"EXPLOITING A DEER'S WEAKNESSES AND HABITS"

By Fred Abbas

Unscientifically speaking, we have long held the belief that deer, despite their sophisticated level of communication from within and between the species, can also communicate their needs and desires to a very patient, observant human, and likewise. Admittedly, to a first time observer the communication may seem to be extremely subtle, if at all. But nonetheless, deer (all animals) are definitely speaking to us. Once acknowledged, we soon learn that some deer are more intelligent (usually offspring of an older doe) than others, and some are much more easier to read through more pronounced body language or posture, along with certain sounds, than others. As you hone in on an individual animal you start seeing and hearing many things they are communicating. We, as humans may pride ourselves as being superior, with top of the food chain mentality, but the sad truth is, ALL animals possess a vast range of senses that far exceeds our own. To put it mildly, we are illiterate in comparison, and every so often an over-confident buck will take delight in outwitting a hunter on his own turf, instead of fleeing that's not considered a sense of humor, that defiant attitude happens to be part of his personality make-up, which if understood, could very well make a meal of him. Everybody knows that deer have many ways of communicating with one another, such as the use of scents, posture, markings, and such, depending on the time of year and social function. But few realize just had vocal deer are throughout the year, or how they can vocally convey the level of danger a predator may pose. That means a deer can choose a different evasive action for each different predator. The level of evasive action is partially dependent on who was sounding the alarm. For example, a fawn has a rather low ranking within the herd, and is prone to over-exaggerate the level of danger. So when he or she sounds the alarm other deer react to the call by stopping and looking around, once they see no evidence of danger to back-up the call, they then would ignore the kid. He simply became the boy who cried wolf once to often. On the other hand if a high ranking doe or buck were to sound the alarm, the reaction by all other deer within hearing range would be immediate, and decisive. While this may prove that deer can think logically about some situations, I have found very little evidence that deer could reason, at least not as we know it. I have witnessed more than one buck trying to mount a decoy, how smart can that be? We do believe though that all deer possess distinctly different personalities, and within each and every one of those personalities is a flaw, or weakness which could lead to an accurate profile that we as hunters can exploit. He may be habit prone, overly aggressive, timid, stubborn, or even over-sexed, or a glutton for certain foods, to name a few. Each detected weakness or habit can offer an advantage to a hunter. Ultimately the level of information gathering (time spent a field) by the hunter will determine his or her level of success, or lack of. 

We, my two sons, Greg, Freddy, and I, view any detected weakness or prominent habit, a bonus opportunity to be thoroughly exploited. In that regard, we are no different than any professional sports team who relies on scouting reports when seeking an advantage over an opponent. Unfortunately, in my attempt to simplify or condense this very intricate process into an article, rather than a book, only the tip of the iceberg could be touched upon.

Necessities of life
Food/water, safety, and reproduction pretty well sums up a deer's life cycle. While a deer must always travel from point A (bedding area, or safety zone) to reach point B (food/water) and return, we have absolutely no control when these travels may occur (day or night). But by focusing on certain traits or weaknesses, we are better able to control enough situations to tip the scales more in our favor.

Laziness 
Deer by nature can be extremely lazy at times, and they will almost always seek out the path of least resistance. That means a smart hunter can reroute a deer's travel plans into a funnel situation, or into another advantageous situation by creating his or her own path of least resistance. After a bit of scouting, or pouring over aerial photographs and topo maps, the hunter will then be able to determine a deer's probable bedding/safety areas within it's conjunction to the feeding areas. Once the area has been determined the search for well defined deer runs in the boundaries of the thickets gill be focused upon. The hunter then can mod or weedwack a clear shortcut path ( usually in late summer or early fall) to several food or water sources that are expected for the time frames as the sequence of prime foods come into bloom. Most deer will readily take to this shortcut and soon turn it into a daily routine. Some bucks may choose to take a path that will always run parallel the shortcut, leaving a faint trail that a hunter could detect, so that's just as well. Rest assured, all deer in the vicinity will know exactly where that trail is and where it leads to. When the heat of the rut overwhelms them, those that were initially hesitant in accepting our courteous overtures will soon forget all about protocol, and rush pell mell down the quickest route to where the girls are. In this instance, it was us who communicated our needs and desires to him ... and he complied. Baiting is yet another form of catering to a deer's laziness, and that can be quite effective when the offerings are presented properly. Most hunters fail to give deer a variety of foods, or fail to maintain a reliable constant food source that deer come to rely on, and thus lose the initiative they had strived for. One year we had a heavy mast of acorns that the deer were working over pretty good, our problem was deer were coming from every direction and we couldn't isolate a certain travel route we wanted a certain trophy buck to use, until we raked the fallen leaves away from the one tree that offered security nearest the swamp Once the acorns were exposed the deer flocked to this particular tree because we gave them an easy meal with the safety factor thrown in.


