Spring is the perfect time of year to start preparing fall tree stand locations and trails. It doesn't take much; a chainsaw (if available), pruners, weedwhip, and possibly some wire or rope.

 

Post season scouting and shed hunting should have led to a few new stand locations. Once I've found a new area I want to hunt, I'll scour the location on foot and carefully analyze an aerial photograph online. Between physical scouting, and online map analysis, I usually have a pretty good idea for a precise stand location. After a spot is chosen, it's time to come back with some tools.

 

Keeping in mind my entrance and exit strategy, I first hack and slash a few wide trails to and from the stand. Keep in mind that any spring pruning will need to be done very aggressively because the new growth will come back...

Spring Turkey Scouting

by Jason Herbert

 

The “boom” of my shotgun startled the otherwise quiet spring woods. The old tom came in silent, and neither of us made a sound until I coaxed one obligatory gobble out of him. I didn’t want the season to pass without hearing at least one sweet call of spring.

 

As I hoisted the old bird over my shoulder I couldn’t help but reflect on how my turkey hunting style has changed. When I first started chasing spring gobblers, it was all run-n-gun, covering as many acres each day as possible, hoping to find a bird or two to work. Now a lot more people are turkey hunting and I’ve lost lost access to some of the bigger properties. These days I tend to scout a lot more, and move a lot less.

 

Turkeys can be hunted like deer. All game animals have the same basic needs, food, water, shelter, as well as the desire to breed. I like...

 

 

 

Spring is just around the corner and it’s a perfect time of year to get outside. Take advantage of the nice weather we’ve had and do a little post season scouting. Better yet, let your inner caveman out for a while and look for a few shed antlers. Humans have a deep seeded, primitive fascination with antlers and horns. Just look on cave paintings from thousands of years ago to prove that man’s enchantment with deer headgear is nothing new.

 

Every good hunting property has a “sanctuary” or an area that’s off limits to any sort of human interference. Now is the perfect time to get into that wise old bucks sanctuary and find out what’s going on in there.  Dig in and read the sign. Ask yourself questions and take...

The “Almost” Buck                              

 

My quest for a self filmed buck with my bow was almost fulfilled on an early November afternoon in 2009. After spending the day with my son at a model train show, I took advantage of the crisp, clear weather and hunted at my grandfather’s. It was kind of day where the deer activity is non-stop and you even have trouble just getting to the stand. I love those days!

 

Walking in, I was covered in deer already. Does were everywhere. Bumped a spike horn, more does, then I spot a good buck working a ridgeline, nose to the ground. I dropped my climber and hid behind it, but he didn’t see me and I didn’t call to him. Once he was out of sight, I quickly picked a tree and climbed up and set...

 

The drive seemed to take forever, when in actuality, it was only twenty five minutes from my driveway. I knew the way well, and found myself pushing the Suburban like a NASCAR, every corner bringing me closer to the finish line. But instead of a trophy, my reward is hunting land.

 

To say I was eager to check out this new spot would be an understatement. What wonders awaiting me on the other side of this gate?

 

The “smaller” property the Biologist was referring to was actually 85 acres, and to a guy hunting micro-properties of two to 30 acres, this was huge! Like having all of Iowa to myself!  I could see right away exactly why they did not use this spot too often for their research, access is limited. There is one way in, and the same way out, through two gates and a cable with a lock….oh, you have to drive through a neighbor’s yard...

Welcome to my Deer Diary…a blog following me, Trophy Ridge Pro Staffer Dan Shultz, in my hunting antics! Now first off, don’t get all excited thinking you will be following me as I hunt prime whitetail states in search of Booner after Booner, because that isn’t quite happening…although I can dream about it! Nope..Instead, this blog will take a different direction, one I think, and hope, will connect with a majority of readers and Trophy Ridge customers.  

 

About me….well, I am certainly no hunting celebrity, like David Blanton, Dan Perez, or any of the other Trophy Ridge Pros you see on TV…I consider myself to be an average hunter, like a lot of you….with the exception that I have been blessed to be a part of a great company and represent them since 2005.  I struggle to fit hunting in with work, family, and other activities…I fight to find and keep hunting properties here in New York...

 

It doesn't matter how hard you work all year long to prepare for hunting season or that you have the best Bear bow and Trophy Ridge accessories unless you can put yourself in the right spot.  Preparation and quality equipment are incredibly important, but the last critical detail is getting that stand in the right spot.  I've studied whitetail movement habits for many years and have spoken on the topic several times.  Believe it or not, there is a reason for where deer move and how they get from place to place; they do not just wander aimlessly not knowing where they are going.

 

I love hunting rough terrain because I can more easily predict travel corridors based on...

If I only have 5 consecutive days to hunt I would have to pick the 5 days before Missouri's firearm season opener. This year the firearms season opens on November 12th, so you can bet you will find me in a tree a bunch those few days before. It seems like that time of year the rut is really rocking and you don't have to compete with the orange army!

During the pre-rut/rut I love rattling and grunting. I like to call blind on a regular basis, but tend to have the most luck when spotting a deer and then calling to it. One of my favorite things to do is to fool a buck by getting his...

 

When it comes to my home state of Illinois, I have two favorite times of the year to hunt. I absolutely love the post rut and the late season. I will break down the stages of the rut as simple as I can to give you my perspective as to why I prefer the post rut over any other stage of the breeding season. I will talk about the late season in another post.

 

First and foremost, in certain areas of the Illinois, the deer population is, in my opinion out of balance. We have far more does than bucks, which can make certain times of...