Jerry Simmons and Dr. Robert Sheppard Tell Why Bowhunting the Old Way and the New Way – Both Produce Deer
Day 4: Avid Bowhunter Dr. Robert Sheppard Tells Us Why He Uses Numerous Tree Stand Sites
Editor’s Note: If I had to pick two bowhunters and bet on them to take bucks anywhere in two days of hunting, I’d select Jerry Simmons of Jasper, Alabama, and Dr. Robert Sheppard of Tuscaloosa, Ala., for their consistency. During one deer season in one 38-day stretch, Simmons bagged 36 deer, in a time of more-liberal deer seasons. Sheppard regularly takes all the deer he wants to clean and eat or give away every season. Here’s a look at these two men’s styles of hunting to aid us in learning how to take more deer this season.
First Strike Tactic:
 I don’t know of anyone who hunts more scientifically or with more high-tech equipment than Dr. Robert Sheppard. Jerry Simmons prefers to hunt more instinctively. Sheppard believes in the importance of scouting too. But instead of trying to pinpoint the most-productive place to set-up his tree stand on the day he hunts,  Sheppard wants to find every tree stand site on the property he hunts that may produce a deer. “I’m convinced that the first time you sit at a particular tree stand site is the best chance you’ll have to take a deer in that area,” Sheppard says. “Each time you go back and forth to that tree stand, you’re leaving human odor in the woods, which means the deer are much more likely to pattern you. For this reason, I try not to ever hunt from the same tree stand on two consecutive days.”
Numerous Tree Stand Sites:
 On every piece of property that Dr. Sheppard hunts, he develops a database of information for that land on his home computer. Using a notebook and a GPS receiver, Sheppard functions as a reporter each time he goes hunting. “When I locate an area with enough deer sign in it to make me want to hunt there, I first pick-out a tree that will be suitable for a tree stand,” Sheppard explains.  “Once I’ve chosen the tree for my tree stand, I’ll get a GPS reading on that tree and name that spot as a waypoint. Next, I’ll look at the way my tree stand needs to face and use a compass to determine what wind direction I must have to be able to hunt from that tree stand. Then I log the date I’ve found this tree stand site and the data that causes this site to be defined as a tree stand site. For instance, this site may …
* “have white oak acorns where the deer can feed 30- to 50-yards from there;
* “lie close to a trail where the deer move back and forth to feed or to bed; and
* “come close to the edge of a rub line or have other important characteristics that show me this is a good deer place. Next I’ll log whether to use this stand as a morning or an afternoon site and also note in which direction the deer come and go from this place. Finally, I’ll try and determine a route to that stand from the closest road, firebreak or access area. I’ll store this route in my GPS receiver with the waypoint of the stand. Then I can move back and forth to that stand before daylight or after dark.”
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