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Ask Winke
Early Season
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  • When should I start making mock scrapes? What scent should I put in it?
    Nick from WI asks:
    When are the best times to try and work mock scrapes? Have you had much success and do you use any scents in these scrapes. Thanks!
    Winke Responds:
    Nick, I think now is a very good time to start. I wouldn't wait any longer. I don't mess with them but I do think they can help to position a passing deer for a good shot. I don't think that a buck will detour very far out of his way to work a mock scrape, but if it is along his normal line of movement he will definitely come over and hit it and make it his own. I would stop hunting scrapes around November 3 or so. I would probably use some kind of buck scent. Most companies offer a mock scrape scent with tarsal gland and urine odor. I think those will work fine. I also know guys that simply pee in them and that seems to work too! Good luck.
  • Is it too early to do some soft rattling and grunting?
    Ken from NS asks:
    I own and hunt on 350 acres. I am seeing does and fawns but no bucks. Is it too early to do some soft rattling and or grunting.
    Winke Responds:
    Ken, I don't think it is too early. I don't know that it will help, but possibly if you see a buck out of range it will pull him closer. They should start moving more in daylight starting soon. The October Lull should be drawing to a close with a week. Good luck.
  • I hunt in LA and am having trouble seeing deer in daylight; what should I do differently?
    Kainon from LA asks:
    Hey Bill, I hunt in Louisiana and i have trouble getting the deer to come out during the day. What do you think i should do, different attractant, move my stand? I only hunt the stand once a week.
    Winke Responds:
    Kainon, It is a common problem everywhere at this time of the year. I would be patient, not too aggressive and then as the rut nears become a bit more aggressive. They will start to move more at that time and from my experiences in your area (I used to hunt LA a lot) I would then move into the thick stuff - usually right after Christmas (at least that was the best timing in the areas I hunted). Good luck.
  • A big nine-pointer skirts my stand just out of range; what can I do to get him to come closer?
    Colin from FL asks:
    hey bill me again, ive been hunting hard all season and havent seen many good deer. usually in florida everyone shoots all the deer when there little four points or spikes. but im hunting sixty acres and luckily there is one huge nine pointer. ive seen him twice this week. he skirts my stand at fifty yards in a field. i cant get him to come any closer and there arent any good trees by where he comes in and out to the field. how can i get him to come in just the extra twenty yards?
    Winke Responds:
    Colin, Patience probably. The other option is a ground blind, but you need to be a bit careful there because putting it up may produce enough disturbance and it may be visible enough to put him off his pattern. I would wait him out. Think of other places he may be moving through as he enters and exits the field and that may suggest other stand locations. If you haven't tried calling consider some very soft grunts, nothing too aggressive. Good luck.
  • I have a big buck in my area on a feeding pattern, but the photos are at night. Should I move the camera to try to find daylight photos of him somewhere or wait until late October to hunt him on his current pattern?
    Chad from MI asks:
    Hi there! Excellent show, I have really liked watching it over the past few months. I have a big deer that just showed up on trail camera. I assume that my property is his fall range. I have a shed from him last year. I've had a lot of bucks vanish the past two weeks, again probably from their summer range and fall ranges being different (?). I got the picture of this buck consistently at around 10:30 pm traveling from bedding to food. Should I try to pattern him further with my cameras or just wait to hunt the stand close by that camera during late October? My thought was to move some cameras in the hopes of picking up his daytime movement, if there is any, on the rest of the far, even though I haven't got any yet with my other cameras. I also don't have really good pictures of him other than enough to know he's big. Will throwing a bag of corn in front of the camera alert him of my presence more and possibly make him even more nocturnal. I've noticed in some of my
    Winke Responds:
    Chad, He might not have any daytime movement. I don't think I would move any cameras deeper into his range at this point. I think I would keep monitoring the current area and maybe add a new camera in another fringe area. Don't be intrusive now. Your idea to wait until late October to hunt him is a good one. If he starts to show up in daylight in the fringe areas, you should hunt him sparingly and carefully sooner, but I would not press things until later in October without good daylight photos. Good luck.
  • How much rattling should I be doing at this time?
