Bucks Within Reach
AUTHOR’S PHOTOSWhile scouting, I nearly stepped on this rattler.
Later, I spotted another rattlesnake and an Eastern
racer, which was enough to get me to don my snake
boots for the remainder of the hunt.No matter how much planning you do
for an out-of-state hunt, things will
go wrong. But learning to roll with
the punches and trying to fnd bucks
within your reach can go a long way
towards tagging out. I found this tree-
stand on a tree that I had arrowed a
150-class buck from the previous year.
The stand was hung by a hunter who
had found my stand the year before.A SEVEN-STEP PLAN FOR ARROWING
EARLY SEASON PUBLIC-LAND BUCKS
Finding and hunting the right public land successfully
during the early season requires a strategy.
Following these seven steps will up your odds.
STEP 1: Find An Early Opener. What date a season
opens in a particular state makes all of the difference.
Search the Internet for a nearby, early season state —
the earlier the better — with OTC tags.
STEP 2: Research Spots. Once a destination is identifed, utilize topo
maps, Google Earth, and any other resources to fnd quality public land.
Look for a property big enough — or rough enough — to discourage
excessive hunting pressure.
STEP 3: Scout. Make a scouting trip to check out several properties.
Spring is an ideal time to put boots on the ground and mark waypoints on
your GPS. If a scouting trip isn’t in the cards, scour aerial photos for food
sources, access points, water, funnels, and potential stand sites.
STEP 4: Give Yourself Time. Nail down the dates of your hunt, and build
in at least one or two days to scout. Show up early and get behind the
glass to confrm your assumptions. If your original plan doesn’t work out,
you’ve still got time to call an audible before play begins.
STEP 5: Plan For Misery. Hunters skip the early season due to heat,
bugs, and the expectation of suppressed deer movement. Plan for these
elements with the right gear and a positive attitude, and you’ll realize they
aren’t barriers to success or hunt enjoyment.
STEP 6: Hunt Smart & Avoid Burnout. Early season bucks are easy to
pattern, but they are also susceptible to pressure. This is especially true
on public land. Hunt the wind, stay stealthy, and avoid taking unnecessary
risks with stand sites.
STEP 7: Stay Mobile & Succeed. If the deer deviate from the plan, don’t
fret — move. Use lightweight stands and blinds to sit new spots until op-
portunity and preparation meet in the form of a 20-yard, broadside shot.
Laying The Trap
In my experience, the of-touted and of-overstated belief
that bucks stick to patterns throughout late-summer and early
fall is halfway true. During the end of August and frst few
days of September, patterning bucks is a solid bet. As the frst
week of September disappears, so goes with it most mature
buck patterns.
Knowing this, and knowing that it was August 29, I felt like
the bucks would come from the coulee, cross the sage fat, and
continue through the pinch point. I picked one of the few cotton-
wood trees with a small enough trunk to accommodate a stand.
Due to a pair of larger branches, I could only go up about
15 feet with the stand, but that was all I needed. Two trails, one
on either side of the tree, were cut deep into the riverbottom,
and I felt that the bucks would take one or the other. I fnished
hanging the stand and started back along the two-track.
Lost deep in the thought of those bedded bucks, I failed to
pay attention to where I was stepping. Te ground below my
feet started to move, and I very ungracefully reversed course
before stepping on a four-foot rattler. Once back at my truck,
I saw another rattler on the road, and then a smaller, nonven-
omous Eastern racer. By the time I was back in camp, I had
vowed to wear my snake boots, which had landed in the back
of my truck as a way to pacify my wife before I lef.
Afer pulling on the knee-high boots, I set out to see if I
could fnd a place to cross the river. As I stood on the bank
with the muddy water rushing past, I knew it was a bad idea.In my younger years, I probably would have given it a shot.
Having grown up fshing trout streams and smallmouth riv-
ers — and taking an accidental swim more than once — I was
tempted. Better judgment won out, and I grudgingly turned
away from the river and lef the far-side bucks to whomever
had hung the stand on my once-favorite crossing.
Tat lef me with one bachelor group to hunt.Opening Night
A group of fellow hunters pulled into camp while I was eat-
ing lunch. I could see they had North Dakota license plates,
which I fgured meant they would hunt mule deer, and not the
whitetails I was afer. Tere was no one else in camp.
At 3 p.m., I loaded up my pack and set out. Afer parking
my truck, I spotted someone sitting in the ditch next to the
road. I recognized the truck, because it hadn’t moved since I
had showed up the previous day. A guy in his 20s was sitting in
the grass playing with his bare feet when I walked up.
He said he was out hiking the hills, and I immediately rec-
ognized him via his bright-red sweatshirt as the fellow who
had blown the does out earlier in the morning. I could see
he was wearing sandals, so I asked him if they were his hik-
ing boots. He simply answered “yes,” and when I pressed him
about rattlesnakes, he didn’t seem concerned.
I mentioned that four hours earlier I had nearly stepped on
a rattler, but he didn’t seem to believe me. To say it was a strange
conversation would be an understatement. What was even
stranger was the fact that he really had been hiking in sandals.
Afer bidding him farewell, I started to walk away when it
struck me that he had made it across the river, in sandals, at