"Acorns… A Blessing? Or A Curse?"

The age-old question about acorns with regards to bowhunting is, "Are acorns a blessing or a curse?" This has been a debate amongst bowhunters for years and years, and still most of us are unsure on how to go about hunting around them. So many questions still arise about the subject of acorn production, and how it can help or hurt you when trying to pattern a hit list buck or any deer for that matter. In this article I'm going to discuss several strategies you can use to hunt acorns early and late season, inform you whether acorns are going to be a blessing or curse for you based on your property, and hopefully answer some questions you might have along the way.

Since last week's blog was quite lengthy I'm going to try and keep this one on the short side, but still get you the information you need. Here in Ohio, acorns provide a vital food source for more than 90 forest wildlife species even during variable production years. This holds true for almost all states that host an abundant amount of oak trees. Deer prefer acorns over almost any other food source. They'll munch on acorns before they eat corn, soy beans, native grasses or berries. They'll feed on acorns until they're all gone before they even touch any food plot you put in. So a lot depends on whether or not you have a good or bad acorn production year. You can usually find out your state's acorn production percentages by going to your division of wildlife's website. Ohio's numbers have almost doubled from last year making it a very abundant year for acorns in both white and red oaks. A lot can depend on whether or not your area has a late frost in spring. Research has shown that if an area gets a late frost in the spring, the acorn crop for that year will be much lower than a year the area does not receive a late frost.

Acorn production is cyclical, with some trees producing acorns nearly every year, while others rarely ever produce. The type of acorn also varies from tree to tree. White oak acorns produce acorns that deer love to munch on early season as soon as they hit the ground along with others such as pin oaks and chestnut oaks. On the other hand, red oak acorns contain tannin. Tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that preserves the acorn after it falls. With the bitter taste, wildlife (including deer) tend to avoid eating them when they first fall to the ground. However, as the year goes on, the acorns will slowly lose their tannin, and around late November wildlife will begin crunching on red oak acorns with most of the white oak acorns already consumed. 

So it all truly depends on what type of oaks and how many you have in your hunting area. If you have just a few oaks in patches here and there you're in luck. In a good acorn year, you can pattern your deer early season based off these areas of oaks. If you have a lot of white oaks, but hardly any red oaks, you've got a greater chance of success early season hunting around oaks than you will later on. If you have a plentiful of red oaks, but hardly any white oaks, you're not going to be able to pattern your deer much early season but once the acorns lose their tannin you could find yourself in the middle of a feeding frenzy. If you have a huge abundance of all types of oaks across your property and it's a good acorn crop that year, it's going to be nearly impossible to pattern deer. They could feed anywhere across any oak flat with you having no way to pattern them. So for you, acorns may be a curse.

It's hit or miss when it comes to acorns. It depends on two things: the acorn crop production that year, and the type of area you hunt. Make sure you research your state's production for acorns for that particular year. Or you can look for yourself. Scout your oak trees during late summer. Research and determine what kind of oak trees you have and how many. Take a pair of binoculars and scan the canopies of your oaks. Take note whether there is an abundance or a shortage of acorns. Doing these things are going to help you tremendously on determining how to strategize your hunting around them. Acorns can be your bowhunting knight in shining armor, or your worse nightmare. Some guys can't wait for those years when it's like walking on marbles under the oaks, and others pray there is a late freeze in spring. One thing's for sure, when it's a high acorn production year it's going to change every bowhunter's plans… Whether it's for the good, or for the bad.

"Early Season Back Straps Can Lead to Late Season Heroics"

When late summer comes around every year you're probably like me and most bowhunters out there, you're shooting your bow like it's going out of style. You've done your homework, you've scouted, strategically placed trail cameras, tilled in your food plots, hung your stands, and now you're licking your chops just waiting for opening day with hopes to down one of the monarchs you've captured on your trail camera. So you're shooting your bow. You're shooting, hoping this practice will pay off later in the year. You've shot your target so many times the center begins to look like Swiss cheese as the foam begins to wear and fall out. You hope with all this hard work and preparation you will have a chance to put the smack down on a giant bruiser this fall. But what if it isn't enough? What if after all this preparation, it comes crunch time and you blow it? You miss that 160" non-typical you've been watching all summer at twenty-five yards! How could this happen? How could you have done everything right and by the book, but yet still come up short? Well I'm here to tell you that there is something you can do to go one step further. One step that can help make or break you when it comes down to just you and that giant buck you've been after. And that's filling your freezer early season.