    Randy from MN asks:
    It is Oct 5th in Minnesota and my question is how much rattling should I do this time of year. I have found 3 scrapes already and have seen little bucks play fighting with the big 12pt on our property, which in turn brought out the 6 year old 10pt that is still top dog on our property. Thinking maybe light rattlin with a couple light grunts and maybe a little buck decoy about a hour before dark. What's your thoughts
    Winke Responds:
    Randy, A bit of light sparring with a bit of harder sparring mixed is fine at this time of the season. I think your plan will work. Good luck.
  • I have seen the steady decline in daylight photos too; is it worth going into the cover to hunt now or should I just stay away until later in the season?
    Chuck from MO asks:
    Bill as you dicussed in this weeks episode, I have noticed a steady decline in deer movement and daylight sightings over the past 10 days. Is it worth going after the bucks now in cover or just holding out until the patterns change?
    Winke Responds:
    Chuck, If you have a spot that you can hunt without any risk of educating deer, it is fine to go after them now, or if you have some kind of daylight pattern a shooter, that is worth pursuing too. But just to dive into your best spots in the hope that something might be moving is a bit too risky at this point. Just my opinion. I like to wait until the odds are better before impacting my hunting area. Good luck.
  • Will mock scrapes work in early October?
    chad from IN asks:
    will making mock scrapes in early october work or should i wait till later in the season ? thanks
    Winke Responds:
    Chad, I always feel it makes the most sense to wait until about mid-October to start that process - when bucks are starting to move a bit more -, but you could start a bit earlier - maybe around Oct 10. Good luck.
  • I hunted a stand day and night for two weeks and only saw one buck and then I moved to a new spot on the edge and missed a buck. Should I be hunting in the timber or on the edge?
    Jonah from NC asks:
    hey, im hunting a swampy area with a huge whiteoak to my right a 5 point came in which i missed and a few does but they all had babys with them should i keep hunting this stand ive hunted it moring and night for about 2 weeks and thats all iv seen its back in the woods a bit and my dads seeing bucks in the open so i hunted his stand one night out on the edge of a field with corn as bait i missed a 16 point buck should i hunt in the open or back in the woods
    Winke Responds:
    Jonah, It matters less whether you are on the edge or in the timber as long as you are on some kind of food (acorns). You have likely overhunted your stands. I think the main thing is to spread your pressure out and not spend all your time on just a few stands. I like to rest a stand a few days after each sit so that the deer never get the feeling that a person is camped out there. Try to find several more fresh stand locations and you should be fine. Normally the first time you hunt is a new stand is the best of the season because of the element of surprise. Try to keep that element of surprise in most of your hunting.
  • Mr Big is showing up at night; should I wait until I start getting daylight photos or hunt him hoping he changes his patterns while I am there?
    Ethan from ME asks:
    Great show! I really want to start hunting more. I've been three times but all I see is does. I know that's all that's there during daylight because I have trail cameras setup at my stands over food plots. Occasionally I'll get one picture during daylight of a small buck maybe once a week. Should I hunt as much as possible and hope that Mr. Big pops out or wait until he starts showing up during daylight hours? He is showing up at night at 11 am, 3 am and sometimes 5:30 am. Any chance he'll show up during daylight hours before the rut kicks in from your experience of dominant bucks showing themselves during daylight on your farm?
    Winke Responds:
    Ethan, He might move during daylight hours before the rut, but it will be unpredictable. This time of the year is a real challenge. You can do a lot more harm than good now. I would wait until the trail cameras tell me he is moving before hunting him now. Stay out of there until the time is right. I would start hunting more aggressively starting in late October, but even then I would still be careful and hunt only stands you can get to and from without alerting the deer. Your best chance for success comes from about October 27 through November 12 (roughly). The only way I would go in there sooner is if I am getting several daylight photos of a good buck over more than one day. Good luck.
  • Do you think you will hunt any of your hit list bucks earlier this year - like in October?
    cody from MN asks:
    Do you ever feel you will hunt earlier in the season for a hit list buck, such as your #1 hitlist buck? If you were hunting a different state with an earlier opener could you see yourself in a tree early going for the big bruiser? PS: What's your gross estimate for this big buck?
