A New Deer Meme: The 2 of 7 Rule

[shaman]

The idea of a meme pre-dates the Internet. A meme is a quantum of cultural knowledge. Nowadays, we are force-fed memes. They're waiting for us in our Inboxes. There are meme-generators and websites that track meme popularity.

Deer hunting has had its share of memes. "Hunt the Wind" is one that comes to mind. It makes perfect sense except that you're always downwind or upwind from something. Truth is, after almost 40 years, I've grown used to deer coming from every possible direction in relation to the wind.

Allow me to throw a "quantum of cultural knowledge" at y'all. It's my neighbor's crazy 2 of 7 Rule. O.D. is a self-styled deer expert that holds court at the local store. O.D. says a lot of crazy things, but once I heard the 2 of 7 Rule, I couldn't get it out of my head. If you have to state it simply, 2 of 7 means that deer will only do things on the basis of 2 of 7. They'll visit a stand only 2 of 7 days. They'll eat in the same end of the pasture 2 of 7 evenings. As a corallary, you can estimate that if you see a deer on Saturday morning, the chances of seeing that same deer on Sunday is about nil. They'll be back all right, but you'll be back at the office when they show up. Let's not discuss why. Assume it just is.

This 2 of 7 Rule stuck in my head. When I started watching my security cameras that I installed at deer camp, I realized what I was seeing was the 2 of 7 Rule playing out on a grand scale. Over the winter, I've been noting the deer movements over a large part of my farm, and the 2 of 7 Rule seems to be holding up. Granted, you have to cock your head kind of funny to see it, but it's there. See:

O.D’s 2 of 7 Rule May be Real!

My reason for flinging this at you is not to claim 2 of 7 is a revelation come down from on High, or that it is anything more than one of those things you hear sitting around the stove at the feed store on a rainy day. It is apocryphal and it comes from an apocryphal character. However, my guess is it's viral enough that it may stick in your head.

 

[KDdid]

This is great!! Now I’m waiting for the sequel, where you reveal how to determine which days are the two... Seriously, I always remember Roger Rotharr’s book, where he describes that in farm country you should be hunting the stale sign, because that means the deer will be coming back soon, especially in farm country small wood lots.


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[shaman]

Hmmm. Stale signs! Are those the ones where the paint is chipped and they're starting to rust?

I always wondered: is it better to hunt next to the deer signs with the most bullet holes or the least?

See: Funnels and Deer Sign

 

[shaman]

I ran some simulations in Excel using the idea that if you assume a hunter hunts 2 days a week from the same stand and there is one group of deer active in the area, how often would those deer and the hunter hook up.

2 days a week of hunting is normal for working guys who only get to hunt on the weekend, so it's kind of 2of7 vs 2of7.

The answer I came up with was over a 100 day deer season, the deer and the hunters would hook up about 5 times. If you assume two independent deer groups, each operating on the 2 of 7 Rule, you end up with 12-20 encounters over the same 100 day period. The latter simulation was enough cyphering that I had to take my socks off twice and I was so tired out afterwards that I had to take a nap.

 

[j-bird]

Very interesting concept......

 

[Chainsaw]

Sounds like a fantastic observation but cameras here show it not to happen here.

 

[Native Hunter]

Sounds like a fantastic observation but cameras here show it not to happen here.

Yep, same here Dave.

 

[Elkaddict]

I’ve noticed for some time, our biggest bucks rarely show two days in a row, even in the choicest plots before the pressure starts. I don’t know about the the 2 of 7 thing...but I figured out early on the stars have to align to get daylight sightings. During hunting season, excluding lockdown or chasing periods, it takes a combination of low wind (but from a common direction), little or no moon, and cold temps. When these conditions occur, which is fairly infrequent, a big buck appearing seems to be not quite a 50/50 thing. What this tells me is there are multiple factors which contribute to daylight un-pressured movement. And this is on a parcel where we by far and away, have the best food and thickest cover. My take away? Our best opportunity is post rut December MZ hunting, ot the first couple days of the bowhunt in October. Yes, pre rut brings significant movement, but even hunting downwind of ultra thick bedding areas or ambushing travel routes between cover and food is a crapshoot.

