25 Old-School Skills Today's Deer Hunters

Should Master
We are better deer hunters than ever before. In our February cover story, Deer Crazy,
Bill Heavey wrote that Todays whitetail nut knows how to pinpoint a core area, unravel
a rub line, make a mock scrape, set up a decoy, rattle a buck close, age the animal on the
hoof, and score him within 10 inches. All true, but does anyone know how to estimate
yardage anymore? How about age a track, walk over brittle leaves without spooking deer,
or slip up on a bedded buck? With our modern reliance on rangefinders, trail cameras,
food plots, treestands, and the like, are we losing our old-school skills?
Not if F&S can help it. Here, adapted from our archives, are 25 old-school skills you
should still know.
1. Judge Yardage (Without a Rangefinder)
One method thats popular with 3D archery tournament shooters, who must precisely
estimate unkown distances, is to break the span down into smaller increments. By
practicing to become ultra-proficient at judging 10 yards, for example, they can mentally
measure the full distance 10 yards at a time, adding or subtracting up to 5 yards for inbetween ranges. It works for gun hunters, too, who can fine-tune their eye to say 50-yard
increments in the big woods and 100-yard increments on the prairie.
Maybe you have a rangefinder but want to sharpen you skills for those situations when
there isnt time to take a reading of an incoming buck. Okay. While youre scouting, make
a habit of guessing the distance to random objects, such as trees, rocks, stumps, etc. Then
use your rangefinder to test your accuracywhich, youll find, will quickly improve.
2. Sneak Through Crunchy Leaves
At times it's impossible to still-hunt silently. This can be an advantage, however, because
deer will also be easier to hear. Get into the best deer-holding cover you can, as quietly as
you can. Once there, go ultraslow, and use a grunt tube or fawn bleat to cover the sound
of your steps. Listen for the four-legged step-step, pause, step-step pattern of walking
deer, and try to intercept them. Since you cant avoid making noise, you want to sound
like a deer.
Push down sharply with the toe of your leading foot, then promptly bring your heel down.
Step-step. Repeat with the other foot. Step-step. Do not hesitate. Take an angle that will
put you within range of the deer, but dont move directly at themand be ready to shoot.
3. Follow the Logger
Experienced big-woods hunters know of a late-season food source every bit as reliable as
any modern hunters plot of brassicas: freshly cut treetops left by loggers. To find them,
simply drive back roads looking for fresh cuts or logging machinery or check with state
and federal forestry offices, as well as timber companies in your area. If theres snow, it

will be obvious where the deer are feeding. Scout at midday and set up for an evening
ambush.
4. Stalk A Cornfield
You dont have to hunt a standing cornfield by sitting in a stand overlooking one corner.
You can actually get down and cover the whole thing. Pick a day when a steady wind is
blowing straight down the rows, and start your hunt on the downwind edge. Starting 15
yards from the end of the field, stick your head between the stalks in the first row. Search
left, then right, for bedded deer. If you dont see one, slip into the first row, poke your
head into the next, and then repeat until youve crossed the field. Then move upwind a
ways, re-enter the corn, and head back the way you came. Repeat the drill until you cover
the whole fieldor you fill your tag.
5. Slip Up On A Bedded Buck
One of the best ways to spot a bedded buck is to get above the deer in the morning when
thermals are rising. Bucks love to bed on south-facing slopes, typically about a third of
the way down from the top near a blowdown or thicket, usually facing downhill. If you
work along a ridge top, side-hilling just down from the crest to keep from being
silhouetted, you can glass downhill to spot an unsuspecting buck. Alternatively, if theres
little cover near the ridge top or the walking is too noisy, you can slip along the backside
of the crest and intermittently peak over the edge to glass downhill. Pay special attention
when you get near the end of the ridge, as bucks love to bed there.
You may already be in rifle range when you see the buck. But if youre carrying a bow, put
a large tree trunk between you and the buck and then slip straight up to the tree and
repeat until youre in bow range. Peek around the tree to picture your shot. Using the
trunk as a shield, come to full draw. Then go for it: Take a step out and shoot.
6. Age a Track
Punch an ungloved fist into the snow right next to the track you want to age and compare
the two. If the track is fresh, its imprintin terms of how distinct the outline and edges
areshould visually match that of your fist, in any conditions. Now compare the two to
the touch. A bucks hoof, like your skin, gives off a small amount of heat that slightly
melts the snow, which eventually hardens. The inside vertical walls of your fists print will
give easily with pressure, as should that of a fresh track. The harder a tracks vertical walls
and midline ridge are to the touch, the older it is.
7. Size Up a Track
A mature buck (3-1/2 years old or older) will leave a track measuring 5 to 6 inches from
toe tip to the back of the dewclaw (hoof length from 3 to 3-1/4 inches). Adult does and
immature bucks seldom leave a track more than 4 inches in length (including dewclaws).
Width is an even better giveaway. If you can lay a .30/06 cartridge crosswise inside the
hoofprint or dewclaw spread, the deer that left it is fit for the wall.
8. Find The Freshest Acorns
While other hunters are sitting over their food plots, you can kill the deer they are not
seeing by keeping track of the acorn crop. Deer prefer their acorns fresh. To stay one step
ahead of the deer (and other hunters), learn how to predict which trees will drop their

