Those of us who’re deer hunters all have pet theories we toss round. Some are based mostly on reality, just a few on expertise, and lots of on what I name outdated yarns. Fact is, there are some deer “truths” that get tossed round each fall that don’t at all times stand the check of the hunt. Here are my ideas on some frequent deer-hunting myths.
1. You can’t make noise and kill a buck
Deer are masters of the world they reside in and are keenly conscious of bizarre sounds. So, a human cough, enjoying music in your cellphone, or speaking loudly on a walkie talkie is often a deal breaker. Yet not all noise a hunter makes within the wooden is dangerous. If you’ve got ever heard deer stroll within the woods, you recognize they make noise. Especially in leaf litter. A buck may even crack sticks and thrash brush because it strikes. I’ve skilled a number of situations when a buck has approached my place as I’ve stalked by way of the bush, making extra noise than anticipated. Whether the deer thinks it’s one other deer or is simply curious is tough to say. Don’t assume a cracked stick on the bottom will ship all animals operating. Sometimes, a deer will merely act exterior of the unusual traces. One memorable time, a gaggle of us had been extracting a big buck from the bush with an ATV and never being quiet about it. Two totally different occasions, a yearling buck approached us as we had been pulling the deer out. This was not an city deer. We had been manner again within the bush. I usually marvel what that little buck thought was occurring.
2. If a buck will get your wind, the hunt is over
Deer have an unbelievable sense of scent. Most of the time, after they scent a hunter, they hit the street quick. Yet I’ve had sufficient experiences with bucks sneaking up on me from a downwind place to conclude it isn’t at all times the top of a hunt. Like many hunters, I do put on scent-absorbing clothes and can even add masking or cowl scents. The much less you scent like a human the higher. So, if the wind does swing on you, don’t assume your probability of success has disappeared. If a deer will get your scent, and snorts off by way of the woods, it is probably not gone for good. Several occasions I’ve had bucks sneak again from the identical course they winded me. Do they overlook, or is it some bizarre reverse deer psychology? Only the deer know for positive. Bottom line is that this: management your scent and watch the wind, however by no means surrender on the hunt.
3. Big grunt, large deer
It is sort of unbelievable how a lot the deer-calling sport has grown in searching. Just three a long time in the past, deer calling as a searching method actually didn’t exist. Now, grunt tubes are a typical piece of searching tools. There are many calls to select from, however the most well-liked appear to be the deep, throaty grunts that imitate a dominant buck. The considering is that it’s going to name within the largest animals. While that could possibly be, my expertise is the deep grunt tubes are much less engaging to many bucks than skinny, reedier sounding ones. In different phrases, if you’re making an attempt to draw the most important variety of bucks, don’t use a name that may intimidate. Believe me, an enormous buck will come operating if he thinks some pencil-neck deer is sneaking into his harem.
4. Bucks go darkish as soon as the hunt begins
The arrival of the path digital camera has been a blended blessing for a lot of hunters. On the plus facet, we are able to see what is occurring within the areas the place we hunt when we’re not there. On the draw back, it may be miserable to see all these deer romping round in the dead of night. That night time stalking appears particularly pronounced after the hunt begins. But are large bucks solely shifting at night time as soon as the hunt is on? While it could actually appear that manner, consider the place lots of these cameras are situated. Most hunters place them on their searching websites, usually close to a gap, subject, or meals plot. Deer are good at detecting areas the place people are frequenting and can get cautious. Big bucks — significantly these chasing does — will probably be on the transfer in the course of the day. They simply gained’t be roaming round within the open and in identified searching areas. At least not constantly. This is if you would possibly wish to slip into the again woods and sit down towards a tree in a swamp. While not as snug as blind or tree stand, the hunter who actually needs to show the tables of an enormous buck would possibly wish to get away from the standard spots. Deep within the woods is the place to be to seek out daytime bucks in the course of the hunt.
5. Human urine scares deer
Pee jars are frequent in blinds and tree stands for varied causes. I’m not recommending doing in any other case right here. But a few years in the past, on an American searching present, I noticed a really compelling case towards the necessity to include human urine. The host ate an enormous steak, smoked a cigar, after which went to his stand. He wanted to urinate and did so in a jar. He then dumped these contents onto the bottom under his stand. Bad for enterprise…proper? Well. As he would additionally present, a buck arrived a couple of half hour later and began sniffing the bottom. Later on, one other buck arrived and did the identical factor. Don’t flip your stand into a toilet, however don’t assume that you’ve got defiled your stand since you had an excessive amount of espresso.
Deer are the wiliest and most difficult animal in Ontario. Keep targeted and keep within the sport, even if you suppose it’s over. You is likely to be stunned how briskly your luck can change.
Originally revealed within the Fall 2021 problem of Ontario OUT of DOORS Magazine
Senior Editor Gord Ellis is a journalist, radio broadcaster, photographer, {and professional} angler based mostly in Thunder Bay.
Reach Gord at: mail@oodmag.com; Twitter: @GordEllis.