Raked entry trails

[Deer Stuffer]

Raking a trail to my stand is something I learned from this site. This is the first year I tried it. I hunt three different properties. None of which I own. One place has big oak hardwoods. Let me tell you the leaves are NOISY when walking in
and out to hunt. Earlier in the year a took a large yard rake midday and raked a trail to my stand. I absolutely love it. Just recently I went for an evening sit. I slipped down the raked trail on the dirt and crawled up my tree. I was just getting set up with my bow, release, nocking arrow etc. Probably less than five minutes I hear a very noisy deer coming in said noisy leaves before I ever saw him. A nice 3.5 y/o ten point came in to eat. He wasn't a target deer but the point was made. Im pretty confident the trail was the success to the encounter. Which made me wonder how many deer I didn't see over the years because of noisy walk in. Especially the times I checked trail cameras and had mature bucks there days I wasn't hunting. Hmm, slow learner.
I love my trails however the only downside I see is a different property I just raked a trail to slip in backside of ground blind is covered in deer tracks. The deer must like it to. Now the deer can come in behind me and I can't see them from blind. Last night hunting with my daughter I thought we had a great wind but got snorted at close to trail. We never saw the deer.

 

[OkieKubota]

Yep...I do them every fall...even get my tractor right up to my tree and all the way along my walking path...

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[BoneCrusher20]

I've always tried to rake certain trails in where i know i need some stealth to not kick deer out of their beds or like just off of field edges where i need to sneak out at night into the woods. I actually have one that comes up a ridge that i've been raking for 5-10 years in that same stand and the deer use it like its a highway, i think they like walking through woods quiet as well.

To try and combat deer walking my trail and getting spooked i've used nose jammer for my boots and that has mild success with the doe groups seeming to be spooked and the bucks notice it but not as concerned. 2nd approach is my bike, if the trail terrain is not overly tough i've been biking in which virtually no human scent trail is left behind and hide bike under some pine bows next to my tree.

 

[j-bird]

Looks like Okie is hosting a parade! To be honest if I had the means to use a rake like that, I would too. I have done this in the past, with just a leaf rake. Biggest issue I had was a good windy day from the wrong direction and your path needed "re-opened". I bet Okie don't have that problem. I also found that if your trail turns sharply or the like it will reduce the odds of the deer following the trail the entire way. I found this because my "path" had to go between two downed tree tops.....the deer would follow the path to those and then go around them (and make noise) vs "squeeze" between them... I do this if I can by going between two really close trees and the like as well. It sounds dumb....but it seemed to work to some extent.

Something about fresh exposed soil seems to just draw deer's attention....not sure why but it does. Not sure there is much you can do to prevent the deer from using the same path other than try to keep that in mind when choosing your route and maybe be able to keep an eye on it.

You can get you some rear-view mirrors for your stand if you are worried about deer coming up from behind....don't laugh, they make/made them.

It's also a great idea to rake out from around your tree/blind so you can set your gear down and the like and not make so much noise as well. It also reduces the noise should you drop something from the stand as well....might even help you find whatever it is you dropped. Took us almost an hour to find a silenced, dropped cell phone once.

 

[OkieKubota]

Here is my trail to my favorite setup taken about an hour ago...

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[THE LLC]

I like a battery powered blower.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Battery blower X2

 

[Tap]

For maintaining trails during the season, I rake my trails with a Judo tipped arrow. Im only cleaning the spot where I need to place my foot.
Leaf noise is not the problem, its the INTENSITY of the leaf noise. Heavy animals definitely make a "harder" sound on dry leaves than squirrels. The crunch has a different sound with heavy critters.
Thinning the top layer of leaves with a judo still makes noise but its "soft" noise. I don't sound like a human, I sound more like noisy squirrels or turkeys. And each trip to the stand gets progressively quieter.

 

[KDdid]

In Barry Wensel’s new hunting tactic video series he describes using a regular garden hoe to clean out individual foot sized circles to step in. This might help keep the deer from taking over your entry path.


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[coolbrze0]

Yep! I use a Stihl BR600 backpack blower

 

[Native Hunter]

I rake my entry trail:

 

[Mennoniteman]

I rake my entry trail:

Is that outdoor carpet or astroturf?
A lot of great ideas here. One question that's been repeated is, how to keep deer from using your raked access trail? I try to design the trail to be a dead end, to not go anywhere, by cutting trees and brush into a windrow along each side of the access trail leading to a dead end at my stand, kindof forming a long narrow U with brush.. When I'm in the stand I'm then obviously hunting deer that are in the area beyond this barrier system, whether it be a food plot, travel corridor, or oak flat. The barrier system serves multiple purposes, including funneling the deer to where I want them, keeping them off my access trail, providing visual sight cover to walk in, and especially, to keep the deer out of my downwind area. A setup like this is a very deadly deer harvest machine, and can be reworked as needed. If there is no material on site to make my barriers I haul it in with FEL or drag some in with an ATV.

