The 10.25 Buck

The story behind this deer dates back to August 2, although I didn't actually realize it until after I tagged him and looked back to see if it was a deer I had pictures of. His camera appearances were sporadic at best, and after moving trail cameras to multiple spots on the property I really didn't have a strong feeling on where he and the other buck pictured below were living, or how they were moving through the property. These two deer didn't get names, or put on some kind of target list. I was simply thankful to know there were at two good bucks in the area and figured some in-season scouting would help me pick and choose where and when to hunt.

Fast forward to Friday October 19: with the day off school and winds blowing from the south, my son and I hunted a stand hung on the northern part of the woods in hopes of getting a deer, any deer, within bow range for him. We had a good buck work within 45 yards of us, but he had other plans taking him out to the field edge making scrapes and heading eastward away from our location. After we watched a flock of turkeys work their way past our stand the decision was made to hunt until mid-morning, then scout the southern portion of the property, checking one camera and hanging another on any fresh sign we found. There were at least dozen fresh scrapes opened up along the southern edge of the woods accompanied by a few really good rubs. We headed home after our speed-scouting, excited by all of the fresh sign we found. 

Due to family and work obligations the next opportunity to hunt was going to be Wednesday October 24. I started planning to hang a stand and hunt near a cluster of good rubs we found at the intersection of a grass waterway and the edge of the standing corn. With thick bedding, lots of acorns on the ground and the fact we hadn't hunted this part of the property yet, it felt like a promising spot. 

I arrived in the early afternoon allowing plenty of time to scout the sign along the field edge and work cautiously into the woods to hang my stand. With the leaves on the ground sounding like you were walking on cornflakes, each step was purposefully timed with any breeze that offered up some background noise. A cluster of trees offering great cover and located downwind of few trails provided the perfect ambush spot. By 3:45 pm I was tucked into the tree canopy waiting and watching. 

It wasn't long before deer were moving through the woods, then around 5:00 pm I caught the movement of an antler coming through the understory. It was a buck and it was heading my way. He browsed on leaves and his nose worked the area a doe and yearling had just meandered through. My mind shifted quickly, debating whether or not to draw my bow back as he cautiously walked toward the field edge. He stopped broadside at 20 yards. It looks like a good deer. He moved again behind some cover, still facing south, still broadside and moving closer to the field edge. At 25 yards he took his frustrations out on a tree, raking it up and down as I stood still, still debating on whether or not to shoot. I passed on the shot, watching him disappear into the standing corn. 

The rest of the evening was spent watching deer move in and out of the woods. The wind direction remained in my favor and none of the animals I photographed ever knew they were being watched. In the back of my mind I continued to scrutinize my decision. What the hell was I waiting for? There wasn't a much bigger deer around, at least as far as my trail cameras and scouting reported. What was I holding out for? Some unknown, non-existent, apparition of a deer to appear from a magazine cover? Maybe I just didn't want my hunt to be over? I have vacation days to burn with the best deer hunting just getting started. Was I being selfish? Was I thinking only about my season? Maybe I should be thinking about the season of the people I could be mentoring and creating these experiences with instead. That was a great deer. What was I waiting for?

The alarm clock sounded at 5:00 am Thursday morning. After breakfast, coffee and a shower I was out the door and driving down the gravel road. By 6:30 am my boots were pushing through the frost covered grass situated as a divider between the woods and corn field. The full moon on October 24 was the Hunter's Moon, and it still illuminated my early morning walk on October 25, casting my shadow clearly on the ground. 

I hiked to my stand as silently as possible, yet with no wind rustling the dry cornstalks every step seemed to echo out to the deer in the darkness. First light was at 7:26 am. I was climbing into my stand well before then, listening to the darkness, waiting for the world to awaken. The gray light of early morning slowly gave way to dawn's orange glow as the birds were now talking. The noises I had heard in the darkness and perceived as deer walking through the woods had gone silent. It was dead calm with only the slightest breeze blowing from the northeast.

