Next, Sommers gets his hands on aerial photographs of the places he plans on hunting and does some research. He can usually look at a piece of property and determine if it has what he is looking for. He usually finds his photos on www.teraserver. com. After looking at photos and finding potentially good areas, he heads to the woods to locate places he found in the images.

“It is not uncommon to go to a place I found on a photo and find scrapes and rubs,” Sommers said. “Using photos has been a great help in locating big bucks.”

TREE STAND PLACEMENT
Once he has narrowed down his search, he looks for a good spot to hang a tree stand. He said tree stand placement is key to putting himself in position to kill a buck.

“I read everything I can about whitetails,” Sommers said. “I remember reading stories by Bill Winke about stand placement and how important it can be. Reading magazines like North American Whitetail have taught me a lot about stand placement. I like putting a stand as close to a bedding area as I can.”

Sommers uses a hang-on tree stand with screw-in steps. He keeps his steps in a backpack. Each one is wrapped in hockey tape. This keeps the steps quiet as he sets up his stand.

“I am obsessed with being quiet,” he said. “I usually pack in as well. I could drive a short distance to many of my stands, but I will walk a long way with everything strapped on my back. I will get close to a bedding area, a swamp or a scrape. The first time I hunted a new place last year, I killed a buck that scored 133 with my bow by sneaking into a buck’s bedroom and waiting for him to come out. I think the fact that I sneaked in silently is the reason I was able to bag that buck. I always pay attention to all of the little details that a lot of guys overlook, like making noise.”

ELIMINATING SCENT
Sommers also makes sure he is always scent-free.