Land and Game cameraman arrows Minnesota buck.

This year I had the pleasure of hunting with a young man asked this year to film me this fall.  As you can imagine, we get a lot of requests for folks wanting to spend some tree time with our staff.  But, this young man, JJ Dukart (whose father is the owner of Illusion Game Call Systems) showed a desire to not just film, but to learn what it is that has made us, and our clients, so successful in their quest for Boone and Crockett class whitetails with a bow.  That desire helped me make my decision to hunt with JJ the first week of November on one of our Advanced Habitat System™ properties an easy one.  JJ has had several years of experience behind the camera and I knew that the time he spent with me would be benficial for us both.  In early November this year, JJ did an excellent job running the camera for me as he witnessed what may be one of the finest examples of mature whitetail communication anyone has captured on film.  JJ took to understanding that level of communication better than anyone I've tried to help.  And, his understanding of habitat and it's importance of having the ability to manipulate mature whitetails with a call was a wonderful thing to watch grow.  But, nothing made me prouder of JJ than when he shot me a picture of his own trophy this year in his home state of Minnesota.  Minnesota produces some tremendous trophies year in and year out.  But the reality of their state game management laws make the number of available mature bucks hard to come by.  JJ conquered the odds though through utilizing several key strategies he learned with me during his time filming over my shoulder.  Along with the picture of his buck taken in a intensely pressured area of Rochester, he included a short story he had sent to many publications.  I wanted to share that story as an inspiration to those of you who hunt in highly pressured areas across the country.

Here is JJ's story...

Year after year, Rod White harvests world class whitetails using archery equipment. What is it that leaves top whitetail enthusiasts across the country dropping their jaws in disbelief as to how he does it? Well, after having the chance to film Rod harvest another Boone and Crocket buck a few weeks back, I would have to say… it’s all in a detail.

This past week I had the chance to put some of these details to the test in my home state of Minnesota, and in a matter of three days on stand, I harvested the largest buck of my life. You can just about imagine how fast I became a believer in Rod’s hunting techniques. Two small details that I directly attribute to harvesting this Minnesota warrior just a few days following my time behind the lens with Rod are categorized in scent control and communication.

When comparing the scent control standards I follow to those used by other hunters I know, I would say I am a bit over the top. However, when comparing these same standards to Rods, I would have to say that I am behind the curve. One detail that I obtained from Rod about scent control is the important process he uses of layering down prior to traveling to the stand. My understanding is that if one can stay cool enough to remain sweat free the entire walk to the stand, a large percentage of bacteria growth can be cut down, and scent dispersal will be kept at a minimum during the hunt. The morning I harvested my buck I walked nearly a half mile to my stand using this layering method, and I did not break a sweat once. A short time after setup a big buck walked in on the exact downwind trail I entered the area on just moments prior. I believe that layering down was a key factor in the eventual harvest of the buck. There is a long list of scent control methods that I learned from Rod which impacted my hunt, but remaining free of sweat for the entire walk is the one that stands out in my mind.

Growing up tuning and field testing calls for Illusion Game Calling Systems, a family owned business, I can safely say I am above average in my knowledge of communication with wild game of all sorts. But when it comes to communicating with mature whitetails, I can’t imagine too many hunters are more advanced than Rod White. Looking back at the moments leading up to harvesting my buck, a few thoughts went through my head about what Rod taught me dealing with calling in and out of heavy cover. It is much easier to interact with deer in heavy cover due to their limited vision than compared to clear areas where they can see the exact spot sound comes from. In this situation, the buck was walking on a clear path that curved away from my location, giving me no option other than communication to close the gap. Being that I was in an area where the buck had visibility on his side, I had to make my choice of words count. Instead of choosing to create a long tending grunt on my extinguisher deer call, which would have given away my position, I had to fool this buck by using a few short contact grunts when he looked away. After he stood in one spot for nearly five minutes wondering where the sounds came from, he finally became curious enough to walk in and close the gap. This simple detail, subtle communication in a clear area, was all it took to keep my location concealed and bring this buck in.

My biggest buck to date came just days after getting the opportunity to film Rod. Why do I think it happened such a short time after that one week? It’s all in a detail…

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