Summer time Scouting for Large Whitetail Bucks

For many of us, July is a month reserved for fishing, grilling, and possibly the seashore. Not Minnesota whitetail knowledgeable Bob Borowiak, who begins scouting round July 4th and continues till the season opener. Whereas most profitable deer hunters acknowledge the necessity for thorough scouting, many wait till simply earlier than the season opener to start. Borowiak insists that his midsummer commentary classes are accountable for many of the massive deer he tags throughout the archery season.

Most of us would do properly to hearken to Borowiak, a retired 76-year previous hunter from Houston, Minnesota. Although he didn’t begin bowhunting whitetails till he was in his mid-30s, the knowledgeable has greater than 30 P&Y bucks to his credit score. No less than 10 of these bucks had been taken within the first weeks of the archery season and had been the direct results of scouting that Borowiak did on summer time evenings. Right here’s a have a look at the preseason prep work of one of the profitable bowhunters I do know.

Why Midsummer Remark Is So Essential

In a whitetail world obsessive about path cameras, Borowiak’s scouting routine depends on good old style private commentary; his favourite tactic is to glass fields and meals plots from distant vantage factors. “I’m fortunate in that I’m retired and have extra free time than most,” he says. “However I’m on the market virtually each evening beginning round July 4th. The one farm I hunt I can really set my recognizing scope up in my truck and park 500-600 yards away and glass fields. That’s lots shut sufficient to guage antlers, and the great factor is, I’m parked proper on a street edge and deer are used to the sounds of site visitors, so the truck doesn’t trouble them.”

On different properties that don’t have such handy glassing setups, Borowiak hikes in and units up in discreet places that enable him to look at fields and meals plots, however not be seen, heard, or smelled by deer. “It’s additionally vital to think about the way you’re going to get out of there at nightfall with out spooking deer, so I make sure that I’m not arrange too near any meals supply the place deer are going to be when it will get darkish,” he mentioned.

Whereas most hunters are content material to let path cameras do their summer time intel for them, Borowiak insists nothing beats private commentary. “Cameras are undoubtedly a very good instrument and a part of my scouting, however they’re restricted of their means,” he says. “They solely give a small glimpse of what’s occurring out in a area, whereas I can get a giant image view with my recognizing scope. For instance, I’ve had years the place I might need three or extra mature bucks utilizing the identical area for his or her night feeding. If all I had was a digital camera, I’d get one or two of these bucks, and only for a slender window of time, a snapshot. Glassing permits me to take a very good lengthy look and monitor your entire herd, not simply the buck that steps in entrance of a digital camera.”

That prolonged commentary permits Borowiak not solely a very long time to guage antlers, but additionally to evaluate character. “When these bucks begin shedding velvet, a few of them are going to disperse, however some will stick round. The extra dominant bucks–which you’ll inform simply from observing them, even in velvet, have a greater probability of sticking round. At this level I’m not attempting to nail down particular patterns of particular person bucks; I’m simply getting an thought of what’s on the market and the overall areas utilized by bucks.”

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Rethinking Early-Season Buck Patterns

Whereas a lot has been mentioned and written about patterning bucks—particularly within the early season—Borowiak makes use of the time period cautiously, though he’s lethal at bagging early-season trophies. “I’ve killed a pair bucks that made repeat visits to the identical space frequently, however I’m satisfied these instances are uncommon, particularly with bucks 4 or 5 years previous,” he mentioned. “With older deer, it’s extra real looking to count on that, if you happen to see a buck in a single spot one evening, he is likely to be again per week later. I shot a 160-class buck two years in the past that we acquired a pic of, strolling by means of a meals plot within the morning, as he headed again to mattress. I used to be satisfied that he’d repeat that habits, however I’d simply have to attend him out. I lastly shot him on the sixth morning.”

Somewhat than use the time period “sample”, Borowiak feels bucks have most popular areas inside their house vary that they use constantly, however not every day. “You hear folks speak about discovering a buck’s mattress, and the image they attempt to paint is there’s this one small space {that a} buck returns to for bedding every day,” he says. “I don’t consider that’s what occurs. I feel bucks have a normal bedding space that incorporates a number of locations the place he feels protected and comfy, and he makes use of no matter mattress inside that space appeals to him on a sure day. And the identical goes for meals; I’ll glass a buck feeding in soybeans one night, and the following he’s on alfalfa and after two nights there he switches to some acorns which have fallen. That’s one benefit of glassing; as a result of I can cowl extra floor, I can get a greater big-picture view of how bucks are utilizing an space.”