 

[Oakseeds]

the 2 of 7 rule certainly is interesting in relation to major league baseball. If you are a 1 for 7 hitter, you won't be around very long; however, go 3 for 7 over a season and win a batting title. A nice 2 for 7 average (285) will ensure a lengthy career, good pay, and a shot at the HOF if your defense is solid.

 

[shaman]

Yes, but how do the deer grab the bat?

You bring up a good point though. My Dad had it in his head that whenever he watched the Cincinnati Reds play, they'd lose. They were playing fairly bad baseball in the mid-60s, after the Frank Robinson trade. He was watching a game or two on TV every week. If the Reds were playing .500 ball, and he was watching only 2 nights a week, it might be that he'd go for weeks not seeing a win. This would be heightened by his habit of turning off the TV and going to bed if the Reds were down several runs going into the 7th. He'd miss the late-inning rallies, because he'd decided that he was a jinx.

Think about how that applies to this 2 of 7 thing. Let's say O.D. is partially right. Deer show up at the stand 2 of 7 days. You hunt 2 of 7 days. You get skunked a week or two in a row? You start going in early. You start staying in when it rains. The next thing you know you're sure the stand is jinxed.

Remember: this isn't about whether O.D.'s 2of 7 Rule is right or wrong. It's about how stuff like this gets into your head.

Look at hunt the wind. Some people get all wound up about picking the stand for the right wind condition. When they see deer playing by rule, it enforces their belief. When the deer show up at the back door, they say it was a fluke. I'm watching these security videos from camp. Most days, you can see which way the wind is blowing, and there seems to be no correlation between wind direction and where the deer pop up, or where they travel. For instance, I watched the deer day before yesterday come out in droves moving with the wind at their back. Some days you can see deer show up from 3 or 4 spots and all converge on one spot.

 

[Drycreek]

I don't know whether O D is right or wrong, but I say: If you stay in the woods long enough, over the years you will see most anything, and you can forget what doesn't suit your thinking and remember what does.

 

[j-bird]

Well the 2 of 7 rule holds true at my house...and it tends to be aimed at me!
2 of 7 days my wife is pissed
2 of 7 days my boy is pissed
2 of 7 days my oldest daughter is pissed
2 of 7 days my middle daughter is pissed
2 of 7 days my youngest daughter is pissed

In case your keeping count.....I have ran out of days in the week!!!

That means there is NO peace and quiet at my house and somebody in the house is pissed....at me!!!! I can;t wait for the weather to get nice so I can go hide outside!!!!

 

[shaman]

I can see why you go hunting.

 

[j-bird]

I can see why you go hunting.

I tell people all the time.....I don't actually hunt. I just go to the furthest corner of the property climb as far up in a tree as I can and wear camo to hide. They ask, "So then what is the gun for?" I tell them, "In case someone does find me - I threaten to shoot them if they tell my wife and kids where to find me!" I just drag home a road-kill deer once in a while to "sell" the story!!!!

My dad thought he was a jinx for our cubbies as well......I had to explain to him that our cubbies had a far bigger issue as they waited over 100 years and he was only in his 60's, the math just didn't add up!

 

[Osceola]

I'm always fascinated how people have a tendency to form opinions or even strong beliefs based on a handful of observations. As others above also pointed out, then we ignore any evidence that contradicts our belief and only pay attention to that which confirms it. Behavioral scientists have names for all these biases. They exist in everyone, but deer hunters seem especially susceptible.

 

[Osceola]

So I'm going to touch a nerve here, but I see this with scent control. If someone isn't scent busted, it's because of their scent control regimen. If they are, it's because it "wore off" after hours in the stand. When questioned about hunters who shoot mature deer year after year without scent control, they attribute it to luck or say they would shoot more or bigger deer if they practiced it. When experiment after experiment with dogs prove conclusively you can't prevent animals from smelling you, they say, "dogs aren't deer" or attack the methodology in some other way. Ce'st la vie.

