“doe”

Say you are out for a morning on the deer stand. You’re looking for a decent buck, but your scouting revealed that the best you can hope for is an 8-pointer.

The light goes hazy and yellow. We have about an hour to sunset, and there is something in the air. Something anticipatory.

The difference between calling something an “art” as opposed to a “science” is that a science is supposed to have predictable, clear variables, whereas an art is up for interpretation.

There are basically two types of bleats we can utilize when hunting: a fawn-in-distress bleat and a doe-in-estrous bleat. Here's when you should deploy each.

Using scent is common during the rut. Many of my buddies swear by various forms of doe-in-estrous scents and would probably be more comfortable on stand if they forgot their rangefinder than their favorite scent.

Despite what your friends may say, there are plenty of reasons to shoot a doe. So the next time you show up to the check-station with a slick-head in tow, drop the tailgate with pride knowing these five things.

To be successful in late-season muzzleloader seasons, it’s best to focus on feed available this time of year, the whitetails’ need to rest, and the fact that as much as 10 percent of the doe population will come into estrus in December.

Setting a decoy spread for wary waterfowl requires strategic calculations to pull off a successful ruse. The same is true of decoying whitetail bucks. You can plunk a buck decoy anywhere, but to have it work with precision requires forward thinking. Begin with simple biology.