Tips for the second week of rifle season

Glassing is a common tactic used by hunters from western states.

Well, sure, you’re thinking, they have much more open space in their forests than we do in the east; of course, they use binoculars a lot.

Here in Pennsylvania, binoculars take your vision behind seemingly impenetrable walls of saplings and bushes.

During archery season, by glassing, I spotted a doe, moving my way steadily and was drawn on her before she got within 80 yards. Had I not been glassing, she most likely would have either gotten by me, or caught me drawing.

By this time of the year, the last week of rifle season, I don’t have much patience for sitting in a stand. You can be effective on the move – still hunting – by going slow, glassing and paying attention to the wind.

Admittedly, the sizes of tracts of land in the east may be significantly smaller than they are in the west. Plus, many hunters are using public game lands.

But don’t let that stop you from trying a hunt on foot, because if you’re stalking whitetails on the ground, and doing it right, it will take you a long time to cover an area.

What about rattling and calling? Remember that does which weren’t bred during the whitetail rut will come into season again 28 days later. Given our lopsided buck-to-doe ratio, it is very likely that a “second” rut” will be taking place about a month after the first one.

I like to hunt with a buddy, with one person staying back, rattling for the person who is out front, like the “call through” tactic commonly used by turkey hunters. Use good optics, unless you enjoy constantly cleaning fogged binoculars.

Also, you need a good harness system so that you can wear the binoculars, keeping them handy while also keeping them out of the way as you shoot.

Choose binoculars which you can use comfortably and effectively in any weather conditions, since some of the optimum times for a stalk are foul weather days, when wet conditions deaden the sounds we make. Don’t go too big, or you’ll regret the extra weight you’ll tote.

Although your rifle has been sighted-in, using a shooting table or rest, the shots you take on the move would be from standing, kneeling or sitting against a tree. Make sure you have practiced shooting from various positions, and have practiced with shooting sticks if you plan to use them. Working in tandem with another hunter, or hunting alone, a good tactic is for the “hunter” to sit, leaning against a tree, using his or her knees to support the rifle.

Check the wind as you start, but be ready to adapt as the terrain you cover changes wind patterns. For example, knolls, ridges and drainages can cause the wind to shift.

What about rain? Should you stay home? After all, deer are probably bedded, and the chances of seeing something are less. That is, unless you’re going to do some stalking in the rain.

You won’t last long if you’re not comfortable. And the deer will hear you coming if your rain gear is noisy.

At all times of the year, and especially after they’ve been pursued by hunters using drives, deer are very alert to sounds that don’t belong in their environment.

Yes, you may bump deer using these techniques. But if you’re like me, by this time of year I’d rather have a miss or a mess-up than have no action at all.