The herding effect the exposed acorns caused, in turn gave other deer a false sense of security deer expect in large numbers. We simply back tracked down the thickest run and set up an interception point where we thought the targeted buck would stage while waiting for dusk or dark. Two days later he fell for this ruse. Just about any gesture that makes life easier for a deer will work. Even a simple lowering of a strand of wire on a fence can drag deer to that area, let your imagination lead you.

Curiosity 
Everybody has heard the one about how "curiosity killed the cat", That's probably more fiction than fact. When applied to deer, the saying becomes more applicable, that is more fact than fiction. Curiosity is a characteristic flaw in deer that consistently gets them in trouble, and becomes one of the strongest weakness a deer possesses. Just about any non-threatening ploy a hunter can dream up will always drag the attention of deer, and will automatically warrant a full investigation. Mock scrapes starting in late summer or early fall consisting of just about any type scent that doesn't repel them becomes grounds for intense inspection, or scrutiny. We prefer a curiosity scent called "Buck Fever" made right here in Michigan. Although the use of scents during this early time frame have nothing to do with sex or the rut it sets the stage for the eventual rut. once the deer become aroused by this type curiosity they will begin adding urine to the mock scrape until it becomes a habit that will in time turn into a real scrape that carries over into the rut. This is the ideal solution for the bowhunter who prefers hunting the thickets where there are no defined shooting lanes, in other words, left natural. The mock scrape will be positioned precisely where he or she wants the deer to stop. Trim a limb, drag a curious buck. One year an incredible wind storm swept through the area we hunt, breaking off a billion branches. They were everywhere, along came a buck, he totally ignored every single storm damaged branch and focused on that one single freshly cut limb that I had trimmed in one of my shooting lanes. Had he been a keeper he would have been gotten... unintentionally. Take your pet cat for a stroll in the woods, and harvest a herd of deer. On one of the farms we hunt the farmer has a slew of cats. We used to chase them away whenever they followed us into the woods, until the day we noticed the curious effect they could have on deer. On several occasions while on stand we witnessed a cat looking for us while being closely followed by a herd of curious deer who seemed to be mesmerized by the cat. While we don't encourage the cats to corral the deer for us, we do welcome any type opportunity. Unusual non-threatening noises (non-metallic) such as clubbing the ground or a tree with a branch (softly) will also drag on a deer's sense of curiosity. So will soft tickling of antlers. Decoys will always grab a deer's attention. Some of the more aggressive will walk right up to the decoy and bump it when they receive no reaction to the signals they had conveyed to the decoy. This is a prime example why the decoy should always be anchored.
Any type alteration to the landscape is big news to a deer. The gun hunter's blind surely does not go unnoticed, nor does his shooting lanes, some of which resemble landing strips for a 747. Deer can't help being drawn to these obstacles (their words not mine) in their goods, initially. But at some point curiosity can wear off and self-preservation sets in. Some deer will accept this new addition to their neighborhood, and some won't, especially trophy bucks who simply skirt the blind and shooting lane areas unseen. The easy solution is a tactic we developed for some of our friends who hunt in this fashion. Blind and shooting lane locations are chosen because deer are using the area for their travels. So we needed a balance that was acceptable to the deer that would maintain their travel patterns and yet make sure that they keep their curiosity. This was accomplished by making what we call "subtle shooting lanes". That means the shooting lanes must blend into the goods almost unnoticeable. These lanes are about 3 feet wide extending out to about 100 yards from the blind like the spokes of a wagon wheel, with the blind being the hub. Deer now feel secure and more readily accept the situation and are now more apt to stop in one of the shooting lanes to curiously gaze back at the blind, his pattern unaltered.

