of chances.

 

[Bone Collector]

Hey BW, can we get the TNDeer Discount on that seminar?

really what i want to know is can you send me the slides. :grin:

good read.

 

[in the dog house]

Good read BW, enjoyed quite a few at the link. Thanks!

 

[BSK]

Good read.

But who is this John Sloan guy? ;)

 

[savageman]

enjoyed the read.

 

[barkscaler]

Enjoyed,but disagree on the rubber boots.I have seen first hand an alarmed deer trailing my scent trail when I wore regular boots.I can't think of any times it happened wearing rubber boots.

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

Rubber boots are porous and will trap and hold scent and debris just like any other boot.

I think what gives rubber boot guys a advantage is if they practice the method of only sliding their boots on when they hit the field they lessen the chance of contamination from gas stations and other places. Also with no laces you lessen the contact with your hands, I do agree with what he said about hand contact and with regular boots you are coming into contact more with laces and such..so there is a minor case to be made here. MINOR!!!

I take more of a issue with human urine, I know urine is suppose to be urine but I have always felt the whole object is to keep every human scent out of the woods as much as possible. Yes I have peed and had a deer come right up on me before but it's not something I practice.

 

[BSK]

Enjoyed,but disagree on the rubber boots.I have seen first hand an alarmed deer trailing my scent trail when I wore regular boots.I can't think of any times it happened wearing rubber boots.

I really think this point was more important years ago, when many boots had pressed leather soles. Leather definitely absorbs and holds scent. However, I would be hard-pressed to find a hunting boot with leather soles these days. Everything has at least rubber soles if not rubber wrapping up to the sides of the foot if not to the ankle. But as PillsburyDoughboy pointed out, scents--especially oils--will stick to rubber just as well as it sticks to any other material.

In my opinion, it's far more about how boots are treated than what they are made of. I believe one of the biggest mistakes many hunter make is wearing their hunting boots in their vehicle on their drive to their hunting spot. The carpet or even rubber floor mats of your vehicle are coated with gasoline and oils transferred there while filling up at gas stations or any other daily activity. Those are them transferred even to rubber-soled boots and carried into the woods, where they leave a very noticeable scent trail. I highly recommend hunters only wear their hunting boots in the woods, and nowhere else, especially not in their vehicles. Once I started taking extreme care of my boots (washing the outside regularly, and keeping them in a scent-free air-tight bin, only putting them on once I was in the woods) I've been able to cut down dramatically on how often a deer reacts negatively to my walking trail scent.

Now scent left where clothes touch grass/brush, or worse yet touching things with bare hands, is another story...

 

[BSK]

I take more of a issue with human urine, I know urine is suppose to be urine but I have always felt the whole object is to keep every human scent out of the woods as much as possible. Yes I have peed and had a deer come right up on me before but it's not something I practice.

I used to feel the same way PillsburyDoughboy, until I started running experiments with human urine.

Logically, deer should react negatively to any scent left by a predator (including we two-legged predators). But I've been truly amazed at how often I see deer display no reaction at all to predator urine, including human urine. The first time I witnessed it, I thought it was a fluke, but now I have many trail-camera pictures of coyotes not only peeing in buck scrapes, but actually squatting and peeing on Trophy Rocks. Yet deer that follow directly behind display no reaction to this fresh predator urine. I've also watched deer of all ages and sexes display absolutely no reaction to human urine that is so fresh it is still steaming on a cold fall morning.

Again, logically deer should freak out over predator urine, but for some reason they don't.

And then there's the whole discussion about peeing in scrapes and making mock scrapes with human urine. It's a shockingly effective technique. That one's even more of a mystery.

 

[redblood]

Only thing I disagree with is the comment that bucks over 3.5 seldom visit scrapes. Otherwise, great article BW

x2. almost every mature buck i have killed was over an active scrapeline, during the day time. I just think few hunters have the patience to hunt them effectively. also, it sounds like the author was insinuating that all scrapes are created equal, which i strongly disagree with

 

[Winchester]

Not a bad article over all but I don't agree with everything. Starting with rubs, the myth of a communal rib is no myth, as big signpost rubs that occur year after year on the same tree are definitely communal and hit by most every deer in the woods, just like many rubs are. Ive watched multiple deer hit the same rub myself. I do agree that 85% of scrape activity is at night, that said older bucks definitely make and revisit scrapes (theres and others) during the pre rut. I agree rubber boots aren't magic but the fact you don't rub your hands all over them tieing them on like shoes or other boots helps them be somewhat more scent free just from lack of handling.
Overall not a bad article.

 

[fairchaser]

I agree. nuff said. :)

 

[BSK]

Only thing I disagree with is the comment that bucks over 3.5 seldom visit scrapes. Otherwise, great article BW

x2. almost every mature buck i have killed was over an active scrapeline, during the day time. I just think few hunters have the patience to hunt them effectively. also, it sounds like the author was insinuating that all scrapes are created equal, which i strongly disagree with

I don't think the author meant to suggest all scrapes are created equal. I think he was trying to dispel the myth of the "primary, secondary, and tertiary" scrape. In reality, there are just heavily used scrapes (which tend to get huge), moderately used scrapes (average size), and then little used or only used once scrapes (little scrapes seen all over, especially along old logging roads, near the rut). There is no other "meaning" to these scrapes other than how often they get used and by how many bucks.

I'm always amazed at how much success a few hunters have hunting scrape lines. I've used trail-cams to monitor a HUGE number of scrapes of all shapes, sizes and locations over the years. I've found that getting pictures of mature bucks visiting scrapes during legal hunting hours during the hunting season is a very rare thing indeed. Now I get a LOT of pictures of mature bucks at scrapes during hunting season, but 99.9% of them are at night.