Now, I know some of you are probably wondering what I mean by that. What I mean, is taking a doe early season to help take your preparation to the next level. Now some of you I'm sure are probably a little put off by that statement, and would never even think of taking the risk of ruining a hunting spot for a doe. But hear me out. There are many beneficial things that can come from harvesting a doe early season, but there's also certain ways you should go about doing this to make sure you don't ruin your hunting grounds and that's exactly what I'm going to talk about in this article.

There are four main reasons why I always try and take down a doe early on in the season which can pay off in huge dividends later. The first one is obvious, it's going to put meat in your freezer. That's one of the main reasons we hunt does throughout the whole season so why not take one early to put venison on the table? The second reason is another obvious one that a lot of hunters practice regardless if they do it early or late season, and that is managing your doe herd. It never hurts to take a doe or two each year if their numbers are high in your area. The third and fourth benefits are what will help you fill your buck tag the most. First, it's going to build your confidence shooting wise sending an arrow straight through an old horse head doe's boiler room. And finally, if you film your hunts, it's going to get you back in the swing of things with getting everything coordinated so that you can get that shot on film, and make it count.

Harvesting wild game to provide for our families has been the main reason of bowhunting since the beginning of time. Since the Native Americans ruled the plains and since the medieval times of Robin Hood, bowhunting has been a way that we have put food on the table. Present day bowhunters that trophy hunt or not, still look to harvest does (and bucks) to put meat in the freezer. So why not do it early season? Why not have that meat to enjoy with your family throughout the season rather than after? Nothing sounds better to me when I get in from a cold, bitter, fall morning hunt than a big bowl of venison chili. Too many of us now frequent the fast food joints way too much in between our hunts just because it's quick. Slowing down and having a bowl of venison stew, or a nice lean back strap steak takes us back to our roots in bowhunting.

Besides keeping the old bowhunting heritage alive, today we have all sorts of issues that need to be addressed so we can keep this thing we all love to do going. One of those issues is the rise of deer populations in some areas. More often than not, it's a rise in the doe population. I see it all the time, year after year, guys will only focus their attention on shooting one big buck for the year rather than take a doe or two as well. Sometimes they won't even take a buck if they don't get an opportunity at one they wish to harvest. It's our job as bowhunters to pay attention to our local issues within our deer herds, and manage these herds accordingly. Our states' divisions of wildlife do all they can to address this issue, for example maybe have a doe only season or not let anyone take bucks for an entire year; but, we have to do our part as well. Too many times deer become over populated in an area and the deer herd becomes so dense, it inflicts damage on itself and everything around it. Having too dense a herd can increase the chances of disease within the herd, increase the number of deer related car accidents, which in turn increases insurance prices and can increase the damage to the ecosystem if there isn't enough food for the deer to go around. Pay attention, and managing your doe herd accordingly can go a long way towards maintaining a healthy overall deer herd.

So why manage these does early season? I'll tell you why right now. Bowhunting whitetails is 99% mental. A majority of that is confidence. If you don't have confidence in your gear, and your abilities, you might as well stay at home and watch football because you're going to do more harm than good going into the woods that day. Having confidence is the key to hitting your mark when shooting a bow. If you believe you can do it, and know you can do it, you're already half way there. Harvesting a doe early season puts you in a real life situation that would be the same if you were harvesting a trophy buck. Of course you're not going to have the same emotions running on a doe that you would have if you were at full draw on the biggest buck of your life, but that's what this practice is for. Taking a doe early season before you even get a chance at that buck lets your mind know you can do it. Yes, you may have done it in past years, you may have even already taken a Boone & Crockett buck before, but sending an arrow through a doe's vitals tells your mind and body that you just accomplished this. So when the time comes to let that arrow fly on a buck, you've already done it. You know you have the skills to accomplish what is in front of you. You have the mindset needed to take down that bruiser you've been waiting for.

As for the bowhunters who also film, taking a doe early season can be tremendously beneficial to you in another sense as well. A lot has to happen for a filmed bow hunt to come together. There's so many moving parts that have to go right in order for you to bag that buck both with the bow and the camera. So practicing this process and going through it on a doe before crunch time comes on a buck, gets you and the camera man on the same page. Yes, every hunt is different and not everything is going to happen the same each and every time, but you'll both be better prepared for what may lie ahead later on in the season.

