Tactical Overkill

[gigman]

Just wanted some responses on all the tactics one can use to attract deer. There's attractant scent, mock scrapes, deer feeders, different calls, etc. Is there such thing as overkill when using too many of these things?

For instance, I use homemade deer feeders, calls, and scents. I was thinking about adding some mock scrapes too. Is this just too much? Too unnatural?

I know all these things are very useful tools to bring in the "big boy" when used. I'm just not sure if and when too much is too much. I think everything legal that helps you accomplish your goal of getting that buck is fair game. But, on the other hand, at what point do you start to drift away from good ol' fashinoed huntin'? I haven't made my mind up yet. What does everybody think?

[drew]

Every situation is different and so are the deer's responses. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it hurts your chances......go w/ your gut and see what works for you.

[12 pointer]

while i have no desire(but my son does) to kill any of these deer close to the house here that come into my feeders, if i had one out where i was hunting, i would not think twice about rolling one with his mouth full of corn. to answer your question,do what you are comfortable with. we all have our own idea of what the "ideal" hunt is. some people think it's to modern to even hunt deer with a gun. while some like to stay primitive and hunt with bow only. me, its what ever makes me happy at the time. but if it works, you can't have too many advantages in my opinion. just my scattered thoughts. mike


i would feed them crazy deer, but most of my hunting this year is on peabody. no baiting allowed on wma.

[squirrelsniper]

I think when it gets to the point where you don't actually have to go out scouting or set out in the woods freezing your rear-end off and you never go more than a couple days without seeing deer, then it's gotten to the point where I personally wouldn't call it "hunting".

Although there are thousands of people who do it, I think it's sad that deer hunting has turned into baiting a spot that really hasn't even been scouted, then going and sitting in a fully enclosed stand that resembles a small house, and simply waiting for the deer to come to the bait. It may anger some people, but I personally call such practices "deer shooting" NOT "deer hunting". Of course those methods are legal, so I won't tell anyone they shouldn't do it.

To me though, some of the legal hunting methods are a far cry from "real hunting," which means getting out and scouting for sign for several days, sitting out in the woods either on the ground or in a stand that isn't enclosed and maybe going several days or possibly weeks before getting a deer within range.

[Whitetail Nut]

I agree with squirrlsniper 100%!!!!

[INKYHUNTER]

That's two of us!

[Smoke Eater]

I too agree with sniper. To often people confuse the two.

[Old Oak]

I have had pretty good success by sitting still and being quiet.

LOL! Never read that side of you!

[turk2di]

I too must agree with squirrellsniper. Too often hunters want the easy way, the guarenteed kill! As little effort as possible. Where's the hunting gene? That inner lure of the chase and the outdoors? Too many, it's all about numbers, and aids such as feeders, deer decoys( INCREDIBLE) magical potion( lures ) that will hopefully get them the numbers....FAST!

[scrape]

A good bag of corn will never do you wrong. I think a lot of those sents and calls scare away deer. Corn always brings them in and keeps them coming back.

[SixPack07]

I think it depends on every individual deer. I had scent out, my mineral lick, a mock scrape, and I was calling and rattling. I had deer come in throughout the day, and I also had deer travelling by that didn't care a bit about all the "good" stuff I had to offer them. Do what you think works, have confidence in it, and don't play the "what if" game. Once you start second guessing yourself, your hunt will suffer.

[TREEHUGGER]

I agree with sniper. Whatever happened to fair chase. I love to hunt and knowing that I scouted and killed one by getting to know the area and the habits makes me feel more successfull than just dumping a bag of corn and drawing them in. I have several people who hunt close to my area and it seems like with them baiting with corn it screws up the natural trails that I hunt.

[GSP]

............Where's the hunting gene? That inner lure of the chase and the outdoors? Too many, it's all about numbers..............

