Pennsylvania Game News - November 2024 - 18

my attention. Within moments, a 6- to
8-point buck pursuing a doe loping
around greenbrier patches passed within
30 yards, across my front. I had my camera
out, but couldn't get the shot. Within
30 seconds, another buck - smaller in
stature - came through. As he stopped to
see where the pair in front of him went,
I took a photo. The camera's clicking
shutter drew his attention and he looked
at me as I snapped another. Off he went.
This encounter was within 150 yards
of the hang-on stand, but deep enough in
cover that its perched hunter wouldn't
have seen it, although he probably would
have heard it. That follow-the-leader
whitetail express continued on-and-off
another couple hundred yards.
Seeing firsthand how active these rutting
bucks were despite the obvious presence
of hunters was an eye-opener. And
the freshly made scrapes I soon found in
these heavy-cover passages reinforced
my decision to delay my hunts here until
the rut kicked in.
But if you're using all your available
time trying to intercept a buck in one
spot during the rut's rush-hour window,
you might never see the show unveiled
through sneak-scouting for fresh signs of
buck activity and new ambush sites.
That's why having this unlikely field
time was so eye-opening for me: It allowed
for on-the-ground scouting when I
normally rotate through stands and make
hunting adjustments based on stand observations.
LESSON
Too
often we take for granted what's
happening around us in late October and
early November. That's why scouting remains
as important as ever. How else will
you find out if you're competing with
other hunters, or if bucks remain active
18
whe re
you're
hunting?
Scouting
on your
way out on
morning hunts, or
on the way in on evening
hunts, will provide some intel. So,
too, will the presence of cars in parking
areas. But to know where bucks are and
if other hunters are degradating your
ambush sites, you often need to give up
some hunting time to scout.
Otherwise, you're hunting with hope,
which isn't especially reliable.
I maintain that you can do everything
right, and still not kill - sometimes even
see - a whitetail. Deer hunting doesn't
offer guarantees and whitetails don't
come easy. However, you can increase
your chances to get close to deer by
spending more time afield, both with and
without a sporting arm.
That's why you should put in the time
to understand whitetails. Only by seeing
firsthand what deer do, and of what
they're capable, can you sort out their
movements and gain the edge you need
to bushwhack a careful buck that knows
there's company in the woods and how
to bypass it.
Your chances to take a buck can improve
with every step you take scouting
during the rut. It's sometimes the only
way to get closer to the action you seek,
as well as to establish whether your ambush
sites are being short-circuited by
other hunters and to detect if whitetails
are using countermeasures to get around
your stand.
Give it a try if you're not seeing deer.
Who knows? You might get an unexpected
eyeful!
Joe Kosack
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2024

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