-Scrape Hunting for Mature Bucks
-Tactics to make Mature Bucks come to You
Scrape Hunting for Mature Bucks
As is everything in the pursuit of Whitetails, hunting over scrapes is a controversial subject. Some bow hunters think it is a waste of time due to their lack of success on the numerous times they tried it. Others freak out when they see a fresh scrape and think a big buck is going to come prancing in when they sit over it. And then there is the seasoned hunter that evaluates the time of season with the location and quantity of scrapes in the immediate area, along with other sign prior to making a decision on whether to hunt it or not.
What is a scrape? A scrape is an area of ground ranging from 1 foot to 6 feet in diameter in which a buck or bucks have cleared all the leaves, grass, weeds, or whatever, down to bare ground. They are made for several reasons, territory, dominance, frustration, and focal points for Does coming into estrus.
Scrapes can be found from September through January, but how do you know when and how to hunt them. Lets start by identifying the 4 phases of scrape activity.
1. Pre Season and Early Season Scrapes: These scrapes are generally made by mature bucks with at least one breeding season behind them. Most areas where I have found scrapes in September (and they are rare)I have also had visual sightings of a 3 ½ year old buck in the immediate area during the summer. They are generally found around perimeters of food sources or bedding areas.
2. Pre Rut Scrapes: My definition of pre rut is the one to two week period just prior to the rut. This period generally runs from October 25th through November 10th depending on the year. Scrapes become very frequent sights during this time of season. Testosterone levels are high and the does are not in estrus yet, so the small trees and the earth take the punishment of the bucks breeding urges. Even the 1 ½ year old bucks try to get involved in the breeding process by this time of season.
Traditional primary scrape areas (which are hard to find) become extremely active at this time. A primary scrape area consists of several scrapes around the same tree, or in a small area or both. They will always have a licking branch over them, and will be a major focal point of social behavior for several weeks. Immature bucks and the dominant bucks will frequent these areas, as well as the matriarch does when they get close to their estrus cycle.
3. Rut Scrapes: The Does are now coming into estrus (definition of estrus = a state of intense sexual activity and receptivity in female mammals other than humans). Testosterone levels in bucks are at their peak (definition of testosterone-a male sex hormone produced to influence vigor of sexual activity). Mature bucks (2 ½ years old or older) are finding does in estrus and staying with them during their cycle, and then searching for another. Scrape activity by mature bucks slows down drastically during this period, which in Michigan runs from about November 10th through the 25th.
4. Post Rut Scrapes: This is the period after the first rut and preceding the second rut. Scrape activity will depend on what bucks are left after gun season, as well as how much stress, due to hunting pressure, was put on them during gun season. That same pressure will also affect whether the scrapes, if any, are being made at night or not. Even in a non-pressured area, the scrape activity will be greatly reduced from the pre rut activity level.
Let us discuss hunting these 4 stages of scrape activity.
Pre and Early Season scrapes: These are usually located in traditional spots and have a licking branch over them that is used year round by mature deer passing by. There is no frequency to the use of these scrapes. If you have no other place to hunt on opening day, and a fresh scrape offers some cover from which to hunt, your odds should be decent since you are hunting prior to any amount of pressure. Whitetail patterns are fairly consistent early in the season, so there is a good chance the buck will go through the area even if he doesn't pay any attention to the scrape.
After a couple days of season in pressured areas, most of the scrape activity (if any), will be done primarily after dark. Human presence or pressure will make the 3-week window from early through late October very difficult to hunt successfully if you are after dominant bucks 3 ½ years old or older. During this period I try to stay out of any areas that I know are going to heat up during pre-rut. Hunting small parcels of property on a regular basis during this 3-week period can potentially ruin any chances of you taking a mature buck. The big bucks will be moving nocturnally and their nose will let them know of your daytime presence, and they will adjust their movements around your small parcel, or stand.
If you are scouting during mid to late September, look for rub lines along runways, or quantities of rubs in a small area. These locations are excellent set up spots for the first couple days of season while bucks are still following a daily routine. If hunting near a dense bedding are remember this, they are like your house. There are only so many doors (runways) in or out, but unlimited directions to go once outside. So any time there are rubs, scrapes, or large tracks on a runway leading into a bedding area, that is the door he is using, and setting up quietly near that door can pay big dividends.