    Winke Responds:
    Cody, Based on what he saw last year, that buck showed on camera once in daylight in mid-October. We didn't get a daylight photo before or after that. He may have been here or he may have left. Not sure. I think he left. That means we have to hunt him earlier to have a chance. Not sure on gross, because they always look bigger with velvet, but I thought he was around low 180s last year and I think he might be a bit bigger now. Amazing when you compare that the shed I have here from the deer when he was 3 1/2. Just shows how big some bucks can get when they get some age. Good luck.
  • Would it be OK to place a mineral lick and trail camera in an area where the deer stage or do you think it will push them away?
    JASON from AL asks:
    hello bill, I have a question about mineral sites. Would it be ok to put one with a camera where they stage before moving to there main feeding. i dont want to push them out of this area or make them nervous. because i have a treestand 125 yards away from this spot where i intercept them. Any help on this would be appreciated, and of course this asite would be removed well before hunting season since it is illegal here in iowa, thank you.
    Winke Responds:
    Jason, I think it would work fine. Just don't check the camera too often. With the long battery life on some of today's cameras and the big SD cards, you should be able to leave the camera for a few weeks at a time. That would be my suggestion. I would check with the game warden about mineral licks and hunting near them. It is hard to remove them because the minerals leach into the soil. Make sure you are not going to put yourself into a situation where it appears you are baiting. Good luck.
  • With gun season coming in, how can I shoot a deer when the weather is warm?
    Chad from MO asks:
    Any suggestions for hunting the warm weather right now? Our firearm season start this saturday. I would presume probably hunt stands that are more high risk, high reward stands before the rush of firearms hunters hit the woods.
    Winke Responds:
    Chad, I am certain I got to you too late. Sorry, I got hit with a lot of questions and am starting to unbury myself. There is no good way to compensate for warm weather except to make the deer move - deer drives or maybe stillhunting into known bedding areas on windy days when they won't be apt to hear you coming. Most people walk way to fast when still hunting. It is really best considered as mobile stand hunting. Move a few yards and take up a stand there for a few more minutes before moving on to your next stand site about five yard farther away. If you think of it that way, it can be a very effective way to shoot deer when they aren't moving on their own. Good luck.
  • Is this a good time to put a hunting shack in the woods?
    Austin from MI asks:
    During this time of the year should you put a hunting shack in the woods. my dad just bought a shack and wants too but i teold him it is a bad idea. what do you think?
    Winke Responds:
    Austin, I would wait until after the season and then the deer have plenty of time to get used to it. I don't like to make any major changes right during the season. Good luck.
  • I have a big deer on a daylight pattern; how hard should I hunt him before the rut pulls him away?
    Lucas from OH asks:
    First wanted to say your articles are always the first thing I read in bowhunting mag you have helped me grow fast as a bowhunter. I hunt a small 40acre property I checked my trail camera and a 180 class 10pt is checking a scrape every 2 days between 7-9:30 in the morning(Thur,Sat,Mon). I know i only have 5-6 days before the rut makes him unpredictable. Entry/exit to the stand is a B+. How hard should I hunt this scrape/mineral site/food plot stand. I want to be aggressive but I don't want to over hunt it. What would you do. Hopefully he's there in the morning(10-27) Thanks for all the info over the years keep up the great work!
    Winke Responds:
    Lucas, I would hunt it very hard. You have to strike while the iron is hot. Obviously, don't take any foolish risks with bumping the deer or hunting on the wrong winds, but you need to hunt the buck while you know he is there. That is the absolute best time to be aggressive. Be passive until you know you have a big deer on a daylight pattern and then you have to be aggressive. Good luck.
  • I am getting photos of a huge 12 pointer. Should I go after him now or wait until the rut?
    travis from PA asks:
    bill, i have about 30 trail cam picks of a monster 12pt. in a very small parcel of land. I'm talking very small. With the surrounding areas of land heavily hunted. There's great cover in a laurel swamp and tons of oaks on the flat above the swamp and a fair # of does. But its right off a major highway and on the other side is 2000+ acres of private ground. ive gotten all 30 pix from one night and no more since august. i was wondering if i should leave this spot alone until the hunting pressure increases on the surrounding areas along with rut activity and then give it a shot? or do you think hes long gone and was just passing through?
