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3 Ways To Successfully End Your Deer Season

January 10, 2024/0 Comments/in News, Uncategorized /by Heath Wood

As the curtain falls on another deer hunting season, hunters reflect on the challenges, successes, and moments that defined their pursuit of the majestic whitetail. Whether you’re in the season’s final days or have already closed your season, there are strategic ways to conclude your deer hunting journey on a satisfying note. Be it a final effort to secure another harvest, a last-minute pursuit of a mature buck, or a desire to wrap up the season after already tagging a mature buck, aim to conclude in a manner that leaves you eagerly counting the days until the next hunting season begins.

Exiting the holiday season, I found myself brimming with enthusiasm, just not for hunting. I had reached the point of burnout and was ready to move on to something different. At the perfect moment, I received an email offering the chance to try a new crossbow. Eagerly, I accepted, and within a few days, a brand-new bow was waiting on my doorstep. This wasn’t just an opportunity to test a new crossbow; it reignited my passion and motivated me to head out for the final days of the hunting season. On an evening hunt, a doe came within ten yards of my tree after sitting in my stand for slightly more than two hours. With many of the bucks already shedding their antlers, I decided to harvest this doe. Once she turned broadside, I made a perfect shot, allowing me to finish my season off with another successful harvest.

Grind It Out Using A Ground Blind

The late season brings challenges, particularly with the dropping temperatures and the increased focus on hunting food sources. Adopting a grind-it-out mentality is vital for those hunters still pursuing the elusive buck they have had pictures of and have been chasing all season. Utilizing a ground blind, such as the Hawk Hunting Office or Double Box Blind, can be a game-changer for staying in the field longer. Late-season hunts often require enduring long sits in the cold, making a ground blind essential for warmth and concealment. These blinds provide a comfortable and stealthy vantage point, allowing hunters to wait patiently for the opportune moment. By staying concealed and protected from the elements, hunters increase their chances of success in the late-season game.

Re-Energize, Then Hunt

For some hunters, such as myself, the long season can lead to a loss of enthusiasm as fatigue sets in. Taking a small break over the holidays can provide a much-needed reset and an opportunity to regroup. Consider using this time to re-energize and rekindle your passion for hunting. Even hunters with a strong passion for deer hunting can find it hard to keep trying by the end of the season. When loss of drive sneaks in, trying to introduce new elements into your hunting routine can be invigorating. Whether acquiring new gear for Christmas, exploring a different hunting property, or trying a fresh approach, injecting newness can reignite the spark. For example, receiving my new Ravin R18 Crossbow added the excitement and motivation to return to the field before the season’s end, resulting in a harvest and making another memory I would have otherwise missed out on.

Prepare For Next Year

For those who have already achieved success or decided to call it a season, the late season offers a valuable window to prepare for the future. Instead of winding down earlier in the season, when a harvest is made, use this time to lay the groundwork for the upcoming hunting seasons.

This season, the Hunt Stand app has recently become an invaluable tool for pinpointing potential stand sites for the following year. Marking these locations now, while the landscape is fresh in your mind, can ensure strategic placement for future hunts. Additionally, the late season provides an ideal opportunity to scout new areas and implement property improvements. So, don’t quit; keep preparing throughout the entire season.

After scouting, if you still don’t feel confident for the next season, consider enhancing your hunting grounds by creating food plots, practicing timber management, installing new water sources, and improving bedding areas. These improvements contribute to the deer population’s overall health and increase the attractiveness of your hunting property. By conducting these improvement projects several months before the next season, your results have time to reach their maximum potential.

The end of the deer hunting season doesn’t have to be sad or signify a conclusion; instead, it can mark the beginning of preparation and anticipation for what lies ahead. Whether you’re grinding it out in a ground blind, re-energizing for a final push, or laying the groundwork for future success, these strategies ensure that your deer season concludes on a high note.

3 Critical Factors To Remember When Hanging Treestands For Bowhunting

August 4, 2023/0 Comments/in News, Uncategorized /by Heath Wood

You found a spot where deer signs and movement are ideal for hunting, but is your treestand in the right tree?

