(P) Scouting for 2011

Sorry that I haven't posted anything on the blog for a few months. It has been a cold winter with a lot of snow. It has been hard to get motivated to work outside with the conditions that we have experienced. However, I did purchase almost all of my new gear for the upcoming fall. I switched my arrows back to the Easton Axis Nano's. They are very tough, accurate and the least affected by our consistent Kansas winds. I also purchased another Scent Blocker suit and a new pair of snake boots. I can't wait for turkey season.

Well, my cousin Steve left today after spending 5 days helping me scout our properties and hanging stand sets for next fall. We found a few sheds as we worked but no huge ones. My Dad found one side of the younger Crab Claw 10 which survived last year. Steve found a dead buck that was very respectable (mid 160's) that looked as if he was hit by a car sometime last winter. We were able to scout and hang stands on 1560 acres. This was a great accomplishment because we picked up a couple of new farms this year that we have never seen before. We only have 2 farms left to hang stands on. AWESOME! Thanks for the help Steve.

(P) Food plots are growing- hanging 1 more stand

I was down at the farm today so we could finish up some brush hoggin'. However, one of the blades broke on the brush hog which required some welding repairs by Dad. While I was at the farm I hung another stand. Your probably thinking, do you really need a 19th stand on one farm?

No, that is probably too many stands for 300 acres but I want to be ready for anything this season. I want to be able to ambush the deer from anywhere. I previously hung a stand in this general location a couple of years ago during December but I didn't see much activity on the two sits. However, Dad thought we should make sure that we didn't need to hunt the area. So, I had placed a trail camera on an old logging road a couple of weeks ago. To my surprise we found that deer were really using the area. With 130 deer pictures on the camera in only a week (sorry no big bucks), I decided to scout the area more thoroughly, finding a couple of hidden deer trails. So today, I threw up another stand in the area to hunt this fall. It will be perfect for a west wind and is only 100 yards away from one of our food plots.

That reminds me of the whole point of this post. I checked our recently planted food plots today (planted 11 days ago) and found them coming up nicely. We received the rain we needed approximately 4 days after planting. I can't wait until the end of the month to see their progress.

(A) 14 Step Season Prep: Step 10- Hanging Stands

I finally have all of our tree stands up and trimmed in for this fall. There are a few more stands that I will have to hang in late summer, for various reasons, but everything else is up and ready. You may be asking yourself why I have my stands up already. Let me explain why I do this and talk about stand placement.

Hanging Stands- I usually hang or move approximately 25 stands every year. Over the last five years I found it frustrating to try and hang all of these stands in late summer. August can be very hot and humid in Kansas. The woods are full of vegetation, ticks, bugs, snakes, and poison oak (a growing nemesis for me). It took a lot of time to hang and trim in the stands, so by the time I finished them, I wouldn't have much time to hunt the early season. Three years ago I started hanging my bedding area stands in the spring to avoid tipping off the deer in the fall. This worked really well for me and I loved having the stands already hung and brushed in, come deer season.

Over the last two years I have carried this idea over into all of my stands. Every spring I hang my stands and brush them in. You don't have to worry about scent, bumping deer, running chain saws, or fighting thick vegetation. The stands that I don't hang are in areas that I think they can be stolen. However, I still hang and brush in the stand. I just pull the stand down when I am finished. I also pull down stands that don't have removable straps. I don't want the straps to weather or stretch out as the tree grows. All the other hang on stands and ladder stands are left in place using tie wire.

