Tree vs. Blind Hunting

by Ryan Taylor

Many times people fail to make the correct decision when deciding to hunt whitetails on the ground or in the tree. There are many determining factors to consider when you have the options to do either one. Stand hunting is what many hunters prefer. They will tell you they live and die by the tree stand. Other hunters are such great artists that they can hide a blind by covering it up with leaves, branches, grasses, corn stalks, and even plain sticks. I guess you could say time plays an important role in choosing each hunting location.

For stand hunting, hunters typically stay between two and five hours. Very rarely do stand hunters stay in the stand all day long. Blind hunters tend to stay in the stand for a lengthier amount of time. Comfort plays a big role in stand hunting and blind hunting as well. You are able stretch out and get much more comfortable in a blind versus a tree stand where you can only stand up to stretch. Time also plays a role in set-up. Setting up a blind and then “brushing” it in takes some time and patience. Basically blending in is of optimum Read the rest of this entry

Deer Calls

In the following section I am going to explain a variety of whitetail deer calls that are used in today’s modern hunting world. When deer calls are used correctly it can improve your hunting experience. Research has shown when you are able to speak the deer language they may react and move in for a closer look. However a deer call will not be your solution if you have bad hunting skills. They are simply an aid to help increase your chances when other tactics fail. Be very careful in blind calling (when no deer are visible). Deer will approach from a downwind position to increase their chances of catching the scent of the noise maker. I also included a deer decoy with the descriptions of the deer calls. Though technically speaking a decoy is not a call, I think it works best when used as a combination tactic with a grunt tube or rattling techniques.

The Grunt Tube

When using a grunt tube you are trying to reproduce a communication sound all deer make. Usually the deer makes soft contact grunt to tell another deer “Hey come check this out”. A heavier, louder grunt can be made by bucks when fighting over an estrus doe, or when fighting over their territorial rights. Most hunters use a grunt tube to try and bring in a dominant buck in the area. Be careful. The deer will move in looking and scent checking for the source of the noise. If he doesn’t spot you or smell you, your chance at a buck just increased. You can also use the buck grunt to try and stop a buck that is moving through your shooting lanes, or to bring one in a little closer so that you can get a shot.

Doe Bleat

A doe bleat is also a communication call for the whitetail deer. Short bleats are used by mothers to keep their young close by. A louder and longer bleat is used by does that are very close to coming into heat. Sometimes you can get a buck to answer your doe bleat with a soft grunt. That is his version of saying “Stop, I will be right there”. If you choose to blind call I would recommend doing so with the bleat first. It is a very simple call to make and leaves less room for error when a young hunter is trying to reproduce the deer language.

Rattling

Rattling is the term used for when you are trying to reproduce the sound of bucks fighting. You can buy rattle bags or use an old set of horns to reproduce this sound. Buck fights heat up in times of the rut. They may be fighting over a hot estrus doe or battling with each other over their home turf. When a hunter uses a rattle call it can bring in other deer in the area. Bucks will sometimes respond to it out of just plain curiosity or dominance.

Decoys

A deer decoy is a real life sized plastic deer. You can get mature bucks, small bucks or does. Put a little extra money in it and you can purchase a fully animated deer that will do life like actions such as tail and head movements. For safety reasons cover your deer in blaze orange when carrying your decoy to and from your hunting area. The decoy is used to distract the incoming deer to focus on the fake deer instead of you. You can also place various scents on the deer. For example doe-in-heat or a dominant buck scent to further entice the deer to move closer to the decoy. If you’re a blind caller that rattles and grunts it will possibly increase your chances because the incoming deer can relate to where the deer language was coming from.

Electronic Calls

Most electronic calls come standard with all common deer sounds. They are small hand held devices that transmit the sound you want through a speaker system. Be sure and check your regulations of the state you will be hunting in. Some states do not allow electronic calls to be used when hunting big game like the whitetail deer.

How Whitetail Deer See Us, The Hunter In The Woods

By Bruce Raymond

When a deer sees you in the woods, will you be busted or not?

Hunters pay extra attention to a deer’s nose and his ability to hear us; but how many hunters fail the test when it comes to understanding how or why deer see us in the woods? My guess is many!

Extensive research has been done to try and understand how a whitetail deer sees things.
The following list of experts are mainly responsible for what we now know about a whitetail deer‘s vision:Brian P. Murphy, Karl Miller, & R. Larry Marchinton, University of Georgia; Jess Deegan II, Gerald H. Jacobs, University of California; and Jay Neitz, Medical College of Wisconsin.

Basically, when it’s light out, deer see “everything” in shades of yellow just like what we would see if we wore yellow shooters glasses all the time. In lighted conditions (low light or bright sunny days), humans are capable of seeing the full spectrum of colors in the rainbow, while whitetails can only see two colors: yellow and blue.

