Bucks on a Budget

In today's fast pace, eat or be eaten world of America, it seems like we have had to learn to put everything and everyone on a budget. We budget our money, time for our jobs, time for our families, and so many other things, it seems only logical that many of us also have to budget time when it comes to getting out and enjoying the outdoors. Most of us come from a situation that doesn't allow 2 free nights; much less, many hours in any week to get out into the outdoors to scout prior to the season, cut shooting lanes or hang stands. With a little ingenuity, and only a minimum amount of time I am going to discuss a few things that can help us to learn to take big bucks, on a budget.

First off are resources. People, people are a resource that we all have access to. While sitting around the water cooler, getting your mail, or passing people in the hallways, keep your ears open for anyone talking about seeing deer. Ask around; see if anyone is seeing deer on their way to or from work. Some of the greatest resources for this line of questioning are people who are on the road a lot. When that Fed Ex driver or UPS driver comes in with your package, ask them if they have been seeing any deer. These people are on the road all day long, and by talking to them you can actually get some scouting done. Other great resources for deer information are school bus drivers, these men and women are on the roads early in the morning and right before dark and have helped me to locate some big deer that I would not have had the time to locate without their help.

Others whom offer a great deal of information about specific properties are farmers or neighbors of big tracks of land. Find an area of public hunting ground and drive by a few times, stop and check the area with binoculars. I have learned that people in the country are usually friendly, and while positioning myself near a farm and glassing some state owned land I have had land owners stop and see what I'm seeing. In one instance, I had a guy say, "Hmmm, you must have seen the big guy huh?" When I didn't act surprised, and said I was just scouting, he looked at me without giving me a chance to refute his question, and said, "He has a twin, seen both of them out here right at dark, but usually he is alone. Isn't he a monster?" I had not seen the deer, or his twin, but was happy to oblige with a happy "yes sir," I knew this place was worth spending as much of my allotted time as I could.

Another way of budgeting your time while preseason scouting for big bucks are your mornings. Even if you have to drop the kids off at daycare, stop by the dry cleaners, or stop and pick up a buddy you share a ride with, you can always leave 10 minutes early. In Minnesota, where shining is legal, many mornings during the late summer/early fall, if it isn't light enough to see, I can still "shine" a field or woodlot by only driving a couple of miles out of my way. If shining isn't a legal option, leaving 10 minutes early can allow you time to get to that food plot or CRP field just as the sun comes up. Hey, the only thing you're missing out on is a few minutes of sleep, and if you have to budget everything else, why not budget a few less minutes of sleep to help you attain a trophy buck.

With today's advances in technology a great tool for scouting an area quickly are motion cameras. There are many on the market ranging in price from making your own for under a hundred bucks, to digital cameras which allow you to view or download pictures right at the tree. This can be a great scouting tool. I recommend that since we are talking budgets you make sure to put one of these into your budget. Even if you can only budget a small amount each week or month, these will never become obsolete, so start budgeting for one now. I suggest saving a little longer and going with a quality digital model, since the cost of film, developing and the time involved with dropping off and picking up film can quickly put a dent in a budget. Wait an extra few months and get a motion camera of quality, you will not regret it. The cameras can be placed in areas that you don't have time to scout and you can swing in quickly and review your pictures, many times revealing a trophy that you would have missed. All of these things can be done any time throughout year but, the most effective times are those relatively close to hunting season.

Ok, so now it is winter or early spring and you think, "I don't have time to do any of this, the deer have yarded up, I have been gone all fall hunting and now my family wants to do some things together." Well, this is one of the greatest times to budget your family into your scouting. Take off on a weekend day to an area that you know holds or held deer during the months of January and February; get the kids and the wife excited to just go out and go for a walk in the woods. It is a great time to show the kids some deer tracks or even trails and a great time to just go for a walk and visit with your significant other. I will take an antler or two from the previous year and hide it in my coat, when I get to an area with a lot of deer sign I will throw an antler on the ground near one of the kids. As soon as they see it and pick it up, I get excited, and proclaim that for each antler they find I will give them a dollar! Instantly you have shed hunting craziness going on for the kids, you find your significant other is happy because you are focused on them and the kids are happy to be searching for sheds.

I don't know if their proximity to the ground is an advantage, or what, but it is amazing to me the antlers that kids can seem to find. I gladly will pay a dollar or two for this quality time spent together with family. When I think the kids are getting discouraged, I will strategically place another antler on a trail and call the kids over.

Big sheds show that at least a deer, rather a big buck, was in the area and this area might be worth your time taking a closer look at in the fall.

Now, these are all ways to help you budget your time to locate a big buck. But now what? Hopefully by now you have located a buck or two that you feel you would like to set up on. Next we need to discuss how to get into the area.

When trying to figure out how to get into the area, the great old American flag is one of my most favorite tools. When I locate a buck, and pick the woods or tree, that I would like to set up on, I make a mental note of which side of the "preferred ambush" site the buck was on, then while either returning home, or getting to work, I look for a flag. Luckily almost every major business or residential area has one located very close to its proximity. It is that simple; I look for a flag and see which direction the wind is blowing. When I finally have time to check the area, before I head out I make sure the flag is blowing in the location of the deer, towards the location of the tree I would like to use. If it isn't blowing the right way, I don't go in. I find something else to budget into that time I would have spent going in to check out the possible stand location. If the flag is blowing the right direction I can venture in and make sure that the tree I chose will offer a good shot. I can quickly trim branches or make sure it will offer me the vantage point that I need.

If all goes well, once the season rolls around, whether I am hunting with a bow, a rifle, shotgun or muzzleloader, I can feel confident that I am in an area where a big buck was seen.

So now it is time to budget in hunting the buck that you have been scouting, hopefully you have your priorities straight come hunting season, and you have many chances to get out and sit in that tree stand, overlooking the areas you have scouted on a budget. At least in your mind you can check the wind, get to the tree, and set up on an area where you know a buck is visiting. When the wind isn't right you need to not risk going in. If you have budgeted all year, chances are you can find something to fill the time you had planned to hunt, or maybe you can reschedule the hunt to another portion of your budget when the wind is right. Too many times I have heard hunters saying that they love to get out there, yet can't or don't find the time to do it. By following these tips I believe you can help yourself achieve a buck on a budget.

Author's Note: Not touched upon in this article is the process of glassing an area when time allows. When time allows use your binoculars to watch any areas that are suggested to you. You can do this while driving home, or taking the kids out for an evening drive; they love to see the deer too. I like to use a pair of Nikon Tundra 10X50's when glassing open areas, and will use a pair of Nikon Monarch 8X42's when glassing areas where I am only concerned about seeing 200 yards or less. The light catching capabilities of the Nikon binoculars seem to go unmatched in low light conditions as far as light gathering and clarity is concerned.

Photos: 1) The author discussing deer movement while using a map to pinpoint the exact location. 2) Word of mouth and time in the field will help you to locate preseason deer like this nice buck. 3) Motion cameras will quickly help you to decide whether or not your stand area is being used by the big ones or the not so big one. 4) The author took this nice 125 class whitetail on a budget, while using only word of mouth, and a motion camera. Only 24 minutes into opening morning he watched as this buck walked from 400 yards to a mere 15 yards where he was able to place a perfect shot.