K nowing
what to expect in
the backcountry is the key to
arrowing a mule deer buck.
Over the past fi fteen years of chasing
backwoods bucks with a bow, I?ve
discovered at least six common
problems that must be solved to be
a successful bowhunter.
Problem One:
Being in prime glassing locations
at prime times.
Days are long in late summer,
usually lasting more than fourteen
hours. That much daylight is great if
bucks are bedding in open country,
but they often don?t. Even above
timberline, bucks regularly bed
in timber, making them available
to spot in the open only a small
percentage of the day.
The solution:
Camp as close to the hunt area as
possible without alerting the bucks
so you can glass during the prime
times.
I hear many hunters say that they
glass all day, but that is much easier
said than done. Sitting on your tush
on a thirty-degree incline in the
blazing sun doesn?t lend itself to
extremely long glassing sessions.
With camp close by, you can take
needed rest, but still glass as much
as possible.
I see bucks out from fi rst
light until about two hours after
sunrise. They?ll get back up during
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BOWHUNTING
Backcountry Archery Hunting
Six problems, six solutions.
the day, approximately around 11:00
and 4:00, but don?t stray far from cover.
Mornings are the best times for glassing,
and I never miss that session.
In the mornings, bucks seem
to bed twice. The fi rst bedding may just
be a rest from feeding for several hours.
Research on radio-collared deer in
Idaho showed that bucks don?t usually
feed all night; rather they feed intensely
for several hours around fi rst light.
Bucks usually stay in this fi rst
bed for less than an hour before moving
to a more secure bed, usually in the
cover. If I?m within several hundred
yards of the buck when he fi rst beds,
I?ll try a stalk, but if I can?t get there
quickly, I?ll wait. He?s more likely to
stay in his second bed longer, giving me
more time.
Stalking bucks in the evening
isn?t very productive unless you?ve
been on a buck all day and are within a
hundred yards or so. Spotting a feeding
buck in the evening is usually just
scouting for the next day. You?ll rarely
get within range in the last light and
5BOWHUNTING5
Robby Denning
you?ll likely spook him as you?ll be
racing daylight. If I?m forced to give
up a glassing session, it will be in the
evening.
Problem Two:
The wind, the *#!@*^ wind!
A bowhunter?s greatest nemesis is
the wind. A buck might be able to
handle hearing you and even seeing
you, but once the wind fi lls his
nostrils with your scent, he?s gone
and won?t be back.
The solution:
Pay attention to the wind and use it
to your advantage.
I think the wind can be your friend
(if you doubt that, try stalking a buck
in the dead calm.) The wind can help
you get closer to bucks because it
can mask your sound to some degree
and is very effective at moving your
scent away from bucks. The wind is
not always reliable, and some bucks
aren?t stalkable due to the wind, but
if you have a few days to hunt, things
can change in your favor.
I pay attention to the
vegetation on every slope where I
may encounter deer. It will often lean
in the direction the prevailing wind
is headed, helping you plan your
stalk. In the Rockies, the prevailing
wind is usually from the southwest
with a few exceptions. Low pressure
systems drastically change wind
direction, often 180 degrees, so
watch your weather. The deer do. I