Sometimes, by the season opener, Borowiak has recognized 2 to 4 bucks that he’d be comfortable to shoot and has began formulating a recreation plan for the world. “Because the territories of those bucks overlap, I’m not often holding out for one deer,” he says. “As an alternative, I’m looking an space that I do know has a number of bucks and I’m comfortable to take the primary one to indicate up. And since I do know that these bucks are usually not on a every day ’sample’ that brings them to the identical spot every night, I don’t fear if I don’t see a goal buck on a given evening. All I’m involved with is getting out of the stand with out spooking different deer. When circumstances are proper, I’ll return.” Borowiak is continually monitoring wind path to assist him select stand websites, and he’s a spiritual person of Ozonics items for scent management in his stands and field blinds.

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Digicam Assist Does Assist With Summer time Scouting

Whereas long-range glassing is on the core of his scouting program, Borowiak does use cameras to offer extra info. “I do like wi-fi cameras as a result of they merely require much less intrusion right into a buck’s space after getting them arrange,” he mentioned. A few of his favourite digital camera setups are water sources within the timber (he installs water tubs on hardwood ridges, which turn out to be magnets for deer and all types of wildlife, together with bears and bobcats). “Water is a big draw on this nation, and whereas I do get pics of fine bucks in the summertime on water, I don’t fear if I don’t. Doe household teams discover these water holes in a rush and return to them all year long. When the rut comes, the bucks received’t be far behind them.”

Different most popular setups are early-season meals sources like soybeans, alfalfa, apples and white oak acorns. “I search for good meals the place there’s good recent deer signal,” Borowiak says. “There’s numerous meals on the market for deer this time of 12 months, so I’m not anticipating every day visits. Simply that pic or two that confirms there’s a very good buck within the space.” Such was the case with a buck he named “Large Louie”, a heavy-racked deer that confirmed up and posed for a single image by an apple tree. “I hung a stand in a tree 30 yards away and hunted it a number of instances when he by no means confirmed up,” Borowiak recalled. “Then one night a pair of 2-½ 12 months previous bucks confirmed up at that apple. One didn’t stick round lengthy and the opposite began performing nervous and looking out behind him. After I seemed that method I may see Large Louie’s rack heading my method and although he was strolling cautiously he got here proper to that apple tree and I made the shot.”

Borowiak’s ultimate favourite digital camera setup is close to an early-season scrape. Whereas many hunters affiliate scrapes solely with rutting exercise, savvy hunters like Borowiak know that deer go to scrapes 12 months spherical and early fall is a peak exercise time. “I don’t do numerous mock scrapes as a result of I’m actually cautious about spending an excessive amount of time, and laying down human scent, in a spot that I do know a giant buck already likes,” he mentioned. “But when I discover a pure scrape, I’ll freshen it with some ‘Scrape Repair’ by TactaCam, which I apply to the overhanging department and in addition on the bottom. Then I grasp my digital camera and get out of there.”

As famous, Borowiak took up bowhunting comparatively late in life. Although he’d been a profitable gun hunter for mature bucks, he undoubtedly struggled after turning into a bowhunter. “I spent the primary 8 years looking deer that didn’t exist,” he laughs. “I used to be mainly looking the panorama or establishing on some recent signal and hoping {that a} massive buck would seem. However I had zero proof that they had been even within the neighborhood. That every one modified once I began placing in my time, doing the long-range glassing and actually attempting to get a deal with on what deer are on the market and what they’re doing, lengthy earlier than the season even began. It’s made an enormous distinction.”

And whereas Borowiak’s summer time observations have led him to some dandy bucks taken within the first weeks of the season, he’s satisfied that his summer time scouting efforts repay as the autumn progresses. “Not all of the bucks I spot in the summertime might be in spots I can hunt on the opener,” he says. “However I do know they’re within the instant space and is likely to be huntable later. Simply realizing what’s on the market provides me a lot confidence and enthusiasm. Virtually each Minnesota buck I’ve killed, no matter the timeframe, is a deer I knew from my scouting and observations.”

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