Photo of instructor Skeet Sutherland mapping out the deer movement on the property wearing his Al's Anorak in Lynx Pattern 

During the first week of October, I had the opportunity to attend a 3-day workshop called "Way of the Hunt," which was hosted by our friend Skeet Sutherland from Sticks & Stones Wilderness School and it was primarily focused on hunting white-tailed deer.  The format of this course was really fantastic.  The prequel to this class "Hunting Skills," took place in the spring, where Skeet walked the class through post-season scouting and picking spots for building ground blinds based on the signs uncovered, which would be utilized during this fall course. We started each day with a lecture, spent the midday walking the property to identify fresh scrapes, rubs, food sources, and fresh tracks, and chose which ground blind locations we would sit for the evening hunt, putting what we had learned into practice. With daytime temperatures hitting 27°C (80.6°F), the chance of daylight activity was unlikely, but it was about going through the process, practising stalking in quietly and making sure we have our equipment, packs, and wardrobe dialled in so we're not making silly mistakes when it really counts.  With open season and active tags in all of our pockets it was as real as it could get for a course setting.

In compiling my notes after the course, I thought I'd share my top five take aways with you here as we enter into the prime days of white-tail hunting in North America. In part, the hope is to help new hunters, but also to open up the conversation so that those with more experience can comment below and share feedback and tips from their own experiences. So feel free to share your tips and stories below if you're willing.

Skeet began his hunting journey barefoot, covered in charcoal, with a self-made bow, climbing trees and standing on branches.  The idea of buying success with gadgets, calls, and packaged scents wasn't part of his learning process.  The deer were his only teachers, teaching him what he knows the hard way, through years of experience that kept him rethinking his approach and fine-tuning his process. 

Now, having harvested dozens of deer, a third of which were shot with traditional bows that he has made himself, including wary bucks, he knows what it takes to get inside their mind and within 20 yards of these elusive animals. He really forced us to ignore all the products for now and focus on the core principles. 

One of the hunters taking part in the course has been successfully hunting for 30 years. I asked him if he had killed any mature bucks, and he said no, I'm not skilled enough, that's why I'm here. He said he usually fills his tag with a doe or young buck each year, but it's the small details that make the difference between food for the freezer and a trophy mature buck. These old bucks don't get old by accident.  They are smart, cautious, and calculated, and if you want to harvest one, you need to outsmart them. 

With whole books written on the topic of deer hunting by experienced hunters, part of me feels silly even attempting to write an article about hunting, but I also know what it feels like to be a beginner, and I hope some of my notes might help other beginners out. So with that disclaimer out of the way, these are the top five notes I plan to keep in the front of my mind as I head into deer season this year.

Lesson #1 - Thermals can trump wind when it matters most.

It's estimated that a deer's sense of smell is 500 to 1,000 times more sensitive than ours. Being downwind is critical.  BUT YOU CAN'T COUNT ON WIND ALONE. One must also consider thermals. The key phrase I took away to help me understand thermals was "When the sun goes down, thermals flow like water", which means downhill.   I hadn't previously understood thermals as thoroughly as I should have, thinking they were for guys hunting in the mountains, not forest edges and agricultural areas, as I am. However, thermals don't require prominent peaks and valleys to change the direction of your scent completely. 

I had an opportunity to put this into practice on the second evening. We had a south/west wind between 2-7 km/h.  However, the trail I was setting up on was halfway down a large hill sloping north/west to south/east.   If I wanted to play the wind, I would set up on the north side of the trail. But considering the unseasonably warm day, the best chance of deer coming out would be right after the sun sets, and that last half hour of legal light would be the most likely window of opportunity.  However, if the thermals played out as we had learned, and if the deer came out after sunset as expected, I would be better off setting up on the south side of the trail.
Well, it played out exactly as I expected. At 5:00pm when I settled in, the wind was at my back, pushing right across the trail uphill. By 6:00pm, the wind had totally calmed down, and everything was silent. By 6:57pm, the last of the sun was dipping below the hill, and I was feeling a cool, damp breeze cross the trail and run past my face, taking my scent into the neighbouring property downhill behind me and out of range of the super-sensitive nose of the White Tails. Every rustle of dry leaves gave me hope with my arrow nocked and ready to draw, but legal light soon expired, and I crept out of there as quietly as possible, knowing I had learned a vital lesson that night. 

