Entry And Exit Strategies
Posted By
Bill Winke
at
7/13/2010 12:00:00 AM
Reading the sign and interpreting travel patterns are important skills, but they aren’t the real chess match. When I hear complicated stand placement strategies, I’m instantly skeptical. End-under flare, inverted wishbone T-bone sirloin Z-hooks are fine for the Vikings, but they don’t fit into my deer hunting strategy. I’ve learned that the more complicated the plan, the less likely it is to work. When it comes to stand placement – simple strategies are always better. Find a stand that plays the odds and put in your time.
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Many hunters only concentrate on the wind direction in relation to their stand |
A perfect example is a stand my friend, Rod Ponton, used a few seasons back to take a big, 165 inch 10 pointer. The day after Rod shot the deer, he offered the stand to me. We could literally see it from the gravel county road as it hung in a thin strip of cover along the edge of a CRP field. But,it still took 20 minutes for Rod to explain exactly how to get to it – crawling along a hog yard, into a tributary erosion ditch, to the creek and then the fun really started.
The pre-dawn trip that next morning was like a mini-adventure from an Indiana Jones movie. Hanging under the lip of the steep undercut creek bank, I had to edge my way along, flashlight in my mouth, bow hung over my back, hand-over-hand from one tree root to the next until I was in position to climb up to the tree and then to the stand.
I’d like to say I shot a giant buck from it too, but the wind only held for one day and I had to hunt elsewhere until my trip ended. Rod’s buck was proof that focusing on a clean entry is priority number one. Rod is one of the bowhunters that truly gets it: it’s not where you locate your stand that makes it great, but rather, the fact that you can get to it without alerting deer.
Most hunters never realize how many deer see them, smell them or hear them as they go to their stands. And then there's the ground scent that continues to alert deer long after the hunter leaves the woods. When deer find evidence of human activity they start looking for other places to live, or at the least, they become more cautious in that area. Either way, the easy pickings are over; you're looking at some tough hunting. Think about it. You'd take it seriously too if you found a stranger walking through your living room.
This season, remember that regardless of how much sign it overlooks, a stand is not a great stand (or even a good stand) if you can't get to it and from it without being detected.
WINNING THE CHESS MATCH
Unless you have a particular buck patterned, one travel funnel is basically as good as the next. The real chess match is not finding the best sign and the tightest funnels, but rather finding stands that you can get to and from without alerting deer. That is one of the most important, and most overlooked parts of successful whitetail hunting, especially in small cover areas such as you commonly encounter in classic whitetail cover in the Midwest.
Think about it this way: you spook a doe on the way to your stand. She runs off 100 yards and stands and snorts for five minutes. Every deer within 300 to 400 yards knows that something happened. The deer become more cautious as a result, and the old wise ones are likely to hang back just a bit longer until they know the coast is clear. Some, mostly does, will eventually investigate to see what all the fuss was about; that is when they run into ground scent that signals even more evidence of danger.
Again, it might be easier to understand if I put this in human terms. Let’s say you are sitting in your car in a parking lot getting ready to go into the 7 Eleven for a Snickers Ice Cream Bar. Just as you are opening the door to get out, someone comes running out of the store screaming “Danger! Danger! Look out!” You wouldn’t rush right into the gas station. You would stay back and watch for a long time until you knew things were fine or you would simply drive off in a different direction – get your ice cream at Kwik Star. Do you think deer are so dumb that they don’t recognize warning signals from other deer? They are more tuned in to survival than we are. They recognize warning signals we may not even realize exist.
I've sat in several dead stands through the years, wondering why I wasn't seeing deer. The answer often showed up an hour after sunrise when a lone doe came sneaking toward me in super-slow motion, head on a swivel, to check things out. She'd obviously been somewhere nearby when I approached and wasn't going to leave the area until she knew what I was up to. It is amazing how patient a mature doe can be when she's trying to sort out danger. Unfortunately, every deer that comes into the area will see her tense and focused body language and slink off without me ever seeing them.
Do everything you can to get in clean. Take advantage of terrain and cover to keep out of sight as much as possible. Even in the dark, deer can see a sky-lined hunter, so keep to low ground. Look for ravines, deep ditches, folds in the terrain, draws and fence lines to keep you out of sight.