I use a simple process that I should have thought about a long time ago. Once I have a stand hung in place, I take tie wire and triple it (you can also use a heavy gauge single strand). I use the tie wire to secure the stand in place on the tree. Then I remove all of the straps that secure the stand. I leave the cable and lock on the tree stand for an added safety measure. As I remove the straps, pull up rope, etc.- I place all of these items in a gallon size zip lock storage bag and label it with the stand number. If the stand has ladder climbing sticks, I will remove the sticks and hide them under a nearby log. I place the straps for the ladder sticks in the same zip lock bag. As I leave the tree stand location I will mark my access trail with reflective trail markers. Once deer season arrives and I hunt the stand for the first time, I will head out to the stand a half hour early with the zip lock bag and secure all the straps for the remaining season. The stand is already hung and trimmed in. Sounds easy, huh? Well, it is with a little planning and organization in the spring.

Be careful hanging ladder stands. When I am hanging a ladder stand I secure one end of my hoist rope to the seat of the ladder. I will then lean it up against the tree (this can be very difficult for one person). Make sure to step on he lowest rung of the ladder to set it in the ground. I will have my assistant hold the other end of the rope tight to keep the ladder secure against the tree as I climb. As they hold it against the tree I will secure it with the provided ratchet strap.

Here is a basic list of the tools that I use when hanging tree stands:
Pole saw, chain saw, hand saw, pull up rope, safety harness, fanny pack, back pack, zip lock bags, permanent marker, reflective trail markers, orange flagging, screw in steps, wind checker, compass, toilet paper, etc.

Stand types- I use four basic styles of tree stands. They are ladders, hang-ons, climbers, and the Lone Wolf Alpha (separate category for this one). For permanent use I utilize ladder stands and large hang-on stands. I especially like the ladder stands for areas that my Dad hunts. They are comfortable, easy to get in and out of, and safer. Occasionally I will also use a climbing tree stand to access a new hunting area.

The fourth style of stand that I love to use is the Lone Wolf Alpha hang-on. This stand is super light and easy to hang. It is extremely portable and adjustable too. I like to use these stands in areas that I only plan to hunt once or twice a year. They are also good for areas where a permanent stand may be stolen. If you can't afford a lot of stands then buy just one of these stands. Here is what you can do. Pick as many stand locations as you like. Hang this stand and trim in your shooting lanes. I like to use screw in steps on these stand set ups because you can leave them in the tree. I will then pull down the stand. Now you have multiple set ups to hunt based on deer travel, wind direction, etc. Just throw this stand up in the tree that you want to hunt. The tree is already prepared for you. I absolutely love this set up!

You can also easily use the Lone Wolf to hang above an existing stand to film a buddy's deer hunt. You should have at least one of these stands in your arsenal. They give you the ability to really move around, keep the deer guessing, and cover your hunting area. I also use this stand with the Lone Wolf ladder sticks in the place of a climbing tree stand. They all weigh about the same but with the ladder sticks I don't have to find a tree without low hanging limbs. Keep in mind that deer movement changes through out the phases of the rut. This stand can help you do the same.

You should already know this but I want to remind you to purchase a quality tree stand cable lock for your stands. I prefer the bicycle lock over the traditional padlock style. They can easily cut the padlock with bolt cutters but the bicycle style is much more difficult to get through. I engrave a number on all of my keys and the locks to keep them straight.

Stand locations- First, lets discuss how high you should hang your stand. You can only hunt at your best if you are comfortable with your set up and feel safe. This means staying within your comfort level. Maybe that is 10 feet or it could be 30 feet. You will have to decide for yourself. However, you must utilize a quality fall restraint device to keep you safe. You owe this to yourself and your family! No excuses!

If you shoot a recurve bow, I would suggest that you stay under 18'. However, if you shoot a compound bow you can go higher. My ladder stands range from 17-21'. My hang on stands are usually between 20-25'. I like to be high in the trees for a couple of reasons. I want the deer to have to look up high to see my silhouette. I want to stay out of their natural field of view. I also like to be high to stay in the upper wind thermals. They higher you are the harder it is for them to smell you. However, the higher you are, the steeper your shot angle, especially on close shots. Go up as high as your comfortable in the tree. I know many successful hunters that harvest deer in stands that are under 15'. In fact, one of the biggest deer I have ever seen, walked under my stand at 12' and never knew I was there. If I have my choice though, I will be sitting in the tree around 22'.