Pre Rut Scrapes: I get excited just thinking about this time of season. This 2-week window is simply awesome if hunted properly. During this period I pay little if any attention to boundary or perimeter scrapes, because they are not frequented enough to warrant a hunt. Now is the time to hunt those hard to find primary scrape areas. Finding one of these can be a huge shortcut to taking a big buck if HUNTED PROPERLY. They are generally located around feeding areas, bedding areas, and funnels (a funnel is the narrowest area of cover between two or more high traffic areas). During dry seasons, small waterholes are also prime targets for heavy scrape activity. In general, primary scrapes are found in the highest traffic areas that offer some cover. Large branches twisted off over these scrapes, indicates that a long tined buck is using the area. And large diameter rubs leading to it, or around it, just puts an additional exclamation point on the whole scenario. The best time to find these areas is as soon as the previous hunting season is over, December or January through March. The foliage is gone, old scrapes are still very easily identified, rubs stick out like sore thumbs, and you will not be contaminating the property with your presence. Primary areas are almost always perennial, and your stand locations should be set up and cleaned out well before season so as not to disturb it until you hunt it. Just prior to season, with a scent-lok suit and rubber boots on, check your stand locations during mid-day and if you are fortunate enough to find a primary area opened up, hunt it the first day or two and then leave it alone until late October. By then the mature bucks (2 ½ years old and older) are on red alert, spending lots of time looking for that first estrus female.
When going in to hunt a primary scrape for the first time during the pre-rut period, make sure the wind is in your favor, and that it's an evening hunt. If none of the scrapes have been opened, turn around and leave, check it again in 4 or 5 days. The evening entry allows you to hunt elsewhere if there is no activity in that area. The reason for leaving is not to contaminate such a potential hotspot with your presence. The buck you are after is probably still in a nocturnal routine, and you may unknowingly let him know of your presence when you exit after dark. If there are fresh scrapes opened, hunt it that evening and leave your bow in the tree to insure that you come back in the morning. Be in your stand a minimum of one hour before dawn, enter from a pre-designed route so that no deer are spooked that may be feeding in the area, and stay until at least noon.
Hunting on consecutive hunts in a hot location at this time of season is OK as long as they are an evening and consecutive morning, or vise versa. Morning hunts should not end until at least noon over a primary scrape area. Nine o'clock until noon should be your best time for bagging a trophy bucks. In the past 10 years I have taken several large bucks between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m., and have seen many others that were out of range. Older bucks will be scent checking their territory during this period trying to locate does in or close to their estrus cycle that may have passed through during regular morning movement hours, which are usually from daybreak until 9 am. Older bucks are like older mature men, they do not want to expend any more energy than they have to, in order to get whatever it is they want done, done. As an example, something that most of us can relate to at some time in our lives is bar-hopping. If you are a man looking for a woman or vise-versa, you would not start at 9 o'clock if the majority of the crowd does not show up until 11 o'clock. That is when you would start looking, and if you did not see anyone that interested you, you would move on to other bars until someone caught your eye. Dominant bucks do the same thing. Only they do it with their nose, later in the morning after most of the deer have already passed through. The bedding areas, funnels, and scrape areas are their bars, and if nothing interests their nose they just keep moving on to the next bar.
It has always amazed me how many big bucks are taken in gun season during the middle of the day. And even well seasoned hunters often attribute it to other hunters moving the deer around as they head to lunch, or simply get up to move around. In some cases that is indeed true, but for the most part, it has nothing to do with it at all. The mature bucks are simply following their normal routine for that time of season.
Hunts over scrape areas should be repeated every 4 or 5 days as long as the scrapes are active. At this point you should hunt in the morning first. Again I repeat, do not leave your stand until at least noon, or if you can stay all day. Try also not to hunt close to this area during the off days unless there is a rub-line or scrape-line leading to the primary area. It is very possible that you might intercept him on one of these lines prior to reaching the primary area after dark. A line of active scrapes along a travel route is definitely worth hunting a couple times. Individual scrapes without any pattern will more than likely not be revisited, and would be a waste of time to hunt.
Rattling or grunting can be very effective during the pre-rut if done properly and in moderation. Do not aggressively rattle for several minutes like you see in the videos. You are not hunting fenced in deer or exclusive clubs with high buck to doe ratios, so you have to be less aggressive and far less frequent. Start with a 10 to 20 second aggressive series, followed by a minute of light tine tickling to simulate two bucks pushing each other for dominance. Repeat this a couple times with 5 minute intervals and then hang up your horns or bag for the remainder of the hunt. Try not to rattle in any one area more than 2 or 3 times a week. Bucks have to be in the right frame of mind to respond to rattling, and if they hear it all the time, it is my opinion that they will be less likely to respond at all.
If you are in an open area, the use of a decoy could make the difference between a buck coming in close, or hanging up out of range. Be sure to set your decoy upwind and broadside to your stand. As far as grunting goes, a series of about 5 to 10 short punctual grunts every hour should be plenty to entice a meandering buck in your direction. In both scenarios, if a buck is coming towards you, stop your calling until he quits coming in your direction. Then just hit your grunt call one time to give him a direction to come to. Too much rattling or grunting in any one location will definitely deter from your success. If you are hunting over an active primary scrape area, hunt it clean the first time or two without rattling, or using a decoy.