    Winke Responds:
    Travis, My guess is that the buck lives on the 2000 acres of private ground and ventures your way occassionally. I would stay out of the heavy cover and hunt him on the edges for now. As the rut intensifies, I would move deeper into the cover. Good luck.
  • Should I hunt a good stand with acorns dropping or wait until the rut for that spot?
    JOSH from PA asks:
    Hi Bill, Hope your youth season is going well, and looking forward to the upcoming shows. I need some advice on where to go the first day. I have two great spots picked out..one is in a creek bottom about 400 yards from a farm field with a ton of sign (tracks, buck rubs etc.) and the other is in a saddle right by a gigantic 100 acre clear cut that the deer use as a bedding area(which i was planning to stay out of until my vacation on oct 25) Both stands set up perfect for a north wind, which we will have on saturday morning. the second stand i talked about has a ton of white oak acorns that the deer are just crushing right now, and i will be on the downwind fringe of the bedding area. My gut is telling me to hunt the saddle with the white oaks, but i do not want to mess my stand up by going in there too early as i have the last three weeks of our season off to hunt. If you were me which stand would you go to. The property sees minimal pressure during archery. thanks and good
    Winke Responds:
    Josh, Thanks. The youth season has been really tough for us this year. I would hunt the acorns early and then lay off them for a couple of weeks until the rut. That will give you a good early season hunt in that area to make sure you have everything figured out but will permit you to rest the spot about two to three weeks before hunting it seriously when the bucks are cruising through the saddle. Good luck.
  • How can I hunt a nocturnal buck using a CRP field for bedding?
    Brent from KS asks:
    I have a question about early season bucks. I have spot here in Kansas where I'm getting pictures of four nice shooter bucks. The biggest buck, a fifteen point 170 class, is routinely coming to the cam at about 830-10:30pm. HE is coming out of a crp patch and then following this creek drainage, but I can't figure out where he is headed after this point. What would be the best way to hunt these nocturnal bucks? I'm afraid that the bucks will disperse out here pretty soon and my chances will be lower?
    Winke Responds:
    Brent, I used to hunt Kansas quite a bit and one of the things I did was hunt right in the CRP. There are trails through there just like there are trails in the woods. With a few branches from a tree, you can stick them in the ground and build an impromptu ground blind to hide behind. Sometimes you can also rattle them out to a fence line where you have a decoy and a tree stand. Give a lot of thought to where might be bedded and then make your best play for him in the CRP itself. Otherwise, you have to take your chances and wait for the early stages of the rut and hope he is still in that area. If he is still there right now (late September) he may remain there all fall. Good luck.
  • What should I put on my mock scrapes in the pre-rut?
    Kyle from MI asks:
    what do you recomend to put on a mock scrape in the pre-rut?
    Winke Responds:
    Kyle, I would use almost any kind of deer urine. Maybe if you can get your hands on a tarsal gland from a fresh buck kill, it would be good to throw that in their too. I am not sure is bucks can tell buck urine from doe urine just by smell, so I think any kind of deer urine will get roughly the same degree of response.
  • Is a stand in a transition area between food and bedding a good choice right now?
    Pat from WI asks:
    Is hunting a transition area to a bedding area a smart choice for an early season buck or doe? We have does on camera and I'm just looking to harvest for meat in the freezer. Not looking for a trophy yet :).
    Winke Responds:
    Pat, I think those are a great choice. I would tend to hang near areas where oaks are dropping acorns too. Those are the "meat getter" locations right now - and also the places where you might stumble onto a nice buck. Good luck.
  • I saw a bachelor group of bucks coming out on a trail. With the season two days away, should I hang a stand on that trail?
    Bill from WI asks:
    Hi Bill, First of all i want to thank you for answering all my questions in the past, I need your opinion, I saw a bachelor group coming out to a field yesterday and i went in to investigate today and found the trail that i believe them to be using, it is 2 days till the opener, should i get aggressive and hang a stand on that trail, or use an existing stand in the same area and try to lure them in with calls, scent, ect. Thanks Bill
    Winke Responds:
    Bill, I guess, I would hang a stand on the trail. Your best chance is the first time in so go with the highest odds you and the best information avaiable to you. Hang a stand on that trail and shoot the biggest one. Good luck.
  • The season opens on Sept. 11; will the bucks still be on summer patterns? How hard should I hunt them early?
