Hot sign

[huntinsonovagun]

Hot sign can mean a lot of things to different people. What do you consider to be the hot sign "worthy" of hanging a stand and hunting right then and there?

[ Post made via iPad ]

[dan]

Hot sign can mean a lot of things to different people. What do you consider to be the hot sign "worthy" of hanging a stand and hunting right then and there?

[ Post made via iPad ]

Hot sign to me would be evidence of a shooter buck traveling thru multiple times recently likely in daylight. Could be tracks, could be a rub or two, a scrape that has been active near a buck bed staging area... Thats usually a hot one!

[Singing Bridge]

When I approach a bedding area stand for the first time that fall, and there are a couple of new "Beast" rubs in the staging area I'm going to hunt... I have to lean against a tree for a minute in case I have a seizure, I get so excited!

When I do a recon around the perimeter of known or suspected buck bedding areas, typically midday, and I cut an extra large and very fresh track "pointing" at the bedding area... I'm on that buck like a "Freight Train On A Volkswagen" that stalled on the tracks!

[dan]

I think its important to point out that a lot of time, a lack of buck sign is actually a good thing... Mature bucks often don't leave a lot of rubs or scrapes around there bedding areas, and the bedding areas with heaqvy rublines going in and out often have two or 3 year old bucks doing it... Not that there is anything wrong with a two year old, but if we know its a mature buck traight to not leave much sign near the bedding area, and the smaller bucks that fear the mature buck and leave the most sign, steer clear of him, not leaving sign, it might be a big mistake to walk up to your big buck staging area that you scouted last spring and NOT hunt it cause there are no rubs...
Some of my biggest bucks came out of beds they used frequently where there was not a rub around anywhere...
I am not saying don't hunt hot sign, of coarse hunt it. But you might want to go with the plan on those spots without a ton of sign too...
A buck don't live to be 6 years old by leaving trails of rubs leading right to his bed like a billboard sign.

[Edcyclopedia]

Look for a few sets of fresh big tracks and give it a try...

[RUTIN]

For me hot sign is different depending on the time of year....

Early season- Im looking for transition areas that hold deer between bedding and feed

Oct- Looking for a great acorn flat

Nov- Im looking for rub/scrape lines, active pinches/bottlenecks, and finding hot doe bedding areas

Dec- Im going right back to transition between bed and food, in OH ill run bait into crop fields that are picked to try and get the deer on their feet earlier to catch them in the transition areas.

[Stanley]

Lets break it down a little. What is our objective? To kill a good buck? If you're bed hunting, trail hunting, hunting funnels during the rut, or even if you're doing group pushes. You are looking for bucks on their feet and moving. The exception would be the guys that stalk, they are looking for stationary bucks. I think Ed hit it on the head tracks are a great indicator of deer movement (hot sign). But most times you have be scouting the area you are planning to hunt to find these tracks. If you are tromping through the area you are going to hunt, I believe you are hurting your chances in most case. Now you have created hot human sign to the area. I like to find hot sign and not bugger the area I intend on hunting. The best way to determine if bucks are moving in the area you plan on hunting is finding hot sign outside of that area. The number one best hot sign, is buck sightings. This is the hottest sign you can have. You could do this with trail cameras, observation stands, glassing from afar. I take a more low impact approach than most guys, but it works for me. I feel I have better chances at multiple chances taking this approach, especially on small tracts of timber. Many times I have set up an observation stand and moved in for the kill with a rover stand. I have also moved in closer on foot and stuck some nice bucks from the ground by heading them off. I also believe if you are mobile with a stand on your back and find what you believe to be hot buck movement sign, stick that stand up and hunt it right now not tomorrow.

[Uncle Lou]

Lets break it down a little. What is our objective? To kill a good buck? If you're bed hunting, trail hunting, hunting funnels during the rut, or even if you're doing group pushes. You are looking for bucks on their feet and moving. The exception would be the guys that stalk, they are looking for stationary bucks. I think Ed hit it on the head tracks are a great indicator of deer movement (hot sign). But most times you have be scouting the area you are planning to hunt to find these tracks. If you are tromping through the area you are going to hunt, I believe you are hurting your chances in most case. Now you have created hot human sign to the area. I like to find hot sign and not bugger the area I intend on hunting. The best way to determine if bucks are moving in the area you plan on hunting is finding hot sign outside of that area. The number one best hot sign, is buck sightings. This is the hottest sign you can have. You could do this with trail cameras, observation stands, glassing from afar. I take a more low impact approach than most guys, but it works for me. I feel I have better chances at multiple chances taking this approach, especially on small tracts of timber. Many times I have set up an observation stand and moved in for the kill with a rover stand. I have also moved in closer on foot and stuck some nice bucks from the ground by heading them off. I also believe if you are mobile with a stand on your back and find what you believe to be hot buck movement sign, stick that stand up and hunt it right now not tomorrow.

Good stuff Stanley. And this deserves some glow text
[glow=red]The number one best hot sign, is buck sightings[/glow]

[Uncle Lou]

I think its important to point out that a lot of time, a lack of buck sign is actually a good thing... Mature bucks often don't leave a lot of rubs or scrapes around there bedding areas, and the bedding areas with heaqvy rublines going in and out often have two or 3 year old bucks doing it... Not that there is anything wrong with a two year old, but if we know its a mature buck traight to not leave much sign near the bedding area, and the smaller bucks that fear the mature buck and leave the most sign, steer clear of him, not leaving sign, it might be a big mistake to walk up to your big buck staging area that you scouted last spring and NOT hunt it cause there are no rubs...
Some of my biggest bucks came out of beds they used frequently where there was not a rub around anywhere...
I am not saying don't hunt hot sign, of coarse hunt it. But you might want to go with the plan on those spots without a ton of sign too...
A buck don't live to be 6 years old by leaving trails of rubs leading right to his bed like a billboard sign.

