The 80/20 Theory

The author produced Bowhunter's second video.

How much time do you spend scouting once hunting season opens? The answer you give just might make the difference between success or failure.

"See anything?" I asked.

WADING THROUGH A TANGLE of briars and knee-high grass in Iowa, I spotted my cameraman, Brian Higgins, walking along the edge of a nearby alfalfa field. I waved for Brian to join me to compare field notes from our scouting foray.

"Sure did' Brian said, grinning. "I jumped a couple of nice bucks, saw some does, and found lots of fresh sign. Looks real good?

"Great!" I said. "I found a fantastic spot. Fresh rubs and tracks all over. Let's get the stands and set 'em up. We've got a great chance to take a nice buck here."

Moments later, as we hurried back toward our parked truck, Brian suddenly stooped and pulled a shed antler from the brown grass. "Wow!" was all he could say. The shed he held had five points jutting from a massive main beam. The eye guard was at least 8 inches long. I knew if the other side matched the antler he held, this rack would measure at least 140 Pope and Young inches. Now this spot looked even better.

JUST AFTER DAWN the next morning, Brian and I, in one of our newly placed treestands, spotted a buck. The deer moved out of the timber, quickly trotted along the edge of a field, and disappeared. Half an hour later another buck, this one sporting a high, narrow four-by-four rack, appeared 60 yards away and began nibbling grass. I grunted softly on my call. He gazed my way, then continued feeding. I grunted louder, but he seemed uninterested as he walked to our right and vanished into the brush. Seconds later, however, we spotted him again, circling behind us. Maybe my grunts had aroused his curiosity after all. But when he finally walked directly downwind, the party was suddenly over.

Later in the morning we spotted two more bucks moving past, just out of bow range. And that evening Brian and I glimpsed five more bucks. Although none of those ventured close, our optimism soared. With so many antlered deer around, I felt our success was only a matter of time.

The next morning, as we watched a 130-class buck skirt the edge of a grassy field, I suddenly knew we'd hung our stand in the wrong spot. A meandering stream that snaked through the woods had, over many years, cut deep, vertical banks, which would be difficult, if not impossible, to cross. Consequently, most of the deer were avoiding the area near my stand. Those raked trees and well-used trails nearby had lulled me into believing this spot was perfect, but had I checked more closely and found those steep banks, I'd have chosen a different ambush tree. I felt foolish and more than a little disgusted with myself.

FROM LONG EXPERIENCE AFIELD I knew an undeniable fact -- any deer hunter is wise to spend more time scouting than hunting. I'm convinced that if you spend 80 percent of your time doing your prehunt homework, the 20 percent you spend in your stand will be more action packed. Following are some of my proven tips for scouting:

* The best time to start scouting is just after the hunting season ends. Look for scrapes, rubs, tracked trails, and traditional rutting areas that are used year after year by breeding whitetails. If you've bowhunted an area, you have a head start; however, getting to know the land intimately is an ongoing process. After the leaves have dropped in the fall and winter months -- between hunts and even after you've hung up your bow for another year -- is prime time to be checking things out.

As soon as bucks lose their antlers, search for sheds as you walk your hunting area. Dropped antlers are both woodland treasures and clues to the size of the bucks in the area. Remember, most of these deer will be around next hunting season. Use the summer months to glass field edges and popular feeding areas to locate velvet-racked bucks. Although their travel patterns will change with the advancing seasons, keeping tabs on the deer is smart -- and fun.

* If you can't scout before the season, as was the case on my Iowa bowhunt, buy and study topo maps and aerial photos before your arrival. Often you can spot natural funnels that make ideal ambush points. Topographic and vegetative funnels are good most any time, but they're truly hotspots during the rut when bucks are prowling in a continual search for willing does. By watching the wind, setting up in natural travel corridors, and waiting patiently, you will get some action.

Dan Hungle, owner of Trophy Book Archery in Spruce Grove, Alberta, told me he once located a brushy funnel joining two wood-lots while examining aerial photos. However, he was disappointed to find "No Trespassing" signs ringing the property that held that funnel. Taking a chance, he asked the landowner if he could bowhunt the farm. Given permission, he hung his stand in the narrow neck of trees he'd located on the aerial photo and promptly arrowed a P&Y buck. While there's no substitute for off-season scouting, maps and photos can assist any savvy deer hunter.

* If the season already is open when you arrive in a hunting area, walk the tract as soon as possible. Make certain you cover enough ground to get a good feel for where the deer bed, feed, and travel. Pay particular attention to fresh sign and possible stand sites.

Last November, while working on a segment for Bowhunter Magazine's Video Journal II, M. R. James, Dwight Schuh, Dave Holt, and I met on a ranch in eastern Colorado, where each of us immediately walked the property. We found that stand trees in the brushy river bottom were few and far between, and the pressure we put on those tree locations quickly had the area's bucks on red alert. Consequently, M.R., Dwight, and Dave spread out to surrounding properties to ease pressure on the one ranch.

