Look out behind you!

Man still hunting gets really close up and personal with a cow moose and calf.

If you want to be a good deer hunter, you must then learn the time and situations to call deer, so as you will be able to catch your buck. By knowing their kinds of calls, it would not be difficult for you to find the trophy bucks during hunting time.

Here are some of the most common deer calls you need to be familiar of:

1. Lost call. This is consists of two to three loud calls within 15 to 20 minutes. Female deer use this call to reach out to their family members in case they get separated from each other. You can use this call to cover the unwanted noises during still-hunting.

2. Doe grunt. This is a soft long grunt female deer use to call their mate. When imitating this call, make sure that you make it as soft as possible as this can be aggressive when done in a louder pitch.

3. Buck grunt. This is the male counterpart of the doe grunt, but it calls for the same intention. Buck grunts are deeper and louder as compared to doe grunts.

4. Breeding bellow. This consists of long, loud bleats finished by a guttural moan. This means it’s time to mate. You can use this call during rut season, when mating is all over the woods.

5. Sparring. This consists of soft buck bleats which engage young bucks to practice physical matches in order to prevent actual fights later on as they grow up. If you want to witness some deer socialization, then you can do this call by doing a combination of short bleats and a few extra grunts.

It is important that you listen to the different kinds of deer calls prior to imitating them. Deer calls can be very handy during hunting, but they can also lead you to danger if you don’t know when and where to use them. It is best that you study deer behavior first by stalking them silently, so you know how they use their calls.

Opening day for whitetail here in southern Saskatchewan came on November 15th. A Sunday. Actually the first year that Saskatchewan allowed hunting on Sunday in about 100 years or so.

Rumor has it that the Saskatchewan Government outlawed hunting on Sundays because too many teenage boys were skipping church and going hunting–go figure. Because it was a Sunday and because the weather was unseasonably nice out, me and my two hunting partners decided that we would hunt in this huge public forest near my home here at Indian Head Saskatchewan.

We made this decision days before the hunt, but we knew our plan was a good one when we saw dozens of hunters driving around, filling up their trucks at the gas station in the morning. We don’t like to be near many hunters when we are out, there’s no need for it, it’s a big country. A lot of the “hunters” around here prefer to drive up and down dirt roads and around and around the bushes in the fields and shoot at deer they spook up from the windows of their trucks.

…but that’s another story.

We arrived at our spot shortly after daylight. A little late I thought, but who cares? I’m on holiday and it’s opening day–no big rush. We piled out of the truck and loaded our rifles and into the bush we went. Spread out and creeping through there hoping to get on top of a good deer, we all had buck and doe tags so we were pumped to get something right away.

We weren’t in the bush long when I spooked a good doe out of her bed, but I wasn’t ready. I left behind my 300 win mag rifle in the truck and was carrying a Russian sks rifle I had bought specifically for hunting in this thick forest. I shot 2 or 3 times as she blasted past me and missed every time!

“That was my warm up,” I told myself.

Not long after that I came across a huge clearing in the forest, a dried up swamp, and directly across from me I spotted a huge buck that was walking along a trail about 200 yards away. It was a long shot for an open sighted sks, but I rested it up against a tree and waited for him to get into a nice clear spot.

All of a sudden the buck froze.

With his vitals and head hidden behind trees, I could see his head whip up real fast. I saw the huge antlers go up on the other side of the tree, he winded me. I could see his hind quarters perfect and I thought to myself, “I could probably hit him good enough to get another killer shot on him,” but I wasn’t confident and I held off on the butt shot.

I can still picture him as he bolted back and ran off quartering away from me into the thick forest. I was choked…he would have been a booner for sure. So, I kept moving along, for a few hours, occasionally spooking up does and fawns and some smaller bucks, but they all busted me before I could get on them.

I decided I was walking into a decent breeze and it wouldn’t be a bad time to have a smoke. So I dug one out of my coveralls and fired it up and was walking along just enjoying the beautiful day.

Smoking my cigarette, as I came to a small rise in the trail, I spotted a doe trotting along a different trail that crossed the one I was on.

