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EARLY SEASON:
Early bow season in South Carolina brings
about difficulties that will test the patience of the most dedicated bowhunter in the woods. At the start of the season, which
usually occurs around the second week in September, the afternoon temperatures can quickly rise to the mid-nineties. Hot weather
tactics for bow hunting whitetails takes on new dimensions as scent control becomes the primary inhibitor of harvesting deer
at this time of the year. As the dog days of summer come to a close and the humidity level stays at about 70%, just getting
to your stand without breaking into a drenching sweat is impossible. As the body perspires in an attempt to cool itself, it
is, at the same time, pumping untold amounts of human scent into the very area that you are trying to hunt. Morning hunts
will offer you the greatest opportunity to hunt undetected as far as scent is concerned due to the thermals which rise as
the earth begins to warm after daylight. Careful selection of days in which the wind is in the hunter's favor are the days
to hunt in the evening. Wind direction is more critical.
PREDICTABLE PATTERNS:
Picking an area to begin an
early season bow hunt can be easier than you might think. Remember, the deer at this time of year are only concerned with
the three elements of survival which are: food, water and cover. No breeding impulses are driving the deer to abandon the
comforts of security for the high price of exposure and energy. The deer have not had any pressure put on them for 9 months
and have no need to travel any distance to find either. Usually, all three can be found in a relatively small core area this
time of the year. However, you must resist the temptation to hunt to those areas that you will use once the rifle season begins.
Usually, these will be the areas that you have the greatest field of view and which have brought you success with your rifle.
Greater visability also offers greater scent dispersion over a larger area which may alert any approaching deer.
HIDAWAYS:
There is only one place in the deer woods that offers the combination of food, water and cover within a very limited
area, that being a creek bed. The temperature is often 15-20 degrees cooler here due to the shade produced from the
canopy of trees that grows along the bank and also from the water that flows through the terrain. Vegetation along creek
banks are the most tender in the woods at this time. Here, the soil stays moist due to the fluctuation of the creek level
and the amount of shade available which, in turn, encourages new growth long after those on ridge tops and open areas have
become woody due to hardening off. Acorn production is also heaviest here due to the ample water supply and will be the first
to mature and drop. Often, these acorns roll down the creek bank and onto sand bars to be gobbled up by foraging whitetails.
STAND LOCATION:
Hunting ridge lines or drainage ditches, which drop into the creek bottom will offer the best
stand location for several reasons. Entry and exit routes will be easiest for both the hunter and the quarry. Whitetails will
take the easiest route in and out of the bedding area as long as the hunter has not alerted the deer that they are being hunted.
Minimal scent will be left as the hunter avoids thick vegetation as he approaches his stand. Taking the time to lightly trim
a trail with a pair of small hand-held pruning shears will also limit the amount of scent left in an area and increase the
odds of getting on top of deer while remaining undetected. Whitetails, especially bucks, will move later duing the early part
of the season so if you are set on harvesting a buck, you will have to allow the does to pass, and be willing to stay until
the last available shooting light. Make sure you are prepared to exit in the dark so as not to alert any approaching deer.
B. Stallings
10/25/01
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