Overcoming and Adapting to Whitetail Obstacles

Overcoming and Adapting to Whitetail Obstacles

By Ryan Graden

Obstacles. Hate ‘em, but gotta like ‘em. Right? I’m old enough now to know that when things get in my way of accomplishing a task, I don’t like it. It might make things harder. It might add time to whatever I’m doing. It might create delays. It might force me in a direction that I didn’t plan on taking. Whatever the case may be, an obstacle alters your plans and our human nature doesn’t like that.

Being a religious man, I’ve learned however, that obstacles develop your perseverance. That is, if you don’t choose to quit. This Bible lesson has also trickled into all areas of my life. Including the outdoors. Every hunter has an obstacle or will encounter one at some time or another. That’s why they call it “hunting” and not just “harvesting”. You have to make an effort to create some options when obstacles are presented. Only then will you have a chance for success.
With that said, my goal for this article is the following. I’d like to present you with some common hunting obstacles that you might face in this upcoming season. And, along with that, offer some solutions. I want to encourage you not to just “throw in the towel” and give up. Rather, I want you to charge ahead into the challenge and make the best of it. Try to increase your chances of making a successful harvest despite what is on your plate. Here we go.

Obstacle #1: The size of the property
This obstacle can go two different ways. First, you could have a property, be it private or public, that is too large to hunt. The size can be daunting and to find deer on a large property like this is like finding a needle in a haystack. The opposite obstacle would be having a property that you think is too small to even hold any deer to hunt. Here’s what I would suggest.

First, a large property can be hunted efficiently but you need to do a bit of scouting and homework. I’d look for these three things. Bedding areas, food sources, and pinch points. Deer are mostly nocturnal. They will sleep in safe and secluded areas of a property through the majority of the day. Finding thick and brushy areas are going to be vital. They will feel protected and safe. Setting up stands that will catch deer going to or coming from these areas will make for a more successful hunt.

Food sources are another vital thing to figure out on a large property. Again, look and find where the nearest corn or soybean fields are. Find the water sources like ponds, lakes, streams. When you find these, look for deer sign. Tracks and trails leading to and from these areas will help you find an area to place a stand or blind to hunt from.

Finally, on a large property, find those pinch points. Natural funnels that will force deer to go a certain direction. Old logging roads, field edges, ridge tops, edges of ravines, and anything else that will push deer towards a place where you can make a clear shot.
On a smaller property, you can still have a successful hunt. You just need to understand the deer movement on the properties around yours. How are they moving THROUGH your property to use the resources in the surrounding areas. Find the trails, breaks in fences, and anything else that they are using. There have been hunters out there that have no more than an acre of land at their use and they are killing trophies year after year!

Obstacle #2: Late Summer/Fall Heat
Some hunters will not hunt until the weather cools off. Some of that is because they will not see the deer movement during hot days that they might when it’s cooler. The other reason is that it is just plain miserable to sit in a stand and sweat! It sure doesn’t do much to hide your scent either.

However, heat shouldn’t be ignored. Sometimes, here in Iowa, we have heat well into late October. Even November! When it’s hot out, you still have to make an effort. Here’s a few suggestions.

Hunt the shaded areas. Deer, like us, will avoid extreme heat if they can. They will find shaded cool areas to bed in and pass the heat of the day. If there are natural terrains that offer a breeze, you had better believe that you will find them there too. Moving stands to shaded areas will offer you some opportunities to make a harvest. It might even make it more bearable for you.

Another tip would be to find a water source. If there are any streams, ponds, or puddles in the middle of your timbers I would highly suggest you begin to watch these closely. Deer will get up throughout the day to drink. Like humans, water is an important necessity of survival. They have to drink in order to stay healthy. Find these areas and use them!

Obstacle #3: Cold Weather
Moving to the exact opposite obstacle, cold weather and extremely cold weather can be a nuisance for both deer and hunters. Personally, I don’t like to hunt in the extreme cold of late muzzleloader season in January. However, I choose it year after year and here’s why.

Although it’s not fun to freeze, you have a great chance of seeing deer movement when it’s very cold outside. In order to maintain their body heat, deer need to burn calories. The colder it gets, the more they need to eat. The more they need to eat, the more often you will see them at food sources. And they will be coming earlier in the day. They might even be on their feet during the daytime hours scouring the timber for edibles.

You have to bundle up, grit your teeth, and bear it! I promise you, if you can, you will see some action. Find the food sources that the deer are using late in these cold seasons. Cornfields, beanfields, and oak timbers (acorns crops). Deer will scavenge and dig for leftovers in order to get their calories. If you can layer up and be ready for these feeding deer, as long as you can place a proper shot, you will have something to tag.

Obstacle #4: Hunting Public Lands
Public lands can be a challenge, especially if everybody else in the area are using them too! Just remember, just because they are posted with green signs around their borders, they can still produce some incredible game if you know where to go.

Here’s my experience with public hunting. Most folks will venture into the first 200-300 yards of the property. It might be that they don’t want to walk too far. Maybe they don’t know they property and it’s layout very well. Maybe they are worried about making a harvest deep in the timber and having to carry it all the way out. Whatever the reason may be, the deeper you can venture into public lands, the more success you will have.

Deer know where they are safe. When folks frequent these public grounds, it won’t take the deer too long to figure out where they need to be in order to keep safe from humans. You have to go deeper than others are willing to go.

Near where I live, a local young man did just that. Our public grounds are hunted hard by local hunters. This young man did his homework though! With a climbing stand on his back, he ventured deep into the timber and found a few heavily traveled trails to hunt. After just a few hunting trips into these public grounds, he drug out a 200+ inch buck! He also mentioned that this buck wasn’t the only “big one” back there. It’s like the old Star Trek motto. “To boldly go where no man has gone before.” That’s a hint to a successful public land hunt!

Obstacle #5: Winds a Blowing!
One of a hunters hardest challenges is the wind. It will “make you or break you” to be honest. Wind has been something that has foiled more hunts than anything else during my outings over the years. As I’ve said in previous articles that I’ve written, if you’re breathing, you stink! And the wind, my friend, does an excellent job of exposing your stink to anything that is in the area.

Although nothing is perfect, it is wise to do what you can. First and foremost, play the wind! Always make sure that the wind is moving in the right direction so that your quarry will not smell you. It is worth it to not hunt a stand if the wind is not right for it. Educating a deer to what a human smells like or looks like will not end with you filling you tag any time soon.

I always wash my gear in non-scented or scent eliminating soap. I then hang them on a hook outside. I’m lucky enough to have a sheltered porch on my house. When I return from hunting, I hang my outer layers on the hook outside. I never bring them inside. That keeps them in the natural smells of the outdoors.

Use cover scents if possible. Sometimes, during the rut, the wind isn’t totally perfect for a stand. I have, in the past, gotten away with it by hanging some scent wicks that have been soaked in estrous urine. For a rutting buck passing by, sometimes the urge to pursue that wick outweighs the human smells that he’s picking up also. I’ve had a few instances of harvesting find deer in that situation.

Overall, hunting will always be a challenge. That’s part of why we do it isn’t it? If hunting were too easy, it would cease to be a difficult task and we’d lose interest in the hobby. However, sometimes challenges become obstacles and they seem too great to conquer. Hang in there! I promise you. With perseverance and persistence, you will have success. One will not happen without the other! Good luck!