Many hunters spend the offseason studying their scouting apps, such as HuntStand, trying to narrow down the right spot to hang this year’s stands. After finding a good spot location, the fine-tuning efforts of scouting begin. Many hunters use their trail cameras, feed supplements, and spend a lot of time on foot, looking for the signs of where their next trophy buck is spending the most time.

As the season progresses, the number of deer signs, such as scrapes, rubs, and well-traveled trails, begin appearing, allowing hunters to gain more knowledge of where the best locations to get within bow range of a trophy buck could be. Hunters often find suitable locations yet never succeed because their stand is in the wrong tree. Many are guilty of finding a well-used scrape or high-traffic travel route and rush to place a stand in the nearest tree. When it is time to hunt, they sadly realize that they are not in the right spot due to many factors that could have been avoided if they had considered a few details of their stand placement.

Wind Direction

One of the number one mistakes many bow hunters make when hanging their treestands is wind direction. It is vital to consider if the wind direction will be in your favor, where deer will most likely enter and exit the area, what the thermals will be like on morning hunts versus evening hunts, and if there is any reason to cause deer to travel downwind of your stand location. All these factors should be considered before choosing the proper stand location.

Better understanding the most likely scenarios, including human scent being the primary concern, helps lower the chance that a deer will be spooked by the hunter and ruin their stand location during the middle of the season.

Enter And Exit Routes To Your Stand

Having the wrong entry and exit routes to and from your stand location can ruin a hunt quickly. As with wind direction details, many factors must be considered before you hang a treestand. Will your scent be blowing downwind of where deer are most likely staying? Are you crossing any travel routes or walking near scrapes or rubs? Having a deer smell you or where you have been before the hunt begins can devastate a hunter’s game plan.

Another critical factor, besides avoiding being smelled, is not being seen also. When walking to your stand, can deer see you? Are you silhouetted? Do deer avoid specific areas because they know you are headed there?

Once an excellent place to hunt has been secured and an excessive amount of deer signs has been found, the next step is to learn as much as possible about the surroundings and how every move the hunter makes before and after the hunt will affect the chances of success.

Are You Concealed After Getting In Your Stand

Sunlight and cover are some of the most critical factors in determining the proper time to be in the tree hunting. After determining where the wind directions will be and what side of the trail, deer sign, food source, or water you need to be on, next is determining if you have enough cover and where the sun will be hitting you at specific times of the day.

Nothing is worse than waiting for an hour or two after daylight, knowing that a deer will walk out at any moment when suddenly you realize that the sun is peaking through the timber and shining directly on your stand. If you make any sudden moves, a deer will most likely pick you out of the tree. Hence, add sun location to the list of factors before you hang your stand. For the best concealment, ideally, you want the sun at your back during the peak movement times. When the sun is behind you, a deer can look in your direction without having the ability to pick you out.

Sunlight can be critical to staying concealed while in the stand. It is vital to wear a complete setup of camouflage, including a facemask and gloves to hide all exposed skin. However, camouflage cannot work to its maximum potential without mother nature’s help. It is vital to have plenty of cover behind and around you, to prevent deer from seeing your movements. Remembering what your area will look like in different parts of the season is vital. Often, hunters assume their stand site is well concealed when they hang them in July or August while leaves are fully grown. Unfortunately, later in the fall, when leaves have changed colors or have begun to fall to the forest floor, the stand site is now left in the wide open. To prevent being seen later in the year, cut branches or use larger trees as a backdrop instead of only relying upon leaves for cover.

Bowhunting whitetail deer can be challenging. Getting within archery range of a mature buck can be even more complicated, which is why when hunters are talking about treestand placement, every scouting technique available should be done to ensure they are given the most significant chance at a shot when a buck finally comes through. If you thought setting a stand was as easy as finding deer and hanging the stand, sadly, you are mistaken. Instead, spend every effort determining proper wind direction, the course in which you go to and from your stand, and being hidden when you’re hunting, and your chances of success will flourish.

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3 Reasons To Keep Game Cameras Going After Season

January 24, 2023/0 Comments/in News /by Hawk Treestands

Over the last few years, my end-of-the-year regimen has become routine. Once the hunting season has drawn to a close, like clockwork, I return to my hunting grounds to take down my Down & Out Warrior Blind and my Hawk hang-on and ladder stands to prevent any weathering or damage that could occur to the seats and straps.

