J. Wayne Fears as seen on the Outdoor Wire
If you’ll go to work now, well in advance of deer season, you can make bucks walk in front of your tree stand or ground blind. At my farm, for instance, an adjoining property owner has a huge cornfield, and he leaves a portion of his corn standing for the deer. Between his property and mine there is an old grownup fencerow where a fence once stood. So, I’ve cleared-out a small opening just wide enough through which the deer can walk. On my side, there is a large stand of ironweed that’s almost head-high that makes a great place for deer to bed. About 30- or 40-yards from the fencerow, I’ve planted a small green field in the middle of that ironweed. After the deer come through the cornfield, they can easily walk through the gap in the fencerow I’ve cut and use the small path to move into the ironweed and on to the hidden green field.
I have a tree stand set-up about 50-yards from the green field that’s high enough to see the cornfield, the hole in the fence line and the deer trail to the green field. I’ve created a productive place to take a buck that beds in the ironweed, feeds on the green field I’ve planted, goes into my neighbor’s cornfield at night to feed on corn and then returns to my property. My family and I have taken several nice-sized bucks from this little 15-acre honey spot.
On small properties, learn where the deer come from and where they go as they cross those modest acres of land. If there’s thick cover on your land, cut a small trail to give the deer a pathway. Next, put-up a tree stand that enables you to see that trail. Deer want to take the easiest path possible through rough terrain, so if you cut a simple trail through that thick cover, they will follow it.
When near a deer trail with no place to set-up a tree stand or a ground blind, another useful tactic is to make a small barrier of limbs and brush that appear natural from the trail to a place where you can make a tree stand. Generally deer can jump over these little barriers, however, rather than jumping the bushes and the trees you’ve used to create the barrier, the deer simply will walk around the barrier and right in front of your stand.
These are just a few of the strategies for taking deer that can be found in my book “Deer Hunter’s Pocket Reference.” By visiting my websitewww.jwaynefears.com, you can not only order my book, but also get free daily tips, see videos of some of these tactics and checkout my other new books that will help you be more successful afield this season.