I've started relying heavily on creeks to gain access to my hunting areas in recent years. I'll go well out of my way to find stands near creeks that are shallow enough to be waded not only because they tend to be good travel routes, but also because they
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Creeks and ditches make for perfect access routes to get to your stand |
CREEKS AND DITCHES ARE THE KEY
A few seasons back I took three nice whitetail bucks from various parts of the Midwest. In each case, I used a creek to reach my stand. With the first and third bucks, my stands actually overlooked creek crossings that deer funneled through. The second buck came as the direct result of keeping out of sight when entering my stand by wading down the creek into position. That buck was walking the creek bank when he came past for an easy shot.
To say creeks have something to offer a deer hunter is to say that Milo Hansen shot a nice buck. Everything you need for successful stand hunting in the Midwest can be found along a creek or erosion ditch. They are one big key to success.
Undetected access: You may never see all the deer that pick you off, and after they see, hear or smell you approaching your stand, you never will. Creeks and ditches offer the best access in the woods. Stands along these natural barriers are what I call "no-brainers" because of the simple, clean strategy involved in hunting them.
Ideally, the creek flowing through your hunting area is fairly shallow, a run-off ditch that handles limited water past August. And, by fall even most year-around streams are running low and clear. You can walk right down the bottom of the creek or ditch (or at least at the waterline) to the base of the tree that supports your stand. Being below the surrounding forest floor has its advantages. Deer won't be able to hear or see you unless they're right on the bank above. And, by walking in the water you don't leave any ground scent that would put deer on red-alert after you leave the woods.
Travel funnels: Being efficient, deer typically take the path of least resistance when they travel. Unless pushed, they'll avoid terrain features that make them work any harder than necessary. They don't like to swim when they can walk across a stream or river and they don't like to climb up and down steep banks if a short detour will bring them to more gradual easements. Shallow water creek crossings and gradual ditch banks are natural deer funnels, some of the very best. Deer also form trail systems that run right along the banks of a creek or ditch, bringing a second travel route into range of your stand.
DON’T FORGET EXIT ROUTES
I’ve been focusing almost entirely on entry routes, but if you intend to hunt your stand more than once, your exit route is just as important. If you spook deer as you leave your stand it will affect your odds next time you hunt it. In some cases, your exit route will have to be different from your entry route. Keep in mind where the deer will likely be at the time you walk out and go well out of your way to avoid these areas. Again, focusing on terrain features such as creeks and ditches will help you keep a low profile.
Remember deer hunting's cardinal rule: you'll never take a deer that knows it's being hunted. The only way you'll keep your actions a secret is to give every step you take in the woods careful thought. That is the real chess match in deer hunting.
OFFBEAT TRICKS FOR GETTING IN AND OUT
It takes genuine creative thinking to come up with the best access strategies for your stands. That's one of the most enjoyable aspects of preparing for the coming season: the chess match of getting in and out. Here are a couple of tricks that should get you thinking about the places you hunt.
Wait until first light to access certain morning stands: One year back in the mid-90s we had a very dry fall and I learned that waiting until I could see the ground was a viable morning entry strategy. It eliminated the need for a flashlight, and I was able to move much faster. Deer are more sensitive to the sneaking crunch, pause, crunch than they are to a more rapid cadence. The ability to see the ground also permits you to miss those branches that will snap loudly. Break up your footfalls to sound more like a four-legged animal.
A surprising number of hunters believe deer can't see them in the dark as they cross an open field to get to their morning stands. And others feel deer don't react to human encounters during the dark. Well, I've got some bad news. Not only can they see us, hear us and smell us under most nighttime conditions, but they don't quickly forgive these intrusions. When you are forced to cross an open field (as opposed to coming in from the backside) where deer might be feeding in the morning, wait until first light so
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If you want to hunt a stand more than once, it is important to get out |
Arrange a diversion: When you're hunting along the edge of a feeding area, it can be nearly impossible to get back to your vehicle in the evening without spooking deer. If they see you climb down out of a tree stand, or hear you crunching around in the timber nearby they'll be very reluctant to use the area again. If you're hunting an open field, either keep your stand well back from the edge where you can slip out down a ditch or similar feature or arrange for someone to drive up to the stand at the end of legal shooting time and move the deer off naturally.
Run to your stand: With crunching, ankle-deep leaves everywhere, my friend knew he couldn't sneak in to his afternoon stand located just below a bedding ridge. So, he decided to make the crunching leaves work for him instead of against him.
The solution was true genius. My friend took a solid grip on his bow and crashed through the woods at a dead run - right to the base of the tree. He tried to sound as much like a buck chasing a doe as he possibly could: cracking limbs and generally making a real racket. After climbing quickly to his stand, my friend was settled for less than a minute when a giant, long-tined eight-pointer came off the ridge to investigate. The shot was only 8 yards as the buck freshened a scrape right under the tree!
