Pennsylvania Game News -November 2008 - 58

SIGNS of deer activity like rubs or scrapes suggest deer may be bedding nearby. in the valley, set up on the downhill side (if prevailing winds and thermals are cooperating). If they’re gorging themselves on acorns on the hardwood ridge, adjust your position accordingly. For all intents and purposes, deer are not going to emerge on a designated trail in the evening, march directly to a specific cornfield, eat corn all night long, and then return by the same direct route in the morning (although it may happen that way sometimes). More likely, a buck will leave the refuge of his bedding area, browse on buds and leaves along the trail, head into the cornfield well after dark, munch on corn for a while, then meander over to a neighboring food plot, on to some soybeans, stop at the creek for a quick drink, head up to that stand of white oaks, pig out on some acorns, and just before or after the crack of dawn, slip back into the security of his bed (which may or may not be the same one he left that morning). WHAT ABOUT COMMON “SCENTS”? coupled with more restricted travel and movement. In theory, at least, this makes it somewhat easier to hunt them over bedding areas. The tighter your stand placement squeezes a buck’s boudoir, the more caution is required to keep your presence undetected. To a great extent, this involves avoiding the deer’s sensitive nostrils, because once he winds you, he’ll immediately relocate. Scent-smart hunting of the periphery of beds involves three factors — a basic knowledge of prevailing winds and thermals, a healthy application of masking scent, and a willingness to place stands at somewhat higher altitudes. Prevailing winds can be calculated during preseason scouting visits to potential stand sites through the use of powder dispensers. Once wind direction has been determined, stands are then situated upwind of the bedding area. When it comes to masking scents, I prefer raccoon urine versus fox urine or earth scents. Raccoons are naturally found in trees and their elevated scent won’t raise suspicion in a woods-wise buck the way tree-top earth or fox odors might. The higher you hunt, the GAME NEWS WHAT ABOUT STAND PLACEMENT? Once you’ve located them, the first rule of hunting bedding areas is to keep your distance. Try to determine the approximate perimeter of the bedding area (generally a factor of terrain or vegetation) and then avoid penetrating that perimeter. Such intrusions will put any bucks using the area on high alert and ultimately push them to relocate. Stands should be placed a comfortable 30 or 40 yards beyond the area’s perceived perimeter. The next step is to determine the buck’s preferred points of departure and arrival from his bed. Odds are he will be taking the most direct routes to and from his favorite food sources (a factor that will vary throughout the season). If your scouting indicates that the deer are hitting the corn and soybean crops down 58

Pennsylvania Game News -November 2008

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