Small Details Equals Bigger Bucks

In our rush to kill a big buck, we sometimes forget something essential: if our tactics don’t work in one location, it’s extremely unlikely they will work in another location.

Ineffective tactics do little more than waste our time.

You’ll harvest bigger bucks when you obsess about the tiny details. Overhauling how you hunt is almost always a better way to spend your time than trying to double the number of places you hunt.

-Jim

http://jimcollyer.com/

 

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The Key Focus

The most important player in hunting is the deer. You must focus on the deer at all times. Deer are fickle, changeable, impatient, and elusive. Too many hunters want the deer to adapt to their strategies. Nonetheless, it’s the deer who sets the pace and rhythm of the hunt and we must adapt to their movements.

Jim
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Blood in the Tracks

"Big bucks don’t want to be found, and that’s exactly why they are so hard to find."

Have you ever wondered why some hunters are wildly successful while others--maybe even you--struggle?
Great news: I know precisely why. And the even better news is that the truth behind what makes some hunters successful, while others struggle, can be learned.
You may or may not know this, but when I was young, I couldn’t hunt my way out of a brown paper bag. I stumbled, failed, and learned a lot of lessons throughout the years. In fact, I’ve spent the decades since then perfecting those lessons, culling them down into a science.
I'm going to share my experience with you!
My book, Blood in the Tracks, is the tale of my journey towards hunting success – the funny, exhausting, heart-stopping whole of it – PLUS the lessons it taught me, and how you can apply those lessons to your deer hunting.
In 170 pages, I unravel one of hunting greatest mysteries: trophy mule deer success. Why do some people seem to experience it almost effortlessly, while others seem to seek it continuously?
And is it possible to become a more successful hunter? The short answer is, yes. It takes some mind-shifting, some serious thinking, and even some hard-to-make habit changes – but in the end, you have the potential inside of you to achieve the success you crave.

Jim

Learn more here

http://jimcollyer.com/

Relocating Summer Bucks

When trying to relocate bucks, I draw a three-mile-radius circle on a map with the summer range at the center. Next I search this circle for feed, water, and preferred bedding areas. Then it’s time to get the spotting scope out and hit the trail.

I did just that a couple of years ago. I found a promising ridge and decided to walk it out. The first basin was deserted, and so was the second. In the third basin, I found the deer. I watched the bucks until they bedded for the day.

Stay as far away from the deer as possible. The damage from overscouting is always irreparable.

Jim

More on Scouting Here

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Early Season

The key to early-season hunting is food sources. The bucks are gorging themselves to build fat reserves for the upcoming rut and winter. The largest bucks will be found in the best and most abundant food source in the area. The bucks’ actions and movements are much more predictable now.

 The deer have a regular routine, and intercepting a buck between bedding and feeding areas is the best way to hunt early in the fall. Both morning and evening hunts can be equally successful.

              There is a lot more to their lives when the velvet comes off. Having lived in harmony all summer, the bucks are now increasingly aggressive and begin to challenge each other. The younger bucks begin sparring regularly. Mature bucks, uninterested in establishing a pecking order, move off. The bigger bucks are not roaming around aimlessly. They have moved to more remote areas, waiting for the rut. Sometimes bucks will relocate several miles from their summer range, but usually they will set up temporary residence within three miles.

 

Jim

Blood in the Tracks

 

http://jimcollyer.com/

Scouting Mule Deer

Great hunters spend far more time investigating (scouting) than they do hunting. Good hunters are good detectives and have honed their investigative (observation) skills. Good scouting is not so much looking for answers as it is looking for the questions. In nature, nothing is random and nothing happens by accident. The when and the where are a lot easier to figure out if we know what makes the wheel go around.

 We can become effective hunters only when we understand the deer’s needs and wants. This is done first by careful observation and then by asking ourselves what, where, why, and when. Most hunts fail due to poor observations and poor fact-finding techniques. When scouting, it’s best not to make snap judgments. Instead, spend time being aware of our surroundings and, later, meditating on them. Analyze yourself, analyze the deer, and analyze the situation.

