By Tim H. Martin
Throughout my two decades of experience in the hunting industry, I've met some incredibly wise hunters, both professional and amateur. I've learned a lot just from listening to and observing the many successful men and women of the outdoors who have crossed my path.
One of the best philosophies I've picked up on is to find a great stand site and NOT hunt it. At least, not hunt it until conditions are absolutely perfect.
Conversely, one of the worst philosophies comes from hunters who believe the more you hunt a place, the greater the likelihood you'll eventually shoot a buck. My observation is this guy will occasionally take a decent deer, but rarely a fully mature buck of trophy quality.
The no-hunt tactic isn't easy, oftentimes meaning you'll be sitting at home on days when you REALLY want to go and see what's happening at your honey hole, but maybe one or more conditions aren't quite right.
These conditions include temperature, changes in barometric pressure, moon phase, rut activity, recent pressure and most importantly, wind direction — I repeat — wind direction. If you want to have one condition in your favor, wind direction counts most. But to improve your odds, you want them all in your favor, or at least as many as possible.
Savvy hunters want to be one-and-done from their best stands and are firm believers that the more a hunter sets foot in an area, the less likely the odds he or she will see, let alone shoot, a mature buck.
Try to leave a strategic hot spot completely untouched — a sanctuary — until conditions are totally right, allowing older deer to settle into this place with a false sense of security.
The first time you hunt that spot will be the highest likelihood of encountering the dominant buck in residence.
When hunting on a lease or club, it's often difficult to create a sanctuary because there is so much hunting pressure. But, I've discovered if you pay attention to where other members have been hunting, they often overlook a few pockets of your property, usually because of difficulty in getting to these places. I've discovered there's a higher potential of finding a mature buck in those hidden-away pockets.
Have your plan-of-action in place well before hunting season and place a stand in the secluded spot for future use. Just don't advertise it among your buddies unless you want to see their boot tracks going to and from it.
When you do choose that perfect day, bring a lunch and a pee bottle, and be prepared to stay from dark to dark. Make THE day count.
And try to hunt this place as the rut approaches, because this is an optimal time. Once a mature buck settles into your sanctuary, you'll be amazed at the numbers of scrapes and sign you'll discover.
I hope you'll see what I'm talking about next season when you're dragging Ol' Mossy Horns out of your secret sanctuary.
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