It used to be typical after my stands and blinds had been removed for the season, to shift my focus to predator hunting and the upcoming spring turkey season. That is until I heard another hunter announce that his preparation for the next hunting season began the day after the current season ended, meaning that his work and preparation never stopped. Once I began putting more effort into the entire year, instead of waiting until mid to late summer before I started thinking about deer again, I found my success and overall knowledge of hunting improved.

When trying to manage land and a deer herd, there is always something to do. One could make habitat improvements, plant early-season food plots, and the list goes on. However, one task that has provided its fair share of benefits is keeping my game cameras running for several weeks after the season ends. Below are three reasons hunters should keep their cameras running after the season.

Post Season Inventory

One of the most significant reasons for keeping multiple game cameras in place post-deer season is to take inventory of the deer herd and record which bucks made it through the season. On several occasions, many of the bucks who left the area earlier in the year or were pressured out of the area during the peak of hunting season will return to the area to try to gain a few pounds to help them through the winter. I often begin my supplemental feeding efforts days after the season ends. After the feed has been placed, I set up my Wildgame Innovations Wraith 2.0 Camera a few feet away; then, I leave the area for several weeks before returning.

By obtaining an accurate count of what bucks survived the year, hunters can get a head start on their hitlist for the upcoming season. On multiple occasions, I have also had bucks that I had never encountered before showing up at the feed sites during this portion of the winter. When they decide to make an appearance, I make mental notes and focus my prep work on keeping the bucks I have and attracting neighboring deer for the upcoming year.

Shed Antlers

Hunters should keep cellular cameras to monitor when bucks begin shedding their antlers. When the hunting season is still in progress, many hunters have camera sites where most of the bucks spend time. Instead of taking these cameras down post-season, leave them up as these areas are ideal for a cellular camera, such as the Wildgame Innovations Encounter 2.0, due to bucks grouping back up.

When a cellular camera is in place, the hunter will have a more accurate time frame of when they need to start looking for sheds. By knowing precisely when bucks drop their antlers, hunters can avoid making multiple trips to search the ground when it may not be the right time. Fewer visits to the area can also have more bucks coming into the location because they are not being spooked by hunters who are stomping around the area in search of sheds. Instead, wait until pictures of bucks with no antlers show up, then begin the search. The chances of finding more antlers in one specific area will increase dramatically.

Monitor Feed And Minerals

One of my favorite post-season camera setups includes using my camera over an area where I have supplemental feed and minerals in the same picture frame.

With feed and minerals in place, I can accurately monitor what deer want and need. By having cellular cameras in place, I know when deer are low on feed and need more. The more critical factor is when suddenly, a week or two period will begin when most deer use the minerals. When this period occurs, I ensure I have multiple mineral sites for deer to consume.

This higher mineral consumption typically occurs during January or February and can be one of the most crucial times for bucks to ingest these much-needed minerals. Bucks consuming minerals during this period can vastly restore what their bodies lost during the rut and fall season, which can do wonders for them. The faster the recovery rate, the less stress on their bodies, which equals better antler growth the following year.

Using Blinds For Late-Season Success

December 6, 2022/0 Comments/in News /by Hawk Treestands

By: Heath Wood

Many hunters spend their off-seasons preparing for the future, hoping that the upcoming year will bring about the mature buck of their dreams.

Months of hard work and preparation have hunters setting their sights on a period that is often the season’s main event, sweet November. Yet, when the latter portion of the season arrives, they look back on that treasured time, only to analyze what they did wrong and why things didn’t go as planned. If you enter the month of December with a buck tag still in your pocket, don’t lose hope, there is still adequate time to take advantage of the late season and wrap your tag around the leg of the buck of your dreams.

Blinds Near Food

One of my favorite tactics for hunting during the late season is using blinds to make the needed adjustments to gain the upper hand on bucks.

At the end of the year, areas near food are one of the best places to find deer movement. Several factors play into why deer are predictable at being on a significant food source later in the year. The first element is that bucks are coming off the rut, in which the excessive traveling and hunt for does in estrus have taken a toll on their bodies and health. To replenish their fat and energy to a normal level, deer will feed heavier at this point. Typically, winter is also when colder temperatures arrive across the country, and deer require more food to stay warm. Bucks working on regaining their health and adding to their body weight are why having a ground blind or elevated stationary blind near food is necessary.

