We may not all know the words to this Kenny Rogers classic, but I am sure those who don’t, have at very least heard the song once or twice. Personally, I think good ol’ Mr. Rogers was on to something with his message found in the chorus. If it wasn’t for his delicious chicken, this message could have been the best thing he has ever given the world! I am not much of a gambler myself, (unless I am at the horse track) but as you read on, I have found some solid truths in this song that translate easily into the hunting woods.
Know When to Hold ‘Em
In my eyes, every good hunting parcel has a honey hole on it; a special place where bucks can find silence, security, and a little bit of down time. A little “Fortress of Solitude” if you will. If you are not sure if your property has a honey hole, seriously consider creating one. There a lot of ways to accomplish this, although that subject is a different article altogether.
Occasionally you stumble upon these holes during the season, other times they may be areas that you know mature bucks historically use year to year. Regardless of the case, when you have located a buck’s hide-away make sure you file away a vivid memory of its layout. Think about how you would discretely get to and from stand if you put one up around it, what wind you need to hunt it, and which possible entrances and exits are available to bucks using it. After you have accomplished that, get out of there and stay out! Honey holes should only be dipped into when the time and situation is perfect, no exceptions to those rules. As tempting as it may be to go all in, you have to remain steadfast and wait for the best time to move in and strike.
I once patterned a buck so specifically that I had his coming and goings timed out to within a half hour of every day; he was that consistent! However, I did not go into his castle and hang a stand for 3 weeks because the weather, wind, and topography did not offer me the combination I needed to do so. Did it take ever ounce of patience I had to keep from sneaking in regardless? Of course. Did it pay off in the end? Absolutely.
Know When to Fold ‘Em
Even the best laid plans developed from intelligent and diligent scouting can end up getting a seasoned hunter nowhere. I find this especially true on public land, or private land, that sees other hunting pressure or outdoors activities that are out of your control. As much as it boggles our mind, by nature, whitetails tend to be more adaptive then habitual. The common factor that causes this, in my observation, is human intrusion.
A few years back I had access to a great chunk of private hunting land, but it came with a catch; I had to share rights with a group of pheasant hunters. For the first month I had the property to myself, the deer were very predictable and did what I expected them to do. When pheasant season hit, all bets were off. For the record, I have no problem with Pheasant hunting at all. As a matter of fact it is a ton of fun; but to a Whitetail there is no difference between a hunter walking for pheasants or making a deer drive. They feel pressure and they hear gun shots, I know that would bring my threat level immediately to Red.
The mature bucks I had caught glimpses of in daylight days before turned into ghosts. My trail camera even showed the Does in the area started to lean towards twilight as the preferred time for moving to food and water. Whitetails switch their behavior that fast.
If you run into a situation like mine, your options might be limited. If you have a stand rotation set up with other properties, now is the best time to adjust accordingly. If not, the best advice I can provide is to think like a deer. Try and pattern the activities around you like a deer would. Be on your stand in the middle of the day when the deer may be moving to avoid the learned intrusion. You can also set up on escape routes a pressured deer might use, or try and sneak your stands closer to know bedding areas. I even went so far as to work on Saturday’s and took off days in the middle of the week where the odds of having company on the property were less. The fact is Whitetail deer have been around for thousands of years because they adapt so well to the environment around them. If we try to adapt in the ways we can, it helps to level the playing field that much more.
Know When to Walk Away
No matter what the subject, activity, or hobby, it is easy to get absorbed over our head. When that mistake occurs we typically complicate matters until they snowball even further out of control; at least that is my personal experience! For example, I still have an incomplete landscaping project as of this moment because I decided it needed to more closely resemble
Mt. Rushmore then the picture my wife showed me in the magazine. She is giving me an ‘A’ for effort though!
As we scrutinize over topographical maps and satellite images, trying to pick our best possible ambush spot, simplicity and logic can be lost along the way. Some of the best hunters I know make a living and fill a lot of freezer space by keeping tactics simple.
One simple fact; deer, including the bucks we put on pedestals, are slaves to their stomachs. Period. Whitetails do not have a food delivery option. They live in a pick-up/drive-thru world, and depending on the time of year, that cuts down options for them tremendously. We all know that food choices are going to change along with the season, but if you always keep food in the equation, you have that ace up your sleeve ready to play.
Keeping food in the equation, now we just need to decide if we should wait for them at the restaurant, or cut them off along the way. Funnels, travel corridors, staging areas, and trails that lead to and from food are the places to be in my opinion. You will see plenty of deer munching at the table as night closes in, but the ones you are after, the big boys, might not step out into the open until after legal light. This is especially true in heavily hunted areas.
That is why my favorite setup is to find either a staging area on the outskirts of a active food source, or a bottleneck that forces deer moving for food to go through concentrated cover. Both options will produce, and more then likely your area should have at least one of these scenarios. Just always remember, when you put yourself between food sources and where deer are coming from, your odds begin to climb. .
Know When to Run
Being on stand means you are in the school of the great outdoors. Just like school, when you pay attention you may accidently learn something. When I am on stand I do my best to be vigilant, aware, and constantly ready for action. But as bad as we wish for it, sometimes action does not come in your direction, and that is when you can use your observational skills to your advantage.
Depending on the vantage point of your stands, the possibility may exist to see quite a bit of the area surrounding you. If that is the case, it is vital to pay attention to any deer movement going on. If you spot consistent patterns of deer movement, especially of a shooter buck, it does not pay to wait him out and hope he comes under your stand. There are a ton of elements that can change deer movement overnight, and bucks in general can be around one day and completely vanish the next. I use a two strike rule in regards to buck movement. If I have watched a buck moving in daylight hours twice in the same spot, the third time I see him will be up close and personal. When you have a mature buck pinned down like that, make the move you need to and capitalize on the fact he has tipped his hand.
The most important thing to remember when adopting this approach is recalling what elements were aligned when you spotted the buck. Where was the wind blowing from? What time was it? Was there a weather front that might have had him on his feet for an early or late snack? I personally keep a journal with me in my pack for this exact reason. Countless times throughout the year I read it and go over my notes to make sure I am not missing a pattern. You might only get one chance to capitalize on a buck’s false sense of security, so stacking the deck in your favor is the best advice I can give for this approach.
If You’re Gonna Play the Game…
I normally do not spend a ton of time watching ‘World Series of Poker’, or sit at the local blackjack table, I found my current hobbies do a good enough job of chewing up my extra spending money! But to me, the best gamblers seem to always be able to combine instinct, natural skill, observed knowledge, and a little bit of luck to hit big payouts. Maybe Kenny Rogers knew it took a balance of these elements for hunters to be successful, maybe he legitimately was singing a gambling story. I guess only he really knows. Either way, his message rings in my ears: If you’re gonna play the game, you better learn to play it right.
~Swany