 

[BSK]

Winchester,

Reading the article again, I can't find where the author mentions communal rubs. His point #5 is about dispelling the idea of bucks making territorial boundary rubs. Boundary rubs were an idea Kroll put forward years ago in his book about patterning bucks.

 

[Winchester]

Winchester,

Reading the article again, I can't find where the author mentions communal rubs. His point #5 is about dispelling the idea of bucks making territorial boundary rubs. Boundary rubs were an idea Kroll put forward years ago in his book about patterning bucks.

Just read it again and I think your right, the run on had me misinterpreting a couple sentences. Like I said good article for the most part.

 

[redblood]

Only thing I disagree with is the comment that bucks over 3.5 seldom visit scrapes. Otherwise, great article BW

x2. almost every mature buck i have killed was over an active scrapeline, during the day time. I just think few hunters have the patience to hunt them effectively. also, it sounds like the author was insinuating that all scrapes are created equal, which i strongly disagree with

I don't think the author meant to suggest all scrapes are created equal. I think he was trying to dispel the myth of the "primary, secondary, and tertiary" scrape. In reality, there are just heavily used scrapes (which tend to get huge), moderately used scrapes (average size), and then little used or only used once scrapes (little scrapes seen all over, especially along old logging roads, near the rut). There is no other "meaning" to these scrapes other than how often they get used and by how many bucks.

I'm always amazed at how much success a few hunters have hunting scrape lines. I've used trail-cams to monitor a HUGE number of scrapes of all shapes, sizes and locations over the years. I've found that getting pictures of mature bucks visiting scrapes during legal hunting hours during the hunting season is a very rare thing indeed. Now I get a LOT of pictures of mature bucks at scrapes during hunting season, but 99.9% of them are at night.

perhaps.

 

[@fulldraw]

So what he's really saying is you can't trust outdoor writers. :wink:

 

[TboneD]

So what he's really saying is you can't trust outdoor writers. :wink:

Nuff said. :grin:

 

[Boone 58]

I have never had an alarmed deer over my urine, have seen warnings about it with some medications............but I have eye witnessed them paying no mind at all to it within feet of it. As alsheimer says, you can pee in a scrape without any negative consequences.

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

Enjoyed,but disagree on the rubber boots.I have seen first hand an alarmed deer trailing my scent trail when I wore regular boots.I can't think of any times it happened wearing rubber boots.

I really think this point was more important years ago, when many boots had pressed leather soles. Leather definitely absorbs and holds scent. However, I would be hard-pressed to find a hunting boot with leather soles these days. Everything has at least rubber soles if not rubber wrapping up to the sides of the foot if not to the ankle. But as PillsburyDoughboy pointed out, scents--especially oils--will stick to rubber just as well as it sticks to any other material.

In my opinion, it's far more about how boots are treated than what they are made of. I believe one of the biggest mistakes many hunter make is wearing their hunting boots in their vehicle on their drive to their hunting spot. The carpet or even rubber floor mats of your vehicle are coated with gasoline and oils transferred there while filling up at gas stations or any other daily activity. Those are them transferred even to rubber-soled boots and carried into the woods, where they leave a very noticeable scent trail. I highly recommend hunters only wear their hunting boots in the woods, and nowhere else, especially not in their vehicles. Once I started taking extreme care of my boots (washing the outside regularly, and keeping them in a scent-free air-tight bin, only putting them on once I was in the woods) I've been able to cut down dramatically on how often a deer reacts negatively to my walking trail scent.

Now scent left where clothes touch grass/brush, or worse yet touching things with bare hands, is another story...

Totally agree with you on this. It's why I said in my post why I think the rubber boot guys might have a advantage if they are slipping their boots on right before they hit the field.

I still prefer a lace up boot myself. I feel trapped in a rubber boot and have not found one yet that gives me the ankle support a good lace up will give me. Just bought my first zipper boot this season, So far I am in love. May be the best of both worlds. Easy on and easy off yet the ability to tie them up tight for ankle support. We will see.

 

[BSK]

I feel the same Pillsbury. I can't stand the feel of a rubber boot. However, my hunting boots do have rubber soles that wrap up around the sides. Rubber is easier to wash clean, but I just can't stand too much of it!

 

[turkeyhunter]

Thats why I only wear rubber boots deer hunting. Mine are oversized , and not that great for walking around. This helps keep me still instead of moving around to much messing up deer. ;)

 

[BSK]

THAT is funny turkeyhunter!

 

[turkeyhunter]

its funny but its the truth. Its so tempting to get up and walk around to find out why im not seeing deer.But with giant rubber boots i basically walk to and from spot. When I kill a deer i walk out put on my reg shoes to drag deer out.

 

[BSK]

Remind me to buy my hunting partners boots three sizes too big! That will keep them from wandering around!

 

[bowriter]

It is possible, I may have coined the phrase, "It is not what you have on your feet that deer smell, it is what you have on your boots." I have used this many times to point out the importance of taking precaution to keep your boots clean.

 

[bowriter]

You may find the columns for Sept. 17&24 of interest.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I grew up wearing rubber boots all Winter while feeding cows because of all the %**^! around the barns. They were always miserable to walk in because every brand/style I ever had was terrible to "eat" your socks. Socks would simply slide down your foot leaving your bare foot rubbing against the sides of the boot with the expected blisters. I don't care how much scent advantage they may have over leather - I want a lace up boot that fits tight when I'm walking several miles, which I do on most deer hunts.