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Put Some Air Under That Scent
By Ken Piper
Laying down a good scent trail is a great way to bring a buck by your stand or make him stop for a shot. Scent bombs (a generic term for any number of scent-dispensing canisters) can bring in deer as well.When placing scent, keep in mind that the higher you put it, the farther the scent will carry. A deer isn't going to wonder why there is scent up... READ MORE
Get Out of the Wind
By Ken Piper
Deer hunting can be miserable business in inclement weather, but most hunters have to hunt when they have time and can't be choosy. One thing to keep in mind in cold, windy or even rainy/snowy weather is that deer don't enjoy them any more than you do.
In windy, cold weather, hunt sheltered hollows, the back side of ridges away from wind, and heml... READ MORE
Remember the Eyes When Setting Up For Your Buck
By Ken Piper
There's no doubt a buck's sense of smell is his number one defense, but he can beat you with his eyes, too. He will pick up on anything out of place because he knows his woods as well as you know your living room. When thinking about your setups, try to use cover that is already present. Stand location in relation to how you expect the deer to app... READ MORE
Are You Leaving It Up To Chance?
By Ken Piper
There's an old saying that in order to take a big buck you have to hunt somewhere that has big bucks. Most hunters realize the logic of that statement, but they tend to think about it on more of a state or regional level. It's even more important to think about that truism on your individual hunting plot, however. Sure, many hunters take trophy bu... READ MORE
Test Your Setup
By Ken Piper
Outdoor writers often say how important it is to make a setup well before hunting season and then to let it alone until opening day. If you know the deer frequent that area and will continue to do so from scouting time through the start of the season, that's great advice. One thing hunters often overlook, however, is that the setup itself might cha... READ MORE
Shorten Up For Better Bow Results
By Ken Piper
Most bow experts agree that the most common mistake bowhunters make in setting up their bows is selecting a draw length that is too long. Releases and loops compound the problem by extending the draw length even farther. While a longer draw length results in more energy and speed, the closer you are to your maximum draw length, the harder it is to ... READ MORE
When In Doubt, Find the Water
By Ken Piper
It's difficult to know where to start when hunting new land or when looking for a new hunting stand in your old haunts, but one sure bet is to start at the water -- particularly creek beds. Creeks and river bottoms are deer magnets, and deer trails are usually easy to spot and hunt. Mast crops and other food sources have good and bad years, but th... READ MORE
New Thoughts on Taking Does
By Ken Piper
If you are like me, you've read dozens of articles recommending taking big, healthy does to help reduce deer populations. Some biologists are taking a new approach to thinning herds, however, and are recommending taking the very youngest deer instead. Their reasoning is that it is much better for the habitat to harvest a yearling because it require... READ MORE
Peak Deer Movement
By Ken Piper
White-tailed deer move most during low light conditions. There are exceptions to this rule, but as a deer hunter, I try to be in my stand during the first two hours and the last two hours of the day. Many factors contribute to deer activity, but I feel most confident about seeing deer early and late, particularly if I'm hunting deer going to or fro... READ MORE
The Role of Rubs
By Ken Piper
No one is sure of the exact purpose of buck rubs. Yes, bucks will rub trees to remove their velvet, but with velvet-drop being a fairly quick process (24 hours or less in most cases), and since most rubs are made long after the bucks have lost their velvet, we have to conclude that rubs serve some other purpose or purposes. From a hunting perspect... READ MORE
Get Off the Field
By Ken Piper
Just seeing deer gets any hunter's heart pumping. That's why it's so hard to resist sitting right on a green field or crop edge -- you definitely see more deer. If you're meat hunting or are taking a youngster out, watching a field can be very productive. If you're hunting a bigger buck, however, it's probably not your best choice. Except during th... READ MORE
It's Time to Re-Tool and Re-Tune
By Ken Piper
If you're a bowhunter, you should already be practicing for the coming season. After all, you don't want to put a lot of effort into getting your bow tuned and shooting like a dream only to have to replace the string or cable right before the season and have to start the tuning process from scratch. This is the time to go over everything piece by p... READ MORE
Break Up Your Outline When Stalking and Scouting
By Ken Piper
If you are like me, you hate getting "busted" by a deer, whether while stalking or scouting. One simple way to reduce the chance of having that dream buck spot you is to always stop next to a tree or some other object. As you make your way, plan each move to end at a tree, bush, fence post, hay bale, etc., that will break up your outline. Using the... READ MORE
Try a Decoy
By Ken Piper
Turkey hunters and waterfowlers have long used decoys as standard equipment, so why haven't deer hunters followed their lead? Perhaps it's because deer are just so much bigger and it hasn't been practical to carry a deer replica into the woods. With all the new materials being developed today, though, deer hunters now have plenty of practical choi... READ MORE
Rain is a Good Scouting Aid
By Ken Piper
An effective way to scout an area before the season opens is to visit it within 24 hours of a rain. You'll have a much easier time seeing fresh tracks, whether you're walking a logging road, circling an agricultural field or food plot, or following a creek. Not only will you be able to judge the size of the deer using a particular trail, but you'... READ MORE
When It Comes To Trophy Bucks, Plan for the Best -- And the Worst
By Ken Piper
More and more hunters are passing on small bucks in hopes of a trophy. What many newcomers to holding out are not prepared for, however, is to go through the season without taking ANY buck -- but that's what passing up smaller bucks often will mean. If you decide you are going for a trophy, prepare yourself mentally for the strong possibility that ... READ MORE
Identify Food Sources
By Ken Piper
One of the indisputable facts about deer hunting is that deer have to eat in order to survive. Because of this, it's critical that you know what food sources are prevalent in your part of the country. When you go to the woods, for example, know what a white oak acorn looks like. Know what the white oak bark and leaves look like, because you'll be ... READ MORE
Back to the Basics
By Ken Piper
If you've been deer hunting for a long time and you've never taken a mature buck, maybe it's time to focus on fundamentals. If you're not successful, you need to get back to the basics. Deer hunting isn't rocket science; it's really very simple. What do the deer eat? Where do the deer bed and where do they travel? When do they move most often? ... READ MORE
Take A Stand
By Ken Piper
We don't know how they do it, but deer have an uncanny ability to catch us by surprise. No matter how ready you are, and no matter how loud the woods, a deer can be right on you and catch you flat-footed before you know it. Once the deer is that close, there's almost no chance you'll be able to pull up your gun or bow and make a shot before it spot... READ MORE
Don't Give Up On A Good Scrape
By Ken Piper
Most hunters like to hunt near fresh buck sign, and what could be better than a hot scrape? Unfortunately, hunting a scrape can be a real hit-or-miss proposition. After all, it's a good possibility that the buck is checking/refreshing his scrapes at night. Rather than spending day after unproductive day on stand or (and more likely) spending one or... READ MORE