The abandoned pawed circles beneath twisted branches, trees shredded to the core, and beaten down trails connecting bedding areas to food sources, all tell their stories about a season past. However, the most valuable aspect of post-season deer sign is that it foretells secrets of a season yet to come.

That big buck that gave you the slip, is still in his post rut mode. In other words, he is still using the same travel routes and displaying many of the same habits as he did during late season.

Walk as much of the bucks core area as possible. Note travel routes, especially those passing through pinch points or funnel situations, and locate secondary food sources. Secondary food sources are more likely to be used by pressured bucks during daylight. A key benefit to scouting during this time is that now the timber is leafless and the ground barren of dense underbrush, providing optimal visibility. Broadleaf trees and heavy underbrush can no longer hide clandestine big buck refuges. Naked of cover, mother- nature now reveals the entire lay of the land. Every deer trail, bedding area, travel corridor and possible funnel situation is easily recognizable. The rubbed trees that stood their ground, now stand out like red and yellow markers; old scrapes resemble hog wallows and deer tracks are sunk deep into the soft snow thawed ground.

After the season is over, it does not matter that you jump deer out of their beds. In fact, you want to jump deer from their beds, especially the big old bucks that eluded you all last season. This is one of many pieces of information that will be helpful in planning next year’s season.

 -Dan Perez

Bow hunting fence lines works particularly well during the early season. During this period deer are in their summer feed pattern, bedding in or very close to a primary food source. I look for deer trails running parallel to a fence that divides a crop field.  I then try to situate my stand within bow range of a hot fence crossing. If no hot crossings exist, (with the land owner’s permission) I will create one by pruning a little brush and lowering the top fence strand a few notches, this is also easily achieved by pulling the top strand down and fastening it with a zip tie.  It’s been my experience, if you give deer a low spot in a fence, they will utilize it.

The same thing holds true in the timber – a low spot along a stretch of high fence can make a tremendous funnel. I’ve watched deer walk 50 to 100 yards to jump a low spot in a fence. Accordingly, on your next scouting trip afield it might be a good idea to walk the line yourself. The right low spot in the fence might be the high spot of your season.

 - Dan Perz

If you cannot find blood sign, examine the ground carefully, subtle signs will guide you along the deer’s path – disturbed vegetation and ground debris, broken twigs and grass and fresh tracks. If all else fails, the natural lay of the land will point to the most local course of travel.

 - Dan Perez

Aside from the benefits that a recreational property provides, the costs associated in maintaining one is very minimal. Compared to other properties for business purposes such as commercial spaces, lodging and hotels, these recreational properties are more oriented in providing activities that connect people with nature. In this case most recreational activities outdoors develop property with structured facilities are minimal. You would want to do as little development as possible and keep the environment close to its original state. Following are a few recreational activities to include on your property in order to maximize the benefits gained from it, whether it's for fun and relaxation or for profit.

Hunting:

Your land can be a recreational property that provides good hunting grounds especially when it is teeming with wildlife. Leasing to other hunters and providing basic amenities for them is enough to make your property ideal for this kind of recreational activity. Modest housing or camping grounds with a facility to assist cooking and dining would be enough for a humble hunting lodge.

Fishing:

Land near lakes, rivers and other bodies of water that are teeming with fish are an ideal recreational property. Providing access to fishing grounds is a good way to utilize your property where you can gain income with low operating expenses.

Farming and Wildlife:

Farms can also be a good idea for a recreational property that provides people access to nature. Some can even be funded or assisted by various federal and local governments programs.

These are just some ideas in creating a recreational property that both serves as a haven for the owner and for other people as well. Make one for yourself and enjoy nature and gain profit at the same time.

A great stand location during any phase of the rut is where several dear trails join or run close together. Although quite elementary, let’s face it, hunting mature bucks like anything else is largely based on percentages. In other words, if you’re overlooking 5 deer trails that run between two bedding areas or between a bedding and feeding area the odds of getting a chance to tag a mature buck are much better than if you were only able to intercept 2 trails.

Look at it this way, the mane reason 4 and 5 lane interstates are necessary is because the flow of traffic through those areas is greater than a one or two lane highway can handle. If you were involved in a car-counting contest, where would you invest your time?

It’s Important however, that you have at least one clear shooting lane to every trail or possible shot opportunity. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard hunters say they muffed a 15 yard shot because of one twig, or that they had a big buck within 20 yards and couldn’t find a lane to shoot through.

So remember, put in the extra time necessary to prepare your stand site and up your odds by hunting multiple trails or heavy intersections. 

