Deer Hunting Strategies

 

        Posted October 14, 2008

    Staff Report


                Sniper Hides


    While natural blinds are ideal for short-range hunting in the woods, the sniper hide works best when hunting open country and shots are long.

    The ideal set-up overlooks a field of clover or alfalfa, where deer come to feed in the evenings, or where bucks search for estrus does during the rut.

    A secure rest is critical to accuracy when taking long shots, so build a three-legged, L-shaped wooden shooting bench from scrap lumber -- 4 by 4s for the legs, 2 by 4 studs for the frame and 3/4-inch plywood for the top.

    I found that adding a plywood shelf to the front of the bench that’s about six inches below its top, is about the right height when a bipod is attached to the front sling swivel of your rifle. I put a small sandbag under the butt of the rifle’s stock, and can hold the rifle rock steady from the sitting position.

    I sight in my 7mm-08 shooting 120-grain bullets to hit about 1 1/2 inches high at 100 yards. With a load pushing 2,900 feet per second at the muzzle, I you can shoot out to about 175 yards holding the crosshairs dead on target.

    Barns, old farm buildings and sheds are a great place to build a sniper hide. Just crack the doors or windows enough so you can see and shoot. You want the sun at your back, and if possible, the wind in your face.

    Binoculars also come in handy when looking for deer entering the field.

    My son and I found the perfect spot for a sniper hide on our farm, an old sagging shed. We opened up a hole with a chainsaw and put our shooting bench and two old chairs inside. We can sit together in comfort, side by side, out of the wind, rain and snow, overlooking a clover field on end of a ridge where deer cross.

    Snipes hides are very effective and will give you easy shots at unsuspecting deer.

    As always when hunting with firearms, make sure you’re shooting in a safe direction, with no houses, buildings or highways in you line of fire.

Posted October 15, 2008

Staff Report

                       Natural Blinds


One of the most successful big game hunting strategies of all time is the ambush.

Lay in wait near a game trail, downwind of a bedding area, water hole, or food source, and shoot from a hidden position. Hunters have taken game this way for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

        Pioneer hunters with flintlock longrifles in early Kentucky ambushed white-tailed deer, elk and buffalo at salt licks, in forest openings, and along the edges of grassy savannahs.

        While early hunters no doubt climbed trees when scouting, and hunted from rocky outcrops, ledges or hilltops, shooting down into valleys and creekbottoms, they didn't hunt from trees like many deer hunters do today.

        If you want to stay close to the roots of hunting, ambushing game from the ground is one the most traditional approaches. Many deer hunters today overlook natural blinds, and sniper hides, both of which are good places to wait out game when hunting with firearms.

        The natural blind I'm referring to isn't a hastily taken seat in the woods, but a semi-permanent shooting position, constructed mostly from natural materials available in the forest. But remember, get the landowner's permission before you build anything or cut any trees limbs.

A good natural blind should be naturally camouflaged with leafy branches, with a stout limb at the proper height to ensure a steady rest for your rifle. Be sure to wear orange clothing as required when hunting with firearms, but the leafy branches will keep you hidden if you stay still as deer approach. When I hunt from the ground I always wear a face mask.

        A folding saw, hatchet, length of rope, piece of discarded fence wire, and some wire cutters is all it takes to construct a ground blind. Build the frame for the blind from limbs or saplings, tied with pieces of rope, to a cluster of trees. Then drape the fence wire over the frame, and insert leafy branches. Cut a hole, to see and shoot through.

        Make your three-sided blind large and spacious, with enough room for one hunter to recline, while the other keeps watch, ready to shoot. In a comfortable ground blind it's no problem to hunt all day, which is always a good idea during the rut when bucks often move during the midday hours.

        Take along an old blanket to put on the forest floor so you can shift position or move around without rustling the leaves. For utmost comfort, make sure you have a tree as a backrest while sitting in the blind.

        There must be a clear, unobstructed view of the trail or woods opening where you expect to see game. Trim a few small limbs to increase your view, but make sure to remove these cutting from your hunting area.

        Ground blinds are ideal when hunting with a muzzleloader, or taking a youngster hunting. Position your ground blind so that shots are about 75 yards. At that distance you'll be able to avoid detection from approaching deer.

Most importantly, position the blind so the sun is at your back in the morning, and the prevailing wind is in your face, so deer won't see you as easily, or catch your scent. You'll find an ideal location for a natural blind somewhere in your hunting area, if you're willing to scout, and pay attention to details.

              Updated September 16, 2009

Staff Report


Here’s some early season deer hunting strategies ideal for archers:


* Find oak trees laden with acorns, and you’ll find deer.

The mast crop this fall is described as “spotty,” with below average crops of white oak acorns, and poor crops of hickory nuts and beech nuts. Red oaks are loaded with acorns.

With a little leg work, hunters should be able to find oak trees dropping mast – a magnet for deer.

Climbing treestands are ideal for this hunting strategy because hunters can get in and get out quietly, and it’s easy to move with the deer, as they find new nut-bearing trees.


* Even as the acorns begin to drop, deer spend some of their time feeding in clover and alfalfa fields.  Sprouting wheat also draws deer.

        Evenings are the best time to hunt.

        Hunting on the edges of these forage fields for several days surrounding the last and first quarter moon of the month may be the best opportunity during the early season to harvest an antlerless deer.

Locate your stand on the down wind side of the field, where your approach is hidden by a fenceline, woodlot or creek. If you face to the north/northeast, the setting sun will be over your left shoulder.


  1. *Antlered bucks use these fields too, but they don’t enter them until dark. A good tactic on pre-rut bucks is to search heavy cover adjacent to forage fields, looking for buck sign – large tracks, beds or concentrations of antler rubs. This is where a buck stages before entering the field to feed. Early in the afternoon, approach from down wind and get set up for the late afternoon hunt, using a climbing tree stand or pop-up ground blind. This might be your best chance at a mature buck early in the season.

   John’s 2008 buck.

                                                                        Photo by Art Lander Jr.