Delta deer hunting usually involves big fields or vast CRP and WRP lands, requiring that hunters be in a position to see and then shoot at long range.
“The way deer hunters hunt obviously depends greatly on the type of terrain, but I would guess the majority of deer hunters are using elevated stands or shooting houses of various types and function,” said Tommy Hoff, a biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and an avid Delta deer hunter.
“Hunting from an elevated stand gives the hunter a great advantage over the deer. Foremost, the hunters can see more clearly over longer ranges by being up in the air positioned over the hunting area. This is especially critical when it comes to CRP or WRP lands that have grown up in tall weeds or young trees. Elevated stands provide great visibility.”
Driving through the Delta, it’s common to see home-built or commercial shooting houses along the edges of fields or tucked away back in the corner of a piece of woods. Though unseen, you just know the woods are filled with lock-on stands, portable climbing stands or other kinds of ladder stands.
The stability of a fixed, strong-built elevated hunting stand contributes greatly to accurate long-range shooting, and being able to place the barrel of a rifle on the brace of a window or the top of a stand wall is vital.
But, not all hunters in the Delta play the same game.
Nathan Hartley, a long-time landowner who hunts in Tallahatchie County west of Charleston, doesn’t always rely on a high stand.
“I spend a lot of time scouting, stalking and hunting in the Delta because of the quality of the bucks,” he said. “I don’t really know if I can be called a typical Delta deer hunter or not. What I do know is that I have hunted deer in this region for over 20 years. I am a landowner in the region, manage my hunting property and assist others in managing theirs. We hunt deer, turkey and ducks any time we can.
“Though we own acreage up in the hills on the edges outlining the flat lands of the Delta, I much prefer to dedicate my big buck hunting to the Delta. That’s where the big bucks are.”
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