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 The
single most important attribute in taking a trophy whitetail buck without
blind luck is to realize you actually want to. This sounds funny but many
people who set out to take a trophy lose sight of it after they discover
it's not going to be easy.
Taking the absolute best deer in your area takes dedication to hunt as often as possible (whenever possible). It means that until the last bell rings on the last day of season you are still optimistic that it will happen. This does not mean that you have to forget the wife, kids and family, but you must use your time wisely and hunt at productive times depending on what you can get away with. I got a call the other day from a friend who wanted me to go with him and scout some deer ground about an hour north. It prompted writing on this subject because my buddy was about to make the mistake that I learned so many times not to. So here is the first rule in seeking your trophy: Don't travel any further from your home than you have to. We whitetail hunters are big on the grass being greener on the other side. If you look in the record books and see that quality deer have been taken out of your area you can bet they are there. This goes along the same line as thinking that you know every buck in the area. When the rut comes this is impossible. To obtain permission on the tract's of ground nearest your home read my article on 'Obtaining Permission'. Another huge issue in time management is deciding exactly when you are going to hunt. I'm going to list my schedule for the upcoming season and then we will analyze it. My written schedule would be as follows: OctoberHopefully I'm done by now. If not I will hunt weekends and other times possible. Lets analyze this schedule. As you can see I didn't start hunting until the 28th. This is easiest on my family knowing up front they will deal with 2 weeks of inconvenience. I plan this as my vacation. I would rather be in the tree for 2 weeks spaced out than I would for any single full week. It's much more fun and there's less pressure to guess the rut and weather. Don't make the mistake of wasting a lot of time in early season in the tree unless you have enough hunting ground to handle the pressure, limited family requirements and stamina to keep your interest and drive when the good hunting starts. Another way that I make my hunting easy on myself is that I very rarely enter the timber in the dark. I'm not big on getting setup an hour before the sun comes up and waiting for daylight. To me it is a waste of time and energy. I find that my entrance is much better after first light and I can get setup quietly in the Treesuit in about 30 seconds. This rule is especially important for me because I almost always will hunt an edge in the morning (weather permitting) and I need to give these deer a chance to walk into cover at first light before returning to feed. I know many hunters who get in when it's pitch black and walk out an hour after daylight because that's all the longer they can stand the cold, wind and boredom. If you require this extra time because your treestand setup is scaring things off for the first hour then you need to change systems. Making wise decisions about when you need to be in the tree can make or break your spirit and your season. Now is the time to determine when and how you will spend your time this season. Get busy locating ground and planning your schedule! The next article will feature specific variables that determine what locations, (edges, funnels, thick canopy, etc,) to hunt in morning, mid day or evening stands and how certain weather conditions effect this decision.
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