Early Bow Season Basics

By: Tim Easker

 

September 13, 2003 found me up a tree again. Thankfully, this time it was not due to another error in judgment on my part. Nope, this particular evening was the Wisconsin bow opener and I was “up a tree” trying to put some fresh venny in the freezer Ishi style. 

It was an extremely comfortable night. A humidity cleansing northwest wind had blown in slightly cooler temperatures.   I was entranced by the golden hue the landscape had taken on just prior to sunset when my “spider sense” began tingling, causing me to turn. A beautiful 19” eight pointer was munching away on lush alfalfa not more than 20 yards away.   He ended up being so close, I could hear the greens being ground by his molars. Yet, I hesitated. 

 

I was hunting a typical opening day stand located on the edge of an alfalfa field. Mother Nature’s role in dramatically adding to the appeal of this otherwise “pretty good” stand can not be overlooked. A cold winter sans any appreciable snow, allowed the frost to penetrate the ground to near record depths. Farmers were not alone in their despair, as home owners with septic systems a tad too shallow had also fallen prey to Jack Frost’s mischief. News reports, as well as the talk at the local feed mill, told the tale of systems frozen solid by the end of January. This factor alone essentially decimated much of the hay crop in my area of Dunn County.   Ma Nature was obviously still in a foul mood and could not resist one more sucker punch. After plying us with a wonderfully wet spring and early summer, she turned off the spigot about the middle of July.   This left an already beat up hay crop in dire straights.

 

The stand where I was sitting was located on the southern edge of the field. The entire field was brown except for a ten yard strip which had been spared much of the sun’s life giving but moisture sucking rays. The woods had provided relief in the form of shade.    The lush strip of emerald green was being hit harder by whitetails than an Old County Buffet after church on Sunday. It seemed as if every deer in the area knew where the “good stuff” was.

 

My hesitation at taking the shot was essentially two fold. Previous reconnaissance had revealed a lot of does and a couple smaller bucks working the area. So in all honesty, all I had in mind this day was tagging a fat tasty doe for the freezer. I love hunting the early season which is normally a much more laid back time of the season for me. An ideal season builds in intensity and anticipation, and reaches a feverish pitch about the same time the bucks are rut crazed creatures looking for nothing more than to perpetuate their species. The climax of course, is the tagging of a swollen necked, mature, whitetail buck.

 

Four encounters with a larger buck from the previous year, twice with a bow and twice with a slug slinger in my hands, were additional factors that added to my hesitation.   Over five minutes of viewing his rack from just about every conceivable angle brought me to the conclusion, “shoot him you dingbat!”   I squeezed the trigger sending my arrow on its way.

 

Wisconsin’s early bow season begins on September 18^th this year. Just like last, you will find me, along with a host of my bow hunting brethren, chomping at the bit to hit the woods. Yes I know, the woods are full of bugs, it can be hot, the walleyes are just starting to turn on in earnest and the rut is still over a month and a half away. Why would anyone want to go bow hunting? 

 

The first and maybe most obvious reason, at least to me is, “because you can.” For the first time in over nine months, I can go out and hunt deer again. If that is not a good enough reason how about these: you will be hunting the least pressured deer of the year; other than the abnormally hot days, you will be hunting in some of the most comfortable temperatures of the year; deer can be easily patterned this time of year, and finally, God willing, you will be harvesting some of the juiciest most succulent venison of the season, deer fattened by a summers worth of grazing. Heck, even the bucks have a 2” layer of fat on their hind quarters. No, I’m not a connoisseur of deer fat. The point being, any animal on the hoof, which is well fed and gaining weight will usually produce a better cut of meat as opposed to one loosing weight. 

 

Don’t for one minute think those deer are going to be standing in line to jump on your meat pole. A caption from an old calendar comes to mind in which a hunter is scratching his head staring at a bighorn sheep he shot. Problem was, the dead sheep was on a ledge below him and the hunter had no way to get to it. The caption aptly read, “Meats not meat until it’s in the pan.” The same goes with early season whitetails. They may not have seen a hunter in some time but just the same, they are still prey animals, geared for survival. The bottom line is, don’t forget the basics. 

 

Scent: Most bow hunters have at the minimum, a cursory understanding of the importance of scent control. Still, there are those who continue to deny the power of a deer’s olfactory system for picking off careless hunters. Some remember a deer they shot “back in 68” while chain smoking Camels. Does it happen?   Sure does, but normally only when the wind is in the hunter’s favor.  

