king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated - October/November 2007 - Index

22
Nate and everyone else got up to
where I was, they had not even heard
me shoot because of the wind. As
I told the group how I had got the
Tom, Nate looked at me and said,
"Way to go Wintch. You even use
your deer hunting techniques to kill
a big Tom.?
But, having been a guide
for quite a few years, I know that
my client's greatest success always
comes when I have him in the right
place at the right time and old Mr.
Big runs right to him unaware that
he or she is there. You want to up
your odds this year on killing a big
muley buck? Then you should do a
survey on the land layout. It doesn't
matter if you hunt high or low, there
is and always are little saddles,
passes, or trails that big bucks travel
on and go through. But, you must
use your brainpower to figure them
out. If your guide tells you to go and
sit on a hill or mesa, you need to be
there, in that spot, looking the right
way with 100% alertness until your
guide comes and gets you or you
kill old Mr. Big. Don't ever let your
guard down and start picking your
nose or drawing lines in the sand if
you don't see a big buck after twenty
minutes or so. Sometimes it takes
HUNTING ILLUSTRATED.com
In order to flush out the big boys that like
to stay in cover, you need to come up with
a plan according to the land layout that
will push them out to the "sitters?
5MULE DEER5
hours for pushers to finish the drive
and, if a big buck doesn't run right
by that rock or tree, you should be
able to adjust to each situation as
it unfolds. There have been many
occasions over the years when one
of my hunters should have had a big
buck, but didn't do the right things
when the opportunity came their
way. It's not one big thing that kills
old Mr. Big, but a whole lot of little
things, and you had better learn to
get most of them right most of the
time. Mr. Big will always be on the
cutting edge of staying alive, 24-7.
Stay alert and don't find
yourself among the hunters who, at
the end of this '07 hunting season,
will kick themselves in the pants
because they quit, lost focus, got
caught with their pants down,
drawing lines in the sand or picking
their nose just as old Mr. Big came
their way. When your chance comes,
be ready.
PHOTO: BRAD GARFIELD