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“9 Top Deer Scouting Tips that Deer Don’t Want You to Know About!” by Marty Prokop
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Every successful deer hunt begins with great scouting.
Sure you hear the occasional story of the guy who stumbles into the woods, plops down on a log and shoots a nice deer. But how consistently does that guy score big?
To really increase your chances at a big buck every year, use these 9 Top Deer Scouting Tips.
1.) Start scouting EARLY in the year.
If your work schedule will allow, start your deer scouting by mid-summer.
When deer season ends, start looking around for deer signs you may have missed earlier in the year.
Write this information in a deer hunting journal. Use this information when you start scouting and deer hunting the next year.
2.) Learn everything you can about your deer hunting area.
The internet is a huge resource for topographic maps.
Make sure your scouting time includes online research of your deer hunting area. Learn locations of ponds, bedding areas, food sources and natural funnels. Use this information to help you pattern deer movement.
3.) When you are scouting look for DEER SIGN not deer.
Looking for good deer sign is quicker and easier, and you will see more. If you spot a deer consider this a bonus.
4.) Don’t over do it.
Spending too much time wandering around a deer hunting area is not a good thing. You can leave too much human scent in the area, which could cause big bucks to shift their patterns.
5.) WALK through the woods looking for deer sign instead of riding your ATV or driving your vehicle.
Posted by keyboardculture at June 6, 2008 09:00 AM | Questions and Comments (0)
Finding Early Season Deer
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In my Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter and blog posts I write about one of the most favorable spots to set up your deer hunting tree stand during early season overlooking food plots or well-used deer trails. These spots can indeed be good, but don’t over look other great feeding areas.
During early deer season you may want to find a good stand of white oak trees. White oaks, unlike red oak and black oak, drop acorns more readily. White oak acorn nuts are not as bitter as those from red and black oaks.
When white oaks have good acorn crop, target these areas. They will draw deer. Deer will use these heavy acorn producing trees year after year.
Make sure you do plenty of pre-season scouting to help you locate if and where your deer hunting woods holds white oak trees.
When scouting for white oak also look for areas with lush grasses, vines, wild grapes and wild fruit trees such as apples and plums.
Continue reading "Finding Early Season Deer"
Posted by keyboardculture at June 3, 2008 09:00 AM | Questions and Comments (0)
Deer Food Plots...What Food Plot Seed Should You Plant?
Below is a comment and question I received from Free Deer Hunting Tips Community member Pat.
Pat asks...Thanks for all your good information. We want to plant a food lot on our 20 acres. What is the best kind of seed to plant?
Here is my reply:
Thanks for your email.
To answer your question, I need to ask you a few.
Are you planting the whole 20 acres?
Have you had a soil sample conducted yet?
What type of soil do you have? (ie: loamy sand, clay, etc)
How much annual rainfall do you get each growing season?
What area is your deer hunting land located? North, South, etc.
Are you going to use a herbicide to help clear the land of unwanted weeds and vegetation before you plant? Or, are you going to try to use more organic methods to control weeds?
All of the above factors and several more will play a crucial role in deciding what seed to plant.
For example, if your soil test reveals your soil to be acidic, you will have to add lime to neutralize it.
The 60/40 Rule
Continue reading "Deer Food Plots...What Food Plot Seed Should You Plant?"
Posted by Marty Prokop at May 7, 2008 09:00 AM | Questions and Comments (0)
Think Like a Deer to Fill Your Tag
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Discover the best place on your deer hunting land to find deer by thinking about what deer need and what your land can provide them.
Is it food, water, sun, shade, a place to rest, a place to hide or a windbreak? Or a combination?
Think about what deer need and where they will be at what time. Consider time of day, weather conditions and hunting pressure. Then head to the appropriate spot on your deer hunting land.
For example, let’s say it is cold, the wind is blowing and the ground is covered with snow in most areas.
Continue reading "Think Like a Deer to Fill Your Tag"
Posted by Marty Prokop at May 4, 2008 09:00 AM | Questions and Comments (0)
How Well Can Deer See?
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There has been much debate as to how far the whitetail deer can see. Are deer eyes better than human eyes?
The answer may surprise you. Here it is…
Yes and No.
Low Light Vision
In low light conditions deer can see better than humans.
Deer eyes have more rods, which are the light receptors. Human eyes contain more cones, which are used for gathering more color.
