Albie Berk asked:
I once knew a successful hunter who had a garage shelf lined with eight-point antlers from deer he had killed. He took them all in the same place, at nearly the same time of day, year after year. All his peers admired him as a hunter as he inevitably returned from his hunt with a nice deer. He had developed a pattern that provided venison and modest trophies which he eventually found hard to break. When he went after a larger trophy deer by switching locations and methods, his first efforts were unfruitful as they most often are. He could not bear his family and friends asking the inevitable question: “Did you get a deer?” Having received so much admiration for his previous successes he could not bear having to tell them “no.” It was only after the local limit was switched to two deer per hunter that he renewed his interest in taking a true trophy. He took the first deer (another eight-point) “for success” and kept his remaining tag open for more impressive possibilities.
The true South Carolina trophy deer hunter, the hunter seeking an exceptional animal of possible record class, lets a lot of deer go free in his search for the superior animal. The question “Did you get a deer?” is an ongoing challenge for many people simply do not understand the goals of a significant trophy or possibly record deer. Frankly, they don’t believe that you are much of a hunter if you return home empty-handed, and they can hardly swallow that you’re turning down six and eight-point bucks.
There is nothing that equals the thrill and excitement of bagging the first South Carolina deer. This and the adventure of the chase are what it is all about. As you progress in your skills and become successful at normal deer hunting, as you have plenty of venison in the deep freeze, chances are that you will not become bored with the sport, but will begin to strive for bigger and more impressive game. “As we grow older the drink must become stronger to produce the same effect.”
When you are beginning deer hunting, it hurts not to get a deer. But as the hunter gets older and more seasoned, the mere fact of bringing home a deer becomes less important.
The major breakthrough comes when the hunter turns down his first eight-point deer. Since there are some outstanding eight-pointers out there that might be the trophy of a lifetime, I should perhaps rephrase and say when the hunter turns down his first large-racked animal. I have been trying to outwit a big eight-point with antler bases which appear larger than beer cans for several years.
Trophy bucks are seldom careless. They got to be what they are by playing it smart. Hunting them requires more work. The South Carolina deer hunter has to learn to think as they do.
The trophy hunter has conditioned himself to glance at does only briefly. If the hunter looks at them too long them seem to grow horns-the ears begin to look like antlers. The trophy hunter looks for the buck, spending as little time as possible assessing the does. The trophy hunter watches the does for signals as to where to look for the buck. The oldest doe in the group is the one to watch. She is the one chosen by the buck to check out the area. If you have not spotted the buck, then focus your attention on her. If a buck is around she will betray its presence. She will stare in the direction of the buck and work for you like a bird dog.
Smart old bucks often put younger deer out in front of them for safety purposes. If you go ahead and take a quick shot at the beautiful ten-pointer that just walked into the clearing, you may have just blown it on a chance at a record-smashing deer which was behind it. Big bucks stick together more than most hunters think. The dominant buck will be to the rear, after using, whether intentionally or not, the lesser buck as a decoy for you, the hunter. If it is truly big antlers you are after, then these are what you set your mind’s eye on. Give does and anything less of a buck only a momentary glance, and look for the larger rack in the shadows.
In deer hunting, there are contradictions to general truths and exceptions to the rules. These “contradictions” are actually separate truths to be rightly divided in accordance with the particular circumstances.
For example, take these two statements:
“To find a trophy deer, it is a good idea to check records and hunt the area that indicated such deer are present.”
“Most trophy deer are found where they are not expected to be.”
In this case the area that produced the outstanding deer may have drawn hunter pressure when it was publicized. Thus the area, although proven capable of producing superior animals, may no longer have any bucks living long enough to reach maturity. The wise hunter would blend the second statement with the first and look for an area in the same general location which seems to be overlooked and to have less hunter pressure.
Passing up a lot of deer in search of a trophy, the hunter becomes calloused and too unexcited about seeing deer. Such a hunter does not react swiftly enough and misses his chance at a trophy. When passing up deer becomes routine, it can hinder performance. Stay alert and train yourself to size up a rack swiftly and accurately.
When you have disciplined yourself to be patient, long-suffering, have kept with a workable plan, and have found the trophy deer you plan to take, there comes a moment when the whole enterprise can collapse. When you do, finally, get that shot at the deer you sought, you may be mesmerized by the massive antlers and fall prey to “buck fever” and freeze stiff, just locking up, shake violently, or shoot loosely as your eyes roll around in their sockets.
Some older bucks choose to be loners. Very old bucks which have lost their zeal for cohabitation would rather take their chances alone and keep the risk factor to themselves. During hunting season they will usually just select a good spot and sit the daylight hours out until hunters have left the woods. Perhaps such deer prefer to remain alone since they know that more deer mean more tracks, more scent, more movement, and subsequently, more danger. These deer will run other deer off unsociably. Some are real hermits year-round.
Very old deer, and some of the best trophies, leave no sign of their presence such as territorial rubs and scrapes. They have advanced to the point of survival where they realize that leaving these telltale signs for hunters is not in their best interest. They will avoid leaving their tracks in barren places and will actually leap over such spots to avoid leaving visible hoof prints. Big, old South Carolina bucks are often found where there are fewer deer and less sign. Hunting these animals has given me reason to assert that the whitetail deer is definitely a reasoning animal. A world record deer is worth millions of dollars to the hunter who tags him.
