Understanding Scrapes Biological research has shown that the size of a scrape has nothing to do with the size of the buck that made it. Furthermore, big scrapes have nothing to do with a buck's reproductive readiness. Wildlife biologists have found that mature and yearling bucks will reuse the same scrape under the same overhanging branch during the season, but most of this occurs during non-hunting hours, i.e. during the night. From year to year mature bucks will reuse the same scrape 57 percent of the time, while yearling bucks reuse a scrape 31 percent of the time. In addition, yearling bucks make only 15 percent of the scrapes and 50 percent of the rubs you find. By mapping and dating every scrape on an aerial photo or topographical map you will start to see yearly patterns of bucks in your area. Obviously this hunting notebook can be a valuable tool in scoring on bucks for years to come.

If a buck you are tracking becomes aware of your presence, he will run ahead to a pocket of cover and then watch his back trail for you before going out the other side. You can often fool a buck by circling a patch of cover and ambushing the buck when he slips out the back side of the cover.

Spray WD40 on the shafts of your arrows for easy target removal.

It is positioning yourself in the proper spot that is ultimately responsible for the harvest of the most toms, not all the persuasive hen calling that we are all lead to believe.

Planting high-quality food plots like clover and alfalfa is a sure fire way to attract deer and grow bigger bucks. Food plot products from Imperial are the finest around and are available in different blends to match the soil and conditions in your area.

The erect human form is a dead giveaway to an elk. Experienced elk hunters usually kneel down to break up their human outline and hide behind a bush to conceal themselves. Do some target practice from the kneeling position to become accustomed to this different position.

Remember "Sounds of Silence"? I'm far too young to remember any details about this classic song written and performed in D major by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle back in September of '72 (Paul played rhythm guitar and Art sang harmony), but if I wasn't too old, there is a hunting lesson to be learned from the lyrics. To whit, let's say you're on stand and the squirrels are chattering, the woodpeckers are pecking and there's even an unseen mouse rustling through the leaves beneath your stand. Then suddenly nothing. No sound; or more accurately, the "sounds of silence." Do yourself a favor and get ready, something's coming. Any large animal, passing through the forest pushes a bow-wave of silence before them, no matter how furtive they may be.

A portable tree stand works great as a dog platform when hunting in high water or flooded timber. Many weigh less than 10 pounds. Unless the stand has a mesh platform you should modify it by wiring a small piece of indoor/outdoor carpet to the platform to keep the dog’s feet from slipping between the slats.