Dec. 1: Why I'm Not Hunting the Timber | Bowhunting Whitetails w/ Bill Winke

[@BrandonBrowne96]

Always enjoyed your videos on Midwest whitetails. But I am glad you are running your own show. You are able to break down your hunts more and get more in depth with them and your plans of attack it’s more educational in my opinion. I appreciate the videos you put out year round and look forward to every new episode. Thank you bill.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the kind words Brandon and for your support. I really appreciate both.

[@davidbaker5701]

Thanks Bill

[@bill-winke]

You are welcome David. I appreciate the comment. Have a great day.

[@brentbarnetthunting]

Bill them dang does always have a way of finding your exact location.

[@bill-winke]

Yes, I appreciate them for that, especially when I can get a shot!

[@TayTay2247]

New to your channel Bill…but man does your outlook and continued positive perspective on different situations make it easy follow along and try and apply things for the timber/area I hunt in Bremer County.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Tay, I have learned over the years that eventually things work out if you hunt smart and put in the time. I have had many tough seasons that still ended well. It is something that I try encourage everyone with - it can all change in just a minute and you aren't really hunting only for the kill - the entire quest is the true adventure.

[@davidvvv501]

Bills late season tactics seem spot on to me. Wait them out til cold and snow push them to daylight food . I love these videos, they show what all hunters go through chasing mature bucks. It's not easy .I look forward to more videos after the shotgun is over..

[@kelliefaerber2026]

Totally understand your process and it seems a lot like your approach on your farm in southern IA, it always pays off. Thank you for all the daily blogs, even if some of your hunts were a little slow for your liking. Just fun and refreshing to see you back at it again and producing content. Thanks!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the comment, Kellie. I appreciate it. They were slow, but hopefully people got something from them. I hope the late season will be a bit more eventful. Have a great day.

[@stevedenoyer5956]

Yeah NE wind not my favorite wind, we had it all weekend in Michigan. I don’t have any set ups for that wind. Just not very often we get those winds.

[@bill-winke]

I run into that with SE winds. Usually get SE when it is warm and just about to rain. That is rarely good hunting.

[@fredbartlett4394]

I'm jealous our hunting season is from October 24 to Nov 19 ,gun season and bow is over ,they do have a muzzle season its 6 days ,Canada sucks ,can't see y they can't make it longer,I'm just getting some awesome pictures on my trail cams suck to be me

[@homeinthewhiteoaks]

Wow, that stand you were in on this hunt. Looks like the greatest rifle stand I have ever seen!

[@bill-winke]

It is a gorgeous spot, but I have hunted it three times and have yet to see a deer come out on the field. It is just grass. If it was planted to something deer like to eat, it would likely be more attractive.

[@josephtreadlightly5686]

Makes alot of sense. Trying to build a deer factory means treating your employees well. Hopefully they enjoy their vacation & encourage others to join them. I learned alot today & chose to be careful since I was the only one there. I couldn't do exactly what I went there for, so I learned & stayed downwind of bedding, or suspected bedding. That doe was a great example of how they have changed in a month. Have a good time out of state & keep dreaming.

[@bill-winke]

I like that analogy, Joseph. I always felt that they should draw lots to see who goes out into the food plot in front of the blind each year in order to keep the food plot god happy so he keeps providing all that food. I guess they haven't quite figured it out yet.

[@JayN4GO]

I hope for very few acorns next year

[@bill-winke]

For sure I will need to hunt differently. I bet you get your wish as they tend not to be highly productive on back to back years.

[@ryanstrebeck2000]

I’m not seeing your rattle. Why not and when do you think it works best? Prerut, rut, or post rut. Thanks and I get your growing that farm and being easy this year to let more deer come there to be safe and make it a safe place for them. Smart! Takes work to make it a special place!