Stand placement- I like to hang stands around feeding areas, transition areas, and on the edge of bedding areas to cover all phases of the rut. I also like to have two different set ups based on wind direction. My pro dominant wind direction is out of the south. However, the November cold fronts come out of the north, so my stands are set up accordingly.

When I hang a stand I usually have someone with me. Before I trim in the shooting lanes I climb up in the tree and ask my assistant to walk the deer trails for me. This helps me to decide if the the stand is in the right location and where I should start trimming in my best shooting lanes. I want to be able to shoot the deer trails in all directions. Sometimes bucks will walk 10 yards downwind of heavily used deer trails, so make sure it is clear to shoot a little past the trail.

Don't forget to take a hard look at how you can slip in and out of your stand without bumping deer. Use vegetation, topography, creek bottoms, wind direction, etc. to help hide your approach. You can hunt a stand numerous times if the deer don't know when you are using it.

I hope this information helps you. I am still learning, so if you have something that works well for you that I didn't mention, please let us know. Go hang some stands. It's not too late.

(A) 14 Step Season Prep: Step 4- Post Season Scouting and Shed Hunting

Okay, so we have pulled down our stands or moved them to better locations. You have already initiated the scouting process. By using the knowledge that you learned last year, while sitting in last seasons stand locations, we have learned something more about deer movement. In Step #3 you should have scouted around your old tree stand locations to move the stand to a better tree or pulled the stand from an unproductive area. Now comes the time for exploration. I really enjoy scouting and shed hunting because they can tell me what I have been missing the previous season. So let's talk about both of these subjects and how they relate to each other.

1. Time to stir up the woods: Do you know where all of the bedding areas are on your property? Do you know where the trails are located that lead from bed to feed? Where are the transition areas that deer use to travel from bed to feed? Where are the buck staging areas located that deer use waiting to enter your food sources? Don't feel disappointed if you don't know the answer to all of these questions. However, you will be more successful and confident if you spend the time to research the answers. Now is the perfect time because there is no vegetation in the woods, the days are a little warmer, football season is over, and the NCAA basketball tournament is a few weeks away. Get outside and start walking, but don't just look for obvious deer trails. Let's discuss some of the things I try look for.

2. Feeding areas: This is always an easy place to start. Walk just inside the field edges and look for trails coming into the fields. Usually this will be on the inside corner of the field but walk the whole perimeter. Try to think like a deer and how they will access the field, feel the most comfortable eating out in the open, and where the best shadows will likely occur (deer feel safer eating in the shadows before dark). Tree stands in this area should be used primarily for early and late season when deer concentrate on food sources. However, you can also place observatory stands a safe distance to food sources so you don't tip deer off. There should be bedding areas in close proximity to the food source that deer will use once the vegetation returns. As you start working back into the woods, searching for bedding areas and transition areas, pay attention for other potential food sources. For example, if you find white oak trees clumped together on a ridge top, you have found an alternative feeding area.

3. Bedding areas: Where are the does and bucks likely to bed during the early season? As previously stated, they will not usually bed together but will both be in close proximity to the feeding areas. Concentrate on thick cover within a couple hundred yards of the the food sources. When it is hot in early season (September), deer usually don't travel far unless they are pressured. Mature bucks like to use ravines and creek bottoms because they generally stay cooler this time of year. Once you have located these areas, it is time to focus on the bedding areas that deer will use during the rut. I like to concentrate on thick bedding areas located further away from the food sources. I do this because once the vegetation is minimized, deer usually travel further to reach better bedding areas for security cover. These will be the bedding areas that does use once the leaves drop in the woods. Does also like these areas to hide from the constant buck harassment they encounter during the rut. A mature buck will be checking downwind of these bedding areas often. However, if you have something like a cedar thicket close to a food source, with very minimal pressure, you may have a great all season bedding area!