The stillness of the morning ended sometime after 8:00 am when I caught movement of a buck walking down the small hill to my east and angling to the northwest. Wanting to see what the deer looked like, I reached into my pack, pulled out the grunt tube and let out one long grunt. He stopped immediately and whipped his head in my direction. He turned to the nearest tree and ripped it to shreds, making so much noise it sounded like he was taking a baseball bat to the tree. I could hear his feet tearing into the ground as his antlers thrashed against the trunk and branches swung wildly back and forth. 

He was looking for a fight, hoping his tree-thrashing display would scare off the challenger. I grunted again. A slightly long grunt followed by two, quick, abrupt grunts. The kind you hear when a rutting buck exhales with each step. The deer immediately started a semi-circle course in my direction, looking to find who just called him out. At 40 yards he found another tree to bully, and he gave it a beat-down that I wish I had on camera. Instead I was on my feet, bow in hand, release clipped on the string, heartbeat in my ears. It was the same buck from the day before. 

With the second tree battle finished, the buck continued on a line straight toward the base of my tree. Somewhere inside 30 yards I drew my bow and held, knowing I would not be able to draw when he came closer. He was angling toward me, stopping and starting his heavy steps every few feet. It always seems like an eternity as your mind races through millions of scenarios, analyzing every moment, yet somehow time slows down and your mental focus is as sharp as ever. When the moment is right, you pick a spot, settle your pin and execute your shot sequence. Feet, grip, anchor, pin, follow...

Suddenly the world is set back in motion as the buck bolts out to the field edge then cuts 90 degrees to his right. My eyes following him, my mind again analyzing his path and behavior. Losing sight of the buck forces my ears to take over, listening for sounds of a deer crashing. I think I hear him fall, but I trust my eyes more than my ears and uncertainty crept in. Was it a good shot? It was practically straight down. Yes, it was a good shot, he went down. I tried to reassure myself. Did I rush it? Should I have waited one more step? Doubt pushes back in. No, he's down. Waiting another second would have let him walk past you and into cover again, blocking a chance at a clear shot. He's dead. 

My mind ping-ponged back and forth as I hung my bow up and sat down. The adrenaline release caused my legs to bounce. I felt confident in everything that just transpired, but I don't get excited until the tracking job is complete. It was 8:18 am when my arrow connected with the deer. With more time to think things through, I slowly lowered my bow to the ground and started the process of pulling my stand and sticks down from the tree. The plan was to take my time, work back to my truck, text a few people and wait an hour before pursuing the trail. 

After quietly lowering myself and my gear to the ground, I began packing up. Apparently I was doing a good job, as I heard the sounds of a deer approaching. Standing at the base of the tree, I turned and saw more antlers walking my direction. Reaching for my phone I flipped over to video mode and captured this moment: 

The encounter with that buck caused feelings of thankfulness to swell. What an amazing morning. How lucky are we, as hunters, to have these experiences? We're able see the natural world in a way that very few people walking the planet today are able to. We interact so intimately with the natural world that we are part of it's process. It's easy to take for granted, but in that moment I was simply soaking it all up. Living, breathing, smiling, immersed. 

With my backpack shouldered and bow in hand I retraced the steps my buck took, starting at the spot he stood when my arrow was released and following the upturned ground his hooves dug into. Stepping out into the grass, good sign was immediately visible. A single droplet caught my eye, then another and another. 

I looked at the frosty ground and the deer's tracks were slightly visible in the long grass. My eyes lifted from the droplets on the ground in front of my boots, following the path I last saw the buck take. There was no need to walk slowly back to the truck. Feelings of thankfulness again swelled. 

The Huntervationist

What does it mean to be a Huntervationist? It’s a very simple question with a complex answer. First, you have to reflect upon what it means to be hunter, then what it means to be a conservationist, and finally, determine how those two words relate to you. After your self-reflection, the real challenge is articulating everything you know and understand in a relatable manner to those with little-to-no hunting or conservation perspective. So, what does it mean to be a hunter, a conservationist, a Huntervationist?