To summarise; during the pre-rut a good bow hunter should have his best opportunities of taking a book buck. The bucks are coming out of their nocturnal patterns, checking their scrapes, and looking for does prior to the rut.
Rut Scrapes: Scrape hunting now becomes very hit or miss, with no regularity to anything. Primary scrape areas will go almost unnoticed by the dominant bucks during this time. They may stay somewhat active however, in areas of high buck to doe ratios.
The matriarch does coming into estrus, are leading the males around on a very unpredictable route, which they do not even know themselves. The mature bucks chase and follow these does no matter where they go, and with extreme reckless abandon. That is why so many big bucks get hit by cars during the rut. I once had to stop my car to allow a buck to cross in front of it. He never took his nose off the ground to look up at me. This was due to the fact that he was scent trailing a doe in heat. This behavior also helps to balance the scale for all hunters. During this mid November period, luck plays almost as big a part as skill. It is a great time to be in the woods, because there is always the chance of something happening even if you are doing everything wrong.
During the rut sit in high traffic areas and make sure you do not spook the large does. They are like buck magnets. Hunting over a primary area should still be good, due to the fact that they are in high traffic areas.
Post Rut Scrapes: In most areas this is a very slow period for scrapes due to the devastating affects of gun season. However, by early December scrapes will start showing up again if a mature buck still inhabits the area. Early fawns and un-bred does will come into estrus again creating a much lower profile, second rut.
High pressured areas will have little if any daytime movements by dominant bucks, but if they do, it will probably be during mid-day just as during the pre-rut. December usually brings snow, which will let you know everything that is going on. Hunt a bit higher, and look for trees with some background cover. This will keep you from sticking out like a sore thumb against the skyline, due to the complete absence of any foliage.
Deer start feeding heavily with the coming of winter, and their travel becomes very routine. Deer start to group up at this time as well and travel together, making travel routes very easy to find.
The best way to hunt during post or second rut is to stick close to the well-traveled corridors between bedding and feeding areas. Also look for secondary runways with large tracks, rubs, or scrapes along them. I have taken 2 big bucks in December that would not travel the well-used runs that the rest of the deer were using. They were both in high-pressured areas, and used their own secondary routes, which had more cover.
It would be nice to say that reading sign and knowing when and how to hunt it comes with experience, but that is not always the case. I know lots of hunters with 10 to 30 years of Bowhunting experience that hunt the same way year after year. Yes, they take bucks, but rarely do they take bucks over 1 ½ years old. They often claim that mature bucks just do not exist where they hunt, and that is simply not true. On the flip side I have hunted with young men who are obsessed and committed to the taking of mature bucks only. They pay attention to every detail, and are willing to learn with an open mind, never thinking that they know it all. When you think you know it all, the learning curve ends.
Pursuing dominant bucks is like going after a different breed of animal, they have to be hunted totally different. You have to break the generic hunting methods and focus on a specific animal, and most of all you must be extremely patient. Trophy hunting is a state of mind to which you must be committed (and it is not for everybody). The commitment must be such that if a season goes by without success, you re-evaluate your season and try to figure out what mistakes were made (and there are always mistakes), and try to correct them. It could be as simple as the route you used to get to your stand. Or perhaps you over hunted an area. Too much scouting during season or just prior to it, not using a Scent-Lok suit and rubber boots, or making to much noise when setting up next to a bedding area for an evening hunt are also common mistakes. Whatever it is, if it is corrected and your next season is successful, then you are learning and gaining on the program.
We are all going to be wrong more often than not when trying to figure out what a big whitetail buck is going to do next. But the more we are willing to adjust our hunting style, and learn from experience, the more we will be right.
GOOD HUNTING
Mechanical Broadhead vs. Conventional or Fixed Blade Broadhead
Wow, when I started Bowhunting in 1964 you could only purchase cedar arrows with about 4 options of broadheads glued onto them. They were Bear Razor-heads with a replaceable bleeder blade, 3 blade MA-3, 3 blade High Precision, and a 3 blade Bodkin. All had thick steel blades that were easily re-sharpened with a single cut mill file or stone. Today it would be a wild guess as to how many different heads are on the market. Looking in just one distributor catalogue I counted 201 different heads, with about 80% having replaceable razors as blades. So how do you select the right one for you? With testimonials in every magazine this is a difficult yet extremely important decision. After all, that one decision can easily make the difference between having a successful season or not.