4. Transition areas: These are the areas that can be spectacular hunting areas because deer use them constantly. You can also usually slip in or out of these areas easily to access stand locations. This is where I like to concentrate my search while looking for heavily used trails. Once I have determined my regular food sources and bedding areas, I simply find the best intersection of trails that bring them together. I like to hunt transition areas most of the time for a couple of reasons. Transition areas keep you safely away from bumping deer in their bedding areas and don't alert deer to hunting pressure once they are out in the fields feeding. Yet, they still need the transition areas to get from point A to point B. Give these areas a try this season.

5. Staging areas: These areas are usually located 50-100 yards from the feeding areas. Mature bucks will usually use these areas waiting for the sun to go down before entering the fields. If the deer herd is pressured, all of them may browse in staging areas until night fall. Staging areas are excellent places for afternoon hunts, especially during early season. In fact, I feel more confident hunting mature bucks in staging areas instead of sitting over food plots. However, I have not experienced great success hunting staging areas in the mornings. If you have, I would like to hear about your experiences.

6. Shed Hunting: As you scout to learn your hunting property keep your eyes open for deer sheds. You never know where you will find them. I have found sheds in fields, CRP grass, bedding thickets and next to out buildings. Sheds can tell you what deer made it through the winter or what deer you have living on your property that your trail cameras missed. Although shed hunting is fun for me, I prefer to concentrate my time in the woods on learning how the deer live there. If I happen to stumble across a shed, that is just an added bonus. However, there are occasions that I strictly concentrate on shed hunting. My family loves to be outdoors. So, I can use this opportunity in the spring to take my family out in the woods and search for sheds. The kids love it, they get very excited and have a sense of accomplishment when they find a shed antler. To be honest, if things are slow shed hunting, sometimes I place previously found sheds ahead of my kids to make the trip more successful for them. When you have completed your shed hunts, try to match up the sheds and see if the same deer is living on your farm from last year. I know of two farmers that live a mile away from each other. They each found one side of shed antlers. A couple of years later, they were talking about the sheds they had each found (obviously belonging to the same deer). When they put each side together, they had the sheds scored, finding the deer would have scored well over 200". I saw these sheds personally and it is hard to describe the size of this rack. I wish I would have taken a picture of them.

7. Additional things to look for: If your hunting property has hills or varied terrain, you can use that to your advantage. Look for benches on the sides of ridges or saddles going over a ridge. The points of ridges are also excellent ambush locations. Also look for points extending out into fields. Regardless of terrain, you should also scout creek crossings, funnels, pinch points, tree lines, water sources and edges where the vegetation density makes a change. To learn more about topography, read Brad Herndon's book "Mapping Trophy Bucks".

So, get out in the woods by yourself for some scouting and with your family for some shed hunting. The deer have dropped their antlers and you can see a long ways in the woods. Scout and learn various aspects of your property. If you have a big farm or numerous farms, take notes after scouting so you don't forget any important details. Think about how you can make access to or from various tree stand locations when hunting bedding, transition, staging or feeding areas. Get on the inter-net and print off arial photographs of your hunting property. This will help to keep you oriented and clarify things on the property as you scout. Good luck and have fun!

(A) 14 Step Season Prep: Step 3- Pulling Stands

I know that pulling tree stands after the deer season doesn't seem like a subject that will improve your deer hunting, but trust me on this one. For years I have asked people if they pull their stands every season or if they leave them in place all year. If they left them in the tree, I asked them for how long. One year, three years, how long is too long? All of the answers that I received were different and no one seemed to have a good answer. So, I contacted a few tree stand manufacturers and their suggestion was to leave a stand in a tree no longer than two weeks. A very safe answer but not necessarily a realistic answer. I know that certain trees can grow significantly in diameter over the time frame of one year. This can place a lot of stress on the tree stand straps. Weather and the sun can also deteriorate the condition of tree stand straps. So let me share with you what I do and let me know if you have better information.

