For whatever reason, I'm feeling remarkably less secretive than usual. Maybe 20 deer in 2 years has scratched finally scratched an itch and I'm settling down. I dunno. But for whatever reason it seems sillier and sillier to play cards close to my chest. These aren't game changers, but they're still things I've rarely or never said. Some of them are sort of considered under-handed or even unethical by some of my friends. Personally, I would compare it to tax avoidance vs tax evasion. One is good sense, one will get you arrested.
Disclaimer: know your local laws, ask clarifying questions of enforcement when in doubt, and don't be an outlaw. "Nutterbuster does it" aint gonna help you (or me) if you get caught!
1. I kill a lot of deer by hunting property lines. First thing I do on a new piece of ground is walk any easy roads/trails and the property lines. One, a lot of people are not confident enough to know they are on the right side of the line, so they don't hunt near a property line. Two, some people have a feeling that it's "rude." Three, property lines are usually an edge (pines next to hardwoods, clearcut next to timber, etc), and we all know deer relate to edges. Relatively low pressure edge habitat is almost always worth considering. Also, there are usually "objects of interest" somewhere just on the other side of a property line. I have hunted 100-200 yards off the backside of many food plots quite legally, and shot deer that had corn in their bellies that I imagine they didn't find on the WMA.
I will say if you do this you need to "carry enough gun" and take high-margin shots. Especially if crossing a property line to recover a deer is illegal in your area.
2. "Corner hopping" is another strategy I strongly encourage if it's legal in your area and you have the opportunity. Access is access. I have a local parcel that isn't exactly unhunted because it's only accessible by hopping, but it gets markedly less pressure than it would if there was clear access. Also, for some reason if there is 50k acres on one side of a road or stream, and 10 on the other, very often people will somehow forget about that tiny sliver. The deer usually figure that out in my experience.
3. In Alabama, you are not allowed to shine for deer at night, even if you are unarmed, which really sucks. However, I have been stopped by the law many times walking back to my truck with a headlamp and have never been accused of spotlighting. I am not above walking in or out in the dark through an area I would like to do recon on. I get to my spots very early and leave very late, not just to beat the crowd but to do a little snooping on the way in. If eyes happen to cross my path, that is just good fortune. It is also perfectly legal to use a light for coon hunting, running catfish lines, and frog gigging, and I enjoy all activities year round. When I'm feeling healthy and want a bike ride or a good run, I'm definitely not going to walk on the neighborhood sidewalk either. It goes without saying that shooting deer with a spotlight is illegal and generally regarded as immoral. Noticing a deer and deciding to wait around for it to lighten up and see if it's still there...
4. Be selfishly altruistic. Asking a stranger where a good is a good place to hunt on the WMA he hunts is an exercise in futility. Asking a guy who you just loaned an air pump to so he could pump up a flat and limp home, or a guy who you offered to do a euro mount for...that's a whole nuther ball game. This isn't really a deep thought, but it surprises me how many people are standoffish, shy, or downright hostile at the check-in station.
Similarly, asking for permission from random strangers to carry a weapon on their property is generally fruitless. Asking the guy who sits next to you at church is a much better strategy.
5. In Alabama, there are thousands of acres of land that are boat-access only. And I do mean boat. Canoes and kayaks and even chest waders will get you many places, but you aren't making a 7 mile run down a big river in those tools. Boats are a huge barrier to entry, and every one I've bought has been a stretch for me, but it means I get to hunt areas that maybe 10% of the general hunting population can/will access. If you hunt in Alabama, buy a boat. I have slowly gotten to the point where probably 80% of my hunting is done by boat.
6. Alabama and most other states publish harvest records. If you're not reading them every year and figuring out what that information means for you, you're really missing out. My success rates increased exponentially when I started hunting the counties where the deer were dying.
7. PRESSURE IS GOOD IF THE DEER ARE THERE. I met one of my wife's younger (maybe 19) cousins out duck hunting last year. He decided to see if family ties would get him some hunting intel (see #4) and asked if I minded sharing a spot or two. I told him I killed most of my ducks in a little pond off a creek 100 yards from the check-in board. "Right by the canoe launch?" he asked incredulously, thinking I was brushing him off. "That place gets hunted to death!"
Sure it does. Because ducks fly that corridor every morning. If you can get 150 yards off the nearest gun and work a jerk rig without looking up and catching a falling pellet in the eye, you can kill a limit before the fog clears off the water. Or you can find a remote pond that never gets visited by hunters or ducks and have it all to yourself. Your call.
Same for deer. I've had some very frustrating but fruitful hunts on gun-deer weekends on popular WMAs. You need some prior planning, thick skin, and a bit of luck, but the horde descending on deer means they'll be on their feet until they can work out the safe zones. If you're sitting in one, the action can be stellar.
8. In Alabama, we have "technicians" that work for the DCNR. They aren't biologists or wardens; just the guys who maintain the roads, plant the plots, and do a lot of the hands-on grunt work. I have found that they are hands-down the best source of info on where critters are on the properties they manage. They are also generally happy to take a break and shoot the breeze. I've been straight-up told "sit here" by them, and I've also been privy to information such as which parcels are getting burned or which plots are getting planted next year, which is helpful.
There ya go. Maybe it helps, or maybe you just think less of me. Maybe all my hunting will be ruined now that I'm spilling beans.
If you're a saddlehunter.com member from Alabama, hit me up. I may have more secrets I wish to confess in the name of selfish altruism.
