09-06-2011, 12:31 AM
I probably shouldn't say this but I've long wondered what business people who think deer just come right to you have in the woods in the first place.
I can't imagine a person daft enough to think that they will see deer just because they put up a stand or pop a blind up. Well maybe I can.
Successful stand or blind hunting takes proper placement. This includes a lot of before season scouting. Finding travel patterns from bedding to food source to water source (these are called trails, in case you were wondering). Finding territorial markings (rubs and scrapes, in case you were wondering). How you are going to face the stand in accordance with sunrise and set. Finding where does like to congregate ( if you want a buck during rut, find the does). Where bachelor bucks like to congregate pre rut. Observing how they behave with one another pre season. Finding the "off the trail" trails followed by mature bucks, because mature bucks rarely follow trails, hence being mature. Finding pre rut sparring grounds. Contrary to popular belief most pre rut bucks don't just randomly start sparring in any 'old spot. By sparring I mean just that, not fighting for dominance. Utilizing calls pre season to determine how a herd or individuals react to unfamiliar calls. Also contrary to popular belief, deer are not typically very vocal animals. When they do become vocal, discerning how vocal they become in the area you are hunting, ie if they snort, and how the shorter and others react if they don't get a return snort from the unknown that spooked them. And how you should react to snorts in that particular area. Once that and a great deal more has been accomplished, then you have the task of finding the best entry and exit routes to and from the stand location. How you are going to accomplish getting in and out unseen and what your reaction should be if yo are seen. Leaving as little terrain disturbed as possible and leaving as little of your own scent as possible. After that comes determining if you should be vocal once in your stand. Using calls, ie simple grunts pre rut, aggressive grunts and tending grunts during rut, rattling, buck growls (yes buck growl, or roar if you prefer).
Anybody can clumsily blunder through the woods with a rifle hoping that they can jump deer up or glass them and hope they can sneak up on them ("spot and stalk").
So you see, varying people have varying degrees of what they define as hunting.
Furthermore, physical limitations might just be a variable in ones choice as to using a stand or blind to hunt.
I can't imagine a person daft enough to think that they will see deer just because they put up a stand or pop a blind up. Well maybe I can.
Successful stand or blind hunting takes proper placement. This includes a lot of before season scouting. Finding travel patterns from bedding to food source to water source (these are called trails, in case you were wondering). Finding territorial markings (rubs and scrapes, in case you were wondering). How you are going to face the stand in accordance with sunrise and set. Finding where does like to congregate ( if you want a buck during rut, find the does). Where bachelor bucks like to congregate pre rut. Observing how they behave with one another pre season. Finding the "off the trail" trails followed by mature bucks, because mature bucks rarely follow trails, hence being mature. Finding pre rut sparring grounds. Contrary to popular belief most pre rut bucks don't just randomly start sparring in any 'old spot. By sparring I mean just that, not fighting for dominance. Utilizing calls pre season to determine how a herd or individuals react to unfamiliar calls. Also contrary to popular belief, deer are not typically very vocal animals. When they do become vocal, discerning how vocal they become in the area you are hunting, ie if they snort, and how the shorter and others react if they don't get a return snort from the unknown that spooked them. And how you should react to snorts in that particular area. Once that and a great deal more has been accomplished, then you have the task of finding the best entry and exit routes to and from the stand location. How you are going to accomplish getting in and out unseen and what your reaction should be if yo are seen. Leaving as little terrain disturbed as possible and leaving as little of your own scent as possible. After that comes determining if you should be vocal once in your stand. Using calls, ie simple grunts pre rut, aggressive grunts and tending grunts during rut, rattling, buck growls (yes buck growl, or roar if you prefer).
Anybody can clumsily blunder through the woods with a rifle hoping that they can jump deer up or glass them and hope they can sneak up on them ("spot and stalk").
So you see, varying people have varying degrees of what they define as hunting.
Furthermore, physical limitations might just be a variable in ones choice as to using a stand or blind to hunt.