Ben Thomson Interview - Parts 4 & 5

If you're not in the stand this week, you're missing what just might be the peak time to be deer hunting. At least according to local trophy hunter Ben Thomson. And considering he's killed at least one 150"+ deer every year since 2003 including one that netted 239 5/8", I'd say he's worth listening to.

Luckily for all of us, he was willing to sit with me earlier this month and share some tips on how he does it. I made a series of video clips from that interview and have been sharing them on this site. The first three segments can be found here, here, and here.

In these final two segments from my interview with Thomson earlier this month, we really get into some of the inner workings of his trophy hunting success. Part 4 here covers stand placement and calling strategies.

Some of my favorite takeaways from this segment include:

• There's more to playing the wind than just heeding its direction
• You can learn a lot by scouting in the late winter/early spring
• If you need to move a stand, move it
• Pay attention to crop rotations and adjust accordingly

One of the more surprising things I learned from Thomson in this segment is what he uses (or more specifically, what he doesn't use) for calls. 

In Part 5, the final segment in this series of videos from my interview with Ben Thomson, we get into the specifics of one of Thomson's most effective strategies for hunting big bucks: making mock scrapes. 

After that, we discuss when you need to make time to be in the stand. Granted, Thomson probably puts in more time than most of could ever hope to. But here we talk about when us Weekend Warrior types should really focus our efforts. 

Spoiler alert: It's now. As I write this on October 23, there's a cold front on its way. Deer are moving constantly - the past few days, I have seen deer out at all hours of the day. If you're not squeezing in. a couple hour hunt every evening, you're missing some prime deer hunting.

A lot of hunters think the best time to be in the stand is right at peak rut (which is arguably around November 7 in this part of the world). But Thomson has actually had better luck in the weeks before and after the week of "peak" rut. Why? The bucks are more responsive to calls when they're still on the hunt for does. Once they get paired up during that peak time, they're less apt to be pulled away.

So that concludes my series of videos from my interview with local whitetail expert Ben Thomson. If you liked these clips, if you learned something from any of them, and/or if you'd like to see similar interviews with other hunting "celebrities" from around the area, let me know. I have some in mind that I'd like to interview. 

And of course, if you have comments or insight of your own to share, please do. If nothing else, it'll give us something else to read while we're trying to stay awake in the stand.