When mechanicals hit the market about 10 years ago, I would not have used one on a bet. And to this day I would not use them if they had not gone through many improvements. In my opinion the first generation were very poorly designed for a hunter using a bow with a draw weight of less than 70 pounds. The blades on these heads opened up to a 2 ½ inch cut, which would make penetration difficult even if it were a fixed blade head. To make matters worse the blades locked open to 90 degrees perpendicular to the ferrule, which meant the blades were being pushed through instead of slicing through. When you cut a steak at the dinner table you do not lay your knife on it and push down, you slice it with a downward pressure. It requires much less energy to slice through meat than to push a flat sharp object through it, and energy is what gives you penetration. We can't afford to give away valuable arrow energy, because when it's gone it's gone. Another problem was bone. If you hit a bone with these perpendicular blades they would either break or bend the blade or break the bone. Angled blades slide by with minimal loss of energy.
Most fixed blade heads are designed well. If you use the right weight and cut diameter to match your bow poundage, penetration with a proper hit should not be a problem. However, arrow flight might be a problem.
Mechanicals were originally designed because high energy cam bows with high arrow speeds made good broadhead flight very difficult for the average hunter to achieve. Carbon arrows and large diameter thinner walled aluminum arrows also added to the speed problem. The faster an arrow travels the more it spins. The fast spinning fixed blade heads push air in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction depending on the helical of the fletching, very similar to a fan pushing air. This pushing of air has a reaction called wind planning. Once it starts it just keeps magnifying until the arrow slows down enough to stabilize and straighten its trajectory. That's why at 10 yards your group may be acceptable but at 20 to 30 yards the planning just keeps getting worse. Then at 40 to 60 yards you can visually see the arrow start to fly straight again. When you add in any crosswind, poor form, or bad release into the equation, which is very often the case during real hunting situations, the entire broadhead flight situation can get very ugly indeed. Keeping your bow tuned is a full time job. If you shoot much, and the cost of good fixed blades make it difficult to try many different brands to see which ones perform best.
From 1975 through 1979, my job was archery manager at Jay's Sporting Goods. At that time broadhead of choice was a Satellite Aero, which had very thin .010 thousandths blades, weighed 125 grains, and had a steel tip. They were shot out of a 60 lb. Bear Polar II compound, which had a speed of a whopping 170 feet per second, which was a sloth by today's standards. However the head was streamlined and flew like a field tip out of that bow. It was extremely rare that a pass through was not achieved with a properly hit animal. The small 1¼ inch diameter cut along with the thin blades made for excellent penetration. I continued using those heads through 3 bow upgrades until 1991 when I switched to a thunderhead 125 grain, 3 blade, with an 1-3/16th inch cutting diameter, and .027 thousandths inch blades. The speed of my bow at this time was 243 feet per second set at 64 pounds. Broadhead flight was then something that I had to think about for the first time with my own equipment. Along with my departure from Jay's went all my interest in keeping up with archery technology. By 1991 I pretty much stunk at tuning my own bow. My confidence in broadhead flight beyond 25 yards was rapidly being lost.
Being a firm believer that accuracy is far more important than speed I switched to Satellite scorpions in 1994. The mechanical 4 blade with a 1-5/8th inch cut flew exactly the same as my 125 grain field tips at all distances. Now came the test. How would it perform on large whitetails. Being the skeptic that I am, and hating all the new technological changes, I kept both fixed and mechanicals in my quiver that first season. On October 8th, with a scorpion on my arrow rest a very nice 8 pointer offered me a 10 yard broadside shot. It was a perfect test scenario, a 2 ½ year old buck to help dampen my skepticism. With all the penetration problems associated with the use of mechanicals I did not want to try them for the first time on a 200 lb. Buck. The shot was perfect, but even with my bow now set at 65 pounds a pass through was still not achieved. However, the buck only went 50 yards before expiring. Upon recovery the shaft was sticking out the exit side and both lungs were destroyed. The blood trail was excellent even though it was not necessary to follow it for recovery. TEST #1 received an A for both blood trail and internal damage, and a C for lack of total penetration.
In early November I took a 25 yard quartering away shot at a very large 10 point, again the shot was true, but this time the head lodged against the opposite shoulder after passing through the liver and one lung. He traveled about 70 yards before I heard him pile up. Inspecting my broadhead I found that one blade was totally missing and one badly bent. The broken blade was created by hitting a rib on the entry side. The buck dressed out at just over 200 pounds. TEST #2 received an A for damage and perfect arrow flight, and another C for penetration and blood trail. I believe that a fixed blade head would have also stopped against the shoulder, but my accuracy at 25 yards would have been questionable.
In late October 1995 I took an 8 yard shot at a 9 pointer standing broadside. The arrow passed through both lungs. After running 20 yards he ran into a tree and cracked his left G-2. He then traveled another 35 yards and expired. The 2315 arrow made a complete pass-through. He dressed out at 152 lbs. TEST #3 received an A+ on all counts.