Lesson #2 - Don't educate the deer.  

"Every time you enter the woods, both you and the deer are learning," Skeet said. Whether you are going in to scout, put up a camera, or hunt, the deer know you were there, and you are educating them. Be cautious of that. When nightfall comes, and if you were unsuccessful, don't give up and make a bunch of noise packing up and trekking out.  The deer might be only 60 yards away, and now you have just educated the deer to your location.  This is precisely what happened to us on the first night. I had the landowner's 11-year-old son,  Owen, with me in the blind, and right as darkness set in, a raccoon started walking right towards us. Owen was tucked deep into the blind in a gilly suit, and the raccoon had no idea he was there. Owen did a great job not flinching, but when the raccoon came within about 4 feet at a pretty fast pace, Owen popped up and jumped back. The raccoon climbed a tree, and we rustled the leaves, and were whispering about the situation. I started hearing a deer blow only 60 yards from us. It was precisely on the deer trail I was watching all evening.  The deer blew (a heavy nasal sound), trotted off about 20 yards, blew again three times, warning the other deer, and then walked off.  Try to get out as undedicated as you crept in. You chose that spot for a reason. The deer might be closer than you think at any given time. 

Lesson #3 - Hold out on your perfect stand. 

Don't overhunt your key spots too early in the season. That's only going to educate the deer before they are really active. Hunt your best spot only on the cold fronts, meaning nasty weather is on the way, which the deer can sense and become active in feeding during daylight.  Or if the rut is on, meaning the deer are moving around much more looking to breed.  Ensure your wind and thermals are correct and avoid blowing a spot because you "just" want to hunt it or have the day booked off work.  Make sure the odds are in your favour. 

The other reason you want to hunt the cold front is that you need to get the deer cooled down as soon as possible. If your location requires field dressing and dragging a deer over long distances, ensure the weather will allow you to take your time, especially if this is your first time doing it. Getting the meat cooled as soon as possible is essential. 

Lesson #4 - Don't Waste Your Money on Scent Control.

Do your best to stay clean, fresh, and avoid getting sweaty while hiking in. However, don't waste your money on "scent-free" hunting clothes or sprays, and so forth. Not to say that stuff doesn't reduce scents, but not good enough to rely on it.   Playing the wind and thermals remains the most critical aspect.   With that said, Skeet wears mostly wool, because it has natural properties that don't hold scent.  He also lets it hang outside for a few days before hunting and will often allow a smoky fire to drift over the wardrobe and gear. He also encouraged us to stomp around in the charcoal fire pit each day before we left camp, masking and cleaning off any scent on our boots we could have picked up around camp. 

Lesson #5 - Less Aggressive Calling or No Calling At All

As new hunters, we can be attracted to the marketing videos of people calling in big bucks with grunt tubes, doe bleats, and rattle bags. However, until you truly understand how deer think, comprehend their reasons for movement, wind, thermals, patterns, and all of that, making any noise can actually harm you.   Once you make a sound, they are looking your direction and will likely even circle downwind of the sound to scent check it out before approaching. If this is your first season, keep the sounds to a minimum. If anything, Skeet said that he will often use an immature buck grunt to cover sounds.  So if he breaks through some branches, ruffles some leaves, or makes any sound louder than he wanted, he may follow it up with a young buck grunt in hopes to make it sound like he is a deer.  BUT, if you are going to do that, make sure you are ready to shoot because a bigger buck may want to challenge you.

Hopefully, my notes land with a few of you and you find success this year.  As Skeet kept saying, "How bad do you want it?" 

For those looking for a WeatherWool for hunting, the Lynx Patten Al's Anorak in Mid-Weight is what Skeet prefers and a popular choice among our hunting customers. A new batch of Lynx Anoraks will be shipping near the end of the month.

If any of you experienced hunters have any tips for me, please feel free to leave them in the comments or reach out to cody@WeatherWool.com. 

If you want to look into taking Skeet's course next year, you can find out more at https://sticksandstoneswildernessschool.com/

Have a great season, everyone. 
-Cody Bokshowan