 

I can recall more instances than I care to of trying to push my luck and getting my cover blown by a deer smelling me. The most poignant was while hunting a remote oak island which is a big buck oasis in November. The area is so remote and difficult to get into, I am cautious about scouting or entering prior to hunting. Over the past six or so years, there has been one primary active trail over the three acre island. When the wind is right, I’ll slip in around mid-morning and set up for the remainder of the day. The first time I go in, I’ll walk the perimeter (far away from the trail which cuts through the center) to make sure it is still being used. 

 

It was about the third year of hunting this spot when I performed the previously mentioned ritual and had taken up my post. About three hours later, I heard deer approaching the island through the swamp. As they hit the island, I saw there were three deer, a nubbin and what appeared to be its sister and mother. The nubbin, who was leading the pack, stopped and immediately ran to the spot from where I thought I had surreptitiously viewed the trail for activity.   The other two joined and like a pack of blood hounds trailed me to the tree where I was perched. I felt like I was being hunted by a pack of prehistoric velasa raptors as opposed to hunting whitetail deer. I had knee high rubber boots on and made sure I did not touch any brush near the point I viewed the trail or during my walk along the perimeter.   My outerwear is kept in scent free bags, meticulously clean and I shower with scent free soap before heading out. How did they do it? I’m not really sure. The only thing I know for sure is it gave me a much more profound respect for their sniffers.     

 

So how can you make sure you defeat this incredible defense system, particularly during warmer weather, when on some days just sitting can cause one to perspire? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. Intelligent stand selection, based on the wind, is truly the only way to do it.   Sit a stand according to the wind and you will never get picked off again. This requires intimate knowledge of one’s area. If you have no idea where deer will be coming from, this tactic is useless. The first thing I do when deciding on where to hunt is check current wind direction. I also check where it is forecast to be coming from in the morning, if I have a morning excursion planned.  

 

The wind is your friend and can cover a multitude of sins; unwanted sounds and movement can be covered to some extent by the wind. With enough velocity, the wind also makes an excellent bug repellant. As a last resort, bug spray can be the ticket. Repellant is only recommended if hunting a field where you have an unobstructed walk to your stand. Should you have to walk through brush or tall grass as you left, you would leave a scent trail of repellant. Then again, if taking the proper precautions, you would not be walking out through an area which would alert deer to your presence. If the bugs are really bad, any of the commercially produced camo “bug suits” can make your time on stand bearable.      

 

I know what you’re thinking now, “Well Tim, that’s all well and good, but what happens if I want to hunt when it’s calm?” The absence of wind can make things pretty tough. As you sit in your stand, human scent oozes forth from you like a noxious sludge. This “sludge” hits the ground and flows forth in all directions guaranteeing any deer in bow range will be alerted and quickly flee unscathed. In my experience, some of the worst conditions occur in the morning. With high humidity and not a hint of a breeze, smells seem to hang in the air and drop to the ground.   Even the smells of the woods are more intense on these mornings. If my inferior sense of smell seems to have heightened abilities, I can only imagine what happens to a deer.

 

Under these conditions, only the most painstaking scent control regimen will spare you from detection. This includes the usual, (shower with scent free soap, knee high rubber boots etc.) plus the utilization of a scent containment system.  “Scent Lok” type clothing, and or a ground blind with similar technology, is a must under these tough conditions. Even with these precautions, there are no guarantees. Should your presence become known to one or two of the resident whitetail population, give it a rest; abandon that stand for a minimum of a week, and do not hunt it again until conditions are more favorable.

 

Easy Does it: Don’t burn out your area by tromping into the bedding area on the first hunt of the year and expect it to produce. As I mentioned in the beginning of the article, I like hunting field edges early in the year. This means hunting evenings. You are targeting deer going from bedding to feeding areas. This is also the least intrusive method. By hunting field edges, I am entering and leaving my stand virtually without leaving any sign. Normally, the only time deer could be alerted is if they would happen to bust me as I left the area.   As the season progresses, I slowly work my way into the woods hunting rub lines, etc.  

 

Much of my hunting occurs in the evening during the early season. I do however have a stand or two which is perfect for catching deer heading back to their daytime haunts. You have to be extra careful not to cross trails which lead to your stand, or alert deer on your way in. In one case, this means an easy 1/2 mile saunter to my stand turns into a 1 ½ mile predawn journey to avoid detection. 