Keeping an elevated box blind, such as The Office Box Blind from Hawk, is the ideal location to hunt late-season bucks. A field will likely be full of deer when hunting over late-season food sources. When hunting in a blind such as The Office, hunters have the advantage of keeping noise control to a minimum and their thermals trapped inside, which helps prevent deer from smelling them. Not to mention, during the cold winter month, they can stay much warmer and more comfortable compared to sitting in an open treestand.

Mobile Adjustments With Ground Blinds

Although box blinds are great for hunting during the colder late season, hunters must keep a portable blind such as the Hawk Mancave Ground blind if quick adjustments are needed to get on the path of a mature buck and make the harvest.

This past year, the Midwest suffered a severe drought throughout the spring and summer. With very little rain, food plots didn’t grow as expected, and many other factors that stem from dry weather dramatically changed the deer’s travel patterns. Personally, I dealt with dry conditions near my home in southern Missouri throughout the entire summer, which resulted in using ground blinds during the late season. In one of the places I hunt, the deer share the timber, fields, and water with the landowner’s cattle. In a typical year, the farmer will move the cows to pastures far from the area where I hunt. In the summer, I hang most of my treestands based on past experiences and normal travel patterns from the deer. However, this year due to a lack of rain, the landowner’s pastures suffered and failed to produce enough food for the livestock. The lack of green pastures resulted in the cattle being in the areas where I hunted when fall arrived. With all the remaining grass going to the cattle, plus a massive acorn crop, the deer movement patterns were dramatically different from the past. All my pre-hung stand locations saw deer movement at a minimum throughout the rut and during the season’s prime.

To make the proper adjustments to increase my chances during the remainder of the season, I reverted to a method I have used in the past: using a ground blind to quickly move into a new area where deer movement is more prominent. When deer become pressured due to hunting or are pushed out of an area by livestock or unpredictable weather conditions, as with my hunting area, they will move their travel routes to gain better access to food, cover, and water. Because this is a temporary move, I want to avoid moving treestands to that area or taking the risk of spooking deer. Instead, I used a portable Hawk ground blind and made a quick setup in the new area. To help determine where to move into an area with a ground blind, use a cellular game camera to help pattern where mature bucks are located. One of my favorite things about late-season occurs when new bucks, or bucks who have gone MIA throughout the rut, start popping up on my Stealth Cam cameras. Often, a couple of weeks after the rut is done, bucks will begin to return to their usual grounds along with newcomer bucks who seek out does that may be getting ready to come into estrus during the second rut. With cellular cameras, the hunter can observe when bucks are most active, then move into the area with their blind and hunt. Often, hunters harvest mature bucks during this period, which they have never encountered before.

Best Days to Deer Hunt

November 8, 2022/0 Comments/in News /by Kevin Kelsey

By: Heath Wood

With today’s technology, hunters have access to many platforms that can help determine the best time to hunt deer. While many rely on these technologies, others base superstitions on the best time to hunt. Some even reflect on past hunting experiences and base their predictions on past success. With many opinions and resources to help hunters, the question still gets debated year after year, when are the best days to deer hunt?

For the past fifteen years, my co-workers and I have each gotten one day off through the week of the Missouri firearms portion of deer season. After having two years of success while taking off on Thursday, I developed somewhat of a superstition of my own, and for the better part of ten years, I have hunted on Thursday each year. Ninety percent of the time, I have harvested a deer on my day. Is it good luck or just great timing?

On November 18^th, 2021, I began the morning sitting inside my Hawk Down and Out Blind, watching a small open field that sat perfectly between two large sections of hardwood timber. It was Thursday of the opening week of Missouri’s firearms season, and I had high hopes that my successful streak would continue. I watched two smaller bucks come to a scrape during the mid-morning, along with multiple does. Then, out of the timber came a mature ten-pointer that had appeared on my Stealth Cam Fusion X camera the week before. After the buck pushed a doe around the small field for a minute or two, I acquired an opportunity and made a successful shot on a great southern Missouri buck.

