It has happened to all deer hunters at on time or another. You leave camp heading for that great new spot you found, nobody else in camp has hunted there this season! You hung your stand there early in the week and can't wait to get set and ready to hunt. Not wanting to take a chance on spooking the deer, you park several hundred yards away and head in to your stand on foot. It's still dark because you want to get there well before daylight, but as you move silently through the woods you begin to realize that something doesn't look right. "Where is my stand, I know it has to be here somewhere" is the thought that is running through your mind. You spend the remaining precious minutes before sunrise wandering around leaving your scent all over the woods, not to mention the noise you're making slipping through the brush. Finally you decide to sit down and wait for sunrise. Does this sound familiar? All of the time you "where" close, in fact you walked within yards of your stand several times, but for some reason you just couldn't seem to find it. You climb up frustrated and worried that you have just spooked off all of the deer in the area. Here is a real easy way to make sure that this never happens again. I have found that placing reflective trail markers along the trail to my stand helps me to make my way "directly" to my stand, even in woods where I am very familiar with the terrain. This keeps me from spending to much time on the ground and helps to minimize noise, and scent left in the woods. The quicker I can get into my stand and off of the ground the more likely I am NOT to disturb the deer in the areas that I hunt. The best reflective trail marker that I have found is one called "Leaf Lights". They are leaf shaped so that they blend into their surroundings, which makes them difficult for other hunters to find. They are highly reflective on both side and are visible from all directions. Plus they are reusable. Leaf Lights are also a great tool to use when you are blood-trailing deer late in the evening. Just hang one at each drop of blood. If you loose the trail just turn around and shine you light back in the direction you have been moving, Leaf Lights reflective trail markers shine brilliantly revealing the exact line of travel of the deer. This is another great accessory that is an absolute must to have in your pack.
Each season many hunters head to the woods having done little or no scouting at all. They have no idea where they will hunt, where deer are bedding or feeding, from which direction they will approach, what the prevailing wind direction is, or even what tree they will place their stand in. This is almost a sure fired way of guaranteeing that they will come home empty handed.
Why would any hunter want to leave so much to chance when most of them wouldn’t even think about going to the woods without the right camouflage, deer scents, calls or making sure their weapon is properly sighted in. For some hunters the reason may be as simple as not having enough time, for others it’s a lack of basic scouting knowledge. So where do you start? First of all, it’s never too late to implement a good scouting program. Scouting can make a real difference, even if the season has already begun. So don’t let a late start keep you from doing your homework. Use a map of your hunting property to log in the locations of bedding areas, producing food sources, active trails, scrapes and rubs. Update the map whenever you find changes in the data you’ve collected. Also record the locations of topographical features such as natural funnels and other structures that can influence deer movement.
Combine this information with the deer activity data provided in a lunar hunting guide like the one published by Lunartics MOON CARD to really fine tune your scouting efforts. This will allow you to be in the right place, at the right time, when deer are naturally the most active.
Have you ever hunted the morning after a full moon only to return to camp not having seen a single deer?
You know, most hunters believe that the reason daytime deer activity decreases when the moon is full, is because deer can see better as a result of the bright light given off by the full moon, and therefore, are more active at night.
Contrary to this belief, wildlife biologists, tell us that deer can see perfectly well at night, even without the benefit of moonlight. As a matter of fact they can see better in total darkness than we can at sunset.
So why would deer be more active on nights when the moon is full, than they are at any other time of the month?
The reason is related to the position of the moon, and not the phase of the moon. Deer activity normally increases when the moon peaks either directly overhead or underfoot in its path across the sky. A full moon always peaks directly overhead around midnight. It is then, while the moon is directly overhead that deer are the most active. The following morning deer have already completed this major activity cycle and returned to daytime bedding areas.
Try this tactic the next time you plan to hunt the full moon. The moon peaks two times every day. Once overhead, and once underfoot. The underfoot peak of a full moon always occurs around noon, on the day following the full moon event. Use a lunar hunting guide like the one published by Lunartics MOON CARD to determine exactly when this event occurs. Plan to be in the woods then, as deer start rising out of their bedding areas to begin midday feeding activities. See if this tactic doesn’t dramatically improve your chances for success.