You have the potential of becoming a grouse hunter!!!! :D :eek:

[12 pointer]

this guy at work told me about this "deer house" that he has on his grandfathers place, we were talking about the rain today and getting wet. he said his is shingled rof,haeater and chairs. man, that just don't seem like hunting. i like just what sniper said. them are the most rewarding ways to hunt for sure. mike

[oldforestor]

I prefer to try to disappear in the woods. I dont like to call, rattle, scent, nothing. I have been relatively successful in my belief that the biggest dear have heard it all before.

[jerry]

Questions- squirrellsniper.If a buck of a lifetime shows himself 5 minutes after legal shooting time on opening day would you let him walk because you haven`t froze your butt off yet,you haven`t spent days of sitting without seeing any deer yet, you haven`t suffered enough yet?Do you hunt food plots-alphala,clover,planted to draw deer in?For the record I don`t bait,never have but if people want to do it legally that`s fine by me.Maybe every one doesn`t have alot of time to hunt due to jobs,family or whatever or they have physical limitations,health issues who can`t be out for an extended time.I have used attractant scents for years,it is not a magical cure-all and will continue to do so.I hunt out of an elevated 4x8 shack which is not heated but does that lessen the value of any deer I decide to take just because I was not hunting on the ground? Or does that make me a slob "deer-shooter" that I take by fair chase? I built the shack for the comfort of my father who will be 76 this year and we will continue to hunt out of it without your permission.Now are we lowlife unethical non-purist slobs???? One more thing, I haven`t taken a buck since 2000 by choice.I have let many very nice bucks walk.I guarantee ya I`ve paid my dues so don`t lump all hunters in a lesser class than yourself.

[Grant]

I usually don't get into these debates, but this one has sayed pretty civil.
I hear the call and decoy bashing from time to time, to each his own...but how many of you are going this winter to kill a duck without the aid of calls or decoys? And I highly doubt any of us will enter the turkey woods this spring without a call either. For most of us, times have changed. Deer are getting pressured harder and harder every year, legally and illegally. People have to adapt to the conditions. If that means using a call and decoy, great, it could turn a very dull hunt into the hunt of a lifetime, but you don't know till you try it.
On the whole baiting deal, its legal, thats all that matters, but look at this side of it...say you only have 50 acres to hunt, it full of white oaks and usually, you know where to be but, take this year for example, theres very few acorns for the deer to feed on and guess what, no matter how much you scout, you may never find much deer sign on your property. Now, if you add corn to the equation, your going to pull deer, maybe not alot, but enough to keep you intrested. Now I'm not saying its for everyone, but I have no problem with someone using bait, as long as its by legal means.
Some prefer the, for lack of a better word, "oldschool" approach. Then others like a more agressive, involving hunt, mock scrape, calls, etc, and if that makes the hunt more enjoyable for them, then by all means, go for it. As long as were able to enjoy the hunt legally, what difference does it make?

[drew]

Why are so many on this board worried about knocking people for using legal means to kill deer? Rarely do I use any attractants or calls and I've had very good success just sitting and being quiet, however I have absolutely NO PROBLEM w/ people that use legal means to take deer. If you enjoy sitting over 5,000# of corn w/ a remote controlled deer that looks better than the real thing and it is legal and you have fun doing it....the he** w/ everyone else's opinion and go have fun and don't worry about it. Also, if you like the outdoors, but hate the cold build yourself a heated treehouse and enjoy the outdoors....and don't worry about other people's definition of what "true hunting" is! Everyone's taste is a little different.......we should all encourage anyone that looking for help w/ their hunts and wish them the best of luck however they choose to hunt.

[oldforestor]

Im sure some will disagree, but I have yet to see a REALLY Great deer come in during daylight for a cornpile. Im sure it happens, I guess they might follow a doe in, but it would seem to only increase your odds by a small amount. Really big deer only move in season during daylight to fight or #%$&. Im sure it would allow you to see more deer in general, but I bet that if your shooting them off it, theyll quit coming until after dark. But I dont have alot of experience with it...Do they come back after you shoot one with a mouthful?

