Patterning early season archery bucks

Archery hunters face unique challenges during the early season

Early season archery hunters face unique challenges in the Carolinas. 

With some seasons opening in August or September, the heat is one of the key issues archers must deal with when looking for big bucks. 

How bucks deal with the heat and how hunters cope are all part of the game for patterning early season bucks. To help address this, hunters should focus on three elements to be successful:  water, food, and temperature. 

Find the water – or create it

As the mercury climbs, the desire for bucks to drink increases.  A mature buck needs about three quarts of water daily for every hundred pounds of body weight to survive the heat. To help pattern bucks, many hunters are either scouting natural water sources or building their own water holes to draw bucks to their stand locations. 

Research shows that bucks will visit water before feeding in early season. The desire to drink is strong and locating your stand in an ambush location near water is a sure-fire method for arrowing a mature buck. 

Building a water hole is not difficult but does take some work. Small livestock watering troughs work well. Some will bury these to ground level to make them blend in with the landscape. Others simply place them on top of the ground. Regardless of which you choose, you need to ensure they always have water in them. 

Chad Simpson of Campobello, SC agrees with this sentiment.

 “I will set up a bow stand near water during the early season because I know those bucks will at some point come to the water to drink.” 

Last September is a great example. Simpson hung a stand near an active spring at a pinch point between two clearcuts and was able to take a good buck as the deer made its way to the water hole about an hour before dark. 

“Just like clockwork, the buck showed up heading straight for the water. When he got close to the water, I was able to take the shot,” he said.

Find the local food spots

Another area archers should examine is the preferred food source the bucks are visiting. If soybeans are nearby, it is well known that the bucks will be visiting those beans right before dark. Getting out before season and doing some long-range scouting will help archers determine where the bucks are entering the fields. Once this is established, place a stand near one of those trails along the edge of the bean field. 

Chris Taylor of Utica, Kentucky agrees, “I set my stand where I can see both the edge of the field, and the travel routes I suspect the bucks to be taking into the field. This gives me the best chance for intercepting them,” he said. 

But for those of us who do not have agriculture near us or our leases, consider other prime food sources. One such food source is persimmons (Diospyros virginiana​). Persimmons are some of the best and most-desired foods to focus on for early season bucks. 

“Without a doubt, if a persimmon tree is anywhere on the property, I will hunt that tree or trees,” Simpson said.

 Persimmons are a magnet for bucks in our area. 

“They will leave all other food sources and hit the persimmon trees when the fruit is falling,” he said.

Persimmon trees are dioecious, meaning there are male and female trees. Both are needed to produce fruit. Finding a persimmon tree alone is not necessarily a good thing. You need to scout them in late summer to see if the tree is producing fruit. If it is not, it’s a male tree, and you are hunting in the wrong area. You must find a tree that has fruit on it. 

“When I find a good persimmon tree, I hang a camera to watch and see the deer coming to eat,” Simpson said. “Once I establish the deer coming to that tree, I will hang my stand 15 to 20 yards from the active persimmon tree with the prevailing wind in my face.” 

On one farm he hunts, he has seen a magnificent buck two years in a row coming to the tree, only to be foiled by darkness before the buck arrived. 

“By watching this several times, I now know where the buck is coming from and have moved my stand to intercept him well before he gets to the tree,”  he said.

Lastly is temperature 

As the mercury climbs into the 90s and above, bucks will not move until last light or early morning. Being in the right place when they are moving makes for better success. 

“In the afternoons, I will get to the tree about 2 hours before dark. It is so hot, I feel confident I am not spooking anything going in that late. But it puts me where I need to be at the right time,” Simpson said. 

Mornings are different in early season. Bucks are returning to bed after feeding all night. So setting up near bedding areas along travel routes or again at the water source is your best bet for morning hunts. 

Early season is the best time to pattern bucks, while they are still in bachelor groups or just breaking up. The lack of pressure for 7 months makes mature bucks vulnerable. But don’t think it is a slam dunk. 

“The best chance you have on an early season buck is the first sit in that stand,” Simpson said. “I never hunt the same stand more than once or twice in early season.” 

Regardless of how hard you try to cover your scent, with sweat rolling off you while you sit in your stand, you just cannot control a lot of the scent. By not overhunting those stands, you reduce the chance of educating that buck for another hunt. 