[@bill-winke]

Ryan, I am no expert on rattling, but I see bucks sparring clear up until January. I am guessing it works best when bucks are actively searching for does and not tied down with a doe. So that means early in the rut and late in the rut. Creating a good deer hunting farm really does take a lot of work. Will be interesting to see how it changes and how the deer numbers change and buck age, etc. I don't rattle. I just don't like carrying them. I use my grunt call or I snort-wheeze. It is just a personal philosophy. I don't blind call. I only call when I see a buck I want to shoot, so you basically didn't see me calling much this year! I can get into my reasoning in more detail in an episode, but for short, I seemed to bring attention to my stand and then the deer swung around downwind and picked me off too many times. I guess I never saw it work often enough to outweigh the risk that I would educate bucks to my spot. Good luck.

[@GSOutdoorsTV]

I am not expert either but peak rut works best because the bucks are fighting over them does

[@GSOutdoorsTV]

@@bill-winke How come you do not rattle? I posted a video of harvesting my first buck and I rattled him in on state land! I only rattled because I was in a perfect pinch point. I was in a saddle with my back facing a small valley about 50 yards behind me so I knew the deer were not going to come from that way, it was too steep. I had my wind blowing behind me into that small valley and I knew that there were some potential bedding areas in front of me about 180 yards away along the ridge of a giant ditch funnel. I rattled about 40 mins after first light and had a decent 8 point come to like 15 yards passing along the right side of my stand as he was trying to get down wind of the rattle and I smoked him. It was awesome grinding for my first buck on state land. It was a special day. Love watching your vids man

[@bradb_in_Iowa]

Thanks, as always, for the daily blogs, Bill. Are you willing to talk about why you don't hunt gun season? I live in Iowa and I don't either. Frankly, I am not a fan of the deer drives -- but they do push alot of deer into my property. I shot my buck last year the day after gun season ended, likely because of external pressure and I left my land alone. Thanks!

[@mikedee5641]

Your plan makes sense to me. Liking the conservative approach. Plenty of late season left, possibly the best is yet to come!!

[@bill-winke]

Agreed. Once I realized that the late rut wasn't going to pan out the way I had hoped (coming to food), I shifted my hope to the late season. I need a good plan to make that work. Late season deer are really tough to kill with a bow. Good luck.

[@mikedee5641]

Still hunting myself. Thx!

[@brob-zy8zi]

Definitely don't want to push them off the farm at the beginning of gun season. You have a very patient approach. Something I've been learning over the last few years here in Pennsylvania. When you find an overlooked spot here with light pressure you have to almost nurture it until the right time comes to hunt it. Good luck on your out of state hunt. 👍

[@bill-winke]

That is right. Good deer hunting is really all about managing pressure. When and how much. That is the key. Good luck.

[@jarviscasey8085]

I'm curious to see if you have any plans for that grass field or the 14 acres by your house.Id be tempted to plant that whole grass field in soybeans or do a half and half beans and clover.

[@bill-winke]

Jarvis, I got distracted by all the projects on the farm and never got that planted. Plus, in 3 1/2 years of hunting there, I rarely see bucks (maybe four bucks in that time compared to at least 1,000 doe sightings!) Not to say I don't like shooting does, but I just never got to it. I hope to do that this summer. Thanks for remembering that spot.

[@artbrennhofer8283]

Good luck in Nebraska Bill. Thanks showing me the Code of Silence camo. I bought the coat and bibs last year and just received the vest a few days ago.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Art. That is really nice stuff. Glad you like it. Have a great day.

[@sureguy8124]

On public, tons of oak trees and acorns, but I've noticed some deers like particular acorn some trees produce. I would look for that community feeding tree. Not all locations will have it though.

[@guardianminifarm8005]

Very wise strategy. Good perspective. Be safe in trip & travels. Jordan still in our prayers. Happy hunting.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks and I will have Jordan on the Monday episode giving an update. Have a great week and be safe.

[@guardianminifarm8005]

@@bill-winke Fantastic.

[@kjc9293]

Great to have the time to spend learning the farm!!!! Cant wait to see you after the gun season!!!

