In my last blog, I posted about late October scrape hunting.  Since then, I've been out twice.  As luck would have it, I found multiple scrapes, freshly worked, on a field edge about 100 yards from my tree stand.  The wind was right, everything seemed good to go.  Both nights, however, were quite uneventful, other than perhaps a dozen does that came out to feed.  I wish I had more to report for the hunt, but the bucks simply weren't moving in this location during daylight hours.  On a positive note, the does circled downwind of me and I went undetected (thank you, ScentMaster!!)....

Without a doubt, the rut is the ultimate for big buck encounters.  But if you're hunting a specific buck, it's hard to tell where he may be; for all we know, he could be several miles down a drainage or in a pasture chasing estrous does.  In November, I may very well kill a big buck that's been hunted by another deer hunter in a completely different location.  So it stands to reason that, while the rut is great for seeing nomadic giants, it quite possibly could be the toughest time to kill a specific mature buck.  The does are his pattern right now.  So.....how can we take advantage of the rut's influence on specific mature deer we're targeting on our properties?  Late October scrape hunting is that meal ticket for us.  That's what this blog entry is all about.

With our whitetail season just around the corner here in Nebraska, it's time to focus on what the whitetails will be doing for the first part of season and where we should be hunting for an early season trophy.

Bowhunting is life for me.  I don't say that to sound cliche, but it's something that's absolute truth.  Any of my friends will tell you the same thing, as I take my hunting as seriously as my family and job.  I am convinced one of the biggest factors in becoming a successful hunter, especially with big game species, is managing your scent.  Countless articles have been written over the subject, but this one is different; this article deals specifically in the relationship between the clothing you put on your body during your hunting outings and the scent that gets absorbed into these clothes.