 

[shaman]

Bingo.
I reverted to leather hunting boots back in 2003. I'd been using all-rubber boots for 20 years, and I'd had to ditch my last pair, because I had a raw nerve in my foot and the boots were aggravating it. I went back to a standard pair of 12" leather boots in hopes the nerve would not require surgery. I'd already had to have surgery on the other foot for the same thing and managed to miss the 1999 season as a result. I went out on the Opener in '99 and had to crawl back on my hands and knees. I was not looking forward to a repeat.

It just so happened that on the Opener, I got turned around on my way to the stand and instead of sneaking in, I stumbled my way to the stand, dragging those new boots with that new boot smell through the leaves as I went. I had my tag filled by 0700 that morning. The deer that came to my stand had walked practically in my footsteps for 50 yards.

See: The Savage Spoke . . .

Fast forward to 2007. Same stand. Rifle Opener. Same Boots. Again, I had my tag filled within 10 minutes from the start of season.

See: The Savage Speaks Again. . .

By then I'd figured out all that hooey about rubber boots only was highly suspect. Since then, I've tested the idea whenever I could. In most instances, I cannot get a reaction out of deer. In one case, I did see a doe walking with her head down, following my back trail, after I'd walked through 20 minutes earlier. However, she went less than 50 yards, turned around and walked out in another direction, switching her tail as she went. That was while I was attempting to hunt with my summer-weight leather hiking boots on with absolutely no scent moderation whatsoever.

On the other hand, you'll see guys in treestand in hip boots chewing chorlophyll gum swearing that the only thing that keeps them from busting deer is all the activated charcoal pills they take.

 

[Cap'n]

I agree with the 2 0f 7 rule if your talking about bucks. Especially from the time they shed their velvet until the chase phase. Once the chase phase / pre rut / & rut starts all bets are off and all understanding is only known by the bucks , their personality's, and that of the doe's that they pursue.
That's why getting your local doe's, in a comfortable pattern on a good piece of land, having everything they need to survive, is the best bet on taking the dominant buck in the area. Everything else is just marketing to convince the hunter his odds are better now that he has a ...(insert your latest hunting gear purchase here)

 

[Mennoniteman]

Well the 2 of 7 rule holds true at my house...and it tends to be aimed at me!
2 of 7 days my wife is pissed
2 of 7 days my boy is pissed
2 of 7 days my oldest daughter is pissed
2 of 7 days my middle daughter is pissed
2 of 7 days my youngest daughter is pissed

In case your keeping count.....I have ran out of days in the week!!!

That means there is NO peace and quiet at my house and somebody in the house is pissed....at me!!!! I can;t wait for the weather to get nice so I can go hide outside!!!!

Keep the queen happy and there will be peace in the kingdom.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Are you sure that the old philosopher didn't mean the two of seven rule for deer is similar to the two of three rule for airplanes; To fly a plane you need three things: speed, altitude, and power. You can make it back safely with any two of the three, but if you have just one you're going to crash. A similar parallel in deer hunting, there's seven things that make great deer hunting, but you are going need at least two of the seven to be successful, only one and the hunt will be a bust. #1 An accurate weapon that works, or, a buddy that pities you that much that he gives you his accurate weapon that works. #2 A really stupid deer in the vicinity that walks right up to you. #3 The ability to run down a deer and hold it until you figure out a plan. #4 A brand new pickup truck that has the uncanny ability to find a deer with it's grill. #5 A buddy that has the ability and the stupidity to find the deer and chase it to wherever you tell him to. #6 The good luck to fall out of your treestand right when the deer walks under you. #7 A local trophy deer farmer who left his gate open and is out chasing the deer with his tranquilizer gun. I find rules 1 and 2 to be the most reliable and recommend them for beginners. Hence the 2 out of 7 rule?