According to Keith Sutton from BassPro.com, hunters heavily pressure most of the deer we pursue. Unless you hunt during archery season or on large tracts of privately owned, heavily controlled land during modern firearms seasons, you’ll probably find it tough to enjoy this pleasant experience, he says.
Sutton says this shouldn’t ruin your hunt, however. How well you cope with this pressure element in today’s hunting equation often determines how many deer you’ll bag.
He says one of the first things to think about is trying to avoid the most heavily pounded areas. You may think without a large tract of private land available that you are forced to go to areas thick with other hunters, but if you really sit back and analyze the situation, a different story reveals itself. The vast majority of these hunters are in areas within a quarter to half mile of a road or parking area. On big tracts of federal or state lands, you often can get beyond most hunters by simply starting earlier and walking in a bit farther. Sutton recommends studying topographic maps and finding areas where no roads or trails are present, then look for features that would make them prime deer habitat.
Sutton also suggests riding a mountain bike to reach lightly pressured areas, floating down a river in a canoe or johnboat, or motoring across a lake to a parcel of public land that is hard to get to from a vehicle. Hunting islands, which can be magnets for deer when hunting pressure intensifies, is another option. Make sure the place you hunt is on public property, though, or obtain permission in advance from the landowner.
Check out such potential areas before the season to see if there are tracks, trails, rubs and/or other signs of deer use, Sutton says. Then try to determine the animals’ patterns of movement. In these areas, Sutton says, the bucks are not as apt to change their routines much after hunting season arrives because they rarely see people.
Besides seeking out hard-to-reach areas, also consider hunting isolated, cut-off tracts of public land that are so small they tend to get neglected by other hunters, says Sutton.
He also suggests checking out public areas that are usually big spreads with plenty of parking areas and good access.
Sutton suggests finding public areas that contain a few small parcels that are cut off from the main acreage. He says if there’s no easy parking, these isolated patches of habitat, which may be overlooked, may hold several deer, or possibly a nice buck.
Locating dense cover or steep rugged terrain are the keys, Sutton says. When bucks feel the pressure of just a few hours of hunting, they immediately move to places where they can escape the pressure from humans.  Look for a rugged area with jumbled cover where an old buck might feel safe, he says.
Sutton recommends stripping down to the necessities and getting mobile, in order to take the buck. Leave your tree stand or blind at home, he says, to avoid spooking the animal during set up. He suggests beginning hunting the minute you enter the woods, and retraining yourself to walk soundlessly, to recognize places to blend in and sitting perfectly still.
If you’re hunting with a partner or a group, and it’s legal, you might also consider organizing drives through pockets of thick cover. Focus on small pieces of dense cover so inconspicuous other hunters ignore them, Sutton says. Post standers on the side seams where deer might curl out, and have the drivers on the edges move slightly ahead of those in the middle to herd the bucks inward. Also station one or two hunters behind the drivers to get a shot at a buck that lays low and tries to escape out the back.
Sutton says silent drives are best, and that a crosswind is ideal, so bucks don’t scent walkers or standers. He says if that’s not possible, set up with the wind blowing toward the posted hunters, using the scent of the drivers to help push the deer.
Regardless of how you hunt these deer, Sutton recommends going to a rifle range to practice getting on target fast. He says a split-second shot is required, since you won’t have much time when you surprise a buck in dense location.
Sutton says when you finally bag one of these elusive animals, you’ll find the feeling of accomplishment runs much deeper than when you score on a private area where there’s less challenge involved, and that the extra effort will prove worthwhile!