 

Even when hunting field edges, I am very careful not to hunt a stand more than once or possibly twice a week. As always, there are exceptions to rules in hunting. The exception to this rule being, I will hunt a stand several nights in a row, if I am absolutely sure I can come and go with out alerting deer. It seems more often the not, the first time you sit a stand you normally have the most activity. Somehow, they always seem to know you have been there.   So, with that in mind, take it easy on your stands hunting them judiciously and only when the time is right. 

 

Multiple Stands: Make no excuses for not having an ample number of stands to ensure adequate rotation. Even if you don’t own 2000 acres, we are blessed with more than enough public hunting areas in the Chippewa Valley to provide plenty of areas to choose from. Some of my biggest bucks have come from public land. The trick is hunting the areas the other guys overlook because it is “too small” “too close to town” or for a dozen other reasons that don’t hold water when you begin to check them out.

 

In hunting smaller public areas, you need to go into “stealth mode”. Some of the previously mentioned tactics for eluding deer are needed in these situations to throw off and elude other hunters. Use your imagination and think “outside the box” when looking for new areas. Sometimes it takes looking over an area many times before the proverbial light bulb goes on and you realize what potential it has. We have preconceived notions about what a “good area” should look like as opposed to hunting where the deer actually are. 

 

One of my more coveted areas is nothing more than a triangle shaped 20-30 acre chunk of DNR land with a house along one side and roads on two.   I park approximately a mile down the road, doubling back to the land on foot to avoid detection by both deer and hunters. Despite my best efforts, I still get “picked off” by hunters now and than. One of the more humorous encounters occurred one November while sitting in the previously described DNR land. It was about 4:00 p.m., prime time, when I noticed a hunter walking down the very trail I was watching. As he walked alongside my tree, I gave him a little whistle which just about put him eye level with me. He was apologetic indicating he wouldn’t have hunted that night had he seen a car parked in the area. After finding out where I parked, he quickly pointed out “the road is only 75 yards over there.” I thanked him for that piece of knowledge. He walked away no doubt thinking he had just met one of the biggest idiots ever.

 

Just Do It: An article about early season deer hunting would not be complete if I didn’t mention practice shooting your bow. While this topic may be getting the least amount of attention, it is no doubt the most important piece of the puzzle. If you can’t hit what you are shooting at due to lack of practice, stay home.   In this day and age of close scrutiny by the non-hunting sector, we need to be extra careful about how we conduct ourselves. Being an ethical bow hunter means being a conscientious archer who practices, practices, and than practices some more. 

 

Summer is winding down so if you have not yet broken out the bow, do so now and start flinging them sticks.   Heck, it’s a lot of fun too and a big part of the season. Also, don’t forget to take some shots with the broadheads you will be using during the hunt. Touch up their edges again when done to make sure they are razor sharp.

 

The Recovery: My arrow flew true on last years opening day buck. I watched as it penetrated his vitals followed by the “bucking bronco” double leg back kick, usually a sure sign of a lethal hit.   I could easily see that my arrow sticking in the ground was now painted a bright red. After the post shot shakes ceased, I got down to examine the arrow.   The bubbly blood told the tale of a lung shot deer. 

 

Despite knowing better, I struck out a tad too quickly on his trail. Forecasted overnight showers were also in the back of my mind. This turned a quick recovery into a four hour mission which would not end until the following morning. I later learned the sharp downward trajectory had caused me to hit only one lung. After fifteen yards, the blood trail ended abruptly. The amount of fat on this buck acted as a plug, stopping blood flow from the cavity. 

 

By the time I spotted his white belly hair, I was near wits end. It is impossible to put into words the pure elation which I felt upon recovering this beautiful animal.   The buck had run only about eighty yards from where hit. Another valuable lesson learned the hard way. No matter how sure you are of your shot, give it time.                

 

The Time is Now: The early season is a great time to get out and chase deer. To me, you can’t get much more comfortable than sitting in a tree stand with a cool breeze bathing your face wearing only the lightest of clothing. There are no heavy clothes or gloves to restrict my movements, and the richest green hues of the year to titillate my eyeballs. Despite my penchant for chasing whitetails during the rut, the buck harvested on opening day last year was no less satisfying because it was shot in September.     

 

And please remember, for most of us, bow hunting is not our full time occupation. We are fathers, mothers, sons and daughters first.   So use a safety belt if you hunt out of a tree.  Last years opening weekend brought its share of tragedy. Two hunters that I know of, one in the Eau Claire area and the other in Baldwin, took falls from their stands. They are still trying to walk again. Don’t let a great time turn into a calamity. Buckle up and good luck!   

 

About the author: Tim is a free-lance writer who hails from Rock Falls.