    Dean from NJ asks:
    Hi Bill! Love the shows! I am hunting a new area this year and the bow season starts on Sept. 11, do you think the bucks will still be on thier summer patterns at this time? Also, the area has some small blocks of woods, some strips of woods with a bunch of fields around, some just grass and some crops. Do you think it would be okay to hunt the deer early, on the edges and then move in during the rut, or since the cover is limited, should i just wait until the rut to get in there? This place is loaded up with deer and bucks, so i dont want to push them off. Thanks!
    Winke Responds:
    Dean, I think they will have broken up their bachelor groups and will be in that transition time between summer patterns and fall patterns. It can be a tough time to find them. I think you have the right approach. Hunt the edges early and then move in, as you suggest. I would hunt a few times at the start of the season and then hunt whenever you have a cold front that might get the deer up moving a bit earlier than normal. But save the best spots for the rut. As long as you are not pushing hard, they should still be moving naturally come November.
  • Will all the corn affect your early season hunting strategy?
    Casey from MN asks:
    Hey Bill, After reading your blog about the large amount of corn you have around you this year I was wondering if this will affect your early season hunting strategy at all? Where I hunt here in MN I have the same thing, corn fields where alfalfa or beans where last year. Some fields where alfalfa for many years. These where usually my early season spots along with oak ridges. What is your strategy for a year like this? Will it change much from a normal year? Keep up the great work!! Thanks, Casey
    Winke Responds:
    Casey, It will be tougher, no dout about it. The deer will be feeding on corn and less visible making it harder to pattern them. Plus, they will be more spread out within the corn, again making it harder. I am not sure just yet what I am going to do. I guess I will try to figure that out over the next couple of weeks. I'll share that with the viewers of the show. I will look for a few staging areas near corn, probably, and will likely have a tough time until at least some of it is picked. Hopefully the trail cameras will tell me something once I start getting them out.
  • How do you hunt early season bucks? Will calling work?
    Brandon from IN asks:
    In the early bow season when bucks are still in the bachelor groups, what is the best technique for baggin' one of these eairly bruisers? Are calls very effective around this time?
    Winke Responds:
    Brandon, The best strategy early is to find where the bucks are feeding and spend some time watching from a distance until you have them patterned coming into the food source. Often, your best results will come from a ground blind that has been in place for a few weeks. That way, regardless of which trail the buck takes to get to the food, he will eventually end up within range. Calling can work early. Light sparring with antlers will produce curiosity among the bucks. Grunting is not as attractive, but won't hurt at this time. Keep all calling casual, nothing too aggressive.
  • Do you think I am missing early season opportunities? Do gutting and dragging have an affect on other deer?
    Ray from MO asks:
    Bill, I think I may be missing out on opportunities for early season bucks. My strategy has been to shoot adult does in early season while I wait for the pre-rut to kick in. Is it possible that shooting 2-3 does out of my best stands somehow educates the bucks to my presence? Also, do you think the process of shooting a deer, gutting, and dragging it out of the woods disrupts normal deer activity? How long do you wait before going back to the same stand after a kill? I appreciate your advice so much!
    Winke Responds:
    Ray, I think if you do that early, right when the season opens and then leave your best spots alone again until the rut starts to fire up a little, you are fine. I would still try to be as careful in your hunting strategy as you would be when hunting bucks, but I would not hunt my best spots repeatedly before the best times. Rut stands are generally different from early season stands anyway, but I would definitely keep the pressure low in your best areas until you know the bucks are on their feet (late October - starting maybe the 25th). If you have a buck on an early season pattern, that is the only exception. Then go after him aggressively as long as he is still on the pattern as it won't last long. They become increasingly nocturnal and keep their movements increasingly in the cover as the season unfolds (again, until the rut when they are more vulnerable). Be aggressive when you know where they are, passive when you don't. Then be fairly aggressive again during the best days. That strategy will work and help you to better understand how to balance your pressure. I don't think gutting and dragging have a lasting impact on your hunting area. For sure I would try to sneak out and them come back with a vehicle to move the deer off before trailing and recovering - rather than crashing around and spooking stuff. They will move away from the vehicle clearing the way more naturally than would be possible on foot.