One of the first questions you will ask, is hunting a component of conservation or is conservation a byproduct of hunting? The short answer is yes, to both. The long answer could fill library shelves, so let's begin with a really broad overview of wildlife management funding. Through the principles established in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, hunting and conservation walk hand-in-hand. In the United States, hunting, fishing and trapping license dollars are specifically directed to fund wildlife agencies and wildlife programs at the state level. These state agencies are the departments responsible for managing the fish, wildlife and natural resources at the state level.

Other laws, such as The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, often called the Pittman-Robertson Act, provide additional funding for state's to utilize for wildlife management. Pittman-Robertson collects an 11% excise tax from the sale of guns, ammunition, bows, arrows and archery accessories. Since its inception, Pittman-Robertson has pumped billions of dollars in excise tax revenue back into state wildlife conservation programs that benefit our entire society, not just hunters. These funding models were designed by hunters to conserve wildlife and the wild places they call home. The success of these programs combined with the principles in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation have been wildly successful. Elk, antelope, whitetail deer, wolves, turkeys and so many other animals once on the verge of extinction, have flourishing populations today due to hunters creating a system to give back. But would hunters give back if the system wasn’t designed this way?

Without a doubt, hunters would give back. Each year, hunters volunteer countless hours for projects including habitat improvement, fence removals, litter clean ups, youth events, wildlife relocation efforts, hunter education courses and much more. Hunters voluntarily form local affiliate chapters of national organizations to advocate for wildlife, raise funds for causes they believe in and represent their organizations at a grassroots level. They willingly give of their time for the betterment of wildlife without asking anything in return. None of these activities are mandated, yet the same group paying an 11% excise tax on guns, ammunition and archery equipment willingly roll up their sleeves, put boots on the ground and open their wallets for the love of wildlife and in the name of conservation. Huntervationists give unconditionally of their time, talent and treasure. Not for immediate gratification, but for the unforeseeable future.

Conservation is defined as 1. a careful preservation as protection of something; especially: planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect. (water conservation, wildlife conservation) 2. the preservation of the physical quantity during transformations or reactions.

So, how can hunting and conservation be linked when the very definition of conservation is a careful preservation as protection of something? Isn't it counter-intuitive that taking an animal's life actually preserves and protects the rest of the species?

Regulated hunting is managed by state wildlife agencies, and in some cases, the Federal government. Scientific data is used to establish management plans on the various game species harvested each year. Hunters report wild game harvested, results are analyzed, management goals are adjusted according to harvest results and other data collected, then our state agencies adjust plans in order to provide careful preservation and protection of something. In this case, it is to maintain an acceptable balance of wild game and wildlife that occupy the available habitat. Through scientific wildlife management and regulated hunting, wildlife rebounded from scarcity in the early 1900's to abundance today. Keeping and maintaining a balanced ecosystem is something all of society should celebrate. Yes, Huntervationists care about habitat, the ecosystem and the environment too.

What about killing animals? How can you kill animals yet claim to care about them? It is true, taking an animal’s life is part of hunting, but it is a disproportionately small part of the entire experience considering the complete timeline leading up to, and after, you squeeze the trigger. Still, it is this precise instant that receives the lion’s share of attention. Perhaps this is because killing is interpreted as the crescendo of the hunting experience. After all, isn’t this the point of hunting? Isn’t this the photo that non-hunters see flooding social media every fall? We all post our grip and grin pictures with deer, elk, ducks and every other wild game species out there. How can you claim to love animals in one breathe then extinguish their breathe in the next? It’s an uncomfortable question every hunter struggles with.

