Tips for Bowhunting Deer in Open Country

If you’re familiar with K.C. Smith and Tyler Jones of the Element crew, then you know they spend a ton of time chasing whitetails all over the country, especially the plains states. You can check out some of their cool hunts here at MeatEater or over on YouTube. Since we’re in the thick of summer, I spoke with K.C. to find out how he preps for bowhunting open country. Here’s what he had to say.

K.C. emphasized that time in the field matters most. While you can’t exactly replicate a real hunting scenario, there are practical things you can do during the summer to prepare. For instance, he pointed out that shooting on windy days and in varying positions is a great way to practice for typical open country conditions.

“You have to practice on super windy days,” he said. Practice with your quiver on/off, depending on how you plan to hunt. It’s also a great idea to shoot from your knee or other nontypical positions.”

K.C. stressed this last point about shooting in different stances. He noted that he “rarely” takes a shot from a perfect stance in the field. In fact, he said that most of his shots occur from kneeling, sitting, or hunched positions. Practice these different positions regularly, and they’ll come second nature in the field.

Regarding archery practice, K.C. said that most bowhunters don’t understand their setups enough. For instance, many archers practice shooting at different yardages in whole-number increments. Unfortunately, deer rarely stop broadside at twenty yards. If they do, consider it a gift. Since that’s rarely the case, you need to practice and learn your gaps. Even if you’re shooting a single pin, practice shots at varied distances and angles you might encounter in the field.

Bowhunting open country requires an obvious amount of stealth. Unless you have a ton of distance or terrain between you and the deer, you’ll bust them. However, K.C. warned that if you’re too careful, you might miss a lot of deer.

“Things tend to happen so much faster in the field,” he said. “If you sit back and wait too long, you’ll miss your opportunity. There’s a time to be sneaky, and there’s a time to make it happen. I’ve hunted from the ground a ton, and you can get away with a lot more than you think.”

Obviously, you can’t move with deer in your lap, but you don’t have to worry about making small, calculated movements when you need to get in position for a shot. Part of this also includes taking a deer’s “temp,” as K.C. pointed out.

“If a buck is keyed up, it might be harder to get away with moving or making any noise,” he said. “But if it’s the rut, he’s cruising or tending a doe, you’d be surprised at what you can get away with. Sometimes you can convince them that you’re a deer and they’ll come check you out.”

For flighty deer, K.C. said it’s best to watch them for a while. “If you have to, wait until they bed and move in for a stalk.”

While you can get away with a lot more than traditional whitetail literature preaches, K.C. acknowledged that you need to know how your equipment operates and eliminate anything that might blow your cover. For K.C., zippers, loud pants, or anything that makes unnatural sounds don’t go into the field.

“You have to be mindful of everything,” he said, “even something as simple as putting your rangefinder into your pouch. That’s why the magnetic closures on the FHF bino harness are so fantastic. They don’t just slam shut like other ones.”

K.C. also suggested that you need to operate your gear intuitively and practice getting to it quickly. It’s not just enough to have good gear; you have to be good with it. Whether it’s the type of pants you choose or your rangefinder, you need to know how they operate in certain conditions, whether they scratch against brush, or how you can access something without looking.

For ground hunting open country, K.C. said he tends to run a lighter layering setup. Even if it’s cold, he doesn’t wear bulky pants. Instead, he needs something lighter like First Lite’s .308 Pant, which allow him to stay mobile without sweating a ton. Of course, he’s figured out these things through time in the field, but encourages hunters not to wait until then to learn the hard way.

One of the unique things about hunting in vast, open country is that you have plenty of visible room to roam. Even though K.C. runs a mobile setup, he always packs enough for unexpected adventures.

“Just make sure you’re prepared,” he said. “A lot of times, you don’t know if you’ll be gone half an hour or all day. Pack plenty of snacks and water. Even if you have a minimalist pack, at least carry a knife and some game bags if you happen to kill a deer a mile from the truck.”