I have been blessed to take a deer on my day off for several years. I’ll keep counting it as a blessing, yet is luck on my side, or is Thursday good timing for deer movement? There are historically good days when it comes to shooting a mature buck. Many apps and hunt predictions also forecast specific days as a great time to hunt. Below are the dates and why they are ideal times for deer hunters to be successful.

October 31^st, Halloween Day

Halloween day is historically one of the best days for deer hunting for many hunters. Many hunters have experienced mature bucks beginning the anticipated rut during the last of October. Typically, somewhere around October 15^th, scrapes begin showing up, and bucks start leaving their scent for does and other bucks as a sign that they are in the area. Around Halloween day, many bucks begin leaving the scrapes and start chasing does to find which ones are ready to breed. Since bucks are up on their feet, hunters have recorded deer movement as excellent during this time.

Because Halloween is the beginning of the actual rut, younger bucks are also eager to find a hot doe. With eager young bucks nearby, Halloween is a great time to break out the grunt calls and rattling antlers to signify a young buck getting to the does before the mature buck, making elder bucks eager to respond.

Enjoy The Hunt More With A Box Blind — Rut Action

November 12^th-20^th

Although it is not narrowed down to one specific day, the week surrounding November 12^th– 20^th is historically when the rut is in full swing in most parts of the country. In this time frame, bucks are locked down with does, chasing is full-blown, and the bigger mature bucks seem to come out of hiding to breed as many does as possible.

During the peak of the rut, hunters should take every opportunity available to hunt. My scheduled day off through the Missouri firearms season often hits close to the peak of the rut for most deer, thus being the reason my day off seems to produce successful hunts year after year. As with last year’s hunt, I try to take the opportunity to sit in a comfortable blind, such as the Down and Out blinds, and sit all day if necessary. By having a comfortable seat, plenty of room to stretch and move, and an area to bring along a few snacks and drinks, I can sit for an extended period.

If I had only one day of the year to hunt, it would be any day from the 12^th to the 20^th of November.

December 10^th

One of the most exciting and prosperous times for many hunters occurs during the peak of the rut. Bucks are noted as becoming less focused on their survival instincts and only thinking about breeding, allowing hunters to see and harvest bucks when they usually wouldn’t be visible.

The good thing for hunters that missed the window of opportunity to harvest a buck during the peak of the rut is that there is a second chance. Often referred to as the second rut.

Many does who did not get successfully bred come back into estrus twenty-eight days after their first estrus cycle. What that means for hunters is if most does come into the first estrus, around the 12^th of November, twenty-eight days later would be December 10^th. Bucks begin seeking does again during that time, giving the hunter an excellent opportunity to harvest a mature buck.

Each year, the specific days when hunters have the best chance of harvesting a buck change. Many different factors, such as weather, can play a role. However, historically the days listed above have been noted for producing the best opportunities to harvest mature bucks.

Down & Out Blinds | The Permanent Temporary Blind

May 11, 2020/0 Comments/in News /by Hawk Treestands

Why Use Down & Out Blinds?

Whether you prefer to hunt turkeys or deer, there’s no question that sitting in a hunting blind will improve your odds at harvesting an animal, as compared to sitting out in the open. But since you just can’t commit to investing in a permanent hard-sided blind, you resort to your usual hub style blind. Being outdoors for any length of time exposes it to some battles with Mother Nature, which it usually loses. If you’re ready to end that vicious cycle, check out the new Down & Out™ blinds by Hawk.

Benefits of Down & Out Blinds

The new Down & Out blinds solve a lot of the issues you’ve probably had with other ground blind options. Here’s a quick rundown:

Down & Out Blinds | The Permanent Temporary Blind

As compared to hard-sided permanent box blinds, these hunting panel blinds are a bargain when it comes to cost. If you can’t justify spending money right now on a hard plastic blind, these are a great alternative.
The Down & Out blinds are also much more portable than a traditional box blind. You usually need a tractor to haul and set a box blind up efficiently, but you can simply use the carrying case for these ones (or an ATV if it’s on the back end of your property). That makes it a good option for mobile hunting situations. Best yet, it only takes 10-15 minutes to set up by yourself with no tools.
These hybrid blinds are much stronger and more durable than hub style mobile blinds. Because of their strong frame and durable fabric, they can withstand much more than an ordinary soft sided blind.
Down and Out hunting blinds have silent windows so you can stealthily open them when game animals are within shooting range. Try doing that with noisy Velcro or zipper windows common for most soft-sided blinds.
There are several design options to choose from so you can find a size that works for you and your hunting style.

