Customer Reviews

Mapping Trophy Bucks

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Many whitetail deer hunters take a leisurely stroll through the woods, find a rub or scrape, and climb the nearest tree. Then they wonder why they hunt day in and day out only to see nothing. Brad Herndon reveals the secrets of using various terrain features to your advantage in order to maximize your chances of taking a whitetailed deer -- be it a doe for the freezer or a trophy buck.

Deer are creatures of habit, and just like humans, they prefer to take the easiest route from Point A to Point B. Sure deer visit areas where you find sign, but how often? Perhaps they visit these areas outside of legal hunting hours. Your best bet is to locate certain terrain features that deer prefer in order to best spend your time in the woods. Topographical maps are the key to locating these hotspots.

Now let me speak from personal experience, as I have been a fan of Brad Herndon's work for many years. I started following his monthly terrain articles in Whitetail Hunting Strategies magazine and followed his advice. The hunting locations that I chose based on his information lacked deer sign and I actually had hunting partners scoff at my chosen locations at times. But they aren't laughing anymore. I've taken 7 mature bucks in the last 9 seasons by following Brad's advice.

Brad Herndon is a wildlife photographer by trade, and this expertise shows in this book. Excellent color photos are found on virtually every page. His illustrations show that the average guy (and gal) can take trophy bucks. Even his wife has taken some bruiser bucks -- and these weren't harvested on managed ranches or large food plots as is commonly seen on televised hunting shows. No, the Herndons hunt public and private land near their home, picking their stand locations from topographical maps from the comfort of their log home.

If you honestly want to increase your deer sightings, then you need to check out this book. You'll be amazed at the results.

I am not the worlds greatest whitetail hunter by any stretch. But I very much enjoy reading books about hunting and trying to improve my skills as a deer hunter. When I saw the description of this book I knew I had to have it.

Let me start out by saying that I like Herndon's style. He condenses pertinent information and uses good examples. After reading the topography information I can pinpoint reasons I saw or didn't see deer at a particular stand location. The material on wind is simply outstanding and makes me realize how many times I screwed up.

Besides finding deer trails and the like, Herndon does not put too much stock in sign. As a matter of fact he basically states that rubs and scrapes will not get you as far as the method of finding good terrain funnels. This is very much a contrast to the likes of Greg Miller who almost exclusively use sign, especially rub lines, when finding stand sites. I don't fault Herdon for this, but don't totally agree either.

Being from Indiana I enjoyed this book even more since I recognized many of the specific features Herndon writes about. I also appreciated his honesty regarding lost opportunities and hunts that didn't work out so well. Particularly the story about a bow shot that perhaps should not have been taken.

The only knock I have on this book is a personal one: I get tired of feeling like everything is an advertisement. What I mean is that many of the pictures seem staged and of course, everybody is 'Team Realtree' or what not.

Pick this book up...

This book is OK, it is pretty basic unless you are a complete novice at deer hunting. If you know anything about deer you will find the information a little lacking in details. Most of the illustrations are a little oversimplified. For example, in one instance he tells how to approach your stand. Of course the drawing has an arrow showing entry into the woods so as not to cross a deer trail. Well, it generally isn't that simple. A lot of the pages are full page full color pictures of the author and his wife with their deer.
I give it a three because if nothing else it makes you aware of another tool to use to find deer. But as an experienced hunter I have been using GPS, TOPO, satellite images for years. As soon as GOOGLE Earth gets more detailed for my hunting area this should make scouting all the easier. If you are new to hunting get the book. If you've been at it awhile, it's ok. Nothing really new.

I would like to say that I am an avid deer hunter that spends 50 or more days a year deer hunting. With that being said, I am always looking for ways to improve my skills. I bought this book because I thought it would teach me how to read topo maps. The book explains the concepts of using topo maps. But does very little to teach you how to use them!! This is still a very good book that a beginner and some experienced hunters can learn from. the books is one of the best books that I have read that explains what kind of terrain to look for, and where to set up your deer hunting stands. I think the book will help you kill more deer. If the book had more on how to read topo maps I would have given it a 5 star rating. After all it is titled mapping trophy bucks.

This book from front to back is a good detailed description of how to design a great hunt for trophy deer and is a good off-season read. The author is very sincere in his writing and the reading is more along the lines of conversation than it is text-book/field manual. Though informal in the writing style I have learned from this book!
One problem is the formatting is a little awkward at points. The transparency on the text boxes makes it hard to read some of the paragraphs which are superimposed onto photos. I understand what they were trying to do but it takes away from the reading trying to translate words obscured by the background. Also, while the conversation style is endearing some words get repeated often as if holding a conversation with someone who says "ummm.." or "like" too often.
Overall my advice is to buy this book and follow the author's advice!