On November 14th of the same season a I took a slightly quartering away 25 yard shot at a 10 point. The arrow flew true and entered just behind his left shoulder and then fell out as soon as he moved. It happened so fast that it looked as if there was no penetration at all. For about 3 seconds all my new confidence in mechanicals went out the window. He traveled only 20 yards before stopping as though nothing had happened. As I was reaching for another stick his tail started to twitch and then he fell over. In his attempt to regain his upright balance he moved about 5 yards and expired. Until I recovered the arrow from right where he was originally standing, I could only guess what had just happened. About 12 inches of shaft was covered in frothy lung blood, and all the blades were folded back in their original position. The arrow had stopped against the opposite shoulder, and when he kicked his front leg back to run the arrow slid back out of the entrance hole and folded the blades back in the process. The scene of the arrow entering and falling out took no more than 1 second. TEST #4 received an A+ for arrow flight and internal damage, and a C for penetration and blood trail ( a fixed blade probably would have passed through this deer ).
I was becoming extremely confidant and excited about shooting these deadly heads. Bryan Schupbach of Schupbach's Sporting Goods and Ken VanDervest of D&R Sports talked me into trying Rocket Aero broadheads in 1996. My choice was Rocket's Sidewinder 100 grain head which had 3 blades and a 1-3/8ths inch cut diameter. This head had stronger blades and more angle to the blades when open, which made for better penetration. That December while hunting with Chad Stearns I took an 8 yard quartering away shot at a big 9 point. The arrow entered just to the side of the spine, and did not pass through the brisket. Knowing that only one lung had been hit we decided to wait until morning to look for him. 5 inches of fresh snow fell that night and we were unable to recover him. A fixed blade head would have more than likely passed through with that hit, however I still would have waited until morning to do any tracking. The results probably would have been the same with either head type. TEST #5, shot placement A, penetration D, intelligence in taking a one lung shot F. It just makes me sick not to recover a deer that I know died.
During the 1997 season in November I took a 198 lb. (dressed) 14 point with a 10 yard broadside shot. He travelled only 43 yards. On a bow hunt in Iowa during the Michigan gun season I took a 9 point at 15 yards that ran a mere 20 yards before expiring. Then in December, back in Michigan, I arrowed a 12 point that dressed out at 188 lbs. The shot was a single lung hit taken at 12 yards. This time prior to my hunt, the weather channel assured me that there would be no fresh snow for several days, otherwise that shot would have not been taken. He went about 180 yards and expired while bedded down. TEST #s 6,7,and 8 received A +s on accuracy, penetration (all 3 had full penetration), blood trail (the 12 point was the only one that I did not see fall from my stand), and internal damage.
In 1998 a 170 lb. 8 point went only 30 yards after a perfect 10 yard shot. TEST # 9 received an A+ on all counts.
My confidence was at full tilt in 1999. I switched to Game Tracker Carbon Express arrows and also their silvertip heads which are identical to the Rocket Aero Sidewinders that I had been using. Being a fingers shooter, I had stayed away from the lighter much thinner carbons, but these new larger diameter carbons caught my interest. They made a very noticeable positive difference in my accuracy and trajectory beyond 25 yards compared to the aluminum shafts that I had used the previous 25 years. Carbons are much faster and recover their straightness out of the bow much quicker than their aluminum counterparts. I arrowed three 10 pointers that season. The first, on October 8th at a distance of 12 yards. A complete pass through was achieved and he only traveled 60 yards. The second, on October 20th . It was a 221 lb. (dressed) buck taken with a 15 yard broadside shot. A double lung pass through allowed this large whitetail to only go 50 yards before expiring (he actually carried the arrow 5 yards prior to it falling out the exit side). That year I was fortunate enough to draw a permit to bow hunt the virtually unhunted state of Iowa and on November 19th I took a third 10 point at a distance of 10 yards. A complete pass through was achieved and he went about 35 yards. TEST #s 10, 11, and 12 again all received A+'s in all categories.
Of the 11 recovered bucks taken with mechanical heads, only 4 of them did not expire within sight of my stand. 3 of those 4 required less than a 5 minute blood trailing job. And the 4th required dinner and a little TV prior to trailing, due to a one lung hit. It was, however, recovered very rapidly and with ease because of snow on the ground. To date, my experiences with mechanical heads has far exceeded my expectations. One negative aspect is that you do have to pick your target spot on the deer with a little more thought because of minor penetration loss created from the opening of the blades. But the accuracy and damage far outweigh that deficit. This negative could also perhaps be seen as a benefit. If the process of opening blades makes hunters think a little bit more prior to releasing an arrow this can only benefit the sport. Remember that you have to be smart and pick a head that opens easily, has strong blades, has an angle to the blades in the opened position, and a cut diameter to match the poundage of your bow.
