| Dan has a friend who owns a duck-hunting lake. It | | | | in a draw between a pair of oak ridges that deer |
| also forms one of the most remarkable bowhunting | | | | were just hammering. The ridges were open, and it |
| spots he's ever seen for giant whitetails. | | | | seemed like every oak was dropping acorns, so deer |
| The lake is big and wide, formed by a half-mile-long | | | | weren't concentrated enough to make bowhunting |
| earthen dam in a shallow, heavily timbered valley. | | | | around a single oak very promising. But the creek |
| Below the dam, along the creek forming the lake, it's | | | | between the two ridges was super deep, a real pain |
| a network of briers and tangles, as thick as | | | | in the neck to cross. It was hands-and-knees work |
| Cambodian jungle. Impenetrable-just the way bucks | | | | getting down and then up the other side-except for |
| love it for bedding and resting away from man and | | | | two places where the banks were less steep, and |
| predators. | | | | well-worn whitetail trails crossing the two spots |
| On either side of the lake, above the creek, dam and | | | | showed deer had found them, too. |
| thicket, are large cornfields in which deer regularly | | | | "It was a perfect cut-off zone, and I hung a stand |
| feed. The lake creates a huge barrier, forcing deer in | | | | 20 yards away, downwind of one creek crossing. |
| the thickets to walk around the dam and into the | | | | From my stand, I also could see the second crossing |
| corn. | | | | about 70 yards away. I wanted to put my stand |
| By setting tree stands on either side of the dam, a | | | | between the two crossings, but the wind was |
| bowhunter can effectively "cut off" any buck | | | | wrong, and I couldn't 'cover' them properly from one |
| working out of the thicket and into the corn. Dan | | | | stand anyway." |
| alternates hunting the two stands, picking whichever | | | | His second morning in the creek-crossing stand, Dan |
| is best for wind direction. Over the years, he has | | | | saw a high-rack eight-pointer cross the distant spot, |
| bowhunted the lake site four times. He's never | | | | and he passed a pair of 18-month-old bucks that |
| needed to hunt it more than three days to arrow a | | | | walked over the creek near his stand. A bit after 9 |
| good buck. And he's seen bucks there big enough to | | | | a.m., though, on that frosty morning, a wide |
| get anyone's attention, including a pair of animals he is | | | | nine-pointer showed up, and Dan took him broadside |
| certain were in the Boone & Crockett class. | | | | as he slipped across the creek just 18 yards from |
| Dan says such great hunting spots are not found | | | | the archer's tree. Dan had effectively cut off the |
| every day; having a place with such remarkable | | | | buck's travel route from one oak ridge to another, |
| whitetails that can be "cut off" as well is even more | | | | and the deer paid the ultimate price. |
| rare. But if more bowhunters spent more time | | | | It's important to concentrate bowhunting efforts on |
| carefully looking and analyzing their hunting terrain, | | | | deer-travel patterns according to the way animals are |
| Dan is convinced they'd quickly discover there are | | | | acting at a particular time. The important thing, |
| many such cut-off spots that can greatly increase | | | | believes Dan, is the current pattern, because |
| odds for whitetail-bowhunting success. | | | | whitetails regularly change their habits-sometimes |
| For example, most bowhunters know whitetails | | | | from week to week. |
| regularly travel between feeding and bedding areas. | | | | At times animals move into areas to feed on acorns |
| Deer make their moves a time or two each day, and | | | | or apples. Other times they may work corn or |
| many bucks are arrowed by archers who hunt along | | | | soybean field edges. They may go to water, or walk |
| such travel areas. The trouble with this hunting tactic, | | | | ridges during the rut. Once Dan figures the current |
| Dan explains, is that all too often, deer utilize so | | | | deer travel pattern, he goes into the area and looks |
| many trails between bedding and feeding areas, | | | | for a natural barrier that prohibits their free |
| they're too scattered to offer consistent bowhunting | | | | movement to the place they want to go. |
| opportunities. The odds of a good buck wandering by | | | | "I don't look for tracks or trails, rubs or scrapes," he |
| within bow range aren't as high as they could be if a | | | | explains. "What I want to find is a small lake or pond |
| hunter located a concentrated spot to cut off deer. | | | | in the woods, 'down' timber, felled trees, a fence, |
| While it's true that such places aren't always available, | | | | deep ditch, or thick brush-anything that inhibits ease |
| if you know what you're looking for, they're easier to | | | | of deer travel through an area. Once I find such a |
| identify when you see them, contends Dan. | | | | barrier, I place my stand near it- knowing deer will |
| "Figure where deer are feeding, learn where they're | | | | walk around the barrier and I'll cut them off when |
| bedding," Dan says. "Now locate a place to cut off | | | | they come within range. I hunt this way a great deal, |
| the bulk of them from a tree stand. Last year, for | | | | and it works well. |
| example, I discovered a very deep, 'wash-out' creek | | | | |