Raised Hunting Deer Hunting Tips – Wisdom Whispered From The Stands

This time of year, it’s a rare day when you don’t find David, Warren, and Easton Holder on their way to a stand or firmly planted in one. But they’ve always got time to whisper out some quick, yet invaluable whitetail hunting wisdom for the rest of us. Here's 7 of their best tips to help you make the most of your hunt—pre-rut or rut.

How To Not Get Busted Going To Your Stand

Don’t wait until you get to your stand to make sure the wind is in your favor. When you’re going to the stand, keep checking the wind and change your path when you must to keep the wind in your face. Always try to avoid having the wind at your back as you walk in.

Simplify Your Range Finding

Especially for bowhunting, don’t wait for a buck to show up to have references for a few ranges. Once you’re in the stand, use your range finder to get distances on a few things in your perimeter (fence posts, fallen logs, etc.). Make sure they are at different distances so you already have some reliable references in your head no matter when the shot presents itself.

Timing Your Calling

Especially during the rut, the timing of your calling can be more important than the type of your calling. Let’s say you’re rattling. The temptation is to rattle again as soon as you see a buck. If you do and he looks your way, he'll likely either see you or not see what he’s expecting. Either way, he’s probably too cautious now. Instead, let a buck pass through if you must, and wait until he’s just out of sight but not out of distance. Then hit a few good rattles to make him come to you.

Muffle Your Grunts for Cautious Bucks

This is the same concept with a twist. When you’ve got a buck just out of distance and you know he’s not budging, that’s not the time to blast your grunt tube. Chances are, he’ll look and see nothing and be even more cautious. Instead, try heavily muffling your grunt tube with your gloves or putting the end inside your coat and softly grunt. That muffling can make the grunt sound like it’s coming from farther than he can see, and it might be the thing that makes him move to you.

Use Trail Camera For Information, Not Always Location

As much as you want to trust your trail cameras and hunt around those locations, remember to use them for information first. Deer will still use other locations that you know have produced in the past. During the rut, bucks will move from one stand of timber to another searching does, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket trying to use trail cameras alone to find prime locations.

Exchange Hunting Time For Scouting Time

If you’re scouting a specific buck or you haven’t found one to hunt, don’t be afraid set aside some time to scout by simply sitting in places where you can see more ground. That can give you the ability to spot where does really are and what they’re doing. Dedicating some extra scouting time like can help you dial in more productive hunting times and spots.