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So I will be at camp from Wednesday evening till Saturday evening. Besides over looking a field, where would you recommend I be focusing my attention? Calls? rattles? Just shut up? I have swamp, cedar, hardwoods, fields, pretty much all deer habitat. If you were me where would you be going IF over a field wasn't in the cards?
Keeping the wind in mind (crosswind or in your face). I would still hunt the area, swamp/cedar edges and/or any trails running through the property. 3 steps, stop and look, repeat until you see something or find a nice spot to sit and wait a few minutes before doing it all over again....
Good luck
Style of hunting depends on how much property you have, but as for the areas you mentioned, I too would focus on cedar swampy areas and the trails leading from them. without intruding into those bedding areas, unless you have multiple areas like that and want to try a real soft still hunt "push" midday with one or two guys posted
Apart from that, I would try and be as unobtrusive as possible into the environment. By this late in the deer season, the deer have heard and smelled it all for the last month. I'd much rather just blend in quietly as possible rather than attract attention by calling, rattling and using scents.
Good luck on your hunt. Hopefully you'll get some bonus snow. Btw what do you have for a camp? Many guys going up?
Cheers
Living in an agricultural area, I'm fortunate that my property and the one next to me are transition areas from bedding area to food. Thru the years I have found trails that are use fairly consistently and have set up blinds/stands to wait in ambush.
I do use scent sticks back there, they are curious enough at this time of the year to be drawn in by them, very successful using them thru the years.
Last week, when we had snow down, I was able to relocate a new trail that is now about 50 yds from where the old one was. So I moved my pop-up about 40 yds west yesterday to watch over it next week.
I don't sit on field edges, haven't for many years, I hunt back in the bush where they deer are moving during daily light hours Far to frustrating waiting till that last 15 minutes of light at dusk on a tree line. Especially during ML week, if I remember correctly, I've shot my last 10 or so deer mid afternoon and had then hanging in the barn by sunset.
Good Luck to you next week...
This time of year deer are focused on food! Bait if you can & concentrate on the food sources... :)
This has been our experience too. Great time to shoot a nice buck if you can key on a good food source, whether sitting on it or along a trail leading to it. My dad had a clean miss on a nice buck a few years ago shortly before last light. I sat in the same stand the following night and that same deer came out and I was able to harvest him. He didn't have a cup of fat over his whole body, no wonder he was so hungry. Probably had been chasing does for the past few weeks and worn himself down.Quote:
Originally Posted by bellerivercrossbowhunter
I have kept my baits running since the end of the shotgun season and noticed last week when I changed the camera chips that a few new bucks where in the area, which leads me to believe they have shifted to food sources, especially as I am getting a lot more daytime photos of the bigger bucks. Best of luck to all next week!
So I have a farm house and there should be 4 others but I will be the only one with muzzleloader.Quote:
Originally Posted by smitty55
So attached is my hunting area. Where would you all be?
this pic is what I have access to. pink dots are stands I have up. open to other spots if something seems appealing.
It looks like you got a ton of bush to still hunt. I would walk in at legal light and still hunt to a stand that has some trails/intersections (deer activity around it). I would do the same for an evening hunt, start still hunting the 1.5 hrs before end of legal light.Quote:
Originally Posted by marky.mark
I guess setting up in any tree stand that has deer sign with the right wind can't be a bad thing either.
Good luck and be safe, as there are no sure things when it comes to hunting.
I used to say the only sure thing that's required and beyond our control is 'Luck'...:)Quote:
Originally Posted by fratri
But luck is only the intersection of preparedness and opportunity - so we can have quite a bit of influence on "Luck".Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePal
That's why we have the appearance of hunters and fishermen who appear to be "luckier" than others.
But some would say opportunity is Luck...you can do everything right, be in the right place right time etc etc...but what walks into your shooting lane be it a Doe, Spike or 8 point and gives you the opportunity to fill your tag , ....is Luck of the draw.Quote:
Originally Posted by werner.reiche
I saw it just last weekend..guys first time hunting, borrowed a rifle and blind...no preparedness...was in it 45 minutes and a Huge 8 point Rack walks within 20 yds of him..Luck, pure and simple. Further his gun wasn't armed, the firing pin wasn't cocked, no shot. Went back out that night same spot and within an hour the same Buck comes back to the same spot....Horse shoe up the butt kind of Luck.
Some guys seem to have more of it than others...
I usually have 5-6 Bucks walking the bush....which one comes by when I'm in the stand...is pure Luck..
What you really need to do is get out and hunt. When you spend enough time in the woods a deer will give itself to you.
He could always ask one of us to come hunt his property then let him know where we shoot any deer so he can setup there next year. I know I would willingly go find some good spots for him if it meant new hunting opportunity.Quote:
Originally Posted by lazyman
Markymark....if you are bowhunting the area too you will see seasonal patterns. there not always in the same spots during the 3month hunting season. Anyone can put a pin on a map for you but if you dont do your homework first, hunting will be purely luck for you.
Best advice ever - setup where there is sign.
Dont over think it too much. setup on good sign and be patient. And tell your buddies they should buy a muzzleloader instead of relying on you to fill their tag
I think you're right about over thinking it. All those dots is where there is plenty of sign. As soon as nov 1 came, all deer seemed to have evaporated after seeing 17 throughout oct.
Well here's an example of a deer coming out of a soybean field mid afternoon. He looks fairly thin, hopefully he'll be back in there this week. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9b350e6021.jpg
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Exactly!Quote:
Originally Posted by lazyman
For example, this afternoon. I spent an hour and a half running the chipper/shredder at the back of my property and we know how loud they are so hearing protection is required. I put the machine away and take a stroll back to come face to face with 2 young deer at 20 yards. I took out my cellphone and filmed them for two and a half minutes before they had enough of me.
These deer never cease to amaze me. Spend the time in the bush and you will see them.
Not much to look at in the video but makes you appreciate how stealthy they can be. I know my bush inside out and picked up on them being there otherwise probably would have walked right past them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKT1...ature=youtu.be
They are pretty curious creatures.... neat to see, especially after all that noise :)
I'd be checking out the two pinch points on the east side of your bush - the center of the isthmus of land that runs east and is bordered by field on all sides. Esp. attractive if those green fields to the east are second ctb alfalfa and is drawing does and fawns. I'd also check the pinch point on the east side of the isolated field that's located at the white bullseye. Almost guaranteed travel corridor between the field that border on all sides
[QUOTE=Fenelon;1044995]I'd be checking out the two pinch points on the east side of your bush - the center of the isthmus of land that runs east and is bordered by field on all sides. Esp. attractive if those green fields to the east are second ctb alfalfa and is drawing does and fawns. I'd also check the pinch point on the east side of the isolated field that's located at the white bullseye. Almost guaranteed travel corridor between the field that border on all sides[/QUOTE
Fenelon... are you looking at my pic as the top is north? Then so on and so on? That north hardwood bush is a consistent travel from left to right and right to left. Good success out of there. On the right ( east side in that " yellow" looking area is marsh and swamp with rubs bordering it. I put that stand up this year and was so hopeful but didn't see squat yet.