Ambushing the route for nocturnal bucks

I sat silently in my tree stand with bow in hand as the autumn light faded. I had been watching a nice buck for a few minutes — first, as it approached and stepped cautiously through the stand of young evergreens. Later, as it stopped at the edge of that cover, 40 yards from my bait pile. There he stood, majestic and motionless, screened by fragrant boughs. From that vantage point he surveyed the bait pile, apparently waiting for all the long shadows to meld into night. And wait, he did. At times like this, as the last minute of legal hunting hours draws nearer, every hunter is faced with a difficult choice. Should I try to quietly case my bow, remain in the stand, and be quiet until the deer leaves on its own? Or should I only stay for as long as it is legal, then descend, and perhaps scare it off for good? Luckily, I often bring a slingshot with me to scare squirrels or raccoons off my bait pile. So, seconds later, I launched a ball-bearing from my slingshot into the thicket, and the noise of that projectile ricocheting through the nearby foliage was enough to send it on its way, none the wiser that I had been there. It was a small victory. On the way home, however, I realized I had to do something different, if I was going to have another chance at that cautious deer. Dealing with the latecomers I’d bet most deer hunters have had run-ins with bucks like that. I’m talking about those frustrating, almost-nocturnal deer that show on your trail camera, immediately after legal hunting hours have ended, often mere minutes after you’ve left the stand. Or, as in my example, a deer that waits out of range in plain sight until dark. In either situation, ambushing their route is an excellent tactic to consider. It’s an old ploy that fewer hunters seem to consider these days — mostly because it requires that you leave your bait site, and we all know what can happen when you do that. Yet, there are times when you’ll peruse through many trail camera photos of a nice deer that consistently shows up just after last light. Then, you’ll either have to decide to wait until the deer comes in daylight, or take the risk. Luckily, ambushing the route is simple and sometimes