"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." Cicero - 55 BC
..... The NDP approach: if the facts don't fit your ideology, just pretend the facts don't exist.......
Saw some guys using a plastic water bottle hanging from the cap, bottom cut out, stuffed with cotton or cloth hanging inside protecting the scent ball but allowing scent to escape.
Cool idea, but pull them when your done. Don't leave them as more junk in the bush.
WSSBC
BCWF
CCFR
BHA
Checked a couple of my spots today. Bucks are definitely starting to move, had a couple decent ones on camera and during the day to boot. Would imbed the videos if I knew how. This weekend should be a good one.
You should be more concerned with having NO scent. Get some dead down wind spray and spray yourself down before starting your hike. Don't hang your hunting clothes near the kitchen. Cooking onions and bacon and smoking a dart before hitting the WT woods is not a good idea if you are walking. Some of my buddies have all their hunt clothes in ziplock bags and put it on at the truck to try and contain their scents. Watch some yankee deer videos on scent control. It's pretty wild how hardcore they are about scent. Even putting up ozone devices beside them to block their smells in stands.
A few days ago I walked into an area that had been logged many years ago to see if A buck would come in to my rattling.
The wind was blowing hard and gusty.The regen trees are 30 feet tall.I found a spot to sit under a fir tree that I could see about a hundred yards in two directions on an old skid trail.There are fresh rubs and scrapes nearby and a few well used game trails.
I did a couple of grunts then got after some serious rattling and beating the antlers on the ground also raking the leaves and brush.I did this for a few minutes with a pause in between.
About 10 minutes later a whitetail buck came out of some thick bush down wind from me.I'm not sure he got wind of me as it was real gusty and blowing in circles.
It was a poor shot so I passed.He just meondered down the old skid trail away from me.
I suspect he circled me then had a look see then left.
It was fun anyways.Normally I don't rattle under such poor conditions but seems I didn't see any deer on my way in I thought I'd give it a try anyways.
I haven't killed a deer in this spot yet as they are very hard to see in the thick brush.I know they are there at times.
I have killed decent whities doing the same thing in other spots I frequent even thou I saw no deer that day.You never know when one might show up.
Deer may question their eyes,deer may question their ears but they never question their nose!
Agree with everything Sitkaspruce says!
Beginner whitetail hunters take note!!
Had this guy come in to rattling yesterday. Just a reminder to always be on the ready (with your gun) and not lackadaisical like I was. Did two rattling sequences with grunting before this guy snuck in on me to within 20 yards. Had my rifle resting against a tree and as soon I went to grab for it he bolted. Fortunately, he just saw my movement and not me so I was able to reel him back in with grunting and take him.
Awesome. I saw firsthand last season how well the grunt tube works. I was in a blind last Nov and heard footsteps in the icy snow then saw a buck walking on the other side of a cattle fence about 75 yds away. I hit the grunt tube with a short blast and the buck stopped dead in his tracks and looked in my direction. I hit the tube again softly and the buck took about 5 seconds then did a 90 and headed in my direction. He jumped the fence and I killed him. I don't go out in November without my antlers and grunt tube.