I dropped my cigarette and raised the sks hoping she would be in sight when I got a little higher in the trail. When I got to the top of it I could see her and I was just about to shoot her when some movement behind her caught my eye.

The buck and I spotted each other at exactly the same time.

He was standing and looking directly at me, about 60 yards away, and I shifted my sights onto him. Fired a shot that I saw rip off a branch that was from a tree about halfway between us, luckily I brought the sks rifle because I instantly fired a second shot. And I hit the big buck right in the white patch on his throat and his legs folded under him. Down he went.

If i had brought any other rifle I wouldn’t have gotten off that second shot and the deer would have got away on me, but I got him.

I haven’t had his antlers scored, but they are a nice trophy by anyone’s standards. He was, however, an exceptional Saskatchewan heavyweight. We struggled for quite some time to get him the 200 yards or so to the stubble field at the edge of the forest.

After he was field dressed, hide and head off, with his legs cut 3/4 off he still weighed 152 lbs on the butchers hook.

One nice big ole Saskatchewan whitetail buck.

——

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The answer is a yes and a no. Guided hunts can be useful but at the same time annoying, depending on your intentions for hunting. Below are the benefits and disadvantages of guided hunts so you know when and when not to use them.

If you are a newbie in the hunting adventure, of if you are about to teach your children or friends how to catch deer, then guided hunts are the best way to go. Your students are taught with both the theoretical and practical aspects of hunting in the wild, from the equipment to use to the best places to hunt. Guided hunts also provide a more secure hunting experience as the dangerous and risky territories are already fenced and restricted to avoid potential harm.

Guided hunts are also good for training yourself in hunting, as you are given the ground to study actual deer attitudes and behavior. You can then practice in guided hunts to learn more about deer calls and grunts, find the scrapes and rubs, as well as see in which situations deer hunting tactics work best.

If you are hunting for recreation, and you are not really into killing deer, guided hunts then serve the same purpose. The hunting land also works as a deer sanctuary where the bucks and does live in harmony as they are supposed to, and killing for game is not really the main theme of the said place. Thus, for the sake of a fun-filled adventure, guided hunts are then the place to go.

However, if you are expert hunter and search for a deer for gutting purposes, then guided hunts are not the ideal place to visit. Indeed there are guided hunts which serve the intention of catching and gutting bucks, but not all of them do. Also, since the place is guarded, you don’t have enough freedom and thrill to search for your buck, as the trails are already there for you to use. Real hunters rely on their skills, instincts and the challenge of finding deer, and getting the buck by means of your own abilities is much worthy as compared with guided hunts.

Camouflage suits are very helpful in hiding a hunter from the deer. They allow you to blend with the bushes and keep you from being seen. Deer are color blind, and since they only see gray shades, your camouflage suit would then make you appear as though you’re just an extension of the nearby shrubs where unsuspecting bucks hang around.

Wearing camouflage suits during deer hunting is highly essential especially for those who use bows, as the suit allows them to extend their arms when aiming for their target without being detected. You can then make a better range of shooting the deer as your suit protects you from being seen.

When using camouflage outfits, your can opt to use the military style suits, which are made with patches of black, green and brown. These colors make it easier for you to be one with the bushes, and you can then make slight moves without being noticed by your target.

Among the most prominent colors deer could not see is blaze orange. Orange will only appear as another shade of gray on the deer’s end. This can be helpful for you when hunting on public land, as orange streaks tell other hunters that you are nearby. This will help reduce the risk of getting hurt in case a hunter misses his target. Or you two will know which buck you are aiming for, thus you can either compromise or leave and search for your own respective target.

Camouflage suits can also be made. You can make your own hunting suit by painting your jumpsuit with gray, green, black and brown colors, and leave your suit to dry under the sun to remove the foreign odor which the deer might detect. It is also important that you wash yourself thoroughly to get rid of human scent by using unscented soap and shampoo to decrease the risk of getting caught by the deer.

However, the wide lands in the United States provide various differences which have been adapted by animals such as deer. Because of this, deer in the different regions in the United States have been accustomed to different attitudes and behaviors. Thus, for you to become an expert hunter in America, you must learn about the differences in the hunting regions of United States, such as the Midwest, South and North.