Reproduction 
There is no force stronger in a deer than reproduction, even food takes a back seat to this uncontrollable urge. Some bucks may even lose up to 35% of their weight during this time frame. So does that mean bucks throw caution to the wind ? Absolutely not. What this means, especially in trophy bucks, is that they are constantly on the move, day and night, and in some cases safety is no longer their foremost priority. While the element of surprise a new hunting season offers is productive and exciting, nothing compares with the dynamics of the rut. If a trophy buck is going to make a mistake it usually occurs during this time frame. To us this occurrence is a weakness to exploit. This is done by hunting through out the day, we are just as apt to see rutting activity at noon as we are at dawn and dusk. Many hunters choose to hunt over scrapes and mock scraps which can also be very productive. We tend to favor hunting food sources where does congregate. Just a single estrus doe can draw bucks away from their scraping activity for miles around. I once witnessed six bucks chasing a doe through our bean field, four of them were complete strangers. Grunt calls, rattling antlers, scents and decoys are now effective.

Social 
All wildlife biologists have known for years just hog social deer are in the wild. So did we, but how could a hunter exploit that situation, was the question nobody could answer -? We long believed that this one aspect of a deer's being held the key ingredient that would unlock the strongest of weaknesses in a deer, especially in trophy bucks. Being retired has allowed me unlimited time a field to study deer in the wild. It was social vocalization that I was focusing on. We were aware that deer must communicate with each other regardless of status, we just didn't know hog frequently this occurs, or under what situations ? Or what advantage, if any, could be gained?
As my studies continued so did my amazement at how vocal deer can be in social situations, which turned out to be on-going the year round. It was no wonder many hunters never heard a deer grunt, the volume and tone was always soft and subtle, not quite the loud noises bucks are capable of emitting during the rut. What most amazed me was the grunt was singular, then maybe repeated 15 minutes later ? Then another unnoticed deer would seemingly appear out of nowhere We were able to document this phenomenon hundreds of times over the course of three years, the shocker of shockers was when I caught on video a monster buck giving this exact low volume grunt that I thought only a doe would give. I have since discovered all adult deer were capable of this type social grunt. That soft grunt was designed by nature for the ears of deer only, witness this incident. one late evening during a bow hunt a fawn bedded down 15 feet to my left, down a little incline, her mother standing about 10 yards to her left. Every now and then the doe would grunt softly to her fawn 75 yards to my right was a soy bean field. I was hoping to intercept a big buck I was after, either while he scent checked the field, or stayed here while waiting for darkness. A 6 point buck appeared walking along the edge of the field, just as he got even with me the doe grunted so softly (she couldn't see the field from that point, nor did the wind favor her) that I barely detected it. The buck's head swiveled around so fast that I responded with, ''what'', you heard that ? Not only did he hear, he responded to it by walking right under my stand and peering down the incline in acknowledgement, before heading back toward the field. I now knew that if I could somehow duplicate that subtle tone, then I could hold the key to success through-out the season. I also knew that two factors always come into play immediately when a deer hears the soft call of another. They respond because they are driven by their social structure, and curiosity. When a big buck gets involved a third factor enters into the equation, territorial. A big buck must know who called out to him, and by the way, what are you doing on my turf ? Weaknesses, you bet, that's the chinch in their armor. After much trial and error we were finally able to develop a Social grunt call like no other. Last year on our third day of the bow season I had unknowingly called in 3 bucks at the same time. Two were 8 pointers that came in from my right circling around to my left, from my left coming straight in was a buck in the 180 B & C class (yes, I knew of him), being the dominant buck in the area he didn't have to circle in. The two bucks had inadvertently cut in front of the big buck without knowing of his presence. When the big buck came upon the scene he locked onto the two bucks. One of the twins ended up directly in front of me, and the other directly behind me (this is where my Scent Lok suit paid off), I was hamstrung, unable to have any input on the outcome even though I knew that the big buck thought it was one of the twins who called out. The big buck went nocturnal from that day on, just as he did on the same date from the year before. Pure luck had saved him on that day, had it not been for the other bucks.


