majphill

Hello. New to the forum and love reading all the questions and insight. I am fairly new to deer hunting and have two questions:

1. What is a "basket rack"? Is it a fully developed rack but rather small?
2. I'm hunting at the end of next week in Indiana, which I'm assuming is post rut. From what I can gather, the best strategy is to try and set up between bedding areas and feeding areas along a well used trail. Any other tips? I do not have an antlerless tag, so I'll only shoot a buck.

Thanks for any suggestions!

RugerM77.270

Yep that's a basket rack just small and sort of forms a "basket."
And setting up between a bedding area a feeding area is always a good bet.

Good Luck

jaybe

Ditto on the basket rack. Many of our deer here in northern Michigan are known for having those smaller, more compact racks. One that is higher than usual or wider than most tends to get quite a lot of attention.
I'd also agree on the advice on location for hunting. But don't be afraid to try rattling a little or using a doe in heat bleat because there are always bucks out cruising for does that didn't get bred the first time around.
Goo Luck!

majphill

Thanks for the quick responses. My brother-in-law and I bow hunted some family property in West Virginia at the end of October. He arrowed a nice 8 point and the rack was perfectly shaped....but it was pretty compact. I figured that was probably what a basket rack was.

I was going to ask about calling.....so it sounds like a doe bleat may help. Is it useless to do an occasional soft grunt or no?

jaybe

No - nothing wrong with occasional grunt - or even a series of grunts. I've observed a buck grunting (what is called a tending grunt, I believe) when he was following a doe. It was just a fairly soft grunt that he repeated every 3-4 steps - at a pretty even cadence. Kind of sounded like, "Urp . . . Urp . . . Urp . . . Urp".
It got my attention - I supposed that it might have also gotten the attention of other nearby bucks looking for a hot doe.

majphill

Thanks jaybe...we'll give it a whirl.

Gundeck

Jaybe, I heard the same thing just a few days ago. Steady, short grunt every few steps.

thomasbolton

a basket rack is a rack that is all clutted up (not very wide)

BuckMan8

1. Yes
2. Always a good idea

Good Luck