Taking an animal’s life is not comfortable. Despite the way hunters have been portrayed in the media, I don’t know anybody who hunts because they lust for the kill. In fact, every hunter I have encountered has great reverence for the animals they pursue. They are students of the pursuit, constantly working on ways to hone their skills. They self-restrict their opportunities in order to ensure a clean, ethical shot is taken when it is presented. If they choose to release an arrow and an animal’s life is taken, there are somber moments that follow. There will be words, either silent or aloud, paying respect to the animal, showing gratitude for the experience and giving thanks for the food providing nourishment for the mind, body and soul. Huntervationists have a deep connection with their food. When was the last time you witnessed somebody giving thanks for a cellophane wrapped package of meat as they placed it into their shopping cart?

Walking the path of a Huntervationist means many things, to many people. Discovering your own
meaning comes through questioning everything you know to search for concise answers to complex questions. It means raising the expectations for yourself and those around you to aspire for more than just status-quo. It means ensuring the same outdoor world you have had the privilege to experience is available to future generations.

Being a Huntervationist is engaging in wildlife matters within your state by getting to know your state agencies and your elected officials. They need to hear from you, on matters both good and bad. It’s alright to disagree, but do so with dignity and respect even when you feel compelled otherwise. Become connected with other like-minded people through sportsmen’s clubs, conservation chapters
and social media communities. Work together, make plans, carry them out and tell the story. Shine a bright light on the good work Huntervationists do.

Huntervationists use their words to advocate for conservation, then einforce those words with action to make a difference. Big things grow from small things that are nurtured. Small things, like adding conservation-based context to your social media posts, can grow into a meaningful discussion with a non-hunting friend. Become a resource for wildlife, conservation and outdoor information. You can
have a profound impact. Huntervationists engage in a positive way, guided by knowledge and fueled by passion for the outdoors. 

There are many attributes aligning with the Huntervationist movement, all of which advance the role of the modern hunter. The link connecting hunting and conservation is undeniable, but for far too long hunters have not told their story. If we want wildlife and wild places to continue to exist for future generations, every person identifying as a hunter must be engaged. We have to tell our story. We need to share our experiences, the food and the connection between them. We are obligated to care for the resources and are morally responsible for giving back more of our time, talent and treasure than ever before. This is a calling. This is what it means to be a Huntervationist.

Five Habits to Become a Better Hunter

If you are like most people, the momentum of your New Year resolutions are a distant memory. Statistically speaking, there is greater than a 90% chance you have backslid on your resolutions. Most studies show it takes anywhere from 21 to 60 days of performing a new behavior to form a habit. The odds are stacked against you from the beginning, that’s the bad news. The good news, is now is the perfect time to make the resolution of  becoming a better hunter before the fall season by focusing on five, simple habits you can easily develop. Start your hunting resolution today by developing regular routines of reading, listening, exercising, practicing and scouting to make your next season the best one yet. 

The benefits of reading are well documented and numerous, including reducing stress, improving memory and enhancing your problem solving skills. Why not double down by reading more books on improving as a hunter? We are living in unique times where the volume of information we have access to is greater than at any time in human history. Take advantage of this opportunity and earn your hunting doctorate. Set a goal to read at least four hunting related books before fall arrives. 

Read a diverse selection to enhance your woodsmanship and understanding of conservation. 

As you are reading hunting-related books, the benefits of acquiring new knowledge spill over to other areas of your life. For example, reading a chapter or two before you go to bed is scientifically proven to help you sleep better, reduce stress and improve your intelligence. In this case, you are increasing both your hunting intelligence and overall brain functions! That’s a true win-win scenario. 

Make sure you are turning actual paper pages of a book before you go to sleep and not swiping electronic pages on a smartphone or tablet. There are many emerging studies showing blue light emitted from electronic devices actually has negative effects on sleep patterns.The blue light emitted by televisions, smart phones, tablets, etc. stimulate the brain to remain alert instead of relaxing at the end of the day, thereby causing your body to produce lower levels of melatonin, a hormone produced to help regulate sleep. 

