BANKS BLOG

We’re in the last couple weeks of deer hunting season here in Minnesota and many hunters will be out in the woods, braving the cold, and preparing to harvest some wild game for their holiday dinner table. While some hunters only focus on harvesting bucks, proper doe management can be beneficial to keeping the ecosystem in order with an appropriate ratio of bucks to does. Check out this week’s blog for some “FYI’s” about the importance of harvesting does.

We’re in the last month of deer hunting season here in Minnesota, with the season ending on Dec. 31. The weather has been below 30 degrees for a while here, which means we are officially below freezing temps. It’s important to stay safe as you venture out into these conditions, which means staying as warm as possible. Our Banks Outdoors products can help with that. Learn more about how our accessories can keep you warm during these freezing December hunts.

Mild fall weather is giving way to harsh winter temperatures, taking with it the wild bucks that are doing nothing but searching for does. Now that rut season is on the decline as we enter December, you’ll need to adjust your hunting strategy to account for the cool down of the reproductive energy you saw throughout the fall months. There’s still time to harvest that buck you’ve had your eye on all year before the season closes on Dec. 31. Here are some tips on how to adjust your hunting strategy as the rut season, and hunting season, comes to an end.

Happy Thanksgiving! Some of you might be enjoying a hunt over the holiday, so we’ve got some tips on how you can recover the harvest and bring it back for your Thanksgiving table. It’s not uncommon for a hunter’s shot to land in the vital area deer but not drop it right away, causing the deer to bound off into the woods. Vital area shots will always eventually but fatal, but it doesn’t always happen immediately. You’ll need to be able to track down the deer to recover your harvest once it inevitably perishes. Here are some tips on how to track a wounded deer and recover your harvest.

Hiding your scent is one of the defining features of our Stump blinds. Our Carbon Filters are another tool you can use to help eliminate scent. If you keep the doors and windows closed, having the Carbon Filters in your air vents is that third level of protection to distance the deer herd’s noses from your presence. Learn more about our Carbon Filters, below.

Rut season brings about a flurry of deer activity as bucks try to find and mate with does in estrus. Normally deer tend to be the most active in early and late night hours, but during rut season all bets are off as they try to breed. It’s possible to see a herd of bucks pass through in the middle of the day during these fall months. We’ve got some tips, below, on how you can use your Stump blind to make the most of the midday rut when other hunters might have already called it quits.

We’re right in the thick of rut season, so it’s time to break out those antler rattlers, ramp up the calling intensity and call in some doe-crazed bucks. Our Stump 4 360° hunting blind provides you with the opportunity to shoot from multiple windows all around the blind. The 360° view was designed with the hope that you’ll never miss an opportunity for a buck because of a bad angle. Learn more about our innovative blind, below.

Like most animals, deer need a consistent water source to function properly. Deer are in-tune to what their body needs and they know when something isn’t right. If their gut or other body functions feels sub-optimal, they recognize that they don’t feel good and seek out ways to fix it. That’s where the Wild Water® Systems come in. By placing our systems around your property, you’re giving the deer herd consistent access to the water they need and they’ll start to associate your property with vital nutrition.

Deer feeders are a great way to keep deer on your property as the weather cools, crops start getting collected and the deer’s normal food sources get a little more scarce. Use our deer feeders, like the Feedbank 300 Gravity Deer Feeder, to keep the herd on your property throughout the entire hunting season.

Once you find the perfect hunting spot, it can be tempting to lock in on that one area. But if you hunt it too often, you’ll end up overhunting the area and sabotaging yourself. The best way to avoid overhunting your favorite spots early in the season is to make sure your scent is always contained, switch up your spots, and put enough days in between.