“funnels”

Field Editor Frank Miniter offers a few tips for scouting that big buck during the summer months.

As deer patterns change from summer to fall, here is how to relocate the bucks you have watched all summer.

In typical whitetail country much of the debate over where to hang a stand revolves around wind direction. However, once a likely stand location is chosen predominate wind direction will most likely be the only thing left to ponder. Not so if you happen to be hunting the rugged mountains of the east.

This is the deer hunter’s calculation. You ask yourself if there are low-impact entry and exit routes that will take you to and from a stand. Can you get a true wind in/near the buck’s likely bedding area? If you’re bowhunting, will you have to cut shooting lanes? Can you afford to risk making this buck even more nocturnal in October?

Your typical “Mountain” buck is different than most of the deer you see on television or read about in magazines. The variables surrounding what they eat and where they sleep are countless. As a result, getting close to one can be tough. Getting close enough to consistently kill a mature one can seem nearly impossible. But it isn’t.

Being ready for the rut starts with knowing where to place your treestand—and why.

Predator hunting in winter is about being charged by hungry coyotes that are under the impression you’re a critter wailing in pain.