By Lance Cherry
Crosshairs for Christ, lance@crosshairsforchrist.org

Here's a few tips on how to increase your odds of filling your mule deer tag this season. Some of the tips are simple, while others are more thought provoking.

We begin with a simple and frequent mistake tip:

Tip 1: Check Your Gear

The worst place to check your gear is in the field. Often we buy new things as the hunt season draws near. Just as often we show up to the hunt with that gear still in the original package. Now, not in the field, is the time to be reminded, just because it’s new doesn’t mean it will work. How often have you seen your buddy’s scope fog up in the morning air or a flashlight blow the first bulb out of the box? Even more common, how many of us know someone who wore boots straight out of the box only to end the day with a severe case of blisters? Maybe you’ve done these things yourself. This deer season commit some time to taking care of “the field-test” before the hunt. Put you gear through the paces. Hike in your new boots. Use the flashlight at night. When it counts most, you’ll be happy did.

Next we tackle your rifle. It’s the tool you’ll depend on most when you see that big trophy buck, but before you get to that point consider this:

Tip 2: We’re All Guilty

Did you put your rifle away at the end of the hunting season without even pulling the trigger? We all do, but the hunt started the day the last one ended. Practice, practice, practice. That’s how you ensure you can make the shot when the time comes. Did you know that only a small number of hunters have ever sighted in their rifle? Worse than that, those who have their rifle sighted in assume the bore sighting is enough, only to find out they can’t hit anything at a distance. Another consideration is ammunition. How often do you buy the cheap stuff to practice and then switch to the quality stuff in the field. Once again you’ve set yourself up to miss. Always shoot with the same ammo you plan to shoot with in the field. You’ll be more consistent and far more accurate. Lastly, keep in mind only, you can shoot the way you shoot. That means, you need to do the sighting in and setting up every time. No one can make you more accurate than you.

Now we talk apparel. Are deer, fashion conscious? Maybe not, but here are some things you should consider:

Tip 3: Fashion For A Buck

When it comes to picking what you wear in the field you may be surprised at what is important. Scoring a buck can depend heavily on your attire. Not so much the brand or style, but the flexibility your outfit offers. In other words, you need to wear the appropriate clothes to handle adverse weather conditions. Keep in mind, deer don’t care if it’s raining, snowing or the sun is shining. They’re home and changing weather is simple routine for them. To ensure you are ready, dress in layers. Wear a base layer that includes fabrics that wick away moisture. Layer over your base with comfortable insulation and top it all off with a protective shell, such as Gore-Tex. Also keep in mind deer are color blind. That does not mean they are shape blind. Blaze orange, camouflaged patterns may not be necessary, but have become more popular and can offer you a hunter’s edge.

Take a look at your hunt area. Even if you don’t have the time to drive out on a scouting trip, there are things you can do to improve your chances of finding the deer.

Tip 4: Take A Scouting Trip From Your Couch

Often hunters assume they know everything about their hunting area. They spend years hiking and learning the lay of the land. They take summer camping trips with the family and make explorations part of the daily routine. They appear to have done everything possible but, still there is one thing many fail to do… Visit the map store. If you have never looked at your hunt area with an aerial photo and topographic map in hand, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. Aside from the obvious saddles, ridges, streams and tree lines, you may be surprised how many watering holes, feeding and bedding areas you missed. Worse of all, this information is just a click or short trip away. As you prepare for this year’s hunt, take a trip down to the sporting goods store and grab a new map, download an aerial photo and sat down and get to studying. You may find the deer with out even leaving the comfort of your favorite chair.

How about some advice from my great-grandfather? Even though it was delivered more than 5 decades ago, it still rings true today.

Tip 5: Mullies On The Move

My great-grandfather’s wisdom regarding locating mullies in New Mexico has been passed down for generations and it goes something like this, “If you want to find deer in America you have to cover a lot of ground. If you want to find deer in New Mexico you got to cover the state.” He believed you would see about one deer for every 100 miles of ground you covered. In my years of hunting, I have learned there is an edge of truth to his beliefs. There’s another twist to the entire game as well. Have you ever noticed areas that used to hold big bucks now appear empty. Is it that deer are dying off, have gotten smarter or might they simply be following instinct. Consider the deer’s perspective about your consistent return. If instinct were the lone driving force in a deer’s mind, and believe me it is, then wouldn’t it make sense that a regular visiting predator would be reason enough to get moving? And on more bit of thought provoking info, the majority of big time trophy hunters theorize the best chance for harvesting a record is the first time you’ve hunted a spot. So this season think about covering some new ground and look for areas that have been people free for some time. Oh yeah, don’t forget my grandfather’s advice, cover some ground and you may find what you’re looking for.

What about hunting hours and the early morning myth. How long should you stay out there?

