Have We Forgot How To Hunt Deer?
You can't open a hunting magazine today without being bombarded with ads about the latest and greatest deer scent, deer lures, seed to plant green fields, designer camo, hi tech gadgets and much more. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, you get to an article and it's some so called Deer Guru talking about how he shot a Mega Buck at 250 yards with his rifle across a green field.
Is it any wonder why anti-hunters are able to sway as many people over to their side as they have been?
As a Country of Hunters, Have We Forgotten How to "Hunt" Deer?
I can't remember what year I started hunting (yeah, age will do that to ya), but it was sometime in the late '70's. My dad was strictly a firearms hunter. A hour or so in the mornings and an hour or so in the evenings. He showed me what he knew, but it wasn't a whole lot.
Fortunately for me, my dad had a man working for him who lived in the woods come deer season. This man volunteered to take me hunting with him most weekends. He showed me what deer sign was, where to look for it and in general, how to find and pattern deer. He killed deer with a bow back before it was popular.
The only camo I remember being available at that time was WWII and at that time, the "new" Woodland Military Camo. A few years after I started hunting, some camo came out called Ranger (the best I remember). This was a green pattern on one side and a brown pattern on the other. I worked all Summer to save up for a set of that Camo!
Later, Treebark camo came out and I believe that was the start of designer camo fad that grips the deer hunting industry today.
The point of this being, Hunters killed lots of deer before any of this new wave of "must have" lures, scents, camo and equipment came out.
Hunting the Old School Way
Once I started hanging around with the man who worked for my Dad, I got introduced to man hardcore hunters. Guys who'd stay in the stand until noon then come down for lunch and be right back in there by 1:30 or 2 and stay until dark.
These guys didn't have all the modern camo and accessories today and contrary to popular belief, they still killed a lot of deer.
The "designer" scent of the day was skunk scent. The camo of the day was any dark clothing that might be handy. Plaid patterns were popular. Very few of us hunted "food plots". The food plots we knew were planted by the State on the WMU. Otherwise, we hunted Mother Natures own food plots. Oak flats, Persimmon trees, honeysuckle bushes, pecan trees and many other "in season" foods.
The Modern Hunter - As Good as Old Schoolers?
I've often wondered how successful today's "Whitetail Guru" would be if you planted him or her back in the '70's with gear from that time. I bet their success rate would plummet.
Today, a new hunter thinks he must have the latest in calls, lures, camo and gear in order to be successful. In fact, if you'd take a look at all the ads, you'd think that you must have a lease and be planting food plots if you intend on being successful. Or pay huge amounts of money for guided hunts, guided hunts around food plots that are often on leased land!
A few years ago I happen to get drawn in on a controlled hunt. As I sit in the parking lot getting ready to head out, another hunt a few pickups down was throwing a wild eye fit. It seems he grabbed the wrong bag when he headed out that morning and the bag he grabbed didn't have his camo or scents in it. The guy ended staying in the pickup all day while his buddies went hunting even though he could have just as well spent the day hunting. But modern "hunting lore" had him believe he wouldn't be successful if he didn't have his little bag of designer camo and scents.
You may be asking yourself what my hunting gear is like. Where here ya go.
- A pair of worn Mossy Oak pants over my blue jeans. Many times they'll go all season being washed only a few times.
- A lightweight shirt. I don't care what color it is as long as it's comfortable. I have a couple OD green ones I normally wear. When it's colder, a black and green flannel shirt is worn and if it's really cold, a old Woodland pattern Military BDU jacket with a Remington black vest.
- I wear LL Beans Maine Hunting Boots unless it's below freezing, then it's any ole pair of pack boots I can find in my size.
- As for scents, I hardly ever use commercial scents any more. I will use a tarsal gland from a buck that is not from the area during the pre-rut to early rut.
- My bow is a Darton that is over 10 years old set at 63 lbs. Funny, when that arrow passes through the boiler room of a buck, he doesn't know it's not the fastest or most modern bow on the market. I use a glove or tab with Cobra pin site or I shoot instinctive. I tend to go back and forth every few years.
- I normally take a couple bottles of water with me and snacks if I plan an all day hunt. If it's cold, a Thermos of coffee comes along. I can't tell you the number of bucks I've shot during midday sitting in a stand, drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette or eating lunch.
- And in my pockets of my pants, fanny pack and jacket (if I wear one) are the essentials, ie; compass, map, drag rope, knives, cigarette lighter, cell phone (not always though) binoculars ( a pair of 5x32 Ranging or Tasco 10x32 binocs).