[@bill-winke]

Every farm is different and once you get it figured it out (where you can and can't hunt and how to make the best entry and exit) things will generally get a lot more efficient (and successful). Good luck and thanks for the comment.

[@independentredneck2555]

Michigan and Iowa College football championship game tonight looks like our teams are playing each other good luck to you and yours my friend. We're Men we can love other things too😂 it can't all be about hunting.😂

[@bill-winke]

For sure, but that was not a very good showing by Iowa. Defense looked solid but the offense was bad, and the turnovers kept it from even being a close fight. Congrats and good luck at the playoffs.

[@georgehelzer7569]

My cams haven’t shown much but with the rain coming and moving out yesterday I hopped in my quadpod and dropped a good 8pt in the light drizzle misting type rain. They were clearly looking for does. Saw a couple bucks.

[@davidbaker5701]

Have you ever considered upgrading to cellular trail cams? It would give you a real-time view of your hunting areas and deer movement from the comfort of a warm office! Also, in other videos, you used to hunt with "Ozonics" over your head, even in the trees. Was that more for a sponsorship?

[@bill-winke]

David, I will get into my take on cellular cameras at some point. I just am not ready to introduce that level of technology into my hunting just yet. Maybe some day. I still use the Ozonics when in the blind when we have a window open. It works in the tree, but not nearly as well as it works in the blind. It takes time for the ozone to mix with other molecules (including scent) to break them down and destroy them. On windy days in the stand, it would be really tough to make that work. In the blind, they have time to mix. Ozone does some good in the stand, but with two of us and all our filming gear, scent control in general feels like a losing battle in the tree. I have basically given up on it. Your system is only as strong as your weakest link and with the filming aspect, there are just a lot of links. Have a great day.

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

Well Bill I had my chance at the Monster tonight. Had him coming to a pinch point. Wind was perfectly in my favor. About 1/2 mile away the farmer was tiling the field. So he kept looking back to the west. Normally I would have drew my bow soon as he came out of the woods. But he kept hesitating looking back at the guys working The field. So I too hesitated. My critical mistake! We had a stare off right at last light. It’s amazing how he picked me off. But I really don’t think he knew what I was. He spooked. But not really that bad. Just leaped a couple times then trotted away. He never did wind me. I guess I will monitor the cell cams and see if he comes back?!?! That one was heartbreaking! But I will keep “Dreaming Big”!!!

[@bill-winke]

Dang, that is heartbreaking. Sometimes things just don't work out even though you do the right things. Sounds like he was not badly spooked, but he may not come right there again soon. I guess the camera will tell, but don't be afraid to move. I would try to figure out where he might be living/bedding and move a stand to get just a bit closer to that spot so you can catch him earlier- and keep the dream alive! Good luck.

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

@@bill-winke kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3ukf3-srqx7l6Mfeature=shared I had turned on my TactaCam solo stabilizer camera. Here is the link. I uploaded to KZbin. Hard to see his antlers. But I have 100’s of great pictures of him. I would guess home to be 160ish. Although I don’t care much about inches. More about 4, 5 year old and older for my area. It will be interesting to see how spooked folks think he was? You can hear the farmer in the back ground digging trenches for drain tile. That’s what had him distracted and the reason I too hesitated. I should have come to full draw! The hunt continues. But I really wanted to tag out. As you will see he wounded pretty bad. I have been able to determine he has a broken leg. However, he seems to get around just fine.

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

@@bill-winke Quick update. He is already back to the same pattern! I can’t believe it! I think the farmer digging in the drain tile might be what saved me. He lives on a small 10 acres. I have it loaded with cameras and I never see him leave it once he arrives in late summer. (Not say he doesn’t leave). But if he does it’s not very often!

[@georgeshotrodbarn2113]

Thats the way i hunt i never go into the woods i have no business in there i hunt the edge of field between bedding areas. i never shoot does or young bucks i will set there until i see a mature buck. i dont even like going into the wood to drag a buck out but if i doo i will leave the area for at least two weeks. i am not saying i am right but over thirty years of hunting i have tried everything and it seems to work the best for me.