crop when. One key is sunlight. Trees on south-facing slopes tend to get the most and
almost invariably produce the first available mast, followed by those on east- and westfacing slopes, and finally by trees on north-facing hillsides. Also keep in mind that oaks
higher up a knoll or ridge tend to mature faster than those below.
9. Tag a Spooked Buck
According to Maine tracking and stalking expert Randy Flannery, youll improve your
stillhunting success tenfold if you cross-cut the wind instead of working into it, largely
because it gives you a better crack at bagging a spooked buck. If you jump a deer and he
doesnt blow, open the action on your rifle and run forward at a 45-degree angle toward
the downwind side about 75 to 100 yards. Then drop to one knee and wait 10 to 15
minutes. When that buck circles downwind to see what spooked it, youll often get a shot
within 30 to 60 yards.
If the buck does blow, Flannery says, run right at him 100 yards or more. Hell be
running at the same time, so he wont hear you. Then, usually somewhere between 75 to
200 yards, hell slow to a trot or even stop as he starts to swing downwind. If he makes
that swing early, theres a good chance youll tag him.
10. Bag One on Your Back Trail
Another good reason to cross-cut the wind when stillhunting is that is allows you to lure a
buck onto your back trail without getting winded. Put some doe-in-heat scent onto a drag
rag and freshen it often to put down a good scent trail as you walk. Each time you make
long pause to listen and glassas you frequently should when stillhuntingbe sure to
check your back trail. There may be buck hot on your heels.
11. Size Up A Rack (Without a Trail Camera)
When you find a buck rub that shows collateral damage on adjacent saplings, brush, or
trunks, take a measurement from the middle of the main rub to the outermost tine mark.
Now double it. Your bucks rack is at least that wide. Also, when a buck paws through
snow to feed, buries his nose deep into a doe track set in snow, or even when taking a
long sniff of a scrape, he may leave an impression of his rack in the snow or soft dirt that
can tip you off to the size of his headgear.
12. Pattern The Pee
Not quite sure if track your on belongs to a buck or doe. Look for yellow snow. Does stop
and squat to urinate, leaving their mark behind an imaginary line connecting the back of
the rear hoof prints. Bucks often whiz on the move, dribbling urine as they go. When a
buck does stop to urinate, he shoots a yellow hole into the snow a little forward of that
line. Bucks are also more likely than does to defecate on the run, leaving a line of pellets.
13. Walk On Bye
When I lived in Grayling, Michigan, I had the honor of meeting legendary bowhunter
Fred Bear. He pointed out that deer were quick to react to hunters who skulked through
the woods but often stood still for humans who appeared to be out for a walk. The trick,
he said, was to avoid eye contact and wait until you had passed the deer before turning
smoothly to draw your bow. I never became proficient enough to take a deer with an
arrow this way, but the trick has worked several times when I had a rifle in hand.