 

[Tap]

I rake my entry trail:

I've done similar to that for years...kept mowed strips thru the high stuff all year. Early fall, its like a carpet. Zero noise walking on it.
Then, within 2 days in late October, it becomes a blanket of dry leaves that's impossible to sneak thru.
Same with wooded trails when they were prepped before the leaf drop.
No way I want to disturb the access just to re-rake the trails.
That's when a judo point shines. I can rake and "soften" or thin the leaf bed when I access the stand. I still make noise, but I sound like turkey or squirrels. Access trail prepping and raking is good, but the leaf drop will destroy a prepped trail. Carry a judo tipped arrow for in-season trail maintenance.

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[Native Hunter]

I've done similar to that for years...kept mowed strips thru the high stuff all year. Early fall, its like a carpet. Zero noise walking on it.
Then, within 2 days in late October, it becomes a blanket of dry leaves that's impossible to sneak thru.
Same with wooded trails when they were prepped before the leaf drop.
No way I want to disturb the access just to re-rake the trails.
That's when a judo point shines. I can rake and "soften" or thin the leaf bed when I access the stand. I still make noise, but I sound like turkey or squirrels. Access trail prepping and raking is good, but the leaf drop will destroy a prepped trail. Carry a judo tipped arrow for in-season trail maintenance.

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I don't have a leaf problem with this trail. It goes to my blind out in the middle of a big NWSG field. The closest trees are about 140 yards away. The location and entry were designed with three things in mind: (1) undetected entry and exit, (2) seeing key locations, and (3) being able to beat the wind under nearly any circumstances. It's working well.

 

[Tap]

I don't have a leaf problem with this trail. It goes to my blind out in the middle of a big NWSG field. The closest trees are about 140 yards away. The location and entry were designed with three things in mind: (1) undetected entry and exit, (2) seeing key locations, and (3) being able to beat the wind under nearly any circumstances. It's working well.

I wasn't saying it wasn't working or can't work. Just pointing out that even with mowed or blowed trails, in certain situations, can be leafed over literally in one day.

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[Native Hunter]

Is that outdoor carpet or astroturf?
A lot of great ideas here. One question that's been repeated is, how to keep deer from using your raked access trail? I try to design the trail to be a dead end, to not go anywhere, by cutting trees and brush into a windrow along each side of the access trail leading to a dead end at my stand, kindof forming a long narrow U with brush.. When I'm in the stand I'm then obviously hunting deer that are in the area beyond this barrier system, whether it be a food plot, travel corridor, or oak flat. The barrier system serves multiple purposes, including funneling the deer to where I want them, keeping them off my access trail, providing visual sight cover to walk in, and especially, to keep the deer out of my downwind area. A setup like this is a very deadly deer harvest machine, and can be reworked as needed. If there is no material on site to make my barriers I haul it in with FEL or drag some in with an ATV.

It just grass that's been mowed with a lawn mower.

Your idea about a dead end is what I have here. The trail starts at my gate and ends at my blind in the middle of an NWSG field. There is no reason at all for a deer to use it. However, I have other trails that are heavily used where deer travel to different features (bedding, plots, cruising, etc.}. A lot of thought went into this.

Where I live, we don't have many mature bucks, so to get one, nothing is more important than putting in the time. In a lot of situations, when you put in the time, you also alert the deer. That doesn't happen here. I can hunt the same place every day of season if I want to and never be detected.

 

[Native Hunter]

I wasn't saying it wasn't working or can't work. Just pointing out that even with mowed or blowed trails, in certain situations, can be leafed over literally in one day.

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Yes, I understand. It's almost impossible when the leaves are really coming down and you are close to any trees. My yard at home is the perfect example. I have lots of trees and for a while it is impossible to keep clean.

 

[weekender21]

It just grass that's been mowed with a lawn mower.

I can hunt the same place every day of season if I want to and never be detected.

Native, is your access good enough to do this with bow hunting stands too? We have almost 1k feet of elevation change on our place and I have several places that could be rifle hunted with the deer completely unwitting. I struggle to find the same bomb proof access for archery hunts. I spend way too may hours a day trying to plan future access.

 

[Native Hunter]

Native, is your access good enough to do this with bow hunting stands too? We have almost 1k feet of elevation change on our place and I have several places that could be rifle hunted with the deer completely unwitting. I struggle to find the same bomb proof access for archery hunts. I spend way too may hours a day trying to plan future access.

I would say "no" it isn't good enough for the prime bow hunting spots. However, I've had some good deer to randomly come within bow range of this blind in the middle of the grass field. One example was this year when we had a 155 to do so, but we let him go hoping for another year of growth. He was shot later on in the season at a nearby farm, so that didn't work out.

I could probably help things for bow hunting by mowing a trail near the blind that leads from food to bedding. I wouldn't join it to the entry trail. That would likely work pretty well, but the chance of getting busted would still be there.