My approach boils down to using the lightest, best, and least amount of equipment to get the job done, for whatever species I am hunting.  Whether it is whitetails, turkeys, or plains and badlands mule deer, my equipment choices have been honed by trial and error, and an enormous amount of money spent in search of it!  I hope you can glean a bit of information to improve your next hunting trip or season.

Let’s start off with everybody’s (or most everybody) favorite animal, the majestic whitetail.  We know that to be consistently successful with whitetails, we must employ many tactics and consistently try to stay one step ahead of these wily creatures.  Here is my “fast and light” equipment system that enables me to do this:

Lone Wolf Tree Steps

Ambush Tree Saddle

3 Screw in Steps

Grunt Call

“Can” Call

Rattle Bag

Small knife

Small Realtree Bow Hanger

Small saw (for limbs and branches)

Binoculars

Range Finder

The Tree Saddle is rolled up and stuffed in a Badlands 2200, while the tree steps are lashed to the outside.  The screw in steps, calls, sundry items and range finder are stuffed in a cheap fanny pack which is also stuffed into the 2200, while my binoculars hang around my neck.  This is a nice, easy, and fast package that allows me to hunt whitetails from September to January without ever changing the contents of my pack.  I can hunt literally any tree big enough to hold my weight, and can move according to what the deer are doing.  All I have to worry about when I want to go hunting is dressing for conditions and what area I want to hunt!

Next on the list is the venerable thunder chicken!  Again, fast and light equipment are paramount to bow hunting these sharp eyed birds.  As we all know, turkeys can be here today and gone tomorrow, so it is paramount that we be flexible in our game plan to get one on the ground.  But what equipment choices can we make that strays from the typical 3 decoys, ground blind, calls, bow equipment, etc. that often accompany us on our turkey hunts?  Here is my fast and light list for pounding a thunder chicken:

Primos/Double Bull T2 Blind (just right for one or two medium size guys)

Double Bull Tripod Chair (though I am looking for a lighter replacement)

Two Montana Decoy hen turkey decoys

1 “Crystal Thunder Dome” crystal slate call (it’s old, but it’s killed a ton of birds)!

2 different strikers

1 pack of 5 various diaphragm calls

This equipment is either strapped to or stuffed inside the venerable Badlands 2200 pack.  All in all, it weighs about 20 pounds and is a snap to set up and move around with.  This set-up has significant weight savings over my previous equipment choices, which easily topped 40 pounds.  Many times, I would actually stay in an unproductive spot because I dreaded the thought of packing up and moving a mountain of equipment.  Those days are long gone with the ‘fast and light” system above.

Last but not least is the plains and badlands mule deer.  I cannot speak with any authority on chasing mulies in the alpine, as I have yet to hunt them above 7,000 feet.  But with several “lowland” hunts under my belt, I have developed a “fast and light” equipment system that enables me to hunt hard and stay with the deer as needed.

My equipment for a 2-3 day hunt is as such (lack of fresh water limits my stays in the territory I hunt)

Badlands 2200

North Face Cat’s Meow Sleeping Bag (sleeping bag and bivy in the same stuff sack)

Cabelas Bivy Sack (the one that weighs 15 oz)

Thermarest Z-Lite Sleeping pad (may upgrade to inflatable to save some space)

Jet Boil

2-3 Mountain House Meals (I have gone with the MRE equivalent in some cases)

4 Wilderness Athlete Drink Mix packets (2 Energy and Focus and 2 Hydrate and Recover)

 4 Wilderness Athlete Performance bars

Sitka Gear Clothing (appropriate for conditions)

Spyderco Folding knife

2 Alaska Game Bags

2-100 oz water bladders (I take them full, as there is little potable water where I hunt)

Swarovski 10×42 binos on my neck

For this type of quick strike hunting, I take very little extra clothes.  Usually it is what is on my back and feet, with one extra layer for my upper body in the pack.  I love penetrating the areas I hunt 2-3 miles and hunting the deer I find there.  As usual, the further I can get from the road, the better the hunting.  2-3 miles is about max in my territory, as if I go further than that I get diminishing returns (close to a road on the other side).

You will notice a common thread of the Badlands 2200 pack.  I feel it is perfect for purposes of a daypack-3 day bivy pack.  It can comfortably handle 25-35 pounds all day, with enough suspension to pack around much more for short distances.  Also, while I didn’t mention it much, a good clothing system is paramount to quick strike hunting.  The days of me fumbling through a mountain of gear to find what I need is over with the advent of the Sitka Gear system.  From Wisconsin whitetails to Nebraska turkeys to Idaho Mule deer, the components of the Sitka Gear system has served me well.  Of course, with our brutal Wisconsin winters, the Sitka Gear has to stay on the shelf when conditions dictate the wool and Thinsulate.  But using the quick strike method the past few years, I haven’t had to worry about the cold weather too much, as I’m usually tagged outJ

Good Hunting!!