 

Jim

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Fast and Easy Scouting

Another great Nevada Buck

Rule #1 Don’t ever walk into a bedding area while either scouting or hunting. Above all else these areas are sacred. If you jump a big mule deer buck from his bed he will NEVER bed in that same spot again that season.

Before I ever enter a new area I want an aerial view of what I’m looking at. 20 years ago we had to rent planes to learn new areas ( very expensive). Today we have "Google Earth". If you don’t have "Google Earth" on your computer, stop right now and download it. It is probably the most priceless hunting tool (other than your gun or bow) in the world. I use it almost daily.
Here is what I’m looking for on Google:
#1 ROCKSMule deer love rocks. I’m always looking for rocky outcrops that are facing either north, northeast, or even east. These are prime bedding areas throughout the summer and fall months for the shade they provide. In addition these outcrops provide a multitude of escape routes. The further these rocky areas are from public access the better. Rocky outcrops are a big buck magnet. Remember we are hunting during the daylight hours and big bucks like to be bedded during those hours. The biggest bucks like to bed in the same spot all day, only standing up a couple of times to stretch their legs and then plop down again.
#2 "QUAKIE" THICKETS
Next I look for dark green patches of vegetation. These could indicate an Aspin thicket. Early in the season bucks seek Aspin thickets even more than the rocks. Most inexperienced hunters associate these "quakie" thickets with water. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rarely is there ever found standing water in an Aspin thicket. The bucks are drawn to these areas because the ground is cooler in a Aspin patch than under any other shade source. If you don’t believe me try it, put your hand on any other shaded ground and on the ground under an Aspin grove. You will be able to tell the difference and so can the bucks.
#3 WATER
After I have located suitable bedding areas I look for water. Slow moving or stagnant water is always best. I’m looking for springs, marshy ground, irrigation ditches, and even farming pivots. I’m looking for water sources that are within 2 to 3 miles of the bedding areas. Mule deer don’t go to water everyday, but at least once every three days for sure. The problem with hanging your hat on a watering hole is that the bigger bucks will often water at night. Not because of human pressure, but because they tend to avoid crowds.

Once I’ve located several likely spots and marked them on a map its time to grab my binoculars and let the rubber hit the road. I’m still not looking for deer. This time I’m looking for feed. In the northern ranges I’m looking for Redstem Ceanothus or Pachystima (Myrtle Boxwood). In more arid terrain I’m looking for Purshia Tridentata ( antelope bitterbrush).

Learn to recognize the preferred food sources in your hunting area. Being able to distinguish these at a great distance will increase your odds tremendously. If you find a secluded area with rocks, redstem, and yellow pine, you’ll find big deer in the northern Rockies. Likewise with bitterbrush in the desert. You don’t have to get any closer, the buck will be there. Find a high ridge and glass from a distance. Be careful to avoid the skyline as the bucks will see you from miles away. Be patient, the idea is to intercept the deer between bedding and feeding areas. Lean towards the feeding areas as the buck will return there if disturbed, but he will NEVER return to a bed once disturbed there. ( Rule #1)
Good Luck and Good Hunting,
Jim

Are Mule Deer Smart?

 

 

 

Because mule deer have the tendency to stop and look back

 

at their pursuers, a lot of hunters believe they are not smart.

They might be more curious than other deer, but they certainly

aren’t stupid. The fact that mule deer have the largest brain of

any deer on earth should be ample proof of their intelligence.

Jim

Get your copy of the book here

http://jimcollyer.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cancel Your Mistakes

If you could cancel all of the mistakes you've ever made hunting Mule Deer................
You would multiply the number of bucks you've harvested by a factor of three or four. We make mistakes every time we go into the woods. With this in mind I've written a new book on trophy mule deer hunting, "Blood in the Tracks".

I'm going to be giving you some tips and pointers on how to avoid those mistake through this blog.
I look forward to sharing my ideas with you and hope this information will elevate your success.

Good luck to all of you this coming season.
Jim

Grab a copy of the book here

http://jimcollyer.com/