I prefer to hunt light. I know a few old guys who don't take this much stuff with them.
The point is, many hunters get distracted by all the junk they think they have to carry into the woods to be successful. If many of those who are not successful would spend as much time scouting and learning about deer as they did worrying over their camo, scent or food plot, they would be much more successful.
You see, the very best equipment you can have when deer hunting is between your ears! You and I were made to hunt. We are well equipped with the senses and means to kill a deer without all the latest and greatest inventions or mass marketed products on the market.
Why don't you just try it a few days this year. Go to the woods with your favorite blue jeans on, a favorite jacket and get out there after them. Forget the food plots, instead, head for the acorns or honeysuckle thickets. Once you lean how to really "hunt" deer, chances are you'll enjoy the sport much more. Let's get back to hunting deer, not hunting a place to put a food plot so the deer can hunt us!
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3 Responses to “Have We Forgot How To Hunt Deer?”
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Don,
A wonderful take on today’s mega hunting craze. I remember the times I used skunk scent so heavy all I got was a headache! And I remember the first time I saw tree bark camo. What a sight it was. You are right about the fact that the face of hunting has changed. Unfortunately another important difference between today’s deer hunter and the older deer hunters I grew up with is what I’ll refer to as a sense of “jealousy” or perhaps “selfish” better describes it. Many (though thankfully not all) of today’s deer hunters are far to occupied to get kids involved with hunting. How many are willing to take their own kids hunting. What about the neighborhood kids, especially the ones from single parent homes who don’t have an active dad to introduce them to hunting. Unfortunately for all of us, most simply won’t take the time. And that fact is going to reach up and bite us unless we wake up. The number of kids who are becoming involved with hunting is declining. Many studies document the fact that the average age of hunters is increasing rapidly. Fewer and fewer hunting licenses are being sold. When the anti hunters you mentioned outnumber the hunters at the ballot box, you are going to see the face of hunting change forever. And today’s hunters’ attitude is going to ultimately be the straw that breaks the camels’ back. We are too self centered as hunters, caring too much about the contents of the “bag left home” that you mentioned, rather than the intrinsic value of the hunt itself. The challenge. I’ve always wanted to take a deer while wearing a pair of blue jeans rather than camo. The challenge of it! We have not only lost sight of the challenge of hunting, as you so well put it, but we have lost sight of the importance of bringing in replacements for us as hunters. The kids of today are far too involved with video games, drugs, gangs, etc. They need to become indoctrinated into hunting! And hunting needs them just as much! Take a kid hunting today. And visit http://www.savingourhunting.com to see how some people are giving away free lifetime hunting licenses to kids in order to reduce one more hurdle to parents who can’t afford a hunting license for their kids. Thanks for your time and for a well thought out essay on some of the problems facing hunting today. Gerald
I can’t agree with you more on the subject matter here Don. When I learned to hunt in the late 70’s, I also had nearly nothing for outfitting in style and or camo for cover. To this day, I still have not harvested as many deer as I did back then. It goes back to the idea of basics, or KISS, (keep it simple stupid theory). We tend to feed on the frenzy of the newest and cleverest ideas to help us obtain more deer in the freezer. When in reality all we need is warm clothing, food for the longer days in the field, and a weapon of choice. Back in the early days of hunting people did not have all the gadgets of today. Yet they brought home the meat and needs to feed a family. It is the advertising industries marketing strategies that make us desire these items. Popular shows on hunting channels make us feel that we are not up to par or well equipped without there goods. To be a successful hunter we need all the camo cover, scents, and other items to be a great hunter. I agree that if we spent more time reading the patterns of the animal we are hunting, we would have more success without all the gadgets in their bag of tricks they sell us. I look forward to your next posting on this subject matter.
@Gerald - First, thanks for stopping by. Second, I couldn’t agree with you more. That’s a nice site you have, I encourage everyone to go and browse through it.
@JM - thanks for stopping by and commenting. I agree. According to all the companies out there today, we didn’t know how to hunt deer before they came along. How did we ever manage before they came along and saved us from our heathern ways?
Every year I seem to go to the field with less and less gear. A weapon, grunt call (I have called them up by mouth though), binoculars, knife, compass, rope, etc. If I’m hunting close to the vehicle, I don’t even take all that.
Maybe there’s a movement out there to throw off all this uneccessary junk the companies are pushing on hunters? Who knows. Not all the young hunters can be that naive? Can they?
Don