[turk2di]

Grant, i really don't mind the calls and such, but to me deer decoys R going to far. JMHO however. Personally, when it comes to turkey hunting, i rarely ever use a decoy. I feel sorry for those new hunters that get bombarded by video's depicting the near exclusive use of decoys over scheming & plotting, the very essence of hunting. It amazes me when i accompany another hunter that when a turkey gobbles, back goes the arm reachin into the vest for the decoy, instead of plotting to lure the bird into gun range without one. To each ther own, i realize that. I just feel many R missing out, takin some of the uncertanty out of it.

[squirrelsniper]

Questions- squirrellsniper.If a buck of a lifetime shows himself 5 minutes after legal shooting time on opening day would you let him walk because you haven`t froze your butt off yet,you haven`t spent days of sitting without seeing any deer yet, you haven`t suffered enough yet?

Nope. I may be a little goofy, but I ain't crazy... yet :D. Actually, I almost did exactly what you describe, only it was the second day of season and about 15minutes after daylight. I even used a grunt call :eek: to get him into range and then again to stop him for the shot (kinda hard to shoot when he's moving through trees). Of course I think I'd already put in my time, because I'd been scouting the area all summer and already had a pretty good idea of where I needed to be.

Do you hunt food plots-alphala,clover,planted to draw deer in?For the record I don`t bait,never have but if people want to do it legally that`s fine by me.

When I was a kid, I hunted over legitimate crops and also over bait piles (certainly no timed feeders though). I quit because it made it too easy to suit me. One of the main reasons I hunt is for the challenge of it. Now of course I'm not going to try spot and stalk with only a pocket knife for a weapon just because it would be more of a challenge, but some things just make it too easy to personally suit me. If other people find enjoyment is those hunting methods, great, but I personally don't.

Maybe every one doesn`t have alot of time to hunt due to jobs,family or whatever or they have physical limitations,health issues who can`t be out for an extended time.I have used attractant scents for years,it is not a magical cure-all and will continue to do so.I hunt out of an elevated 4x8 shack which is not heated but does that lessen the value of any deer I decide to take just because I was not hunting on the ground? Or does that make me a slob "deer-shooter" that I take by fair chase? I built the shack for the comfort of my father who will be 76 this year and we will continue to hunt out of it without your permission.Now are we lowlife unethical non-purist slobs????

I can fully understand people who have physical limitations hunting in ways I personally won't. My father is disabled and he cannot hunt the way I do. However, despite him hunting in corn fields and from enclosed stands and such, I feel that due to his limitations, he is as much of a real hunter as anyone else. Even though the methods he uses wouldn't be a challenge for me, it's a challenge just for him to get out there and hunt in any manner.

As for people who don't have time, true, some people honestly don't have that much spare time, so if they are going to hunt and hope to have any success at all, they may need to improvise. However, I think the vast majority of people have the time but simply aren't willing to put the effort into their hunting. And there lies the difference to me. Some people simply want to get a deer with a little work as possible. When you get to the point that it basically requires no effort, then it's no longer real hunting. However, for those such as my father and those who "truly" don't have any spare time, they must put in a major effort just to get out there and hunt, and they have my respect for that.

As for hunting your way without my permission, the last time I checked, I was just giving my opinion about hunting methods, not making the laws, so do as you please.

One more thing, I haven`t taken a buck since 2000 by choice.I have let many very nice bucks walk.I guarantee ya I`ve paid my dues so don`t lump all hunters in a lesser class than yourself.

As long as people are hunting (in a legal manner of course), I'm just happy that they're hunting. The last thing I want to do is stop people from hunting. I don't lump everyone into a class below myself, because they'd have to be pretty far down the list to be below me :D. However, there are those who's methods I personally don't agree with and those methods hold zero appeal to me. Of course if their methods are legal, they have as much right to hunt their way as I do to hunt my way.

[P. Beyer]

I have an old grunt tube, a few sticks of jerky and a hand-held Yahtzee game, and some deer pee pee too.