[@bill-winke]

You can never go wrong being cautious and keeping your hunting areas as fresh as possible. Sometimes it is worth the risk of bumping deer though by going into the timber after them (hunting closer to bedding areas) but that is only when you aren't going to be hunting nearby for several days. Good input. We appreciate it. Have a great day.

[@georgeshotrodbarn2113]

I treat the deer like livestock i am very consistent with the way i act around them i try not to upset them what i and looking for is that horned up buck coming around trying to breed the does and when i see him i will kill him that's the name of the game. the does know me they see me working on the property all the time and they will let me see them in the off season to let me know hey wont some corn. if i go into their bedroom, it would be like someone coming into my house uninvited. if you upset them the game is over.@@bill-winke

[@tonywilbourn2897]

Any hunt, or information you can pass along is appreciated.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Tony. I appreciate it. Have a great day.

[@jeffreygerber4336]

Awesome Bill love to watch keep it going!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Jeffrey. I appreciate the comment and support. Have a great day.

[@timjohn2810]

Code of silence camo blends in well with your surroundings. Keep the Faith fellas !

[@bill-winke]

It really does blend well. It is the best overall pattern (also the material is very dull since it doesn't reflect light) I have ever worn. Have a great day.

[@warbirdflyerF4U]

Best of luck bill and crew On your upcoming adventures Hope to see some more updates soon it's been very slow here As well In Central (farm country) New York ! Although unlike yourself I do hunt with a firearm ! Good wind tomorrow I'm diving in close to the edge of bedding In hopes of catching a couple of my big boys coming back in ! Good luck my friend and keep up to great videos

[@deronbrodbeck1996]

Why do you not hunt the firearms season on your own farm, assuming you want to minimize pressure at a time the neighbors are amping it up?

[@bill-winke]

Deron, I just like bowhunting better and here in Iowa we can't hunt with a bow during the firearms season. Plus, it will give the farm a rest from a month of nearly daily hunting. It would be really nice if a few good bucks move in from neighboring properties. That is possible though there is not a huge amount of gun pressure around me - some, but not daily pressure.

[@deronbrodbeck1996]

Bill, okay that makes sense of course. ** I'd love your perspective at some point on the impact of hunting pressure on different age structures, especially mature bucks AND doe groups. Not just gun hunting but overall human intrusion; I'm always paranoid about spooking big bucks and wonder how long it may take them to "forget" and resume normal activity in that area, if they pick up on a new stand set-up, associate the area with human scent; have you seen deer avoid that spot the following season? Maybe I'm over-thinking at times... but always worried about burning out a location, what the long term effects may be. Keep up the great content when you can. @@bill-winke

[@dogsoldier7779]

I’ll be grinding out the late season here, the rut was the worst I’ve witnessed in all my years of hunting. I’m sure the breeding season happened it just didn’t happen with a lot of action to be seen. There are so many commercialized deer outfitters here around me now that I’m definitely seeing less mature bucks each year. Outfitters & the Amish, the Amish have done a number on the deer herd in the whole county. For some people who don’t use electricity they sure have some high dollar tricked out modern rifles. Instead of having a 3-4 shooters around I’ve got one 7.5 yr old 8 point & I’ll be hoping to get him in bow range before mid January. Good luck to everyone still grinding it out with their bow trying to put a mature buck on the ground.

[@bgriff2517]

Yep. Lots of Amish near me. They shoot anything that provides opportunity. Saw a lot of deer during Nov just hope they lock down and don’t move much for gun season, which ends this weekend in Ohio.

[@donwaldroopoutdoors3665]

Can you bow hunt during the firearm season or do you just elect not to?

[@bill-winke]

Don, it is not legal here in Iowa.

