Pennsylvania Game News - July 2009 - 57

Better yet, an assortment of trail cameras based at likely crossings not only can provide photographs of old mossyhorns, but more importantly, also tell you when and where to find him. No matter what your method of preseason scouting, be it firsthand observation or remote paparazzi, it will always be a primary key to boosting your chances of early season no-rut success. PLANT FOOD PLOTS If you are already hunting over early season deer-attracting agricultural fields, such as corn or soybean, or hardwood forests with rich mast crops, particularly white oak acorns, food plots become less important. Nonetheless, if you’re hunting property with some open areas but no real deer magnet lunch pails — planting food plots can improve your no-rut chances. Be sure to get permission from property owners before embarking on this enterprise. Food plots can be as small or expansive as your hunting area, budget, imagination and time allow. In any case, they should be planted well before the season opens. Various strains of clover tend to make up the bulk of most food plots, but there are variations, including whitetail favorites such as alfalfa and chicory. There is no shortage of websites sponsored by organizations such as Quality Deer Management, The Whitetail Institute, and others that can offer more expert advice on what to plant where and when to bring non-rutting whitetail bucks within bow range. INVEST IN MULTIPLE STANDS Do enough pre-season and post-season scouting and you get a pretty fair idea where the best stand sites will be. Most will border feeding and bedding areas. Others will be on travel routes where “pinch” areas exist — narrow woodlots, topographical SAVVY bowhunters always carry a backpack full of tricks to help them outwit Mr. Big. Tools of the trade include rattling antlers, masking scents, and an assortment of calls. funnels (between ridges and rivers for example) or manmade funnels (often skirting shopping malls or highways), or other obstacles or intrusions that serve to pinch deer travel choices. If your budget (and landowner) allows, hang as many stands as you can — one in every potential early season or late season hotspot. From a financial perspective, a single climbing stand can be much cheaper than half a dozen hanging stands or one or two ladder stands. I use all three types. Beyond the cost factor, the obvious advantage of the climbing stand is its portability. But there are a few drawbacks to your basic climber. At first blush you might think that portability is paramount to versatility, but over the years I’ve found the opposite to be true. A climbing stand seriously limits your treestand choices. A mature tree with a hefty circumference is too big for most climbers to straddle. A crooked tree won’t be suitable, and a tree with branches sprouting low from the trunk won’t work either. Even straight, medium size, relatively branchless JULY 2009 57

Pennsylvania Game News - July 2009

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