BTW my high score on yahtzee is 645............

[Grant]

Grant, i really don't mind the calls and such, but to me deer decoys R going to far. I don't see where using a decoy on a deer would be any different than using a decoy on waterfowl and turkeys. Most turkey hunters will tell you decoys don't work all the time, even going so far as to say they can hurt more than help, but those same people will say they have their time and place. Why should a deer decoy be any different?

Its all personal preference, but I will say this, if I thought a deer decoy would be the determining factor in me bagging a B&C buck, chances are I would have it out.

By the way, I have never hunted over a deer decoy...too much of a tight wad to come off the cash!!:D

[Eagle85]

Beyer,
It's good to hear that someone else takes the hand-held games with them to pass the time in the cold :D

[Mount-N-Man]

The best attractant for bucks is a hot doe, let the does walk till you get your buck.

[jerry]

Thanks for your reply squirrelsniper!! Good post.I agree with you. I just took it all too personal with people knocking someone who hunts from an enclosed shack or blind.It allows my dad and me to hunt together when he feels like getting out which is not very often anymore.I`m his eyes and ears.Trying to get him one more before he hangs his rifle up for good.Take care,wish you and your dad good luck!!!!

[squirrelsniper]

jerry,
thanks for the kind words :). I know that on the net it's easy for things to come off the wrong way and/or be misinterpreted, so I try to explain my position better when I feel I need to. It's amazing how much difference it makes by not being able to talk face to face, but that's just a limitation of the net.

I hope you and your dad have a great season :)

[SixPack07]

Once we start fighting amongst ourselves is when we all lose. I say if you hunt, great. Do it your way, and don't judge how others do it. Go ahead and give your advice and your views, but don't think your way of doing it is any better than the next guys.

[BigBlueSwami27]

Well, I've done the complete 180 the other way. When I was younger(an brittle 28 now :) ) I used to hunt hard, scout every other weekend all year long. Now I'm about as high tech, redneck as it gets. Waterproof blind with restored rocker/recliner my neighbor threw out and I've always got my digital camera setting next to me to video tape everything I see. About 7 years ago I got turned onto QM and turned some old tobacco fields into two of the prettiest cloverfields you ever wanted to see.(btw, when turkey season rolls around I don't decoy or anything...about 10:30 they stroll down through them like clockwork). Then I spent my winter breaks from college cutting an acre field right in the middle of a cedar thicket. Took about 3 years to get it conditioned to where I could get the plow through it. Now I've got it sown with a mix of clover,wheat,oats and blue lupine....and situated right in front of "the shack", my high tech blind. I've passed on most of the bucks in the field, taken 2 decent ones but still haven't taken the big one. I probably could if I'd just move 30 yards up in the thicket. I know he just circles it and wind checks it. Now why would I make the switch? Well, part of it is because I love watching the deer and turkey stroll through grazing. I get to watch my hard work pay off everytime they come through. But the reason I hunt the way I do now, is because my dad, who taught me everything I know about hunting doesn't hunt any more. I used to love the moment when we'd meet up after the hunt and swap stores about what happened and what we saw. But he has been having trouble with his heart and takes weak spells so he's afraid to go out and that old, grey beard hunter is too proud to hunt sitting next to me. I think he always hunted more for the silence and solitude than the hunt itself. So know, I hunt in my high tech blind, keep my film rolling, and everytime I get down with a hunt, I get to sit down and have him watch and we get some of that same story swapping we used to have. Its the only sure way I know I've got something to take back with me and he gets to hunt again...even if it is through the lense on a camera. Everybody's got a reason they hunt the way they do. I think generally everybody has demonstrated the ulimate lesson only a hunter can know he's learned from hunting: respect...for what you kill and for what you don't, for the time you have to do it and for everybody else that does it.

[P. Beyer]

Beyer,
It's good to hear that someone else takes the hand-held games with them to pass the time in the cold :D

:) Hard for me to do an all day sit without my Yahtzee game!!!