Ask a deer hunter where the food sources are on his hunting property, and he can point to exact spots on a map. Ask where the deer sanctuary is and you’ll likely get a blank stare for an answer. The guy who does know is the hunter who always seems to shoot the big buck every year.
The folks at Big&J, makers of the world’s best long-range attractants, want to help change that by educating hunters about sanctuaries and helping them get the most from these deer hideouts.
White-tailed bucks need three things to make an area their home: food, water, and security. Water isn’t something we have a lot of control over, but we can dramatically affect the other two. While we tend to pay a lot of attention to food, we give almost no thought to cover. That’s a shame because security – a place where deer feel safe – is often the factor that makes the biggest difference in hunting success.
Every new deer movement study since the advent of GPS tracking collars has shown the same thing about whitetails, and especially bucks: When hunting pressure ramps up, bucks get paranoid and retreat to their most secure locations. They don’t usually leave a property, but they spend far less time outside their safe zone. If a safe zone doesn’t exist, or if a hunter invades a safe zone too often, a smart old buck will pack up and move to a more secure location.
Instead of trying to fight a buck’s natural instinct, smart hunters take advantage of it. First, learn where deer feel safe on your property and do everything you can to make that location even more appealing. Start by hinge-cutting junk trees to provide added cover. Follow that with sweet long-range attractants like Big&J’s MELTDOWN™ mineral product or a Big&J CUBE™. After that, STAY OUT!
MELTDOWN is a unique mineral mix that literally melts down when you add water, creating an intense chemical reaction and significant heat. This heat causes vaporization, so when you pour MELTDOWN onto the ground, vapors carry the aroma to the nose of the deer. This vaporization also occurs with each rainfall, making it the perfect attractant for sanctuary locations.
It always helps to have a quality food-type attractant in a sanctuary, and Big&J’s long-lasting CUBE is just the ticket. With the highest protein and lowest salt content of any consumption block available, the CUBE is a longer-lasting, hard form of Big&J’s popular BB2.
With irresistible Big&J products helping keep bucks safe on your property, it’s then up to you to seal the deal. There are two schools of thought regarding sanctuary hunting, and both can be effective.
The first method is to stick to the edges and try to catch a buck slipping in or out to feed or chase does. Hunting this way requires extreme attention to scent control, as well as stealth entering and exiting stand sites. Never hunt a stand that allows your scent to blow into the sanctuary, and avoid getting out of a stand if deer are nearby. For the latter, wait until they move on, or have a friend drive in and run the deer off.
The second method is to set up a stand in the heart of the sanctuary before hunting season, and then go in when conditions are perfect during the rut. This is a stand you would expect to hunt only one or two times – an all-or-nothing hunt with a giant buck as a possible reward. Scent control is critical, as is a stealthy entry. The exit isn’t as important since you expect to be dragging a buck.
Finally, a careful hunter can utilize both methods, provided hunting the edges hasn’t alerted deer to your presence. Whatever method you choose, increase your odds with the powerful, long-range attractants from Big&J.
To learn more about the MELTDOWN or the CUBE, or to see the entire line of super-effective BIG&J attractants, visit www.bigandj.com.