Like you, I have various styles of stands. I like to use tie wire or old ratchet straps to hold my ladder stands and hang on stands in place. I only do this if I am going to keep the stand in the same tree for next year and I am not concerned about the stand being stolen (private property). I also must have a stand that allows me to temporarily remove the straps that are made for the particular stand (I replace the original straps in late summer). Otherwise, I pull the stand and hang it again in late summer. The only stands that I hang in the spring, regardless of circumstances, are the ones in or on the edge of bedding areas. I hang these stands in April or May and leave them alone until November. I still lock these stands down with a cable and lock.

I usually hang approximately 25 stands each season. So it can be a lot of work pulling them all down and keeping track of equipment. I don't like hanging stands at the last minute or in the hot summer sun so I try to do as much ahead of time as I can. The two things that take the most time while hanging stands are finding the right tree and trimming in shooting lanes. These two things jobs can leave a lot of scent in the area, spooking deer. So, I try to do these two things in the spring for my stand locations (we will discuss this in further detail in Step #9). This time of year the woods are very open and you can really gain an understanding of the topography of your hunting area. Deer seem to change their patterns slightly every year but usually the bedding areas and feeding areas stay the same.

This time of year I like to analyze how a stand worked for me prior to pulling it down. Was the wind right for the stand? Did I see good deer movement or shoot a deer from the stand? Was the stand right for the phase of the rut that it was intended for? Would I hunt it again in this particular spot or do I need to make a change? Was it trimmed in appropriately for good shooting? Did the sun blind me in the morning or evening? Did I usually bump deer trying to access the stand? Did I have enough back cover once the leaves dropped or did I sit out like a sore thumb? What trails were the deer using? Can I shoot those deer trails from this tree? Do I need to move the stand 20 yards or maybe 70 yards? All of these are the questions you should be asking yourself to save time next season.

Once I determine the effectiveness of a tree stand location, I make modifications prior to pulling the stand. If I like the stand location then I improve my shooting by trimming it in again. If I must remove the stand for reasons listed above, I will then pull the stand and mark the base of the tree with a small circle of white paint. This helps me find the tree in the late spring or summer when the vegetation has returned to the woods. If I need to make a minor move with the stand (within visual distance of the current stand location) then I will climb up in the stand and point out the exact location that I want the new stand location to a buddy. Once I have the person in position for the new stand location, I will climb down from the stand and walk over to the new location. I make sure there is a tree to accommodate the move. Then I will pull the stand from the old tree after identifying the new tree stand location.

Now let's talk about safety. Make sure that you are always wearing your safety harness when your working on your tree stands. I fell 18 feet off of a ladder once and I have paid dearly for it. I use a large diameter rope to hoist my hang-on stands up and down the tree. I also always have my cellphone on me in the event that if I were to fall, I can make a phone call for help. However, I strongly encourage you to take someone with you when you are working on your stands. They can help you carry equipment, cut shooting lanes, point out deer trails, etc. It is also a good idea for someone, other than you, to know where your stand locations are in the event that an accident happened while you were hunting.

Let me take this opportunity to give you one last tip. Create a stand inventory system for equipment. I like to number my stands and assign them to certain farms. If the stand requires ladder sticks, I give them a number assigning them to a particular stand. I keep all straps in a gallon size Zip lock bag. Inside the bag I also include a pull up rope, cable/lock, and hook for the pull up rope. I like to hang my back pack from this hook once I am hunting in the tree. Then I number the Zip lock bag to correlate with the tree stand that it belongs to. This may seem like a lot of work but it is much easier to manage this at home rather than out in the woods.

So get out there and start pulling or moving your stands. The longer you wait the warmer it is going to get and the closer it is to turkey season. As I previously stated, the spring would be the busiest time of year for us. You will soon see that we have 6 more steps to accomplish before summer!