Hunting is a great time to separate yourself from the noise of the city and dive into nature. It gets even better when you bring home a big buck for all your friends and family to see. Here are some of our best hunting tips for trackers looking to score big this coming season.
Study Dirt Scrapes
Rut season is a great opportunity for hunters looking to bag some bucks, as the hormonal bucks leave behind important tracks while attracting doe. Scrapes are made by bucks pawing and urinating on bare patches beneath trees.
If a scrape has a pungent odor to it, that means the buck is close by and can be tracked more easily. Scrapes are also useful for hunters because the urine left by bucks attracts does which, in turn, attract more bucks.
Recognize Tree Rubs
Urine sprays are a common way for deer to mark their territory, but they also rub their heads and antlers against the trees. Rubs are useful for tracking deer because you can judge the freshness of a rub by its smell and feel. The fresher the rub, the closer you are to the deer.
By locating several fresh rubs on nearby trees, you’ll get a pretty good idea of where the local deer are and where best to set up a hunting blind or stand. You can also look at the side of the tree that the rubs are on, this will tell you which way the buck is going when he hits those rubs. This will help in patterning the buck.
Pattern your buck for success
After you find the rubs and scrapes. This will lead you to a pattern for your back, you will know which way he is traveling when he is hitting the scrapes. This will tell you whether he is going or coming from feeding at night and then you can set your stands up accordingly. Following the sign will lead you to a more successful hunt.
Deer hunting is hard work, but the more time you spend out in the woods, the more wisdom you’ll pick up and be able to use. Give the hunting experts at Oak Creek Whitetail Ranch a call today at 573-943-6644 or visit us online for more great tips on how to snag your next 10-point buck.