I elected to stay put, mostly because after several days of scouting and hunting I had some promising leads. I'd already got some great footage of Dave calling in and passing up two nice bucks, so I decided to hunt from the same treestand where Dave had had several bucks walk within shooting range. On the second morning, I saw a keeper move within 60 yards. I grunted to lure him closer and sent an arrow through both lungs when he walked past at 20 yards. He turned out to be one of the whitetails Dave had passed up, a 20-inch-wide 10-pointer. Dave had figured the buck would miss the record book by a couple of inches, and he was right -- but I didn't care. He was a beautiful, fat buck. Our scouting and walking

* Once you find a spot with intersecting trails and fresh tracks, consider the wind and how you'll approach your stand, and find a suitable stand tree. You may find several possibilities, but only one may be worth hunting because of prevailing winds. Never try to hunt a stand where the wind will carry your scent into a deer bedding, feeding, or travel area. You'll just educate your quarry.

I made this basic mistake a few years back. We'd found a great spot, but the wind was wrong. My partner and I hung a stand anyway and planned to return only when the wind was right. A few days later, after the breeze had shifted slightly, I decided to risk it and eagerly climbed into the stand. After daylight I rattled antlers, and eventually a buck appeared. He moved downwind, jumped a fence, and hightailed it across an open field. I rattled again. A second buck appeared and did exactly the same thing. Later the identical process happened with a third buck. Disgusted, I threw the antlers to the ground and pulled the stand. My mistake had been to hunt this stand when conditions were not right. Instead of taking any of the bucks, I'd simply educated them. Dumb move!

* Consider setting up two stands at each ambush location -- one for the prevailing wind and another for times when the wind changes. Such setups allow you to hunt good spots under almost any wind conditions.

Also, hang stands where you can approach without walking on deer trails, and avoid tracking up the area. Consider wearing rubber boots and don't touch leaves, limbs, or branches along the way to your stand. Once a whitetail gets a snootful of human scent, he'll likely vacate the premises. When you spook a deer near your stand, you probably won't get a second chance. This is especially true of bucks wearing eye-catching headgear.

NOW LET'S RETURN TO IOWA. After realizing I'd placed my stand in the wrong tree, I double-checked the wind and moved the stand to a spot 10 yards from a fenced cow pasture. The fence was only a little more than 100 yards from a gravel road. Before daylight the following morning Brian and I were back. After parking along the county road, we walked across the open cow pasture, quietly crawled under the fence, crept 10 yards into the woodlot, and climbed into our stands.

During the first hour of legal shooting light I tried a couple of raffling and grunting sequences, but no bucks appeared. Adjusting the o-ring on my call to the bleat position, I made a soft baaaa and followed up with a series of bleats.

"Here comes a buck," Brian hissed.

I glimpsed the buck 80 yards to our right. "Get ready," I whispered, gripping my bow and shifting into position for a shot. "He's going to come down that finger of brush."

He stopped 30 yards away, lifting his nose to scent-check the breeze. But as he stepped ahead, limbs prevented a shot. I watched, my heart thudding. And then he was in the clear, pausing briefly.

My index finger reached the corner of my mouth just as his head jerked up. But it was too late. Thump! The buck bounded through the underbrush. A short time later, standing over the fallen eight-pointer, I stared admiringly at the massive main beams and the long eye guards, and it suddenly dawned on me -- this was the buck that shed the antler Brian had found earlier! Talk about an unexpected bonus -- and we'd captured the whole thing on videotape!

Continually checking out a deer hunting area, and making necessary adjustments, is the trademark of any savvy whitetail hunter.

HUNT NOTES

Scouting pays off! The time you spend checking sign and the miles you walk in deer country are investments that can and do pay big dividends. And even when you find what seems to be the perfect stand site, remain adaptable. Never stop scouting during the hunting season.

Try my personal success formula for yourself. Spend 80 percent of you time searching for deer sign, learning the area, selecting prime ambush sites, and setting up for varying wind conditions. It's time well spent. Although that leaves only 20 percent of your time for hunting, your odds will be improved. All it takes is good judgment, patience - and a bit of luck.

To watch me take my 20-inch Colorado 10-pointer, and enjoy a lot of other exciting bowhunts, get your personal copy of Bowhunter Magazine's Video Journal II, now on sale (see page 62 of this issue). And to see me arrow my P&Y Iowa buck, contact: Wilderness Sound Productions Ltd., 4015 Main St., Ste A. Dept. WTBH Springfield, OH 9748; 1-800-437-0006. Ask for a copy of my Wily Whitetails video and a free brochure.

On my 1998 Colorado hunt, I was shooting a 61-lb. Black Widow recurve and 2117 Easton arrows tipped with 125-grain Barrie Rocky Mountain Ironhead broadheads. I also used Summit Treestands, Jones grunt calls, and wore advantage camo clothing.

COPYRIGHT 1999 PRIMEDIA Special Interest Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group