Just don't give up.

Halloween has found us
here and the deer movement is really starting to pick up. The 31st October is just one of those days you would do good for yourself by being in a tree preferably over a massive scrape line or transition area.
3pm comes for me which finds me climbing up to my perch high in a burning maple overlooking the corner of an unpicked cornfield. The wind is good and the weather is promising. Everything seems perfect, and 2 hours it is. And then, all of the sudden at 5pm I here VROOM VROOM and to my shock and surprise the neighbor has managed to get his car all the way to the farthest corner of his property which is 70 yards through the brush from my spot. He parks, gets out, slams the door, and proceeds to walk right through the bedding area.
Now most of you know exactly how I would have felt at that very moment. And no, all of the thoughts, thought wouldn't be appropriate for all listeners but, you get the point. At this point of the year it's time to start being pretty serious about putting time in and heightening your chances at putting your tag on an antler of a rutted up Poper and something like this completely ruins your evening. It is frustrating and hey, it's alright to get frustrated every once in a while. But tomorrow is November the 1st and I've got one mighty fine spot that hasn't been hunted this year with a big buck in area. So until morning comes, I'm slipping out of here and heading out to get a good bite to eat and a full night of sleep. Morning will find me looking over one heck of a scrape line.

Things change and so Does Deer Movement

    Let me set the scene: A few years ago or maybe more than that even, you find a honey hole of a spot. It's not just a good stand location, it's amazing. For years it produces without fail until one year you notice it's started to change. The deer don't move through as much and are unpredictable. At this point it's still a good stand until, gradually it gets worse and worse until there is no movement, no sign, no rubs, no scrapes, no anything. And there you are left wondering what happened to your favorite killing tree. A huge number of factors could be playing into the profound absence of game. For one thing food sources change. That can be a factor. If you hunt agricultural areas which would most of the midwest, it's no secret that most farmers rotate crops. Soybeans one year, corn another, wheat the next, and maybe alfalfa for a couple years. Some deer in different areas prefer different things. Mine prefer corn. Yours may not. But that's an obvious factor.
     Water or more like the lack thereof can cause 2 problems: 1. Obviously deer need water so if there isn't any available they will relocate. (Again an obvious reason). 2. When water gets low maybe a whole deer herd amongst other creatures may be drinking from the same tiny watering hole. This can cause the spread of a devastating disease called Blue Tongue or Catarral Fever which most of you know about. A virus which is first started by midges and spreads through drinking water. (luckily biologists say it can't affect humans) This can wipe out huge numbers of deer and sometimes an outbreak won't be as obvious as you think.
   It's your favorite tree so you have hunted it a lot right? Maybe even sometimes when the wind
hasn't been the best. And usually, if you hunt a spot long enough and enough deer pass by the enevitable will happen. You will probably be seen, smelled, picked out, or heard by any number of deer maybe more than once. Get busted by the Matriarch doe or get busted enough times by the deer period they will start to know what to expect. At first they might continue to use the trail and just be more cautious but get busted again and they will probably stop using the trail completely. I have a stand where deer never looked up until one day the wind swirled and a mature doe (probably the Matriarch) smelled me and saw me at the same time. Every deer from that time forward looked me right in the eye when they got to that spot in the trail. I got busted 2 more times from that trail and they stopped using it completely. Call me crazy, but it's true, deer comunicate.
    So what's my advice? As hard as it is to do, leave it completely alone for at least one or two full seasons. Also, try to remember closely the conditions on which the deer movement was paramount and strike when those conditions align down the road. Hopefully, in a couple of years your old spot will be as good as the first season you hung it. Just don't give up! -Lake

Big Bucks on a Time Crunch

We've all been there. Only an hour or two to hunt. Whether it's before work, after school or on

your lunch break, there is still hope to get a big buck on the ground this fall! Don't ever tell

yourself that if you can't hunt all day, or what some people call "prime time" (early morning

late evening) that it's not worth it. Because it is worth it! So let's take a look at what you can

do to improve your hunting odds when the Bossman isn't so understanding. Know your deer

year round. This is vital! Know where they are bedding, traveling and feeding. Trail cameras

are a must. At least two or more will be required to get you where you can watch multiple

properties or areas of one property at one time. Right now you're probably thinking 'two or

more?! Way too expensive!' and they can be very pricey. But don't be afraid of the entry level

models. In my opinion there are alot of great cameras out there for a little under $150.

Most feature at least 5 mega-pixel pictures and infrared too. Also, keep a running journal of

deer activity, moon phases, weather, and barometer pressure.          

Plant your food plots. This is a great way to almost guarantee deer movent to your stand

location. I would also recomend turnips and rye grass. Where the does are the bucks will

follow. I understand that a food plot can be very time consuming and hard on the wallet. So, I

would recomend a seed that doesn't require machinery to plant. Glass the fields in late

summer. I always carry a good pair of binocs in my truck. If you're on your way home you can

swing by your hunting property right before dark and glass the soybean fields while they are

still green. You get a real good idea after a couple of weeks doing this of what bucks you have

around. When the time comes to put up your tree stands, remember it's all about location.

