Starvin Larry

Those who live in states where the use of bait is permitted should start putting out corn now.

Use some shell corn,and some cob corn,spread the shell corn around,do not just dump it in a pile-as this can lead to the spread of disease from deer to deer.

I go to my local feed store and buy a block of what I call sweet feed-it’s a mix of grains,with molasses added for sweetness.

Since it’s compressed into a block,it keeps the deer at your feeding location longer,as does the cob corn.

The blocks are kinda heavy,but so what,it’s good exercise.

I also place some extra mineral blocks along the trails leading to and from the place I put the corn out,this also keeps deer in the area longer. Mix up the “flavors” of the blocks,around here,I use apple,acorn,stockman’s mineral blocks,and plain salt blocks. I buy a big salt block,then cut it up with a sawzall,using a pruning blade,I cut a 50# block into 6 pieces,which makes the salt blocks much more manageable to carry.

As soon as acorns start dropping,I’ll rake up piles of them from my yard,and scatter them among the corn and salt/mineral blocks.

Those who live where baiting deer is not legal just have to keep scouting your hunting areas,find out what the main food source is,main water source is,the bedding areas,and the trails the deer use to get from one place to the other. (you already did that back in early August,right?) Watch for acorns to start dropping,as deer will eat acorns over any other food source once they start dropping in significant numbers.

You should place your stand/blind along the deer’s route to the stand of oaks that are dropping the most acorns,just at the edge of the stand of oaks,as deer will hang back in the cover at the edges of the stand of oaks before entering them,as there’s more open space among stands of mature oaks than there is at the edges of the stand,where there is a mix of trees,and most likely some brush.

In either scenario,look for faint trails that do not show signs of heavy use if you are hunting for a mature buck. The main,heavily traveled trails are made by does and fawns,the older  bucks will walk their own trail,parallel to the main trail,usually no more than 10-15 yards back from it.

Pick your spot for your stand/blind,and hang a trail camera along the trail,then you will know what bucks are using the trail. If trail cameras are not legal in your state,take a small garden claw type tool with you,and clear all leaves,branches, sticks and other debris from several areas along the trail,if the ground is hard,pour some water into the cleared area to soften up the ground. Check the spots you cleared for tracks,keep adding water as needed,so the deer leave good tracks. Using this method,you can judge the size of the deer,and how often he travels the trail.

Yes,all this takes time,and effort,that’s why it’s called hunting-besides-the exercise is good for you!

 

I’ll post some rut hunting tips/techniques soon.

 

Read.

Learn.
Train.
Do more PT !