14. Sex A Track

Another clue to consider when trying to determine is track your on is that of a buck or do
is the trails pattern: The rear hooves of all deer tend to overlap the front hooves. But due
to differences in pelvic structure, the rear tracks of a buck often land slightly inside the
front hoof prints and sometimes fall a little short of them. A doe places her hind hooves
on top of the front track and slightly outside of them. The toes of a heavy buck may splay
out a little to each side, giving the impression of a widely spaced, staggered stride,
whereas a does neat tracks point to where she is heading. A heavy buck is also more
likely to leave the impression of his dewclaws, as well as drag marks between prints.
15. Pattern Buck Movements (Without a Trail Camera)
Believe it or not, you can nail down seasonal buck movements entirely without the use of
batteriesby keeping a log.
Its not hard to do, says Kentucky whitetail guide Pat Willis, and you wont believe
what it can accomplish for you. In a journal, he writes down the date, wind direction,
weather, high and low temperature, and moon cycle. Next to that he reports all deer
activity for all of his stands sites. And over time, patterns emerge.
Its definitely worth your while, Willis says. We have several stands that the average
guy would never hunt judging by the visible sign and cover. Yet if the log says itll get hot
from say Halloween to Nov. 7th, we hunt it. And sure enough, the big bucks show.
16. Hunt the Right Runway (Without a Trail Camera)
In big-woods habitat where deer densities are low, according to veteran Adirondack
whitetail hunter David Allen, it isnt always apparent whether a certain known runway is
active. To find out, he places a good-sized stick right in the trail. Other animals will leave
that stick alone, but for whatever reason, a whitetail buck will kick it right out of the
way.
17. Stalk Silently
Still-hunting is all about spotting deer before they see you. That means you have to move
as slowly, quietly, and inconspicuously as possible. Take short, balanced steps. Keep your
weight on your back foot and use the ball of your leading foot to test the ground for noisy
leaves and sticks. Once you find a quiet footing, gradually transfer your weight onto your
leading foot, rolling it onto the heel until it can take all your weight. Then repeat the
process. Look for silent footholds of moss, flat rocks, pine needles, bare earth, or wet
leaves, and plan your route accordingly. Time your steps when passing planes, gusting
winds, distant log trucks, and the like will help drown out the sound. Conceal your actions
by staying in shadows and the margins of brushy cover. If deer are about, it's almost
impossible to go too slowly, and it's also true that still-hunters who never seem to see
deer are moving way too fast.
18. Shoot Off-Hand, With Iron Sights
You dont need a 16x scope with a 50mm objective lens to kill deer, especially if youre
hunting from the ground in wooded cover where most shots come close and quick. Maine
guide Randy Flannery shoots his iron-sighted Winchester Model 94 like a shotgun. Keep