Deer are red/green color blind; they lack a UV filter and can see in the ultra violet known as the UV range. Most laundry detergents contain UV brighteners. Those are the chemical compounds that cause colors to become brighter, vibrant and radiant causing a “UV Glow”. When a deer sees UV glow, he sees it as a glowing blue, i.e., if your camo colors contain UV hot (glowing) brown colors, a deer sees them as glowing blues.

The research also verified that deer are not as sensitive to longer wavelengths than humans. This means that if a blaze orange vest had no brightener dyes and was purely blaze orange, the deer would not see it as good as we do. Deer see UV glow BETTER than we see blaze orange.

Imagine going into the woods before sunrise. You’ve taken all the steps to de-scent so the deer might not be able to smell you, especially if the winds in your favor. You walk in super quietly so the deer shouldn’t hear you but all of your clothes were washed in regular detergents. So, as you enter the woods, you are literally glowing to a deer’s eyes–even if you’re in full camo clothing!

In extreme low light conditions, deer see about the same as we do in shades of white, black and gray.

What does this all mean to the hunter? It means that if a hunter doesn’t take the necessary steps to eliminate “UV Glow,” a deer is going to bust you each and every time you enter the woods.

You can beat a deer’s nose by keeping the wind in your face. You can beat a deer’s ears by hunting from a stand. But, when it comes to a deer’s eyes, you can’t beat them. You can however take steps to increase your odds when a deer sees you.

When you wash your hunting clothes, MAKE SURE you use a hunter specific detergent that contains UV eliminators! Without it, you’re going to GLOW!

I’m not an expert on a deer’s eyes but by passing along what I’ve learned on the subject, I hope this helps increase your odds on your next hunts.

Good Luck and Happy Safe Hunting!

Bruce Raymond
Bruce was born in Newark, NJ Sept. of 1959. His parents relocated to Vermont in 1969 when Bruce was just 10 years old. He quickly developed a passion for shooting Rifles, Pistols and Bows.

We are very excited about the deer hunting on our farm this year.  Hunting in Virginia is a real treat.  The whitetail deer are abundant. We have been busy over the summer getting ready for the hunting season.

Our farm is a working farm.  We are not a lodge nor do we promote Trophy bucks.  We simply are a hard working family that wants to offer a safe place to hunt for people who do not have a place to hunt.

We want to manage the deer population on the farm.  We won’t over hunt the farm.  We want to keep the wildlife here, thinning the heard occasionally is needed.

We also offer predator hunting.  Our predators include raccoon, foxes, opossums, bobcats and coyote.

The food plots are in and flourishing.  The deer are visiting the plots and eating plenty.

A few nights ago our son-in-law saw a huge drop tine buck near his house on the farm…he saw it again the next day. Our son-in-law has his sites on this one.

We offer hunting on our farm during the season.  The price is affordable..No hunt club obligations and fees.  You can come for a day or several days.

During the month of November we have a mobile home that we can rent to hunters while they are hunting on our farm.  The mobile home is just one mile from the farm.  The mobile home is no frills, it has a queen bed, a twin bed, a couch, table and chairs and a bit of cooking supplies.  Basically, a warm place to seep and shower for $ 30.00 a night.

If you would like to bring a camper or tent camp you are welcome to do so for free. You can also bring your 4 wheeler.

The calendar for November is filling up.  We also have several days that are booked for December.

You can use the link below to find hunting season dates, limits and licensing information.

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/

You can call us to reserve your spot. 434-294-1041

We limit the number of people who hunt on any one day.

Hunting wild game is the natural way to control animal populations. It is also the most affordable. Governments and large corporations have tried and failed to implement ideas to control animal populations with other means and failed.

For example the timber companies in Southern Virginia brought in bobcats to control the rabbit populations. The rabbits ate the pine seedlings when they were first planted. The timber companies being concerned about protecting their investments would prefer the rabbits were gone.

Finding rabbits to hunt in Virginia is becoming harder and harder because the bobcats don’t know about over hunting. Eventually, the rabbit population will diminish as planned. The Corporate timber companies are happy because their investment is no longer at risk. With this means of animal control they create a new problem for the community.

When the bobcats run out of a food supply of rabbits they move on to something else. They will eat other rodents and anything they can find. It won’t take long before they become a pest to the farmer and local residence.

The bobcats begin eating the farmers domestic animals and the local residents pets. The coyote population is so out of control in Southern Virginia the local government pays a bounty to hunters for each coyote killed.

Hunting in Virginia is still the most efficient means of controling the wild animal population without creating a larger problem.