So now you're thinking, how do I do all this without ruining my favorite hunting spot? There are several ways you can avoid this. If you have the luxury of having multiple hunting locations and properties, find one that has a lot of does, but doesn't have that shooter buck you're after. If you can avoid burning up spots that may be holding dominant bucks, then do it. That's what scouting and using trail cameras is for. But let's say you don't have too much ground to hunt. You only have just a few stands to hunt out of, and only one shooter buck in the area that you don't want to spook. One thing you can do is hunt them both. If the buck comes in, great, but if a nice management doe presents a good shot, take her.

There are a few things to remember when harvesting does early season whether you have a thousand acres to hunt or ten acres. First of all, don't take long shots. Only take shots on does where you feel extremely comfortable taking them. The last thing you want is to fling an arrow a long distance, have a marginal hit, and have to track the darn thing to Timbuktu ruining your entire hunting ground. Wait until she gives you a good broadside or quartering away shot at a safe distance (let's say thirty yards or closer) and make it count. Another thing to remember is to get in and get out. If you shoot a doe early season, track her, find her, and get out. If you can help it, wait and field dress her back at your house or camp to avoid having a gut pile laying around your buck's stomping grounds. If your deer are used to heavy equipment such as tractors or four-wheelers riding, use those to get her out. It's quicker, and if the deer are used to it, you'll do less damage. If not, be as quiet as possible, and drag her out by hand. A sled is always a good tool for those without a side-by-side or four-wheeler to do the work. Another thing to keep in mind is to take a doe in the morning if possible. That way you can take care of her, and get her drug out during the day when most deer will be bedded up in the early season heat as opposed to dragging her out at night when a lot of your deer will be on their feet in the fields feeding.

When early season doe management is done right, it can pay off tremendously later on in the season. It has done me well in past years. I believe that with this mind set and strategy, you can be successful at harvesting an early season doe to which will in turn boost your confidence for the remainder of the season.

Here's a prime example of harvesting a doe early season:

"Digging to China with a Rusty Spoon"

Bowhunting is something that is not for the weak. Bowhunting isn't for the faint of heart. It's not for someone who wants instant success, and consistency. Bowhunting will smack you down. It will make you humble. It will make you so frustrated you'll want to pull your hair out. Bowhunting has made grown men cry in the midsts of heartbreak, and rejoice. It is something that you cannot and will not ever conquer, yet it can be so rewarding. Just when you think you have bowhunting all figured out, it snaps you back to reality. And the reality of bowhunting is, that you never stop learning… And that's what I love about it.

I think what I love most about bowhunting is the challenge. You can never master it. Yes, there has been some who have accomplished so much in the sport and made it what it is today: Fred Bear, Howard Hill, Ishi, Earl Hoyt, and Ben Pearson to name a few. But none of them perfected the sport. No one ever will. Even those guys made mistakes. Some guys despise it, but I love the fact that hardly anything ever goes right in a bow hunt. It makes it that much more challenging, and in turn, more rewarding. No two hunts are the same, and nothing hardly ever goes the way you want it to. Knowing that you beat the odds against a big game animal with a bow, and out smarted it in it's own backyard is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.

Ask any veteran bowhunter what they think, and I'll guarantee you they say the same thing I'm preaching here to you today. I'd almost be willing to bet most of them have lost more trophies, than they have on their wall. That's what is so frustrating about this sport. Just when you think you have it down pat, something happens that brings you back to Earth. Just this past year, I took the two biggest bucks of my young bowhunting career in Ohio and Kentucky within just a few weeks of each other. One scoring 164" and the other a respectable 148". I'll be honest, I was feeling pretty darn good. My shooting form was on point, I was confident in my abilities and gear, and everything was falling into place. I was on cloud nine. Then bowhunting did what is always does, and it knocked me back down a peg or two. The following turkey season I went unsuccessful arrowing a bird the last day of the season, just to lose blood and never find it. Then, August rolled around and I trekked out to Colorado for a pronghorn hunt only to fling a few arrows at eighty and ninety yards that would never hit their mark. So even if you feel like you're on top of the world, and you think you've done everything right to get it done… don't get used to it. Don't get too comfortable. Because sooner or later something is going to happen that will knock you on your ass.

