March NEWSLETTER 2009 |
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have topic you would wish to be discussed in a future newsletter, let us know and we will
consider it.
If you do not want future newsletters, please email or write us advising so and you will be
removed from the list.
Write to: Disappear Hunting Products Inc., 163 College Street, Wadsworth, OH 44281
Email: discoverscent@disappearhp.com
| Disappear Hunting Products |
HUNTERS,
Hunting public lands successfully is a subject of many discussions. Conversations with numerous hunters has given
me all kind of feedback. Some comment about having little chance to harvest the deer of choice, or any deer, in
some cases, because of the amount of hunting pressure. I have successfully hunted public lands for a number of
years, by adjusting my thinking and using this hunting pressure to assist me.
The vast majority of states and provinces have lengthy archery seasons and various times, set aside for gun and
muzzle loading hunting. There is no doubt, gun seasons, receive the heaviest concentration of hunting pressure,
primarily because of the shorter time allotted, and also because more hunters choose to hunt with a gun, as opposed
to a bow.
Let’s start, by discussing what we can do to achieve better success during firearms seasons. The first consideration,
is the size of the area you are hunting. Most public lands are of a considerable number of acres and the size will call
for some different approaches. A good many hunters will not venture too far from the access area, whether it be a
road, four wheeler path or whatever else may provide easier access. So the key, if it is a larger tract, is to place
yourself, a further distance from the road, path, etc and allow the other hunter activity to bring the deer to you. One
very important fact, to keep in mind, is deer are no different than we are, they have preferred places to travel.
Some travel lanes are used year after year, while at other times the deer will change, based on food supply, time of
year and hunting pressure. I am always attempting to determine, where are the deer, if I am not seeing them, and if
I am seeing deer, what has brought them there. Knowing what factors are causing the deer to move near your
chosen location, will, often times, allow you to make small adjustments, that can be the difference. On smaller
acreages, you want to concentrate on food sources, bedding areas and cover that provides a safe haven. Then look
for the trails that connect these areas together. When hunting these smaller areas, choose the best travel lanes you
can find, and then don’t worry about other hunters. I have had a fair amount of success, by sitting tight, while
hunters pass by me, then sometimes while that hunter was still within sight, collecting the deer that was slipping
around them. We often lose sight of the fact, that deer don’t like to leave their home territory, as that puts them at
a disadvantage and they are masters at patterning us. I will give you one example. Years ago, a group of us were
hunting land in a neighboring state, with public access, and sometime after opening day, we would put on drives. This
was hilly terrain and one fair sized hollow, generally produced action. After several years, we were seeing less and
less deer with each drive. We decided to change our tactics and drive it in a completely different manner. We had
been working parallel to the ridges, so we changed 90 degrees and drove it across the ridges. We had deer going
everywhere. That minor adjustment, completely threw the deer off, and gave us all kind of opportunity. Keep
making adjustments, to stay one jump ahead of the deer.
Because of the length of archery seasons, there generally is nowhere near the hunting pressure, even on public
lands, that will affect your chances to pattern and harvest whitetails. Now, pay close attention to the causes of deer
movement, food, the rut, weather and so on. A lot of areas are primarily hunted on weekends. If you can, hunt
during the week, often times you may never encounter another hunter all day. Deer are used to seeing people all
year round, and they have a unique ability to pattern us, allows them to determine what activity is harmless, and
what creates danger for them. The more times we can avoid being patterned as a danger to the them, the more
opportunity we will encounter. I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, last fall I kept moving my stands, sometimes
less than a 100 yards. I experienced an exciting season, seeing quite a few deer, as well as having a number of
opportunities to harvest a deer. I was generally situated, where the deer were not expecting me to be. I am just like
everybody else, I have favorite stand locations, that have produced and it is hard to make changes. Over the years, I
have learned, the more open, I keep my mind, making the changes necessary, ( I know this can be a lot of extra
work ) the greater the chances become, of collecting the deer I am after.
The last comment I would make, and this would cover all hunting situations, is paying strict attention to wind
direction and hunting accordingly. This has less to do with me being scented, but because deer live and die by wind
direction. I have many a time, planned on hunting out of a certain stand, only to see the wind change direction.
When I started adjusting to a different stand, based on the wind, my success, increased substantially . Again, I know
all too well, we are creatures of habits, but the more open we keep our mind, based on facts, the more we can
increase our odds of being in the right place at the right time. As the old saying goes, the harder I work, the luckier
I get. How many times have you heard of a novice hunter collecting a big buck, the first time out. Odds are, that
hunter was doing something, us “normal” hunters would not do, and caught the buck off guard as well.