Easy in easy out is what you want! Fencerows are a prime spot for this type of hunting. You

don't want to have to walk over 5 to 10 minutes to get to your spot. I will take a good stand

with great accessibility over a great stand with good accessibility any day. Have as many

stands out as you can, so you can hunt the wind. Also, it's a great idea to rake away a trail of

dead leaves so you can be as stealth as possible. Remember, because you can only hunt a

small amount of time you don't want to disturb the woods anymore then you absolutly have

to. But sometimes when you're in a hurry it's a wise idea to put on your turkey vest and hunt

from the ground. Cut cornfields and fencerows are your friends! More big deer have been

killed this way than you would believe. When hunting from the ground, always carry a pair of

snips so you can make a small blind and trim shooting lanes. Carry a storage tote in your truck

with all the essentials that you need to hunt. This cuts down greatly on load up time.

Remember, it doesn't have to take all day to kill a mature buck. The people that can hunt all

day do have the advantage, but that doesn't mean you can't connect with a bruiser this fall.

It's a well known fact that some of the mature bucks that live in high pressure areas and like to

move during the day. (especially during the rut.)  So, don't get down in the 9-5 slump! Get out there and hunt when you

can. Keep it simple and precise and you have a good chance of putting your tag on a mature

buck this year. -Lake

Rainy mornings and upcoming articles

Well, the weather is starting to shift as was forecasted and the moon is waning and for that the buck hunters are grateful. Looks like we should see a change of winds from SSE to SW within the next 24 hours. Getting closer to November everyday!
I've been putting some thought into some new articles and I've come up with a few ideas at the moment which include: Practical fall turkey tactics without the use of dogs or flock scattering, How to quickly tell If a buck is mature or not by more then antler size, and a few overlooked things that could cost you bullwinkle. Look for these and more hunting updates and pictures in the upcoming days! Get ready, November is just around the corner. -Lake

Rain, rain, please hurry, please stay.

With the moon being full and the thermometer pushing up into the 80's here in central Indiana and everywhere else. The entire Midwest's deer movement has been right around zilch until after dark. Do you know how many crazy looks and comments I get when I walk out and start complaining about the hideous bluebird skies and the wretched balmy weather? A gorgeous day to a deer hunter is overcast, drizzly, cold, and ugly. But there is hope. Weather man says rain and chilly temps in the morning! I hope he knows I'm holding him to it. Anyway I'll report from my tree in the morning! Time to let the string down, and the broadheads eat. -Lake

Early October Tactics for Big Bucks

Good morning,

The morning has been slow so far so I'm writing this to you from my tree stand. The winds are out of the East at 5 mph and the temp is hovering somewhere around 58 degrees. The turkeys are calling softly and the squirrels, as usual are making a ridiculous ruckus. But, before I get all dreamy and bore you all any further by being Mister Meteorologist let's discuss some good early fall / very early pre-rut tactics for big bucks. By this time in October in the Midwest bucks have shed their velvet and are starting to break away from their bachelor groups. However, as we know patterning a big buck this early can be a frustrating endeavor because a mature buck at this point is still very semi-nocturnal. And until about the last week of October he only has 2 things on his mind: food and sleep.
So, the first thing that pops into our head is hunt the the freshly cut corn field by the edge of the woods right? Well, this is probably not going to work this early for 2 reasons: 1, a big buck will use a good cut field but usually he doesn't feel safe in an open field during the day until later in the year. 2, Even if he does feel safe coming out a little early he probably won't make it into your setup until it's past shooting light if his bedding area is any distance away. So again we have 2 options. We can move our setup into the timber at the halfway point between bedding area and feeding area or, we can find an inside source of food such as acorns. The first option can be a risky one. If you know where a your buck is presumably snoozing the last thing you want to do is get too close lest you spook him out. 75 yards away from the bedding area is a good rule of thumb to keep when trying to catch him heading out for a bite to eat or getting him in front of you coming home in the morning. Never ever hunt a stand like this unless the wind is absolutely favorable.
The second option is also a good one. Deer are especially crazy about acorns as most of us know. Try to find a good fallen crop inside the woods. The deeper inside, the safer they feel and the more likely a buck is to be caught in the daylight. But this poses a scent control problem being that you don't want to taint the whole woods with your track. Approach your set up from the opposite direction you think the deer will arrive from and also be mindful of which way the wind is carrying your track. As always spray down and hunt the wind. I hope this will help decide what to do the next time you are chasing Ol' Big in the early part of October. -Lake

My new Matthews MONSTER

Howdy folks,

   Well I finally did it! Made the switch from PSE to Matthews! And I'll say I could not be any happier. I bought the MR6 which is last years model, brand new, for a great price. It sports about a 6 1/2 inch brace height, 30 inches axle to axle and is about 350 IBO. This thing is smokin' fast and about the most accurate 'out of the box' bow I've ever shot!
 Here is how I set it up:
  Deadend back stop by Matthews (best after market accesory out there.)
  Axiom Stablizer
  Ripcord rest
  Spot-Hogg RealDeal 5 pin sight
  G5 peep
And of course my Scott release.

 I slapped together a half dozen new CarbonExpress RadialWeave STL hunter 300's with Blazer vanes to go along with it, tipped with 2 blade Rage 100 grain broadheads. Tomorrow morning will be this set-ups first debut and I have all the confidence in the world in it. Stand by for another update! -Lake