Mark Drury: “Low Pressure Deer Hunting is Best.”
Bob McNally 01.02.16
Wise sportsmen hunt their best stands only when conditions are ideal since putting too much pressure on bucks is foolhardy.
Human pressure has a telling effect in everything outdoors–from catching bass in lakes to trout in rivers, and from chasing geese to gunning quail, doves, and all big game.
Pressure, then, is something every aspiring deer hunter should avoid like EHD. Strive to tap places with as little hunting pressure as possible. And even the best whitetail locations shouldn’t be pressured much by your own hunting.
Mark Drury (of television and MAD game call fame) is well-known as a whitetail hunter in America. What isn’t so well known is that Mark only hunts his very best buck spots during the most optimum conditions. He demands that no human intrusion is made into his prime buck spots until it’s time to hunt and collect a trophy.
“I hunt plenty of great private property for whitetails, and some of it I’ve spent a lot of time on over a number of years,” explains the Missouri hunter. “I place stands in great locations months before opening day. Then I stay completely out of the property until the time I intend to hunt it. I don’t want other people in or near that hunting site either. Before I try to make a move on a record-book buck, I want the weather right, wind perfect, and the time of year ideal.
“A whitetail that’s 4, 5, or 6 years old is some kind of smart. The least little bit of human presence in his area puts him on alert, and he just goes underground, away from sight. Never forget that we are part-time deer hunters for just a few weeks of the year. But a buck is a full-time wary whitetail. It’s how they earn their living.”