Rods are much more capable in gathering light than cones.
Night Vision
Deer also have a layer of reflective pigment in their eyes called tapetum, which increases the ability of deer to see better at night.
Here is how tapetum works in a deer’s eye. If light passes through the rods of a deer’s eye without stimulating the rods sufficiently, the tapetum bounces the light back to the rods. This allows the light receptors in the eye of the deer to respond again.
Deer have night vision superior to humans.
Colors and Distance
Continue reading "How Well Can Deer See?"
Posted by Marty Prokop at May 1, 2008 09:00 AM | Questions and Comments (0)
Post Rut Deer Hunting Success
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Post-Rut is most often forgotten by many deer hunters.
In the northern part of the USA, Post Rut occurs during the some of the coldest times of the year. Perhaps this is why some deer hunters choose to forget Post Rut.
Regardless of the thermometer reading outside, Post Rut deer hunting action can be extremely hot.
When Does Post-Rut Begin?
Doe deer not bred successfully during Pre Rut and Main Rut will go into estrus 28 days after Main Rut. Count out 28 days from Main Rut and you will be smack dab in prime Post Rut deer hunting action.
There will be fewer doe deer going into estrus during Post Rut than during Main Rut, because most does are bred during Main Rut.
Sign of Post Rut Activity
One tell-tale sign of Post Rut is a quick increase in deer activity.
Doe deer in Post Rut estrus show more aggressive approaches to finding breeding bucks.
You may notice doe deer trotting along and stopping frequently to deposit estrus urine.
Set up your deer blind or tree stand nearby. Make sure you are down wind of where the deer activity is taking place.
Continue reading "Post Rut Deer Hunting Success"
Posted by Marty Prokop at April 28, 2008 03:13 PM | Questions and Comments (0)
Main Rut Deer Hunting Success by Marty Prokop
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Main Rut or the peak of the rut lasts much longer than the pre-rut we discussed in my prior Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter and blog post.
In my deer hunting area in northern USA, generally the main rut will begin the last week of October to the first week in November and run to the end of November.
During Main Rut you will notice daylight hours dwindling. This change in the amount of daylight, also called photoperiodism, triggers higher testosterone production in bucks.
The combination of less daylight and more testosterone makes the bucks more agitated and less friendly towards other bucks. If you happen to see two bucks meet during Main Rut a fight usually occurs.
Scrapes… What Do They Mean?
During Main Rut, as you walk through the deer hunting woods, you will notice more scrapes on the ground and more rubs on trees and saplings. Both are calling cards to other bucks in the area that this territory is taken. All challengers welcome!
Big bucks check their scrape lines and rub lines frequently during Main Rut.
Bucks will make scrapes by pawing leaves, grasses and debris off the ground’s surface and exposing fresh earth. The buck then urinates on his tarsal glands, which drip onto the fresh earth leaving his scent behind.
Continue reading "Main Rut Deer Hunting Success by Marty Prokop"
Posted by Marty Prokop at March 31, 2008 09:00 AM | Questions and Comments (0)
Pre-Rut Deer Hunting Success by Marty Prokop
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Deer hunting during the rut and being in the right place at the right time can have you shooting the monster buck of your dreams. But, which rut should you hunt?
You might be thinking, “Wait a minute Marty Prokop, have you fallen off your rocker? There is only one rut.”
Actually there are three very distinct parts to the deer rut: Pre-Rut, Main Rut and Post-Rut. Knowing and understanding each could help you bag the buck of a lifetime.
In my Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter and this blog post I will share with you secrets for deer hunting success during Pre-Rut. In the next tips I will cover Main Rut and Post-Rut.
What is the Pre Rut?
Pre-Rut is triggered by mature does, those that are at least 4½ years old, going into a very short estrus cycle. This cycle lasts only 24 to 36 hours.
In the northern areas of the USA, Pre-Rut usually begins in early October.
Up until this short estrus cycle, bucks are still wandering around in their small bachelor groups.
As soon as the smell of an estrus doe hits the air, the bucks react by making scrapes and rubs. During this 24 to 36 hour period, deer hunters who are in the woods may notice vast numbers of fresh scrapes and rubs almost appearing overnight.