Brad's book teaches the reader to use maps in finding deer stands. That makes it worth buying all by itself. Anyone that reads this book will understand how to pull it off. Unless their hunting land is flat, reading maps is a huge benefit. Even if it is, Brad does cover finding and hunting funnels that have nothing to do with terrain. Almost every hunter can benefit from this book.

THROUGH MY AMAZEMENT, AFTER READING THIS BOOK AND PUTTING IT TO WORK. I'VE FOUND MORE DEER ACTIVITY IN FUNNELS AND SADDLE AS EXPLANED IN THIS BOOK. IT A REAL EYE OPENER!

OK fellow sportsmen, here is the deal.......and I mean the REAL deal: you need this book! I have been hunting since I could walk and I almost 40. I have a bookcase full of good books and some are just plain ole good reads but this one stands way out. This book will flat out guaranteed work if your a rookie or a veteran like me. Ther are proven methods for any terrain you hunt. And this book will not only teach you how to use the terrain tour advantage but it will save you tons of headaches. It also tells you how the wind and thermals really work and effect deer, not just how to hunt the wind.

There are no easy ways to bag a big buck, it takes hard work, total dedication, and an understanding of how he uses terrain to leave the bed of your truck empty and scratching your head why you didn't see any shooter deer. This book takes some practice, but if you give it a honest shot on a few hunting trips, your lightbulb will come on. It's easy to read and understand and it will make you a better hunter. I hunt in several states with a lot of different terrain and used to have a tough time figuring things out, but now I spend a little time looking at a map and it makes my entire trip so much better and productive. My buddies scratch their heads at the places I choose to hunt and do so in a quick manner. I start hunting as soon as I arrive while they do a hunt/scout combo for the first day and a half or so. Most of the time they finally put the pieces together, but its on the last day and we have a long drive home the next day thru a lot of states. I have already tagged out before they even start hunting. They call me the luckiest #%++*^%% in camp, but it's not luck; its the proven knowledge of how deer use terrain and how you can look at a map and in just. A few minutes know what terrain the deer are using and you can start hunting. You still have to put your time in, but it's not as much time when you use terrain to your advantage. My time in the deer woods seems to be limited more and more these days and I always learn what I can to give me an advantage.....and this book is it. I use it as a reference every year. I have a book shelf full f good books that anyone can borrow, but this book is mine. I don't lend it out and I don't tell my buddies about it. Do what you can to get a copy and you'll never regret it.

I don't own a huge piece of property, I live in the mid west but it's not like what you see on tv. It's big hill country with alot of swirling wind, and woods full of deer who know what a hunter is. I don't have the luxury of hunting exclusive low pressure property with a stand over looking a food plot. But after reading this book I found out that doesn't matter. I even enjoy hunting public land now because I know what I am looking for whereas most hunters clearly do not. I known because I used to do the same things that other hunters did, which was getting smoked by educated whiitetails who knew how to fool and lose hunters just like me. And they did so with ease. Y This is the only book I have read that it truly doesn't matter where you hunt, how you hunt, and what type of weather you hunt (I have a lot of books that guys are great hunters but only if they can track in the snow). It's proven for anywhere you wanna hunt whiitetails. There are really only a few things deer do: eat, drink, reproduce, and use terrain to do these three things. Big whiitetails are INCREDIBLY SMART. Get this book and be smarter than other hunters in the woods and that big buck your after.

Wcb

Being as how I am new to Deer hunting I was completely lost. During my countless hours of research on the subject I kept running across this book as a necessary read. I had ordered other books from Amazon and they did provide great insight in the matter but there was something still missing. After a month into the 2011 hunting season I was very dismayed from the fact that after hours on stand I still wasnt seeing anything. There was deer sign like droppings, trails, rubs, and in some cases scrapes but still yet nothing showed up during my time on stand but squirrels. I finally decided to order this book, and it was the best decision I have made yet. When the book got here I sat right down and started reading. I skimmed through the book at first but then went back and went chapter by chapter ensuring that I understood each one before moving on to the rest. Once done I went and looked at a map of the area I hunt and saw it in a whole new light. Terrain features and funnels mesmerized on the page. I decided for my next hunt of the area I was going to pass the usual spots and go for one of the features the book pointed out. I have to say I was not at all disappointed, my very first hunt I saw a DOE!! The rest of the season I used the techniques outlined in this book and every hunt I see deer, sometimes the book is so on point that I am jumping deer as I go in to setup my stand. I promise without a doubt that if you are new to deer hunting and need something to help you this book will do it. You will not be disappointed.

If you're looking for a book that has great ideas on topo mapping and stand placement this is your book. After reading this book you should be able to save A LOT of time by having multiple areas to place your stand. However, you will still need to do some ground work to figure the best spot-using these ideas just give you a short cut to the best possible ones.