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12 Questions with Lone Wolf's Andrae D’Acquisto
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1/4/2011
An interview with Andrae D'Acquisto, whose lone-wolf approach to both business and trophy whitetail hunting has reaped incredible rewards.
by Mark Melotik
1. What's your opinion on some common mistakes people make when hunting trophy whitetails?
A.D. "I would say hunting 'year-old' sign is one—and not that year-old sign is not good, but in general, most people don't scout enough and they hunt too much. If you could hunt a day and scout two, your percentages [for trophy success] would go way up. [Most people] find one good spot and jump right in it. I'll find a spot holding four bucks in the 150-inch class and leave it and never come back, whereas most guys would spend all year there. I’m in a continuous cycle of scouting, then hunting, then looking for a new spot again.
"Or, a lot of guys will go in and set up a stand site in what they've determined is a hot spot—and then hunt it a day or two later. They just took their best opportunity, and let it cool down. I have stands that 'turn on' at certain times, and I've got to know when to use them. As an example, I found one spot that suddenly had huge rubs the size of your leg. It was just torn up, but due to a prior commitment, the next day I was leaving for a week of hunting elsewhere. I came back a week later, and the spot was ice cold. That opportunity had to be captured then and there. I needed to be there the next morning—not a week later. That's one of the biggest handicaps out there. A typical bowhunter who hunts weekends will think he's figured out a hot pattern, and then he goes home, and a week later everything's changed.
"Another big mistake is the thought of 'overhunting' a hot spot. I’ve seen guys leave red-hot spots that were really happening—and just let them fizzle out. I would say don’t back off and let that golden opportunity slip away you. When you find really hot sign you need to get on it and stay on it."
2. Your experience with trophy buck success in October also flies in the face of common wisdom. Early to mid October has traditionally been considered a time for bucks to lay low, and yet you’ve tagged plenty during this time period. How do you explain it?
A.D. "When most guys are experiencing what they call the 'October Lull' it's actually a case of the mature deer making circles around established, over-hunted stand sites. You think those deer aren't still moving around? They're just making circles around [sloppy hunters]. I feel the best time to kill a big deer is during the October lull—I'll bet 80 percent of my deer come from that time period. And in talking with some other good trophy hunters, I've heard pretty much the same. Because we're always out moving around reading sign, we're staying on those big deer. So we’re always patterning the deer—not letting the deer pattern you."
3. What do you consider a trophy whitetail—an animal that makes the Pope & Young recordbook?
A.D. "No, not any more. Actually, I think a trophy is whatever deer trips my trigger at the time, but these days, I've been trying to raise that bar to 170-plus inches. And the last few years, I guess what I'm looking for is a 200-inch typical. I have access to plenty of 150- and 160-class bucks each year, and find myself passing them. And that's because, if I know there's a 180- or 190-class buck on the property, it's tough for me to settle for anything less than what’s there. I know it doesn't sound [wise], but it doesn't make any sense to me to [settle for less than the biggest deer I know of.]
"You might think this crazy, but this past year, I was actually depressed that [my Illinois buck] was the best deer I knew of. I thought it would maybe gross 180 and net just below 170. But it had a pretty unique rack, and, considering I was filming for my TV show Whitetail Addictions, I thought I needed to take it. The gross score was 197 typical, and it will probably end up netting right at 180 typical. I had my heart set on a 170 typical and I didn't think it would make it. In the end I guess I misjudged the score."
4. You say you don’t like to hunt an area without knowing its potential for producing trophies, but how does a guy go about knowing the whereabouts of so many big bucks?
A.D. "I utilize a lot of trail cameras. In 2006 I was running about seven cameras, and this year, I'll probably be using about 20. I think it’s a great scouting tool. In a lot of states you can't shine any more. So if you want to figure out what's on a property, it can really put you in the game."