both eyes open and concentrate on the front sight. To practice, he walks as though
stillhunting and quickly pulls up to shoot plastic milk jugs placed 20 yards apart at 40 to
50 yards away. This teaches you to mount the gun properly, get the front sight on the
target quickly, and shoot accurately. When a deer jumps up in front of you, youre
reaction will be automatic.
19. Learn Where Deer Are Now (Without a Trail Camera)
With deer numbers at historic highs in much of the country, traditional scouting tactics
often lead to information overload. Ground thats too well-trod wont tell you anything.
The solution is to take advantage of a well-timed storm. Overnight rain or snow that ends
before daybreak, for example, obscures or erases old tracks just before deer move from
their feeding areas back to their beds, making for productive morning scouting of these
travel patterns. Also after a storm, bucks are quick to reopen the hottest scrapes covered
by snow or leaves, or washed out by rain.
20. Use A Natural Scent
You dont have to have the latest $25-dollar bottle of ultra-fresh deer urine. Old-time
hunters have been using the tarsal glands of killed deer to lure in live ones for decades.
You can, too. First, collect tarsal glands from fresh deer kills whenever you can. Tell your
buddies you want the hocks of the deer they harvest, assuming they dont. Then freeze
them until you need them. Vacuum-packing is the ideal way to go. Otherwise, put the
glands in a pair of doubled-up sealable plastic bags and squeeze out as much air as
possible.
21. Steal A Scrape
Neither do you need a mock-scrape kitcomplete with the $25-dollar bottle of ultrafresh
deer pee mentioned previouslyto fake this buck sign. Just go find a fresh scrape in an
area where you dont have a stand, such as a field-edge where bucks typically work
scrapes at night. Then use a small spade to shovel the aromatic dirt into a plastic bag and
transfer it to a mock scrape near one of your stands back in the woods. If youre feeling
ambitious, you can steal the licking branch, too.
22. Call The Race
Dont have the latest grunt call or bleat can? Thats okay, especially during the chase
phase when deer make plenty of non-vocal noises. Tapping or scuffing the leaves with a
long stick to imitate the footfalls of a nearby doe, for example, can bring a buck running.
Another good trick is to rub a small, dry stick against a sapling to imitate the sound of a
buck taking out his frustrations on a young tree. If theres enough cover at ground level to
keep you hidden, waggle the saplings crown back and forth. A buck that sees this from a
distance can hardly resist investigating.
Raking leaf litter with a stick or your hand as if making a scrape can also be very effective.
I always toss the duff high into the air, as the sound of debris pelting the forest floor
seems to bring these bucks running.
23. Drive Like a Pro
The savviest old-timers make an art form out of driving deer. Here are a few tricks they
keep up their plaid-flannel sleeves:

--Have drivers get in position and just hang out upwind for a while, especially on small
drives. Their scent may be all it takes to nudge deer slowly past the posters for easy
shooting.
--Put a few choice areas of security cover off limits from day one. Bucks pressured
elsewhere will move into your sanctuaries and be there when youre finally ready to push
it.
-- Take advantage of any natural features that block bucks from fleeing in a given
direction, thus helping steer them toward your posters.
-- When you have a draw or a finger of woods that juts out from the main cover, try
driving into the wind. That is, slowly still-hunt toward the narrow end as another hunter
or two posts downwind to catch bucks slipping out the back door.
--At the end of each drive, get everyone together to discuss what they saw. Over time,
youll learn exactly how bucks escape certain thickets and be able to put your posters in
the perfect spots.
24. Track a Doe
An estrous doe is a buck magnet. Get close and you can tap her drawing power.
But first, you have to get on the right track. When you find doe prints in the snow, follow
them a ways looking for rose-colored urine stains. This is a dead give-away that shes in
heat. Also, look to each side for the tracks of a flanking buck or two. If shes close but not
quite ready to stand, bucks will zigzag her trail like water skiers running a slalom course,
each using his eyes, ears, and nose to keep tabs on her exact whereabouts.
If that estrous doe does not have flanking bucks, she soon will. Either way, follow her
tracks.
25. Read a Topo Map
Google Earth is cool. But a topo map is all you really need to locate big-woods buck
hotspots. Here are four:
[1] Dead-End 4x4 Trails: The best lead to abandoned farmsteads. Look on your topo for
clusters of small black boxes at trails end indicating old outbuildings.
[2] Steep Ravines: When traveling between high bedding areas and low feeding areas,
wilderness bucks routinely follow the contours of steep wash-outs, making the head of a
ravine a nexus for deer activity. Look for tight contour lines.
[3] Old Beaver Ponds: Recently emptied ones, with all their young, tender growth, draw
hungry deer. Also, beaver dams themselves make natural crossings and can be a top
stand location, especially during the rut. Look for marsh symbols near water.
[4] Right-Of-Ways: New growth attracts deer wherever gas, power, or telephone
companies cut wide swaths through the big woods. Hone in on features that allow bucks
to cross undetected, such as creek beds, gullies, and strips of thick vegetation.