Sep 17, 2016 4 min read

Those dedicated outdoorsmen can feel it in the air.

Each day as he drives to work, it has become apparent the low cover in the woods is much thinner now and he can see a bit farther.

We haven’t had our first frost yet but the woods opens up a bit and the feeling of fall is in the air.

Just thinking of the fast-approaching deer season gets the blood flowing and he will soon locate his hunting gear.

For archery hunters, it will be camo gear and blaze orange for the later rifle season.

In late November or early December, the woods suddenly become popular with those resembling the great pumpkin. But for now, it’s camouflage and an attempt to disappear.

While rifle hunters might depend on the movement of others to stir up the deer, archers depends on natural movement.

Hoping for the right location, archers place their stand near a well-used trails with a new scrape.

It will be the breeding season very soon and with that comes good and a tiny bit of bad.

The good is the bucks will be thinking of little except finding true love. This, along with carelessness, makes them easier to hunt.

Increased daylight movement also adds to a hunter’s opporuntity for success.

But this is also the time when a deer’s habits change. Why and just how far they move I don’t know but I have watched enough deer to see the change.

One day they are seen on a certain hill and then, poof, never seen again. Perhaps it is the availability of food, or maybe it’s their love life. Only the deer know but I am certain that deer movement and habits change at this time of year.

On another subject, does spraying your clothes with whatever that anti-smell stuff is made of work?

Maybe, but I would rather depend on being downwind and aware of the thermal currents.

To eliminate body odor, you must not only bathe but shampoo the hair. It might even be a good idea to also watch your breath. Just think, if you take a bath and shampoo, clean up under your toes and fingernails, you can hold your breath and the deer might not smell you regardless of your location. Or you can be downwind and you can breathe and the deer still won’t detect your presence.

Personally, I prefer watching the wind.

I once wrote an article about deer and monkey balls for a magazine based in Wisconsin that is still in existence.

Soon after I sent the article to the dreaded editor, I received a message from him asking, “What the heck are monkey balls?”

I guess they didn’t use that term for the fruit of the osage orange in Wisconsin, so an explanation was in order. I described the fruit of this hedge row tree and told him in my experience deer are attracted to monkey balls.

I have always said find a number of osage orange trees and you will find deer. Strangely enough, after the frost, deer eat them and seem to seek them out over other foods.

Once out of curiosity, I tasted one. All I can say is they are very bitter.

It doesn’t hurt to study what the deer are eating in the area to be hunted. They love apples and crabapples.

Cornfields also are favorite feeding spots, much to the chagrin of landowners.

When mast exists they will be feeding in the woods and in the spring you know they will be eating the local tulips.

My daughter gets mad because they eat her garden and claims they love zucchini vines. I, however, can’t imagine anything loving zucchini.

I think the deer don’t have the most discriminating taste.

That is sort of ironic, as they are very tasty on a cold winter’s day in a pot of chili. At least that is this hunter’s opinion.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.