Until next month, I wish you well,
Keith Dotterer
Hunting public lands successfully is a subject of many discussions. Conversations with numerous hunters has given
me all kind of feedback. Some comment about having little chance to harvest the deer of choice, or any deer, in
some cases, because of the amount of hunting pressure. I have successfully hunted public lands for a number of
years, by adjusting my thinking and using this hunting pressure to assist me.
The vast majority of states and provinces have lengthy archery seasons and various times, set aside for gun and
muzzle loading hunting. There is no doubt, gun seasons, receive the heaviest concentration of hunting pressure,
primarily because of the shorter time allotted, and also because more hunters choose to hunt with a gun, as opposed
to a bow.
Let’s start, by discussing what we can do to achieve better success during firearms seasons. The first consideration,
is the size of the area you are hunting. Most public lands are of a considerable number of acres and the size will call
for some different approaches. A good many hunters will not venture too far from the access area, whether it be a
road, four wheeler path or whatever else may provide easier access. So the key, if it is a larger tract, is to place
yourself, a further distance from the road, path, etc and allow the other hunter activity to bring the deer to you. One
very important fact, to keep in mind, is deer are no different than we are, they have preferred places to travel.
Some travel lanes are used year after year, while at other times the deer will change, based on food supply, time of
year and hunting pressure. I am always attempting to determine, where are the deer, if I am not seeing them, and if
I am seeing deer, what has brought them there. Knowing what factors are causing the deer to move near your
chosen location, will, often times, allow you to make small adjustments, that can be the difference. On smaller
acreages, you want to concentrate on food sources, bedding areas and cover that provides a safe haven. Then look
for the trails that connect these areas together. When hunting these smaller areas, choose the best travel lanes you
can find, and then don’t worry about other hunters. I have had a fair amount of success, by sitting tight, while
hunters pass by me, then sometimes while that hunter was still within sight, collecting the deer that was slipping
around them. We often lose sight of the fact, that deer don’t like to leave their home territory, as that puts them at
a disadvantage and they are masters at patterning us. I will give you one example. Years ago, a group of us were
hunting land in a neighboring state, with public access, and sometime after opening day, we would put on drives. This
was hilly terrain and one fair sized hollow, generally produced action. After several years, we were seeing less and
less deer with each drive. We decided to change our tactics and drive it in a completely different manner. We had
been working parallel to the ridges, so we changed 90 degrees and drove it across the ridges. We had deer going
everywhere. That minor adjustment, completely threw the deer off, and gave us all kind of opportunity. Keep
making adjustments, to stay one jump ahead of the deer.
Because of the length of archery seasons, there generally is nowhere near the hunting pressure, even on public
lands, that will affect your chances to pattern and harvest whitetails. Now, pay close attention to the causes of deer
movement, food, the rut, weather and so on. A lot of areas are primarily hunted on weekends. If you can, hunt
during the week, often times you may never encounter another hunter all day. Deer are used to seeing people all
year round, and they have a unique ability to pattern us, allows them to determine what activity is harmless, and
what creates danger for them. The more times we can avoid being patterned as a danger to the them, the more
opportunity we will encounter. I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, last fall I kept moving my stands, sometimes
less than a 100 yards. I experienced an exciting season, seeing quite a few deer, as well as having a number of
opportunities to harvest a deer. I was generally situated, where the deer were not expecting me to be. I am just like
everybody else, I have favorite stand locations, that have produced and it is hard to make changes. Over the years, I
have learned, the more open, I keep my mind, making the changes necessary, ( I know this can be a lot of extra
work ) the greater the chances become, of collecting the deer I am after.
The last comment I would make, and this would cover all hunting situations, is paying strict attention to wind
direction and hunting accordingly. This has less to do with me being scented, but because deer live and die by wind
direction. I have many a time, planned on hunting out of a certain stand, only to see the wind change direction.
When I started adjusting to a different stand, based on the wind, my success, increased substantially . Again, I know
all too well, we are creatures of habits, but the more open we keep our mind, based on facts, the more we can
increase our odds of being in the right place at the right time. As the old saying goes, the harder I work, the luckier
I get. How many times have you heard of a novice hunter collecting a big buck, the first time out. Odds are, that
hunter was doing something, us “normal” hunters would not do, and caught the buck off guard as well.
Until next month, I wish you well,
Keith Dotterer
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