Think about it. Would you use an ultra light fishing rod to set the hook on a ½ ounce spinnerbait? No, you would not be able to set the hook past the barb. You would need a heavy action rod.
Would you use a flat bottom boat in rough water if you had an option? Of course not, a V bottom would cut through the waves much better.
Would an airplane designer make wings that were 90% perpendicular to the body of the plane? No, they angle back to cut through the air more efficiently.(comment: this is not a very good example. The physics of flight do not have much to do with the angle of the wings from the side of the plane. Most small planes and many very manueverable planes do have wings at 90° (i.e. cropdusters etc.). More important is that the wings angle down towards the ground, which creates a vacuum on the top of the wing in flight and lifts the plane up. The smaller and angled wings are possible because of higher powered jet and combustion engines that reduce the amount of area needed to lift the plane. With enough engine a tube will fly, flying tubes are called rockets. A better example might be the modern streamlining of cars to reduce fuel consumption.)
These are very simple principles of aero dynamics and energy transfer. The importance of design in mechanical heads is critical. The larger diameter cut heads of 1 ½ inch or larger will require a bow of at least 70 lbs. draw weight and some serious thought on shot placement.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I would have recovered several more bucks over the years had they been hit with good open on impact heads. Expiration distances are definitely shorter. With a poor hit that makes a huge difference. I have taken part in the recovery, or attempted recovery, of many whitetails poorly hit with fixed blades, but only 3 with mechanicals. All 3 were recovered, after being left alone for a while, in fairly quick fashion. During the fixed blade recovery attempts the deer travelled much further, which in some cases put the animals in areas where recoveries could not be made. A poorly hit whitetail will always head for the nastiest cover available. And those are places you do not want to go unless you absolutely have to.
In defense of well designed fixed blade heads, they will give you more penetration. They also tend to hold together better when hitting bone, and without any question would still be my head of choice on larger game such as Elk, Moose, and Bear. I must reiterate, however, that the average hunter will not get the accuracy out of these heads like that of the mechanicals. And I hope that everyone will agree that that is priority #1.
If someone you know is capable of keeping your bow tuned for good broadhead flight you know what they say. If it's not broke don't fix it. But if you struggle with fixed blade flight as I did, try a good open on impact head and see what you think.
This may seem like a bias article due to my obvious excitement with expandable heads, but it is not meant to be. All I am saying is do not form an opinion until you have tried them.
Here are some mechanical heads that have been tested by some of my trusted friends and performed well.
New Archery Products - Spitfire 3 blade with 1 ½ inch cut. Game Trackers - Silvertip 3 blade with 1 ½ inch cut. Rocket Aeros - Steelhead 3 blade with 1 1/8 inch cut (for lighter poundage bows). Rocket Aeros - Sidewinder 3 blade with 1 ½ inch cut. Rocket Aeros - Meteorite 3 blade with 1 ¼ inch cut (for lighter poundage bows). Rocky Mountains - Extreme 3 blade with 1 1/8 inch cut (for lighter poundage bows). Satellite - Ventilator 3 blade with 1 ¼ inch cut. Wasp - JAK HAMMER 3 blade with 1 ½ inch cut.
GOOD HUNTING!
By: John Eberhart
Video's……You gotta love em. Seems like no matter what they do or when they do it, it always works. Unfortunately, as entertaining as they are, they are extremely misleading for the majority of bowhunters. High fenced areas, exclusive hunt clubs, large tracts of private land with little or no hunting pressure are some of the reasons they can get a reaction to rattling, decoys, and calls at almost any time. High buck to doe ratios, and numbers of competitive mature bucks make these hunters look like they can do no wrong. I guarantee that these video hunters using the same tactics at the same time of day on pressured whitetails would have much more disappointing results. The use of calls, rattling, and decoys can however be very productive even on pressured land, if done in moderation and at the right times.
In my 36 years of bowhunting ,I have fudged up on more opportunities than I care to admit. However in the process, many lessons have been learned. An exceptional archer I am not, however, pride is taken in my ability to get mature bucks (2 1/2 years old and older) within my 25 yard range.
Lets get the use of bait out of the way. I do not recommend ant of the following tactics to be used in conjunction with a bait pile
I have been rattling whitetails for about 15 years, but successfully for only 10 years. My use of decoys started about 9 years ago with success coming the very first time one was used. Vocalizing and calls for well over 20 years has been a key factor to my success.
