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John's Journal... Entry 123, Day 3

THE KEY TO HOLIDAY BUCKS

Making a Silent Approach

EDITOR'S NOTE: Christmas and New Year's Day, times for family gatherings across the nation, are also times of high hunting pressure in areas where hunting season is still in, as it is in parts of the South. There families will assemble and hunt together according to southern tradition. This week we'll take a look at what hunters need to do to have the most-productive opportunities while hunting during the holidays.

The way Rick Nelms approaches his tree stand is another reason he is consistently successful taking deer every season during the holidays. Nelms generally parks his truck at least a mile away from where he intends to hunt so he won't run the risk of spooking deer. Also, unlike most of us, Nelms is in no hurry to reach his tree stand. "Usually I take an hour to 1-1/2 hours to travel from where I leave my vehicle to my stand," Nelms emphasizes. "I don't want to spook deer. I don't use a flashlight, since hunters who walk through the woods with flashlights before daylight spook all the animals. I try to learn the woods well enough so I can go to the tree I plan to hunt out of before daylight. Sometimes I'll use a compass or a GPS if needed."

By the time Nelms approaches the area where he plans to put his tree stand, he's left nothing to chance. "I like to have three trees picked out ahead of time," Nelms advised. "Then if the wind is coming from a direction that will cause my scent to be carried to the deer, I'll have an alternate tree from which to hunt. If the wind is moving from a direction that won't allow me to hunt from any of my three trees, then I'll hunt a different area."

When Nelms arrives at this tree in the morning, he's meticulous and deliberate about putting it up. "I've covered most of the metal on my tree stand with some kind of rubber," Nelms explains. "Then I won't make any noise putting up my tree stand. When I start climbing a tree with my portable tree stand, I go as slowly and deliberately as I possibly can. Moving up a tree with a tree stand is the time when many hunters spook and run off deer, if the hunters are not very quiet. I make sure I have plenty of time to reach my stand. Then I can take my time to set up the tree stand and get into my tree. I don't want to have to hurry putting up my tree stand before daylight and spook deer."

All this Nelms does 30 minutes before daylight because he prefers to let the woods settle to stillness after his intrusion. When asked when he sees and takes the most deer during the holiday season, Nelms answers, "What part of the season I'm hunting influences when I see deer. If I'm hunting the prerut, I'll see most of the deer between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. If I'm hunting during the rut, I'll spot most of the deer in the two hours between dawn and full daylight and during the last two hours of daylight in the afternoon."

You may wonder why Nelms spend all day in a tree if he knows approximately when the deer will be moving. "Usually I'm hunting so far back in he woods that leaving the woods and then returning to my stand the same day is impractical," Nelms says. "If I find a very good area to hunt, I generally will hunt that same stand three days consecutively. I want to leave little scent and disturb the woods as little as I possibly can. By going in before daylight, coming out after dark and wading, I will leave far less scent and disturb the deer less than I will if I go back and forth all day long."

To learn more about how master deer hunters bag their deer each year, go to www.nighthawkpublications.com's home page, and click on books. To order with a credit card, call (800) 627-4295. You'll find information for ordering with a check or money order at the site.

TOMORROW: WHEN AND WHERE TO TAKE THE SHOT

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about holiday bucks...

Day 1 - Best Characteristics for a Holiday Hunting Spot
Day 2 - Finding the Right Holiday Place to Hunt
Day 3 - Making a Silent Approach
Day 4 - When and Where to Take the Shot
Day 5 - Take Care of Your Hunting Hotspot

John's Journal