[@stickbowsniper]

I was going to ask the same question. I've never been to a state where you can't still bowhunt during gun season, but I live and hunt in the Southeast. What is the reason for it being illegal in Iowa?

[@calebduke6878]

Hey Bill does your state now allow bow hunting during firearm season? Or do you choose not too? Just curious. Been loving the content keep up the good work as always.

[@bill-winke]

Caleb, they don't allow bowhunting during the gun season here. They do allow it during the late muzzleloader season, but not the general firearms season. Thanks for the support and the comment. Much appreciated.

[@jamosley96]

Glad y’all at least saw something. Just a thought on something you may could discuss on a future video (if you haven’t already on another one). Like you, I err on the side of caution as far as how I approach my hunts. I hunt on the fringes and only when I have the right winds. My question is, if you can only access your property from one side, but in order to hunt, would have to cross the travel corridor of the deer, would you do it or only hunt on the side you have access to? If you have discussed this in another video, could you direct me to it? Thanks!

[@anthonymalueg3520]

So I have been studying your bino’s and gotta ask is that a hunters Saftey rope you use

[@bill-winke]

It is an old Muddy Safeline rope. Good eye. Could be the same one though.

[@anthonymalueg3520]

@@bill-winke creative use for sure !!

[@zr20s]

It’s all about food right now!!!!

[@bill-winke]

Yes, that is the word. Have food - have deer!

[@mitchellgenz1373]

It was a strange year, I still think it was all the acorns.

[@bill-winke]

Mitchell, that is what I think too. Until someone offers a better reason, that is what I am going to chalk it up to and I will definitely remember this season if we run into anything like this again and not waste any time hunting open areas. Have a great day.

[@joshbeasley9423]

Hey Mr. Bill have you got any advice for somebody struggling with live animal target panic? I can come home shoot targets and 12 ring just about everything at any distance...it started this year when I had two deer duck my arrows at a distance of 40 to 50 yards now I rush shots pull my bow to see where I hit and just struggle to hit a deer perfect. Any advice is much appreciated.

[@Yourmomsbasement100]

I’m definitely not Bill but coming from someone who has experienced the same thing, something that helped me was the moment I saw or heard a deer I repeated the word breathe in my head, once I decided the deer was one I was going to shoot my eyes never went to the rack again. Pick your spot ( a very small spot) and focus on it, don’t aim for the body, aim for a patch of hair. Practice drawing on deer that you aren’t going to shoot so that you can get the muscle memory of picking your spot and aiming at it. I’ve also used a label maker to make a sticker that says relax to put on my riser so that once I’m coming to full draw I see it and it is one last reminder to go through the motions of a fundamental shot. Best of luck, and don’t give up!

[@joshbeasley9423]

@@Yourmomsbasement100 man I sure do appreciate your advice I don't know what's got into me this year....I really will try your advice because I feel when I'm in the timber hurry hurry they are in your only shooting lane....then snatch my bow to see where the arrow hits

[@Yourmomsbasement100]

@@joshbeasley9423I was the same way, I also had the somewhat irrational fear that the deer was going to run away before I could shoot. Making a plan for what I was going to do helped tremendously. Buck fever is going to come no matter how much I fight it so instead of trying to stop it I instead expected it and made a plan to adapt rather than overcome and that really helped me flip the switch. You can definitely get through this man, don’t let it discourage you to long because it’s something many, many people have dealt with.

[@joshbeasley9423]

@@Yourmomsbasement100 I love that feeling to be honest...an I call myself making a plan but as soon as the bow goes off it goes down hill for me LOL...just been one of them years...I'm for sure not going to give up I love it to much....just needed some advice because it's discouraging making bad hits an losing deer too

[@bill-winke]

Josh, I have had good luck by spending time visualizing a successful encounter where you maintain your composure and make a good clean, patient shot. If you do that often, it will reprogram your subconscious and you will tend to perform better in the clutch when you have too much adrenaline to even think straight. Also, shooting does really helps to calm my trigger finger. It is really good to get that experience on does. Good luck.