Listening is the second habit to improve upon this year. Not just listening for the subtle sound of an approaching deer slipping through the woods, but listening to podcasts and audiobooks. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American spends 50 minutes each day commuting to work. That means 250 minutes a week or 13,000 minutes a year are spent behind the steering wheel. How can you maximize that time? Use it to exercise your mind by listening to content related to your outdoor interests. 

Podcasts are an excellent way to stay up to speed on everything from archery tuning to big game butchering. If there is a subject you are interested in, chances are there is a podcast out there that will expand your knowledge on the topic. Some excellent podcasts to check out are MeatEater, Hunt Harvest Health, Restless Native, Wired to Hunt and The Rich Outdoors. There are hundreds of hunting related podcasts out there to choose from, simply type in some search words and see what you can find. 

Along with exercising your mind, start an exercise routine to improve your physical fitness. You don’t need to be an Olympic power-lifter or compete in a marathon to get more out of your hunting seasons, but you will be amazed at how your hunting ability improves simply by being in better shape. There are also a variety of ways to get into great shape without having to plan your daily routine around going to the gym. If you have not exercised regularly, consult with your physician before starting an exercise routine and start slow. Beginning with a mixture of cardiovascular and body-weight exercises is a great way to increase your physical activity and produce results. Plus, you can do these routines anywhere as no equipment is involved. 

Running trails is another way to enjoy the woods outside of hunting season. 

Here is a great body-weight routine to start with: On Monday, Wednesday and Friday begin with one set, ten reps each of squats, walking lunges, push-ups, planks, mountain climbers,  jumping jacks and burpees. Rest for two minutes then repeat for four more sets, making five total. At the completion of five sets you should have a really good sweat going and an elevated heart rate. Adjust this routine accordingly by increasing or decreasing reps, sets and tempo of your movements. On Tuesday and Thursday work on your cardio by walking, jogging or running a few miles, or for at least 30 minutes. The best time to get your exercise is whenever you can fit it into your schedule. In the morning before going to work, during your lunch break or in the evening are all opportunities to take 30 minutes for exercise. Focus on forming the habit first, not  an overnight transformation. Remember, progress happens one day at a time. 

The next step to becoming a better hunter is practice. Life has a way of consuming our time but it is critical to take time back and practice your craft. With the many responsibilities we all have these days you may need to take a proactive approach to your practice and schedule time for it. A great way to do this is by joining a league in the off-season. Whatever your hunting passion is, there will be a league that aligns with it. Look locally for trap, skeet and sporting clay leagues to improve your wingshooting abilities, or find 3D archery shoots to hone your bowhunting skills. Getting involved in local clubs hosting these events is also a great way to network with fellow hunters sharing your interests. Practice is also the funnest habit to develop. Have you ever seen somebody frown while shooting a bow? Case closed. 

Perfect practice makes perfect. 

The last dimension to ensure a better season this fall is scouting. If you happen to hunt whitetail deer, which are pursued by the vast majority of hunters, late winter and early spring are the best times of the year to scout your hunting areas. Take advantage of the missing foliage to hike your hunting grounds looking for tracks and trails you may have overlooked. With all of the vegetation gone you can study the barren landscape to better decipher subtle terrain features that funnel deer. Follow buck rubs left behind from the one that got away to reveal the direction he traveled while looking for a consistent pattern. Those rubs might lead back to a secluded area that looks perfect for a new treestand. Perhaps the buck made it through the season and is using a different winter range but will return to the same area next fall. Keep track of your findings by taking notes as this type of intelligence can pay big dividends next season. 

Scouting is a great way to involve the next generation of hunters. 

Colin Powell is quoted as saying "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, persistence, and learning from failure." The habits of reading, listening, exercising, practicing and scouting are directly related to preparation, hard work and persistence. Hunting is all about learning from failure as no hunter is successful filling tags every time they go afield. There may not be a single secret to success, however; these five key habits will certainly provide you with a strong competitive advantage leading to less time learning from failure and more time filling your freezer.