Secrets for Hunting Big Bucks : How to Take Whitetails in Heavily Hunted Areas

by Scott Bestul

• ISBN13: 9781592281015
• ISBN10: 159228101X
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2003-09-01
• Publisher: Lyons Press

Summary

While all hunters dream of chasing trophy bucks high up on the sides of remote mountains, far from other hunters, the reality is that most serious hunters are chasing stressed-out, pressured deer in crowded areas, and the deer know they're on the run. But the word "pressure" doesn't just mean the presence of other hunters, it also covers the problems of hunting in less rural areas, special "limited-entry" hunts, and hunting deer who are in turn being hunted by natural predators like wolves and coyotes. In thoughtful, clearly written chapters, SCOTT BESTUL surveys what experts can tell us about how deer react in high-pressure situations, how hunters need to adapt to the pressure hunt, why scouting is even more important in the high-pressure environment, and how to recognize travel corridors and study aerial maps. He looks at tactics for stands and stalking in heavily hunted areas. And he explains the best techniques for organizing drives and pushes, and looks at new approaches to bowhunting, particularly in special short-duration hunts, public areas, and metro zones. The world of hunting has changed tremendously in the last twenty years, and HUNTING PRESSURED WHITETAILS may well be the deer-hunting handbook of the next twenty.

Author Biography

SCOTT BESTUL bagged his first whitetail when he was twelve. He is a contributing editor for Field & Stream, Sporting Classics, Turkey, and Turkey Hunting magazines. He lives along the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Defining and Assessing Pressure	p. 9
What Science Says About Pressured Deer	p. 29
Scouting: The Building Blocks for Success	p. 53
Stand-Hunting Tactics	p. 83
Still-Hunting and Tracking Techniques	p. 113
Bowhunting Tactics	p. 141
Driving Techniques	p. 169
The Suburban/Metro Challenge	p. 199
The Future: Adopting a Pressured Deer Ethic	p. 223
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