Some guys believe it's luck, some believe if you just do everything by the book you'll be successful, and some believe it'll all even out over time and if you're having a string of bad luck, the bowhunting Gods will bless you with some good luck to break even. I believe there's no set pattern in this crazy sport we love to do. It doesn't matter if you do everything by the book, the odds are still in the animal's favor. It doesn't matter if you think it'll even out or not. It's just bowhunting. And anything can happen.

But now what if you add filming into the mix? That's a whole different ball game. Filming my bow hunts has to be hands down the most difficult thing I've ever tried to do. Then, trying to run the camera solo, and make a lethal shot with a bow at the same time just piles onto the challenge. The synchronization you have to have between the camera man and the hunter, or the camera and bow if you're solo filming, is so unbelievably hard to master. There are so many moving parts, and all of those parts have to go right for the hunt to be successful. If you're filming with a cameraman you have that extra scent in the woods with you, more gear and most of the time another stand you have to bring in which is more noise, and another body in the tree which gives the animal a better chance of seeing you. If you're filming solo, that's more gear you have to carry in yourself, more set up you have to do so that means heading into your stand or blind earlier, but most importantly it's more work when it comes crunch time. You have to find a way to coordinate yourself turning on the camera, turning on a second angle camera if you have say a GoPro, grabbing your bow, getting the camera on the animal, getting plenty of pre-shot footage, getting it into position where you think that animal is going to be, then drawing your bow, and making what usually is a very rushed shot with the animal still in the viewfinder, all without being detected by the game you are after.

I could go on and on about the subject of filming hunts and how difficult it is. But most of you already know the struggles. You've either experienced them yourself, know someone who has, or have seen it second hand on TV. We've all seen shows where the hunt falls apart all because of the camera. The cameraman and hunter aren't on the same page, the camera malfunctions, the list is endless. Bowhunters who have never experienced it don't realize, it is so difficult to pass on a big game animal because you're also trying to get it on film. So many times the hunter could have had a perfect shot on the animal, and had it not been for the camera "getting in the way" so to speak, they would have harvested it. The fact of the matter is, it takes tremendous amounts of self-discipline to let that animal walk to hopefully get another crack at it later in the season with the camera on it the next time.

So whether you're bowhunting with or without the camera rolling, it's always a constant uphill battle. You're going to have let downs. You're going to have heartbreaks. There will be times you'll probably want to launch your bow off a mountain side. The best way I can describe bowhunting to someone who has never even picked up a bow before is, it's like "digging to China with a rusty spoon." You're never going to reach the other side of perfection in this sport, period. You can do everything by the book, stay persistent, hunt hard but most importantly, hunt smart. And yes, you can be quite successful that way and I encourage you to do so. But you're never going to master this crazy thing all us bowhunters love to do.

"A Little Bit of Luck & a Lot of Hard Work"

This first story I thought I'd bring to you dates back to last year's Ohio bow season. The video I produced of this hunt is really what kick started my hunting and filmmaking career, and is what really took my filming and video editing to the next level. There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from this tale, and there's also a lot of luck that played a part in this adventure that gave me the opportunity to pursue the biggest buck of my young bowhunting career. Enjoy.

 The morning of October 10th came cool and crisp. The smell of fall was in the air as the leaves crunched beneath my feet. But I wasn't headed to my favorite tree stand in the woods. I was walking across campus to my 8 a.m. lab, preparing for a long day of classes. As the seasons changed and the leaves began to fall, signs of buck fever began to show as my blood pressure rose to levels of concern. While I should have been focusing on my college classes, I couldn't help but day dream of giant monarchs of the woods as the professor explained something that would've probably be helpful for me to know for our next test. I gazed across the biology hallway into the next classroom out the window all morning as I longed to be out in Mother Nature chasing an Ohio brute. The minutes ticked slower and the hours dragged on as we worked through our lab handout. But in an instant the clouds faded, and the seas parted as I checked my email on my phone and came to find my next two classes for the day had been cancelled. My heart fluttered and my eyes lit up as I read the good news. I knew then that I would be heading to the woods that evening.