TIP 6: Late to bed, early to rise

A game warden once told me, “A deer is a critter with four stomachs he has to keep full. That means he’s hungry all day long.” What he was getting at was the idea that deer only move in the morning hours is simply an old myth and you are as likely to see them at noon as you are to see them at sunrise. I must say, in all the years I’ve hunted, I’ve never seen a deer before 10 a.m. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know enough hunters that get up before sunrise and have their buck back to camp by lunch to cause me rise with them. Still, I know the value of a warden’s wisdom and I am encouraged to continue my hunt all day. Lunch goes in the pack, not the camp. This year consider this simple fact, the longer you are in the field, the more opportunity you have given yourself to be successful. Hunt the entire day.

Now we visit the hunt season and how you use it. It is also about how long your loved-one is going to let you stay gone in the wilderness without checking in…

TIP 7: Hunt the entire hunt

You are one of the few lucky ones to actually draw this year. So why are you trying to go home after only two days? The state is full of unsuccessful hunters that would just puke if they knew you weren’t committed to hunting your hunt. Even more, you simply can’t bag a buck from the office. This year consider hustling a little harder to add the extra days back into your hunt. Not only will you increase your chances of finding a buck, the added time off and reduction in mental hustle in the woods will make the trip more valuable to you and the entire family. I realize we all have responsibilities and sometimes you simply can’t be gone so many days. But remember this, everyone loves to be around a happy person and if you’re too busy to take a couple extra days, you may be missing the therapy you really need. Of all the tips I have offered during the past couple weeks, consider this…The forced time away is enough to guarantee you will have had a successful hunt.

Make no mistake, if you can smell yourself so can everyone else. This week we tackle scents. Pepe Le Pew was the master and you can be too…

TIP 8: Honey, you stink!

Deer have a tremendous sense of smell and use it frequently to stay clear of danger. There are a handful of tips and tricks to keep in mind when you are hunting. Begin at home by washing your clothes in scent-free detergent. Use odor-eliminating shampoo and deodorant and take it with you. Just because you don’t have a shower in the woods doesn’t mean hygiene should go out the door. Consider packing scent-free baby wipes and use a bottle of water to wash your hair regularly during the hunt. Use scent-eliminating and natural cover sprays. Nothing says oooh! baby, you’re safe like ode-de-la deer urine. Wear a layer of activated carbon clothing to block your scent. Finally, watch the direction of the wind and you may have the unlocked the key to walking up on a buck completely unnoticed. When you do, slap him on the butt for me would you.

Deer camps can make a hunt more successful but a deer-gang can lead to certain failure. Consider the following as you plan your hunt with a group.

TIP 9: Hunt in a group alone

How exactly is that supposed to work you ask? Often we get caught up in the gang mentality and spend our entire hunt trying too hard to stick together. We slow each other down, we hike and travel at variable paces, we talk too much, we lack focus and we generally exert a lot of effort on keeping everyone happy. All of these things are the ingredients for failure. This year turn your focus on using each other to succeed. Establish a hunt plan from day one and use the group to hunt broader areas. Split up often and allow plenty of time between regrouping. This will give everyone the much, needed room to explore and discover the hunt unit. Finally, save the stories for camp. Your company will be more appreciated by the camp than the deer and nothing beats a good story while sitting around a warm campfire.

My final tip for all of you before your hunt…

TIP 10: Outlast, Outhunt, Outwork

Also, don’t be discouraged over large crowds in your public lands hunt. Invariably, good hunt areas will have lots of people. The trick is to think and work harder to get into areas where only those with enough drive will go. Deer aren’t stupid and they certainly will not intentionally hang out on the roads. Even if they slip up and find themselves on a road, it won’t take long for the pressure to drive them back up the mountain, and if you worked hard enough, into your lap.

BONUS TIP: Hunger & Habits

In order to make sure I’ve given you every opportunity to succeed, I offer you just one more tip. Unlike the others this one is more fact with a concise message about my 2-Hs; hunger and habits.

HUNGER
1. FOOD: In New Mexico, mule deer have a handful of favorite eats. Typically the spend about 60% of their time consuming browse and 40% consuming forbs. Learn how to identify these and you will be able to find their food source.

• Gamble Oak
• Cliffrose
• Mountain Mohogany
• Sagebrush
• Pinon Pine
• Apache Plume
• Juniper
• Holly-leaf Buckthorn
• Turbinella Oak

2. WATER: Deer drink about 1.2 quarts of water each day and twice as much when the forage is dry. Most deer concentrate within a half-mile to 1.5 mile area from an open water source.

HABITS
Researchers state with confidence, that full moon phases have NO effect on mule deer behavior. In fact, many believe mule deer function like clockwork; feeding in the early morning hours, bedding down around 2 hours after sunrise, eating again in the afternoon until night fall. The lone exception to bedding down is winter. When it’s cold they move. When do we hunt? When it’s cold. Again refer to TIP #. Lastly remember this newly made up phrase:

In the snow they’re low.
When it’s dry they’re high.

Good luck, God bless and happy hunting!