- Dan Perez

Post-season is a great time to create funnel situations.  Keep-in-mind, a funnel is any natural or unnatural situation along the whitetail’s range that narrows his travel options. One way to stack a few cards in your favor for next season is by taking a near perfect natural funnel situation and through unnatural means, make it a perfect funnel situation. For example – You have a 100-yards wide stretch of timber dividing two wide-open pastures. This stretch of timber is already a good funnel; however, no matter where you hang your tree stand, there’s no way you can cover all the trails. The key is to reduce the number of trail choices by blocking a few existing trails. I call this “funnel forcing.”

Funnel forcing can be achieved by blocking trails with fallen timber or even running hog wire fencing diagonally across part of a timber strip. However, before running wire through the woods, make sure it is legal in your State or Provence and if you’re not hunting on your own ground, make sure you have the land owner’s permission before making any land alterations. 

The post season is the best time to create funnel situations because it will allow deer plenty of time to adjust to the change. Further, it doesn’t matter how much commotion you make while creating better funnel situations. The deer will be back well before next fall….   

- Dan Perez

Keep in mind; I’m talking about a mature buck and not an adolescent. Young, lust-crazed bucks are often easily duped. Imagine you’re standing out in the parking lot at the local high school when you hear what sounds like a riot inside the gymnasium, people are yelling, cursing, you hear chairs slamming and glass breaking. Yet, when you open the gym door to look inside it is so quiet you can hear a pin drop and all you see is a big empty room without a single a soul in sight. So you just stand there looking around and wondering what the heck just happened! Sixty seconds or so pass when you turn to leave, then suddenly the violent sounds of a brutal fist fight shatters the serenity and still, you see no one. Whoa, I think at that point you would be pretty wary, bewildered and perhaps a bit frightened? It would probably seem like something from out of the Twilight Zone.

This scenario is very similar to what you might run into if you try to lure a mature buck closer with additional calling.

If a buck holds up and then turns and walks away, I suggest you cease your calling efforts and sit quietly; there’s a good chance his curiosity may still bring him your way a little later….  

- Dan Perez

The problem with hunting these remote pockets is they are very hard to approach without being busted. In many cases these remote pockets provide deer the ability to smell what they can’t see and see what they can’t smell. This being the case, there are only a couple ways to effectively hunt these situations. One is to glass these remote pockets form a distance and try to pick out a tine, an ear or any part of a deer’s anatomy that will allow you to zoom in. Once you spot a big old buck hiding out, determine the stealthiest route to stalk within range of a clean kill. The second method is to erect a stand or blind in the refuge, leave the area alone for a few days then plan on entering that stand very early, well before daylight. Once on stand, if you sit tight and suppress the desire to grunt, rattle or do anything that might blow your cover, you stand a good chance of intercepting him when he returns.

- Dan Perez

- Pore over recreational land classified ads in newspapers and on the Internet like WhitetailProperties.com.

- Get to know a good real estate agent, we call ours land specialist who understand all the attributes of recreational land.

- Drive around and get to know the properties. You can't expect to find what you want and be ready to buy without some serious legwork. Plan to spend a lot of weekends looking at land and cabins.

- Become so familiar with the market and the various locations that you know a good deal when you see it, so you can immediately make an offer. Good deals don't last long, so you have to be ready to pounce.

At Whitetail Properties our land specialist say it’s not getting any easier to own that bit of paradise but they can help you make it reality. Reasonably priced quality properties are becoming more and more scarce as demand grows. The result is likely to be a squeeze on the availability and affordability of many properties.

If you're looking for property, here are some things to watch for:

- How far do you want to drive to your property? If your property is two hours away or less, you'll use it more and find that even going up for a day is worth the drive. Use drops off a lot if the drive is three hours or more.

- Does the property have reliable water year-round from a well or water co-op? If not, watch out. Water is a crucial factor. The property must at least come with the authority to drill a well or you could be left high and dry. Many counties won't issue building permits until property owners can prove they have an adequate water supply. That might mean getting a well permit, which in some areas can be difficult, and then drilling a well perhaps costing several thousand dollars. It's much better to buy a tract with guaranteed water, even if it costs more.

- Does the property have year-round access? Most rural roads are not plowed during the winter. That means getting to your property may be trouble until spring.

- What kind of regulations and covenants are in force for the property? Are they restrictive enough that you won't end up surrounded by junk and are they loose enough to enable you to do what you want?

Whitetail Properties land specialist can draw from their own experience as big-game hunters, outfitters and guides, wildlife biologists, ranch and farmland experts in assisting buyers and sellers in evaluating a property and its attributes. If you are thinking it is time to turn that dream into a reality then you are at the right starting point!

My preference whenever possible is to set my stand uphill of where I expect the buck to come from. While I’ve had a fair amount of luck calling in bucks from level ground, it’s been my experience bucks will travel uphill to the sounds of two bucks fighting more often and more eagerly than not.

Sometimes it’s better not to call at all if your setup is not right. It’s by far more productive to go home empty handed than it would be to ruin your chances for the whole season.