Design of the Down & Out Blinds

There are five different models of the Down and Out panel blind. The first thing you’ll notice about these blinds is that they are truly over-engineered for maximum stability. Starting with the bones of it all, the heavy-duty, powder-coated aluminum frame folds up in six pieces like an accordion, and you simply need to unfold and fit them into place. These things are so strong, there is a lifetime warranty on the aluminum frame and hinges (which is always a good indication). The steel struts form a roof on top capable of holding 200 pounds – plenty strong enough for even a significant snowfall event in most places. The wall and roof are constructed of a 600 denier fabric so they can withstand the wind and snow easily. It is also treated for UV resistance and has a polyurethane coating for additional durability and water resistance. This frame and fabric design allows you to leave it out in conditions that would destroy most hub style designs.

There is a full size and accessible door to make it easy to access quietly. Each panel has one bow and one gun window, so you have a 360 degree view around you. Each gun window uses the aluminum frame as a gun rest, while the bow windows are long vertically and have shoot-through mesh over them. The Shadow Mesh™ windows have magnet closures, so nothing can see in and you can open them quietly with game animals within range. The interior is dark black to hide your movements even more when the Shadow Mesh is across the opening. Here are the different models of the new Down & Out blinds.

Scout – the Scout is the smallest option in this lineup, measuring about 74” to the peak and 59” in diameter. It weighs in at 49 pounds, which is easy enough for a short carry through the woods.

Warrior – the Down and Out Warrior blind is big enough for two people, or one person if you want more room for gear. It measures about 72” wide and 78” tall when assembled and weighs 61 pounds.

Warrior XL – this blind is obviously a larger version of the popular Warrior model, and can fit a couple people easily. It measures about 96” wide and 81” tall when assembled and weighs 81 pounds.

Octagon – the Hawk Octagon blind should be considered a group blind as you can fit plenty of gear or a couple people inside.

Bunker – the Bunker can easily fit three hunters and is arranged in a rectangular shape rather than a hexagonal shape.

Hunting Scenarios for These Blinds

There are a few different situations where the use of these Down & Out blinds would be a no-brainer, and we’re sure you already thought of a few while reading above.

As a private landowner, there are lots of easy applications for these blinds. Pick a good ambush site for whitetails on your property – perhaps along a field edge or downwind of a commonly used creek crossing in the woods. Assemble the blind in the late summer, and return in the fall for hunting. By that time, the deer will have gotten so acclimated to it, they will hardly notice anymore. Simply sneak into the area, stealthily open the blind, and silently unfold the windows. As long as you have cleared the debris on the floor so there aren’t leaves crunching, they will have no clue you’re there. Alternatively, you can also set one of these ground blinds up on top of a tower platform so you have a better view.

Of course, you could also use it for turkey hunting in the spring. Set the blind up on a field edge or clover plot in the early spring and let the birds get used to it. Add some cut branches or tufts of grass to the brush loops on the outside of the blind so it blends in well with its surroundings. If you’re a fan of bow hunting turkeys, keep the mesh up and they will never know what hit them.

For public lands, your choices are a bit more limited. While you can’t leave blinds out overnight on some state or federal lands, you can on others. Of course, you run the risk of someone else discovering it and making away with your blind, so consider that risk beforehand. You could easily set it up on a Friday night, hunt dawn to dusk through the weekend, and pack it out on Sunday. Or you could set it up in a very remote location where nobody is likely to stumble across it (and if they do, they likely won’t want to carry it out). But a better option might be to use the lightweight Scout blind if you can’t leave it on a given piece of land. It’s not difficult to set it up in the morning and take it down when you leave.

These hunting blinds are a great way for many people to get the benefits of both hard-sided permanent blinds and soft-sided mobile blinds at the same time. Once you try them, you’ll immediately see what you’ve been missing.