Spring Scouting

By Chris Eberhart

Despite what it might look like outside momentarily winter is winding down and spring is right around the corner. That means it’s time to think about spring scouting. For anyone who is serious about regularly tagging mature bucks the few weeks between snow melt and green up are some of the most important “hunting” weeks in the entire hunting year.  What you do now will set the stage for success this fall.

Reading last year’s Sign

The principle reason to scout in the spring is that last fall’s rut sign will still be visible until the woods green up.  Sure, there is always the chance that the mature buck that made last year’s sign is long since dead, but if an area is good another mature buck will take his place. Terrain features determine how deer use them, not the other way around. Since you won’t be hunting for the areas you are scouting for about six months you don’t have to worry about spooking any deer, and having them change their routine to avoid your future hunting.  With this in mind you can walk and inspect every inch of your hunting areas, including bedding areas, which should give you a clear understanding of how deer use your hunting property.

What to look for

The main types of sign to look for while spring scouting are the same that you would look for in the fall. My favorite hunting areas are usually combinations of a couple different things, and each property will have a unique layout.  My best whitetail hunting ambush spots are almost always found near primary scrape areas.  My next priority is staging areas, followed by funnels between bedding areas and transition routes between bedding and feeding areas. Generally, your best spots will be a combination of these. Beyond this I look for stand locations for every portion of the season. This means travel routes to known feeding areas for the early season, out of the way secondary locations for the October Lull, for instance lone oaks in soon to be corn fields, or singular trees along out of the way fence rows, and the locations I just mentioned for the pre-rut and rut.  I also look for locations that fit special circumstances, such as dry islands in otherwise wet bedding areas, or potential locations for cattail ground blinds, just in case the fall weather conditions offer an opportunity to hunt such a location. For gun season look for escape routes, and for the late season travel routes to and from winter food sources. The main facet of spring scouting is to cover every inch of your hunting area and prepare locations for every eventuality.  By doing this you are increasing your ability to adapt to ever changing deer movement, without disturbing them with untimely intrusion in the fall.

Preparing Hunting Locations

The spring is the time to get your trees prepped for fall, all of them, for every situation. Again, since you don’t have to worry about spooking deer, you can take your time and make sure every setup is perfect. This means running your steps up all your trees, setting up your Treesaddle, and clearing out all of your shooting lanes. It also means determining your entry and exit routes to your hunting destinations. If you need to cut a trail through a swamp to get to a tree, now is the time to do it. Deer are very aware of all changes within their home range and will definitely notice what you have done, but since it is spring they will have time to get used to your changes before fall. When you do this stuff in the fall you invariably leave scent and warn the deer of your intentions.

Spring Scouting Advantage

The advantage of having all your hunting spots cleared out in the spring should be obvious. With the majority of your work done now, you will be able to hunt for efficiently and effectively come fall. Your element of surprise increases dramatically when all you have to do is show up and hunt without having to hang stands. It helps tremendously to be able to adjust to any changes immediately. Taking the time to do your primary scouting in the spring will make you a more successful whitetail bowhunter.

This is a very short version of the complete spring scouting procedure. For more: www.eberhartsbowhunting.com

On opening day, hunting doesn’t actually begin until 12:00 pm, so we had time to get our gear sorted out and be out glassing soon after sun up. Jerod and I headed north as Kevin, Ryan and Matt, (AKA Anthrax) all headed south. We soon had deer in the glass, but nothing we pinned our hopes on.

For the first afternoon hunt, Jerod and I shouldered our packs and embarked on a bivy hunt to an area that Jerod had found the year before, even though the weather wasn’t exactly conducive to good deer hunting! HOT is the only way to describe it, as the thermometer read 102 on our way out that evening!

It took us 3 days to finally put the first deer in the freezer. Kevin struck first putting a great shot on a nice 2×2 Mule Deer. On the 2nd day of hunting Jerod found himself a great buck that he hunted for 5 hard days, weathering out many nights in his bivy sack. He came really close twice, but never could get a shot. I have a feeling this one might eat at Jerod until we can get back later this year or in 2010.

I had my opportunities and just never capitalized. I had a run in with a respectable 4×4 and without mincing words; he shook me up pretty good! But that is the rush we hunt for right? Anthrax was able to shoot a nice Mulie Doe deep in the Badlands, and he and Ryan had a fun time packing her out in the 100 degree heat.

Coming down to the last minutes of shooting light on our last day, Ryan was able to waylay a pretty 8 point whitetail in full velvet. Being Ryan’s largest deer to date, he went home happy.

We went out to Badlands to hunt and that is what we did. But I would be lying if I said there was no laughing and joking around going on. Overall this is one of the most fun hunts I have been on, and I look forward to many more with the Back 40 crew.