Do you want to learn how to hunt like the professionals? Would you like to take more game animals home during the hunting season? Do you sometimes wonder what other hunters do to take so many animals home during the hunting season? Well, today, the secrets will be revealed if you read this article. We will discuss what the pros do that you have no clue of. Wheat they do to bag animal after animal while you stare and wonder.
- Google Earth
When you want to hunt an area, one of the first things to do is to thoroughly scout the area for signs of activity of the game animals you want to hunt. You want to find possible bedding areas, travel routes, food and water sources, funnels, access points, transition zones, the topography of the area, etc.
Google Earth can be used to study the area you want to hunt and identify possible areas of interest for hunting. Additionally, you can also use Google Earth to study the landscape of the area. Look for valleys, hills, creeks, rivers, inaccessible areas that the animals my retreat to when the hunting pressure is high, etc.
With this information, when you physically get to the area, you can confirm or disregard the information you collected from Google Earth and this will help you plan your hunting strategies before the season begins.
Additionally, hunting apps like HuntStand, HuntWise, and onX can also be used to collect this information. - Scouting On the Ground
Scouting is one aspect of hunting that is not given the seriousness it deserves. Show me a hunter who doesn’t scout the hunting area thoroughly before the hunting season begins, and I will show you an average or unsuccessful hunter. Scouting the hunting ground is very crucial to a successful hunting season.
Spend your time and energy scouting the hunting ground to collect as much information as possible on the game animals that you want to hunt.
Learn to read and track animal tracks, study scat, droppings, tree rubbings, animal sound, etc. This is a skill that will be for your lifetime and will reward you greatly when hunting. - Controlling Odor
Highly successful hunters pay special attention to their odor and work to eliminate it before going to hunt. Most animals have a very good sense of smell that is used to find food as well as detect predators and danger.
Discipline yourself to reduce your human odor as much as possible before going to hunt. Keep your hunting clothes sealed up in scent-free storage bags. Make sure your hunting gear and weapons are scent-free, as well as your hunting footwear. Always bathe with scent-free soap before going to hunt.
Avoid smoking cigarettes, using colognes and getting food scent on your hunting gear, clothes, and footwear. - State Hunting Laws
Make it a habit of learning the hunting laws in the state that you want to hunt, and especially the laws regarding the game animals you want to hunt. There are laws regarding bag limits, types of baits that can be used, permits, the beginning and ending of the hunting season, types of weapons allowed, etc.
Learn the hunting laws, follow them and constantly update yourself of any changes to the laws. You can find this information from the internet or the app of the state wildlife agencies. For example, you may want to know if the state allows hunters to use deer feeders when hunting animals or if it is allowed to hunt beavers. - Wind Direction
When hunting the direction of the wind is very important. Most animals are blessed with a very good sense of smell. It is part of their defensive mechanism to warn them about intruders into their territory as well as help them find food.
Learn to detect which direction the wind is blowing. It is very easy to learn but very crucial to a successful hunting day. If the animals you want to hunt pick up your human scent, they will be gone before you reach where they were eating or bedding.
There are equipment that can show you the wind direction but it is easy to learn. You can just throw up dirt or dust in to the air and watch which way it moves to determine the wind direction. You always want to be downwind of the area you think the animals you are hunting are located. By being downwind of the area, your human scent will not be carried to the animals as you approach the area. - Wildlife Biologists
There are wildlife biologists for every major area of a state. These are professionals who study the wildlife in those areas, collect data, and implement programs to protect and grow the populations of the animals in those areas. They are a reservoir of valuable information for the hunters in that area. Sadly, most hunter don’t utilize the resource that wildlife biologists provide for the state.
You can find their contact information on the wildlife website. Contact them and chat about the animals in the area that you want to hunt. Provide them with some of the information you gathered from your scouting trips online and on the ground. They will confirm or dis approve of the information and provide you with more valuable information. - Trail Cameras
When scouting an area before the hunting season begins, you want to collect as much information about the game animal you want to hunt. You are limited by time as you only a number of hours that you can scout. However a trail camera can be setup in a number of different directions to monitor the movements of the game animals. It collects information 24 hours and seven days a week. - Predator Calls
Sometimes when hunting, it can be difficult to spot any game animal. No matter how long you spend, the animals just remain in their bedding areas. A predator call comes to your rescue. It mimics the sounds of animals and more times than not, will bring an immediate response from the animals. They will come out to investigate the predator call.
There are distressed calls, grunt calls, fawn calls, doe in the heat calls and many other calls that can be used to get a direct response from animals.
- Safety
Safety is a major issue when hunting. Hunting involves using a weapon and many accidents can occur which can be fatal. When hunting, always adhere to the safety protocols to protect you and other hunters in your hunting team as well as other hunters that may not be very far from your hunting position.
Conclusion
Hunting is a fun, exciting, and rewarding outdoor activity. There are many benefits of hunting as it provides a rich source of protein, as well as allow you to switch off and connect with nature. In this article, we discussed how to hunt like successful hunters to take home more game animals during the hunting season.
Read also:
10 Unique Gift Items For Hunters
10 Factors to Consider When Choosing A Predator Call