If you are like us, then you are always on the lookout for some new whitetail deer hunting tips. Every once in a while we pick up something new that can be used to put a buck on the ground. But most of the time we stick to the tried-and-true methods that have worked again and again, season after season. After all, hunters have been chasing whitetails for centuries, so go with what’s worked in the past.
Before worrying about gear, wind direction, scent control and make and model of the gun or bow that you are using, put some serious thought in to location. In deer hunting, like real estate, it’s all about location, location, location! Whitetail are a lot like the people hunting them, creatures of habitat. They tend to use the same areas again and again. Find their favorite habitat and you’ve got them. Or better yet, find a buck’s favorite path to a high quality food source or his bedding area and you can set up shop.
In short, deer hunting can be greatly simplified if your hunting efforts are focused on natural pinch-points and funnels. Forget the buck scrapes and the rubs. Those markers mean that bucks have there, but the important thing is just that the animals are in the general area. The pinch-points and the natural funnels is where they will be, the limiting factor between them and all the other areas that they access. It’s simple and effective.
But hey, Like everyone else, I love to see big buck rubs and scrapes. However, during the deer rut they mean almost nothing to me. I don’t care if the area I hunt has buck sign or not. Because I’m not hunting the sign. I’m going to hunt areas that funnel deer movement through a specific area. I can absolutely guarantee that somewhere on the land you hunt is one tree that the majority of deer in the area pass by.
It might be a pinch point, a natural funnel or some other terrain feature that forces them there. But that tree exists. And that’s the one to hunt in the rut, even if there is not any buck sign nearby. Once you’ve identified the place to be, set up on it properly and hunt the hell out of it. During the rut bucks will move throughout the day looking for hot does. Your deer hunting game will go to the next level once you can effectively identify natural deer highways.