Tips & Tactics

Hands Off the Trail

Hands Off the Trail

By Mathew Jaycox

Photo: Tip contributor Mathew Jaycox poses with a nice 10-pointer taken near his home in Alberta, Canada.

My hunting grounds are the eastern slopes of the Rockies near my home in Alberta, Canada. It gets really cold here so, obviously, gloves are important.

Other than for warmth, gloves serve other purposes you might not have considered.

On television, I see hunters constantly touch things along the trail. Without even realizing it, they touch trees and grab limbs to pull themselves up steep places. I’ve even seen them touch scrapes and tree rubs barehanded! All this is at easy sniffing height for a white-tailed deer.

To me, this is a huge mistake, especially with bare hands. Sometimes we have no choice but to grab foliage along the trail for safety reasons, but using gloves will minimize transferring tidbits of your scent.

Hands move more than any other part of your body, so camouflaging the flash of skin in the stand is also very important.

In early fall, even if I don’t need gloves for warmth, I wear a lightweight pair of brown or camo gloves to reduce the possibility of deer glimpsing me.

Start thinking of gloves as more than an accessory to keep your fingers from freezing. They do much more. And be careful not to touch obstacles along the trail.

— Editor’s Note by Tim H. Martin

Like Mathew, I believe touching things along the trail is taboo. If you’ll notice, deer and dogs will sniff the ground and overhanging obstacles whenever possible. Limbs, leaves and trees are contact points for what left the scent trail they’re deciphering.

I go to great lengths to prevent my hands, arms, elbows, thighs and legs from making contact with ANYTHING.

Well before hunting season begins, I clean up the last 60 to 80 yards of the trail, taking into account small details that could give away my presence.

It’s important to clear your trail of things that might be stepped on in the dark or brushed against at a deer’s nose-height.

An old sling blade works wonders for clearing weeds that could contact your ankles and legs. A garden rake helps clear dead leaves and sticks that could snap on a quiet, frozen morning.

If you are a bowhunter, I also advise practicing with the same pair of gloves you’ll wear while hunting.

Gloves will alter your grip just enough to create torque in your shots, which effects arrow flight — especially broadheads. You’ll want to work this out on the practice range to prevent surprises on opening morning. The thinner the glove you use, the better.

— Photo Courtesy of Mathew Jaycox

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