My truck couldn't seem to go fast enough as I flew home with high anticipation to grab my bow and hit the trail head. But before I checked the weather radio to see what wind and stand I would be hunting, I decided to check my trail camera which was overlooking a mineral site I had put in long before the season had set in. The deer use this as kind of a staging area before they hit the food plot I had put in back in August. Prior to the season I was getting pictures of one good shooter buck. He was coming in religiously until bow season hit and he vanished. So I had yet to even hunt the ground blind put in place near the mineral site. When I checked the pictures on the card this day however, this would change drastically. To my surprise, a buck I hadn't seen since last December, was in just earlier that day. I had nicknamed him “74” last year as a three and a half year old because of his weird rack which hosted seven points on his right side and just four on the left. But this year as a mature four and a half year old, he hosted a bold five thick points on his right and four thick points on the left. He was a definite shooter and my sights were set on him and only him.

This was his first time finding the mineral site and food plot this year so I had a good feeling he would be back for more later that evening. However, after checking my weather radio I was in a slight pickle. It was calling for northeast winds that evening which isn't a favorable wind for the blind set up as it nearly blows straight towards the mineral site. After minutes of consideration I decided to still hunt the site. Now I was going against everything I stood for in bowhunting. I'm always checking that weather so I can hunt a stand with a favorable wind. However, I've read a number of different stories about guys gambling on the wind. They had pressed their luck in the woods against the mighty whitetail and it's keen senses and came out on top, harvesting their quarry. So I decided to do the same. I decided to roll the dice and hope for the best. If the bruiser came in and smelled me, he'd bust out of there and probably never return. Or, if somehow the combination of the minerals and food plot scent in the air, plus the concealment of a ground blind could get me a shot at this big guy, I could beat the odds.

Bow in hand, I played the waiting game as the day would soon turn to night as I eased into the blind around three o'clock. The first few hours went slow as I went skunked with only seeing a few squirrels and chipmunks here and there. But as the sun started to hide behind the tree line, a hand full of does came in to scratch around the mineral site before they would soon for the half acre food plot just forty yards to my left. A few yearlings pranced and played around keeping me amused for the time being. But after just a few short minutes, the group left with me hoping and praying “74” would soon follow their tracks.

Another hour passed after the does had gone and left and still no signs of horns. I grew anxious and worried as darkness was only a short forty-five minutes away. As the clock struck twenty 'til seven, I peaked out the window and to my left to see a giant head set peering out of the tall brush. Solo filming, I reached for the camera on the tripod and pointed it towards the head full of horns and hit record. My hands began to shake as I followed him through the viewfinder as he slowly eased into the mineral site. As he finally settled in I left the camera rolling and reached for my bow, taking deep breaths to calm my nerves as I clipped on my release. The moment of truth was here and as I drew back I took another long deep breath. I exhaled slowly as my sight pin settled behind the Ohio giant's shoulder. In an instant my arrow went from 425 grains of potential energy, to a weapon of deadly kinetic force as it left my string and the broadhead tore through the brute's boilermaker. Like a shot out of a cannon, the buck took off to my right, his shoulders kicking back, snapping my arrow in half and breaking my lighted nock off flush with the arrow shaft. I had great penetration and the arrow had hit the exact spot my sight pin had been resting. Adrenaline and emotions ran high but I knew the hunt was far from over.

After reviewing the footage I knew this buck was dead on his feet when he ran down the hill but I still always like to give them a half hour for good measure. With flashlights in hands my father, the man who got me started on the right path to bowhunting, and I set out down over the ridge to follow the blood trail that would hopefully lead us to possibly the biggest buck of my life. Right off the bat, we found good, bright red blood spraying out both sides. My arrow in two pieces now, was also soaked in this bright red blood which any good bowhunter knows means a good lung hit. He couldn't be far. With every step of the blood trail, my anticipation grew more and more. I assumed my buck would be behind every tree and bush we passed.

After a short cluster of woods and an evener shorter strip of open field, we came up on my expired buck. He had miraculously made it about 125 yards even with the devastating shot placement. After dragging him out of the tall weeds and out into the field I could finally lay my hands on what would be my biggest buck to date. The adrenaline and emotions again, ran through my veins but not just through mine, but also my father's as we celebrated over my quarry. This massive nine stretched the tape out at a whopping 164 2/8” gross green score, and netted a just as impressive 155 1/8”.

What I remember most about this hunt isn't the size of my buck, or the sponsors and gear I used, or how good of shot I made, but the family and friends I got to celebrate and spend time with that night after dragging “74” back to the house. I don't think there's anything more rewarding in hunting than getting to spend that time talking bowhunting with my family and good buds. If I could give anyone a piece of advice for bowhunting, it would be to count your trophies not by the amount of game you take, but the number of friends you make along the way.