In observing bucks spar and fight over the years it became obvious that much more time is spent pushing each other than actually rattling their antlers. The rattling sound only lasts as long as it takes them to twist and turn their antlers until they securely lock up, and then begins the push for dominance. The actual loud rattling sequence rarely takes more than 20 seconds, with the tine tickling noises occurring during the pushing stages of the battle. Watching these encounters on numerous occasions taught me that the time spent aggressively rattling should be kept to a maximum of about 10 to 20 seconds, with gentle tickling and grinding noises for a minute or two thereafter. If there is a responsive buck within hearing distance, those first few seconds will be enough to get a response. This sequence can be repeated 2 or 3 times with 5 minute intervals.
A split 8 point rack used to be my noisemaker, but the tool of choice now is a rattle bag with very loose sticks in it. Most commercial bags need a stick or two taken out and re-stitched. Loose sticks can be separated in the bag and clashed together louder than a bag with tight sticks. The tickling of the tines is done by simply rolling the sticks aggressively or gently to get the sound you prefer. Not only is the bag more user friendly, it does not get in the way when not in use. My hunting is done out of a tree-sling 100% of the time, which in certain areas has me hanging in trees no more than 5 inches in diameter. In those tight quarters horns would definitely be in the way.
With the tremendous pressure in most of our state, you can not expect to just go rattle at any time or place and get a reaction. If it is not done properly and at the right time it will rarely be successful. It could however be very detrimental. Without question most of my success on mature bucks has been either just as it is cracking daylight or just before dark.
Another key element is where. Along the edge of standing corn is my preference for several reasons. Mature bucks bed in standing corn if the field is large enough and thick enough. Even the so-called nocturnal bucks that bed in these fields are usually up and moving at daybreak due to the extreme security of the standing corn.
My experience has shown me that mature bucks are more susceptible to rattling or calling while they are up and moving rather than if they are bedded. On quiet mornings (which is my overall preference), the corn will also allow you to hear them coming from a long distance away. Thick corn and low light levels at daybreak reduce the bucks visibility to the point that you can tie your bag or horns to your bow rope and lower it to the ground and gently tickle them to give the buck direction when he is closing in on you. The rattling noise coming from ground level is obviously more natural than from 20 to 30 feet high when the buck is fairly close. The low light also makes him commit to coming out of the corn to see what is going on as opposed to hanging back 3 or 4 rows and looking for a visual in broad daylight. It will be assumed that wind direction will be taken into consideration prior to any hunt.
Along the edge of heavy bedding areas would be my next choice for many of the same reasons. Anytime these areas are used; you must be in your stand well before dawn and settled in. The bedding area location needs an earlier arrival time so that your chances of spooking any deer making their way back to bed prior to dawn are reduced. Remember that mature bucks tend to be more nocturnal after a few days of bow season pressured areas, so they may head back to their bedding area an hour or more before dawn. You have to be set up and quiet well before they may arrive.
Setting up inside of bedding areas prior to daylight will work well; however, getting out without being detected is nearly impossible and will be costly for future hunts. It will make any mature bucks that become aware of your presence much less likely to respond to rattling for the rest of the season.
My first rattling sequence starts as soon as I can see to shoot. After about 3 or 4 sequences the bag gets hung up for the rest of the morning's hunt. If I see a buck later that is out of range, I will generally use the grunt call to try and bring him in. Bucks will grunt as they are moving through an area. It takes 2 bucks to spar or fight. So if I can see a buck from my stand, more than likely he can see the ground below me. Without the visual of 2 bucks moving around fighting, the odds of him coming in close enough for a shot are slim, without a decoy. However 1 or 2 short grunts could be made from a buck standing behind a little cover, and the odds of him coming to check that out are much greater.
One thing to keep in mind is that anytime you set yourself up along a cornfield or bedding area, your odds of seeing deer are very good. Try not to ruin it by rattling or grunting for an extended period of time. These areas are where bucks place their rubs and scrapes due to high doe traffic. So if your early morning tactics did not get a response, the remainder of your hunt should still be good.
In my opinion too much of any one thing in the same general area will soon ruin its effectiveness for future hunts, whether it is rattling, calling, using a decoy, or hunting an area or stand too frequently. Rarely do I rattle or use a decoy in an area more than twice a week.
One thing that I can't be overstress is; DO NOT OVERHUNT ANY ONE LOCATION. Once or twice a week in the same stand will keep it productive. Hunting over a fresh primary scrape area would be my only exception to this rule.
Another time of day that works for these same locations is mid-day from 10 am to2 pm. This time of day can be very productive during pre-rut and rut. One item you should have however is a decoy for the visual to make him commit to come in close. During this time bucks will usually hang up out of range without a visual aid. A decoy will also keep mature bucks from circling downwind of you if properly placed.
Rattling has worked for me from October 1st through late December. Without question my highest percentage of opportunity has come during the pre-rut and rut periods. This is usually from October 25th through November 14th.