Your chance at getting your early season buck increases by spending the time necessary to pattern him. Whether you are using game cameras or scouting, knowing where the buck will be puts you in the perfect spot to fill your tag.

Cyber scouting is a great tool for archery hunters

 Covert scouting has taken on a new meaning in recent years. With the use of cell cameras, detailed satellite photography, and apps like Huntstand, OnX Hunt and Huntwise, hunters have an advantage like never before. Putting all of these in place before season increases your odds for success. Other tools of the trade are good binoculars for long-range scouting. 

Setting up on a vantage point the last hour of the day and using good binoculars can work wonders. Many of the bucks Taylor targets are located from several hundred yards away with binoculars. 

“I sit in my truck and watch the fields to see where the bucks are coming from,” he said. “Once I see that and get a feel for where he is entering the field, I know where I want to hunt him. 

“Another tool I use is OnX Hunt for cyber scouting a new farm. The detailed pictures and topo overlay help me to find pinch points, funnels, and key areas before ever setting foot on the ground. Once I identify these areas, I know where to concentrate my scouting.” 

Cell game cameras have dropped drastically in price over the past several years. Being able to check your cameras from home saves time and intrusion into the property. But like all cell systems, you are limited by the signal strength. 

Some of Taylor’s best spots are so remote, he cannot use cell cameras. But he still uses non-cell cameras to scout. By checking them sporadically, he minimizes his intrusion into the area. 

“I like to check my cameras from my ATV,” he said. “By driving right up to it, I don’t leave any scent on the ground. I swap SD cards, check batteries, and move on.” 

Any of these tools will benefit you to increase your chances on bagging that big buck during the early archery season.

Keep all your essentials in a kill kit

 “The fun stops when the deer drops,” so be prepared to break down your latest buck or doe with these essential tools.

Many Carolinians just transport their deer to a nearby game processor whole. But it’s important to keep a dedicated “kill kit” with you just in case you need to break down the animal yourself — or if you want to do the work yourself and cut out the processing costs. Here are a few suggestions for those looking to create their first kit.

1. Headlamp. You might think a knife would be the first suggestion. But you won’t get far into a late-night processing job if you can’t see what you’re doing. The Black Diamond pulls double duty when setting up in the dark, given its red light setting.

2. A replaceable-blade knife. The Outdoor Edge 3.0” Razorlite EDC offers great results. But whatever brand you opt for, be sure to carry extra blades just in case your main one gets dull midway through processing a deer. (Be sure to bring a way to safely dispose of the old blade, too.)

3. A small bone saw. The Gerber pruning saw comes with an interchangeable bone blade (shown) and a wood blade. So hunters can just carry the one tool when heading afield to trim limbs of all kinds.

4. Latex-free disposable gloves. Whether you’re allergic to latex or not, it’s wise to opt for the latex-free versions in case a friend ever comes along to help you break down a deer. That way, you don’t need to worry about their potential reaction to the gloves.

5. Zip ties. Some states require you to physically attach your punched tag to the animal’s body in order to legally remove it from the field. Keep some of the smaller ones in your kit just in case. They don’t take up much weight or space and then you’re covered if you ever hunt outside the Carolinas.

6. Hand wipes. Disposable gloves will prevent your hands from getting too dirty. But wipes are still a useful, lightweight choice for cleaning up afterward — for your hands and for your gear.

7. Ballpoint pen. Some hunting license holders come with a small “pen” to fill out your tag info after a kill. But it’s always a good idea to have an extra around just in case.

8. Deer drag. This can come in handy if you need to drag your kill to a more suitable location for breaking it down, or for simply dragging out the carcass once you’ve field-dressed it.

9. Paracord. Paracord is useful to raise and lower you bow to and from your treestand. And it can also come in handy when processing a deer by, for instance, being tied to a tree to hold back the deer’s leg while you cut.

10. Game bags. More than just keeping meat sanitary when packing it out, game bags ensure the meat stays clean from dirt and debris while you’re finishing the rest of the job too.

Bug spray isn’t necessary, but better safe than sorry, especially with so many tick-borne illnesses around — including alpha-gal syndrome, which can make you allergic to red meat such as venison.

— Taylor Pardue