Ask The Pros: questions about whitetail deer hunting and elk hunting

Have a question about Hunting? go to http://www.thehuntingblueprint.com/ to get answers

Jerry: Q How can I afford a good hunting trip?

A. This is easy Jerry all you have to do is be a member of the hunting channel online and go to the discounts section click on outfitters there you will find outfitters all over the country that give you a 15-30% discount to come hunt with them.

Lee: Q. what makes you so much more successful than the average hunter?

A. Honestly there is a lot of work that goes into being successful, I spend 5x as much time scouting and researching my hunts as I do actually hunting. Study the behavior of the game you are pursuing, take time and pay attention to details. You can get a detailed look at what I do in my new book The Whitetail Hunters Blueprint it will be available sometime in august. Plus in August THC is launching the new site which will have tutorials on becoming a better hunter.

Edward: Q. What is the best way to find a good hunting area near me, if I don’t have a lot time for scouting?

A. Use the resource center on THC website, call the wildlife manager of the area as him/her you should ask him/her very specific questions: food preferences, where to find forage, water, behavior, peak breeding for the area, hours deer are sited during the time of year you will be hunting, ask specifically about number of hunters and pressure, favorite bedding and social hang outs, heck if he/she is an hunter I have even asked about tactics, calls and scents to see if they have any suggestions. Then get a topo map and locate key landscape feature that typically hold deer. I cover this extensively in my new book The Whitetail Hunters Blueprint it will be available sometime in august

John : What are the best calls to use when you are hunting for elk?

It really depends on the time of year and phase of rut. And honestly region is huge too. There are areas especially those that have wolves like Idaho and Canada where the elk don’t bugle because they attract predators when they do. But during the rut in an area that elk still bugle i like to use the primos terminator bugle as a locator, but most of my calling is done with a blue primos hyper dome mouth diaphragm. If you are gonna use a bugle, Its really about creating the elusion you have to make the bull think you are a hot cow and that there is a satellite bull close by this can be done with buddy calling you the shooter cow calls and your buddy bugles behind you 50 yards or so. but keep in mind in that scenario sometimes the bull will circle around you straight to your buddy to fend him off first so if has a tag then great for him. So try to set up if possible in a structural funnel that helps guide him to the shooter.