Decoys were obviously designed for visual effect. Anytime they are being used they should be placed where they can be seen from the greatest distance. Some do's and don'ts are: If hunting a stand where you know you are going to see a lot of deer, use the decoy only 2 or 3 times during the entire season and on at least 2 week intervals. Mature does will be very curious the first time they see it, and will generally come within 10 to 20 yards and eventually stomp or snort and then run off. The fawns will come much closer (especially the button bucks) but will leave when mom does. This could ruin some of your prime hunting time and potentially spook any buck that may be with them or nearby. Therefore decoy use in high traffic areas could be detrimental to your success. Multiple uses in the same area of high deer traffic will totally shut the mature deer's interest off to your decoy.
An area of high deer traffic should be hunted clean for a couple hunts, then only use the decoy if you are seeing a buck but can't get him in close enough. Always use scent eliminator or wear rubber gloves while setting up your decoy.
Attractant scents on your decoy are not necessary; I do however use a full rut tarsal gland during all stages of the rut when using a buck decoy. The tarsal gland can also be used as a drag for the last 50 to 100 yards to your decoy set up spot. You must have on rubber boots and spray real buck urine on anything you or your clothing touches once you have passed by it.
Your decoy should always be placed upwind of your stand about 15 to 25 yards. Bucks will usually come into a buck decoy face to face, so it should be placed broadside to your stand. He will come into a doe decoy from the rear, so it should face away from you at a slight angle.
When coming into a decoy, he will be very focused and will rarely take his eyes off of it, which gives the hunter ample time for preparation. Because the decoy is upwind, even if he approaches it from downwind, he will still be 5 to 10 yards upwind of you.
Whenever there is a buck traveling an area that I can't hunt from a tree (weeds, marshes, clearcuts, etc.) I will attempt to find the nearest tree within visual distance to set up a decoy. Upon sighting the buck I will wait until he moves into a position where the decoy will be visible to him and then either grunt or blat (depending on which decoy I am using) to get his attention. Sometimes you have to get pretty loud to get his attention. If he isn't with a doe he will generally come right in.
Decoys for the most part should be used for getting bucks in close that you were not able to get in without one. Always remember that if you're seeing a lot of mature does with or near the buck you are after, you should use the decoy only as a last resort. Once you've spooked the does in the area the mature bucks will not be sighted as frequently either. A decoy should not be used in a tight funnel, unless you are rattling to bring bucks into the funnel and using it for a visual. Funnels are used by all deer and should not require a decoy under normal circumstances.
My favorite decoy is a "Carrylite", because it has more detail and when it is put together there is no body cavity exposed. This enables you to place your carrying bag inside the body cavity prior to attaching the head, and lock any odors inside. All hard body decoy parts should be trimmed with a razor knife to make it easier and quieter to assemble in the field.
If you are hunting for any size buck, it would be advised to trim the horns on your decoy down to a 4 point, so it will not intimidate smaller bucks. If you are after bigger bucks only, the 8 point rack it comes with will suit your purposes well.
Grunting bucks in depends totally on the buck's attitude at the time. I only do it when a buck is seen passing by out of shooting range, to attempt to bring him in closer. Don't just sit and blow on a grunt call, they do not work that way. When you grunt keep them about 4 seconds apart and very short. Bucks do not make long grunts like you would hear when sheep blat. They are very short and punctual.
It is rare that I hunt below 25 feet high, so getting winded or detected is rarely a problem, even when the leaves are down. A Scent-Lok suit is highly recommended, these suits have been proven to work even when hunting from the ground. Clean rubber boots must also be worn at all times.
Another important factor is to practice from the same elevations that you will be hunting from, and don't stop practicing once season opens. Having confidence in your shooting ability is a key ingredient to success. With all the other split second decisions to make, you do not need to be questioning how well your shot may be. As long as you know your personal shooting ability and do not take shots beyond that, your chance for success will be increased.
In our state, which allows people to shoot deer over bait (sorry but I can not call that hunting), many people have never learned the real sport of Bowhunting. Hopefully this article will get some of you to try something different. Wouldn't it be gratifying to know that as a hunter you had to make split second decisions like…Where will my shot opportunity be? When should I position myself for a shot? When do I draw my bow, and quickly adjusting for the angle of the deer…All as a deer is moving towards you. These questions all require a quick response on moving animals and you never know exactly what they will do next.
When hunting over bait (which I did for 3 years) you know your deer is going to stop at your pile and eventually give you a broadside shot. It may take 10 minutes but it will happen. You can even fall asleep and wake up to the crunching of your bait.
Always remember that nothing in the whitetail world is guaranteed, and the information in this article is what my personal experience has taught me. Don't expect to go out and have instant success. Try some things and keep what works best for you.
GOOD HUNTING
