Tips On Hunting & Preparing For The Taxidermist

Scouting

• Try to do some scouting in January & February. This allows you to see where the bucks do most of their rubbing, scraping and traveling in the previous season. Bucks will usually do this in the same area each year.
• Trail cameras have changed the way we scout. We like to get all of our trail cameras out in the field by July. This allows us to find some of those nice bucks and start to pattern them for the early season. Try to point your cameras toward the North so you do not get a glare from the sun. 
• Do your pre season scouting early. Try not to leave human scent in the woods the last few weeks before the season.
• When scouting, look for BIG TRACKS it’s the only sign that doesn’t lie. I like to look for big deer tracks where the main trails come to a food source. It seems to be easier to find them at a food source. It usually takes a 3 ½ year old buck to make a good track, and a 4 ½ year old to make a big track.    

Stand Locations

• I have some stands that I put up in the same spots each year to catch deer moving from their bed to feed. I will usually start hunting these stands first, and then make a decision on where to move depending on what I have been seeing and where.
• When putting up a hunting blind always put it on the down wind side of the: runway, pinch point, bottle neck, field, etc.  Always enter the blind from the down wind side. Do not walk over the trail that you will be hunting, the buck will get your sent and bust you every time.
• Try to get in your stand 30 - 45 minutes before daylight. This lets the woods calm back down and the other hunters around you will push the deer toward you on their way to their stands.
• When lowering your bow from a treestand always lower the bow upside down so the arrows do not get snagged on tree limbs on the way down.

Hunting

• When hunting the rut I like to hunt close to the bedding area. Hunt over a fence line or pinch point and you can catch the bucks on the prowl. Over the years I have seen a lot of buck cruise through bedding areas, looking for a hot doe. If the doe is not in heat the buck will continue on his way to the next doe. I have seen this at all times of the day. I recommend sitting from daylight to dark.
• When hunting over scrapes, find those scrapes that are in heavy cover, near bedding areas, which are getting hit often. Hunting in heavy cover will be your best chance to see the buck during daylight hours. Scrapes at the edge of food sources are often done at night and are usually just territorial scrapes.

Preparing For The Taxidermist

Taxidermists are not miracle workers, so… take the time necessary to keep your trophy in the “best” condition you can before you get it to them.  And do yourself a favor; take some pictures of your new trophy out in the field before you field dress the animal. For the best pictures be sure to tuck in the tongue and wipe away any excess blood.

• After you have taken your trophy, if you find it still moving, never cut into or shoot the animal in the neck or head as it is hard for most taxidermists to fix broken or cut hairs in the mount. 
• When gutting a deer do not cut up pass the first couple of ribs. If you do, your taxidermist will have to do extra stitching.
• When dragging your deer or loading it into a vehicle be aware of its shoulders and neck so that you do not break or rip out any hairs. I like to use a deer caddy to get my trophy from the woods. Never hang or drag a deer you plan to mount by putting rope around its neck. The more thought you put into handling the better your mount will look.
• Make sure you tell your processor that the animal is going to be mounted.
• Get your trophy to the taxidermist as soon as possible, the longer you wait your chances to get bacteria growth increase and the hair could start to fall out.
• If you cannot get your trophy to the taxidermist right away, put it in your freezer and keep it frozen until you can.
• If you normally hunt deer and you get the chance to go hunt somewhere new and for a different species of animal, you should call your taxidermist before you go and get his recommendations on how he would like you to prepare the animal before you get it back to him.

These are some of our suggestions; they are only suggestions. SunRy’s Outdoor Productions cannot be held responsible for anyone’s misfortunes.