The Midwestern United States is considered to be the best region for hunting in America, mainly because the deer and other game animals are abundant and are easier to catch. The climate is also moderate in the Midwest, and the deer are more visible to hunters due to the variety of land formations such as prairies, valleys and continuous growing forests. Deer are also rampant in wildlife areas such as the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. Deer season as well begins on time in the Midwest, as compared to the other regions such as the North and the South.

The Southern United States such as Louisiana, Texas and Alabama meanwhile provide a hotter climate making deer less visible during hunting season. They also have wider grasslands and dryer land areas, thus chasing for bucks can be more difficult. However, due to the region’s equally rich vegetation, and grain plantations, deer as well as elk can be found roaming around during the months of October to December, where the heat is less than the rest of the year.

Meanwhile, the Northern part of the United States provides an earlier start for the deer season, thanks to its colder climate. The rocky region of Delaware, Virginia and Maine has been home to rich berries and wild honeysuckle, which are among the favorite foods deer feed on. Hunters usually start their adventure as early as the middle of September until the end of December, where deer, mule deer and reindeers become more visible.

But why blaze orange?

Deer are among the animals that are color-blind. They are not fully color-blind; they do distinguish one color from another, but not as keen as others. Their eyes only detect colors of shorter wavelengths such as blue, red and green. Indeed they can see orange, but they cannot distinguish it from green or red. At most times, they only see things in varying shades of gray. Their sense of sight isn’t as reliable as their sense of smell and instinct, and because of this weakness, hunters can fool, stalk and eventually catch them during a hunting escapade.

Since the human eye is easily attracted by bright colors, the use of blaze orange helps a lot in keeping them alert while on the hunting ground. Wearing a hunting suit with orange lines allows other hunters know that you are in the area hunting for a target, and that they should move along in order not to disturb your hunting activity. You too are alerted upon the sight of blaze orange hues moving behind the bushes, thus you know which entities to avoid while trying to catch a deer nearby.

Blaze orange is also a distinct color which the human eye can see even during the night. The flashy color can be delivered by the infra-red rays during nighttime, thus you stay alerted of fellow hunters during after-dusk hunting. You can then avoid the possible dangers of missing targets, and hence shoot your buck without being careless.

While deer are color-blind, it doesn’t mean that you no longer have to disguise yourself during hunting. Wearing camouflage suits is still very helpful as they help you blend into the bushes and move with much ease without getting caught by your target. By adding blaze orange lines on your suit, you serve both the purpose of hiding from the deer and alerting other hunters that you are in the area.

1. Using the stand. In hunting, there is this special equipment called hunting stand. Hunters use this stand when eyeing bucks in a clear area. To prevent them from making noises using their feet, they climb elevated, tree house-like posts in which they can view the animals from a high distance. Stand hunting works well in established hunting grounds, as hunters have already set up stands which they can use from time to time. Some modern stands are made of steel and are attached to hardwood trees to allow hunters to target deer in a shorter range.

2. Rhythmic breathing. Used for various activities and exercises, rhythmic breathing aims to relax the mind and body in order to prepare it for a more important task. Through rhythmic breathing, you can reduce the tension you feel when shooting a deer, as well as remove the shakiness and sweating while hunting. By having a relaxed mind and body, you develop better focus and concentration especially when aiming on a target.

3. Stand on clean grounds. Dried leaves, twigs and branches produce crackling sounds when stepped on or broken, and these serve as alerts for deer to run away. Since these sounds mean danger, you therefore must avoid taking positions in grounds filled with such rubble in order to minimize the sounds you make during hunting. Standing on clean grounds also allows you to make more movements while stalking on the deer without being noticed.

As much as possible, avoid unnecessary movements when you are aiming at a deer. These include chewing, murmuring or stomping on the ground. Your movements may not be heard but they can still be felt by the deer, and once it does, it will run away instantly. Focus your attention straight at the deer and only aim to shoot it. With proper breathing and being at the right position you will be able to shoot and catch your target without the usual hassles felt by most amateur hunters.