[@briditt2812]

This has been a strange year everywhere from guys I've been talking too.

[@NCsurfer607]

How do you know if those bucks are still are on your property?

[@bill-winke]

Yes, they were both on the card I pulled from the camera that was in front of that blind I hunted on the 30th. They are there somewhere - waiting for an arrow! Have a great day.

[@NCsurfer607]

@@bill-winke lol that’s what makes hunting fun trying to figure those mysterious creatures out

[@gouchmcdougal7831]

Hey KZbin! Stop questioning this man’s approach. There is a process. He has more patience than anyone watching. Including myself. But , If I had my own farm with a healthy food source once the acorns are gone??? It’s going to be great. This guy is the CLINT EASTWOOD of WHITE TAIL hunting. He knows what he’s doing!! Ever seen Pale Rider or Unforgiven? Oh , he’s going to kill things!! Be patient Billy Winke Eastwood! Luke 9:62

[@edwardclark5211]

Dream Big brother 🙏

[@troygaines4119]

Great video. Curious what map overlay is that in HuntStand? My contour lines are never that detailed. Thanks!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Troy. It is the Mapbox overlay. Have a great day.

[@OscarPerez-mn3po]

Thanks Bill, and best of luck in Nebraska! Just curious if you will be running your cameras through the gun hunt? It sure would be interesting to see how many more deer will be pushed on to your parcel to seek sanctuary from the surrounding gun hunters. That should make for a great bow late season. 👍

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Oscar. I will start running them right after the gun season again. I still have five out, but they are leftovers hanging over funnels, not sitting on food. Will be interesting for sure. Thanks for the support.

[@sureguy8124]

Very easy to hunt this land after gun season. Let everyone pressure deer onto your land. Wait till guns over. Go to foodplots and wait it out. Not really hunting, but it is what it is. Not bashing you either but that'll be easiest route.

[@bill-winke]

Late season has never been easy for me with a bow no matter how good it looks. The deer are so wary the margin for error is super thin.

[@The_Judge300]

The Code of Silence camo blends very well in at this time of the year, but your white faces are very visible to the deer. Specially when you move your heads as quickly as your camera man does when looking around. Then your white faces are like blinking warning signals that the deer can spot from far away. I highly advice that you use some sort of mask or camo paint. And at least move your heads way slower than that camera man did.

[@bill-winke]

Yes, that is a good point. They can definitely see faces moving. Hunting with two people and filming is not twice as hard, it is four times as hard. Thanks for the input. Have a great day.

[@johndenver5029]

This comment is racist

[@The_Judge300]

@@bill-winke I know how hard it can be, even with just an extra person present not filming. I have been taking many people out hunting to teach them to hunt and become good hunters, including my 3 kids, and all that extra movement and sounds make it much harder. I totally understand that filming must make it extremely much harder and that is why I think covering the faces in that situation and specially in late season with no leaves in the trees, will be of very much help avoiding getting detected by the deer.

[@basicinfo.9315]

I don't understand. Why don't you have them pegged? I haven't seen you looking for signs, deer trails, rubs, scrapes, droppings😊. I love watching you, but you just don't seem like the same Bill that I watched on Midwest Whitetail.

[@littlecreekbowclub5288]

Be guaranteed that he has a plan like always!!

[@jlipstraw45]

So the same bill that kills monster bucks every year lol lets see your trophy room bud

[@a.luchesa6823]

Why would one want to look for rubs and scrapes this time of the year? when he's on a farm with no pressure other than him, all about the food now , I think he's right on the money.

[@jeffamckee]

Habitat improvements is a process that takes many years develop a property for whitetails.

[@bungalized]

He’s always hunted like this, he hasn’t changed. Many of us have appreciated his process and patience. His strategy is fine and probably the best for his situation.

[@kurtpearson2793]

First

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the support Kurt.

[@waynepratt3222]

Curious why you don’t hunt out of saddle if standing facing the tree on traditional hang on?