Continue reading "Pre-Rut Deer Hunting Success by Marty Prokop"
Posted by Marty Prokop at March 28, 2008 12:01 PM | Questions and Comments (0)
Whitetail Deer in Deep Snow
And You Thought Your Winter Was Bad...
Above is a picture I received from a Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com reader.
This photo was taken in 2008 in Canada.
Can you imagine deer trying to find food in this deep snow?
Look at the lead deer in the photo. You can't even see her back!
Tell us what you think of this picture by leaving a comment here at the blog.
Send in your deer photos and stories by emailing marty(at)free-deer-hunting-tips.com. Make sure to replace the word (at) with the @ sign.
Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Marty Prokop
Posted by Marty Prokop at March 20, 2008 01:25 PM | Questions and Comments (0)
Marty Prokop at Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Announces New Podcasting and Changes to RSS Feed
The Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog is being enhanced and more free services added for deer hunters.
Podcasts Added to Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com
We are adding audio podcasting of our free deer hunting tips at http://www.marty-prokop.com
The Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com podcast is like having a deer hunting coach and guide with you sharing successful deer hunts, giving you tips, helping you remember techniques and secrets to bag those big bucks and preparing you for your next successful deer hunt.
You can receive free deer hunting tips audio podcasts and text blog posts delivered through our new RSS feed.
Here are the RSS feed details…
New RSS Feed
If you have signed up for our prior RSS feed or added our blog to your own RSS feed we are upgrading and changing the RSS feed so it will send you the new audio podcasts in addition to the text blog posts.
What does this mean to you?
How to Receive Podcasts via RSS Feed
If you have not signed up for the RSS feed yet, here is how you can. Just click one of the feed reader service chicklets (buttons) in the right column of this blog.
How to Receive Podcasts via Your Current RSS Feed
If you have already signed up for the Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com RSS feed in the past to receive the new audio podcasts delivered to you via RSS feed you will need to subscribe to the new RSS feed by entering the following link into your feed reader:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/%20Free_Deer_Hunting_Tips_By_Marty_Prokop
Fix Podcast Feed
If you are reading blog posts and receiving podcasts through a feed reader and don’t make this update, the blog posts and podcast may come through unclear or look funny.
To fix this simply subscribe to the new feed by entering the following link into your feed reader:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/%20Free_Deer_Hunting_Tips_By_Marty_Prokop
What about the Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter?
If you have signed up for our Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter and are receiving our deer hunting tips via email, you will continue to receive those tips via email. This does not change your newsletter subscription. Audio free deer hunting tips come through the RSS feed.
If you would like to receive our Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com Newsletter (which has tips in addition to the blog posts you receive from our blog) you can subscribe to the newsletter at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com .
What is an RSS Feed?
With RSS you will receive the Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog posts and audio podcasts sent directly to your computer via feed reader software or service as soon as they are posted to our blog.
You get free feed reader service when you click on one of the RSS feed reader service chicklets (buttons) in the right column of this blog.
Free feed reader service is really similar to your email software, but without any spam. Your RSS feed will allow into your computer only blog posts and podcasts that you have signed up for. You don’t receive any spam. So you could say it is similar to spam-free email.
You are guaranteed to receive the blog posts and audio podcasts because RSS feed readers bypass email and spam filters. Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog posts and audio podcasts will be delivered straight into your RSS feeder right on your computer.
You will be able to read the blog posts through your favorite feed reader instead of having to remember to come out and visit the Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog each week. You can go to the blog to leave your comments.
You will be able to listen to the audio deer hunting tips just like you can music or other audio files on your computer or MP3 player.
RSS feed saves you time, sends the free deer hunting tips right to you, protects you from spam and gives you maximum privacy.
What is an Audio Podcast?
Audio podcasts are audio similar to radio shows, only generally shorter. I will be recording Free Deer Hunting Tips in audio files and distributing them through the Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com blog.
You can hear free deer hunting tips audio podcasts on your computer using a media player (such as Windows Media Player) or through an iPod or MP3 player.
You can listen to these free deer hunting tips all year around on your computer. An MP3 player makes Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips portable, and you can listen to Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips audios on the way to your deer hunting camp and even while you are sitting in your deer stand.
You can receive our Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com audio podcasts free by visiting http://www.marty-prokop.com or subscribing to our new RSS feed.
You can subscribe to our Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com newsletter at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Marty Prokop
Posted by Marty Prokop at March 15, 2008 11:40 PM | Questions and Comments (0)