Not only did we breech their once secretive code of social communication, we were able to eliminate every single flaw in other deer calls that had cost hunters countless deer. Such as freezing or sticking reeds, or squawking like a duck when an excited hunter allows too much air into his call. But the biggest break-through occurred when we developed a SOCIAL deer call that attracts deer all season long, along with a 100% hands free body mounting system. The concept for a hands free mounting system came quite easy, being right handed I naturally would have to turn my head to the left to draw my bow, or shoulder my gun. When I did a small 3 1/2" rubber tube mounted on my left shoulder would, without any conscience effort, align perfectly with my mouth, and thus my call. The volume is totally controlled by the hunter who regulates the flow of air to fit any situation as it develops, and never needs to be muffled, as do all other calls. All bow and gun hunters are well aware of their weaknesses once both hands are being used, especially a bow hunter. All are aware that a timely grunt could turn their hunt around in an instant. The moment a bow hunter comes to full draw he becomes helpless at the most critical stage of the hunt. Which means, if the deer decides to hang-up or turn away, the hunter has absolutely no input to alter the out-come. The moment he lets down on his bow to reach for his call, the decisive moment is usually lost. The gun hunter has his problems as well, for example, the gun is shouldered and the buck is 50 yards away, but behind trees. A situation such as that would call for a soft grunt to create curiosity in the deer to make him step out to see who called to him. Solving these problems did not come easy, in fact it took several years down the rode before a subtle tone could be perfected that would match our hands free concept, "BOWGRUNTER+PLUS" had been born. Social calling has now opened up a virtual gold mine of untapped resources, especially in the pre-rut and the post rut stages of the long bow seasons. It has become so effective that we developed two new calling techniques that have proven to be deadly, and for the first time ever we are willing to share those secrets in print. Keep in mind that the whole concept of any grunt call is to try to convince a deer that you are a deer, we took it a giant step further, our belief was, if we could create a call that sounds more like a deer, would the convincing become easier ? Well, seeing is believing. We have just finished a video titled, "Exploiting A Deer's Weaknesses And Habits" showing 10 of our hunts covering all aspects of the season, proving that social calling is the deadliest form of calling ever invented ... and the easiest.


Pre/post rut Social calling 
Most hunters call too loud, their intentions are good, some even attempt to muffle their calls to subdue the volume, but unfortunately those calls are rutting buck type calls that are designed to be loud for that time frame. The hunter has inadvertently shouted at the deer, when in reality, deer virtually whisper when they communicate with each other, and they do not raise their volume to compensate for windy days. There are legitimate times when a hunter must raise the volume to be heard, but when possible we prefer to whisper. Many hunters when they see a deer point their calls at the deer and raise the level of volume to fit their hearing, that could be alarming to a deer, when in fact his hearing is 7-10 times superior to our own. Remember, we are trying to convince a deer that we are a deer. When we call out to that same deer, we start off with a very low short grunt even though we know that deer may not be able to hear us. We have a tendency to focus solely on that buck and may not see the others which may be nearer to us, bucks travel in bachelor groups early in the season. By calling softly you may get a response from a close-in buck that could have given your position away once it's determined that there are no other deer involved we turn our attention back to the buck and raise the volume an increment at a time. When the deer finally detects the grunt, he is convinced he heard another deer.

Rut Calling 
During this time frame a hunter could just about get away with murder. That means almost anything he says during his calling presentation is acceptable, the buck may not hold him accountable. But there are limitations, what happens when a buck chooses to ignore you ? We can't stand the thought of getting so close to an opportunity only to lose out because of a formality of not sounding familiar to him. We have developed several fail safe calling options, whereas the usual hunter is unable to recover the initiative because his call can only duplicate the voice of a single buck. For example, we call out to a buck, he ignores us, we then switch volumes, maybe higher, maybe lower, or something in between. Each volume has a different meaning to him, and if we still don't get a positive response out of him, we still have four more options. We have an extendable grunt tube that is used during the rut. By fully extending the tube we can retract it by pushing it in an increment at a time, producing four distinctively different buck grunts, one at a time, stopping to gage his response each time. We are attempting to remind him of someone he once knew. As a yearling his mother gave him the boot because she had new fawns to raise. He is lonely, lost in unfamiliar surroundings amongst strangers. he must join a gang of orphans, all with the same homeless problems. Within this gang of misfits is a pecking order, he must fight his day into the gang to determine social rankings, maybe it isn't physical fighting per say, but the threats are there. All bucks have different odors, and different voices. Each buck in a given area is familiar with the other, weather it's scent or sound, in this instance it is sound that we are using to hopefully trigger his memory banks After years of testing we have come to the conclusion that every deer in the woods would respond favorably to a soft singular grunt over any other type grunting, That's only their social nature, EXPLOIT IT, good luck.

for further information on the "Buck Fever" line of scents contact Haag's Limited, 5410 N. 39 Rd. Manton, Mi. 49663-9705 (616) 824-6040