I’ve hunted in Missouri for many years. Until the past few seasons, ground blinds and ladder stands have been the main types of stands I’ve hunted from.
Now, I’m discovering one of the most effective ways to ambush whitetails is from behind hay bales. I’ve had deer walk within 10 feet of me and never know I was there!
My setups are pretty simple. I choose a spot where the farmer left a little space between two bales — usually round bales — then I step between them and wait.
Often, I lean on the bale, but I’m finding a foldout chair set between bales makes it a much more comfortable vigil.
I prefer a location where the deer cannot approach from behind and the prevailing wind is in my face.
Pre-season scouting with binoculars will prepare you for knowing where deer will enter the field. Also, a little local knowledge from the farmer can go a long way.
When the time comes to shoot, the bale makes a good rest for my rifle or muzzleloader.
Hunting from hay bales is more forgiving than treestands, and you can get away with more movement without deer detecting you. This is one reason it’s a great place to take kids hunting.
For instance, I took my 12-year-old grandson, James, on his very first hunt, and we used a round hay bale to setup behind.
This was on a farm where I’d taken my first deer, and my son had taken his first deer, so I was hoping to make this a three-generation experience.
James and I found a hay bale that was short enough for him to stand behind, while I sat in a foldout chair. The height of this bale was a perfect rest for his .243.
He watched to the north part of the field, and I the south. After about 15 minutes, I spotted a doe about 75 yards away. My grandson could not see it because another hay bale blocked his view.
Because it was early, I shot and retrieved the doe quickly and settled back in, hoping for him to get a deer, too. We didn’t have to wait long for more does to appear.
Using a doe-bleat can-call, I spent the next two hours calling to the does that continually popped out of the woods. They would enter the field about 200 yards away, flirting with a shot opportunity several agonizing times. Finally, one turned broadside 50 yards from our hay bale hideaway.
I whispered for my grandson to take the safety off and I made sure he was steady. James made a great shot and the doe only ran 10 yards.
What an awesome feeling, guiding my grandson to his first deer on the same farm where my son and I had both taken ours.
The hay bale setup was the perfect way to help James achieve this goal. Next season, you’ll find us behind a round bale again in hopes of putting a Missouri tag on James’s first deer with antlers!
–Editor’s Note by Tim H. Martin
As Rack magazine’s art director for the past 20 years, I’ve learned to notice things about how the biggest bucks in the world were taken.
We’ve printed countless articles of giants taken from hay bale setups such as what Frank Mayes describes in his Tip of the Week. Rack has even featured several stories of world-class bucks taken from ground blinds constructed to look like hay bales.
If you have a unique or special tip you’d like to share with Buckmasters fans, please email it to huntingtips@buckmasters.com and, if chosen, we will send you a cap signed by Jackie Bushman, along with a knife!
Read Recent Tip of the Week:
• Better than Corn? If getting deer to pose in front of trail cameras is part of making your pre-season hit list, this might be more effective than corn. Here’s how the boy made his shots count.