Old School Hunter
by William Crisp
Recent documentation and conversation has revealed that we may be old school hunters around here. I’m not that old but I learned my techniques from guys who were considered old school hunters. While many hunters are open to new things and find ways to incorporate new techniques and strategies into their bag of tricks, it may be an old school trait to remain flexible and open to unique ideas.
The woods are a different kind of place than where we generally hang out. It is a place where something that may not seem like it would work in our clean, dry headquarters may work out in the wet and wind. It is also a place where what would be considered inappropriate in polite, civilized company may be a very effective strategy between the trees.
For example, I wouldn’t dream of rolling in yellow snow while out and about my daily routine. When stalking though, I look for scrapes and doe in heat markings to collect the snow and yes, roll in. Bucks track doe in heat scent and are familiar with individual does. I’m pretty well convinced that store bought doe-in-heat products induce curiosity but don’t inspire everyday confidence in bucks. Collecting local, fresh doe scent and tarsals is a deadly technique on bucks. If bucks knew I was sharing that information they’d petition the first amendment. Bucks prefer that you shop for your scents in stores; it is more…civilized.