Critical Tools & Tips

[BSK]

Wow, really?
I can't tell you how many bucks I've spotted that were in thick cover behind a doe or two. I never would have seen them without binocs.
Those deer never came into range either but it did allow me to make a plan for the next sit.
I've also glassed up a ton of rubs, scrapes, etc without having to get close.

I feel naked without my binos. My chest rig carries my binos, range finder, wind checker, knife and all kinds of things.

I have decent binos, but rarely use them. When your farthest visual range is 25 yards, my eyes do fairly well.

 

[recurve60#]

Knee high rubber boots with no holes or cracks in them.

 

[JN]

Pruning shears and the small outdoor edge saw. I find a lot of times when I clear myself a trail through thick brush the deer will start using that trail as well.

Binos would be my other item I always have but it isn't just for deer hunting. I enjoy watching other animals as well especially if things are slow and I am not seeing deer.

 

[TNTreeman]

My backpack has a multi tool, flashlight, binos, batteries, headlamp, a bottle with aspirin, antihistamines, cough drops etc. A folding saw, fixed blade knife, and rubber gloves. I don't go 200 yds in the woods without it.

 

[348Winchester]

Like most folks, the time I'm most likely to kill an exceptional buck is during the rut. When I go on those hunts on WMA's where I'm in the woods all day for days in a row, I need some creature comforts.

Sounds silly, but my shoulder harness pack is a piece of equipment I won't go without. I can take all the food, drink, and clothing needed for those all day ground hunts that I do. That pack enables me to tough it out.

When I was a lot younger and only threw what I needed in the pockets of my cargo pants, I'd not be able to stay nearly as long. I won't do those type hunts anymore without that type pack.

The chocolate rack on that buck is beautiful. I really like you rifle too. Is it an 1895 in 45-70 or 444?

 

[Lost Lake]

The chocolate rack on that buck is beautiful. I really like you rifle too. Is it an 1895 in 45-70 or 444?

It's a 45/70. I have the Guide Gun too, as well as an early 70's .444 that I carry a lot. Big old hammers they are!

 

[348Winchester]

It's a 45/70. I have the Guide Gun too, as well as an early 70's .444 that I carry a lot. Big old hammers they are!

Yes sir! They are great rifles.

 

[BSK]

It's a 45/70. I have the Guide Gun too, as well as an early 70's .444 that I carry a lot. Big old hammers they are!

Both of those rifles are great deer guns. Classics.

 

[Lost Lake]

Both of those rifles are great deer guns. Classics.

They sure are. Solid as can be, more accurate than most realize, and mine have great triggers.

 

[hbg1]

I thought about this for a long time, and honestly - and this will be a boring answer - the tool that makes me most successful is my ATV. I still do a lot of scouting leading up to season opener, and in the past, noticed just how jumpy older to mature bucks are about encountering human scent where people walk in the woods. However, I have also noticed these same bucks pay almost no attention to the scent an ATV leaves after it has been driven through the woods. For this reason, I now almost never scout on foot. I only scout from the back of my ATV, and the deer seem to be completely oblivious to the fact I've been there.

I am right there with you, the deer on my property act as if I'm not even there when I'm riding my sxs