More out of the box thinking by Dan. Wish I were at the level where I could put that to use. I have been trying to pay more attention to tracks.

[huntinsonovagun]

Great stuff guys. Stanley, great detail. I agree whole heartedly, but what if you hunt big woods (observation stands unlikely), no open fields around, can't shine, COULD put trail cams out, but don't because you have had two stolen in this vicinity before?

In my opinion you're relying (in this situation) primarily on your spring scouting. Let's say you're walking in to an area that you scouted earlier in the year with a stand on your back. What makes you "stop right there" without going further in?

Or say you're on a 7 day out of state hunt, did your "map homework" and you're walking in to a spot you previously marked on a map, but come across some "hot sign" on your walk in. What makes it good enough to hang and hunt? I understand each situation is different.



Here's an example I had last year on a controlled hunt I was drawn for:

I spent plenty of time studying my maps. This was the first week of November, bucks were just starting to cruise. My first stand choice the first evening yielded no results. The next morning location, same thing. I got down at noon, walked a few hundred yards with a stand on my back to another area I thought held potential. On my way to that spot I jumped some bedded does, noticed a fresh scrape in the area and set up. Normally I notice scrapes, but don't hunt them. In fact I wasn't hunting this scrape. The "hot sign" I was hunting was a doe bedding area that had some recent activity. I hung my stand and shot a 3 year old 8 point right at sunset. If I had waited and hunted that the following day I don't think I would have seen anything because of the "hot human sign". Also, had this been early October, I would have kept going. I just knew it was time for the bucks to be checking out the doe beds and I happened to find a hot one.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[Stanley]

Great stuff guys. Stanley, great detail. I agree whole heartedly, but what if you hunt big woods (observation stands unlikely), no open fields around, can't shine, COULD put trail cams out, but don't because you have had two stolen in this vicinity before?

In my opinion you're relying (in this situation) primarily on your spring scouting. Let's say you're walking in to an area that you scouted earlier in the year with a stand on your back. What makes you "stop right there" without going further in?

Or say you're on a 7 day out of state hunt, did your "map homework" and you're walking in to a spot you previously marked on a map, but come across some "hot sign" on your walk in. What makes it good enough to hang and hunt? I understand each situation is different.



Here's an example I had last year on a controlled hunt I was drawn for:

I spent plenty of time studying my maps. This was the first week of November, bucks were just starting to cruise. My first stand choice the first evening yielded no results. The next morning location, same thing. I got down at noon, walked a few hundred yards with a stand on my back to another area I thought held potential. On my way to that spot I jumped some bedded does, noticed a fresh scrape in the area and set up. Normally I notice scrapes, but don't hunt them. In fact I wasn't hunting this scrape. The "hot sign" I was hunting was a doe bedding area that had some recent activity. I hung my stand and shot a 3 year old 8 point right at sunset. If I had waited and hunted that the following day I don't think I would have seen anything because of the "hot human sign". Also, had this been early October, I would have kept going. I just knew it was time for the bucks to be checking out the doe beds and I happened to find a hot one.

[ Post made via iPad ]

Great post on your part. I believe big woods is an animal all its own. I did point out that my tactics were mainly for smaller parcels.
My thoughts are jut like yours in big timber. Known doe bedding areas would be my choice. If you can locate some buck beds that would work also. Hunt with a stand on your back.

[whitetail007]

hot sign to me is a fresh set of big tracks. i dont bother much with rubs and scrapes unless the big tracks are there too. my best buck came from walking an edge and finding fresh buck tracks. i set up 20 yards away and out he came 10 minutes before dark.

[Edcyclopedia]

Lets break it down a little. What is our objective? To kill a good buck? If you're bed hunting, trail hunting, hunting funnels during the rut, or even if you're doing group pushes. You are looking for bucks on their feet and moving. The exception would be the guys that stalk, they are looking for stationary bucks. I think Ed hit it on the head tracks are a great indicator of deer movement (hot sign). But most times you have be scouting the area you are planning to hunt to find these tracks. If you are tromping through the area you are going to hunt, I believe you are hurting your chances in most case. Now you have created hot human sign to the area. I like to find hot sign and not bugger the area I intend on hunting. The best way to determine if bucks are moving in the area you plan on hunting is finding hot sign outside of that area. The number one best hot sign, is buck sightings. This is the hottest sign you can have. You could do this with trail cameras, observation stands, glassing from afar. I take a more low impact approach than most guys, but it works for me. I feel I have better chances at multiple chances taking this approach, especially on small tracts of timber. Many times I have set up an observation stand and moved in for the kill with a rover stand. I have also moved in closer on foot and stuck some nice bucks from the ground by heading them off. I also believe if you are mobile with a stand on your back and find what you believe to be hot buck movement sign, stick that stand up and hunt it right now not tomorrow.

Good stuff Stanley. And this deserves some glow text
[glow=red]The number one best hot sign, is buck sightings[/glow]

[glow=red]X3.[/glow]
You should right a book Stan you always seem to have a knack for drawing others in with your wisdom.

[gjs4]

As Stanley said- the only contempory sign is sightings- everythingelse could be dated or of different variables than you have at that moment

[dan]

In my opinion you're relying (in this situation) primarily on your spring scouting. Let's say you're walking in to an area that you scouted earlier in the year with a stand on your back. What makes you "stop right there" without going further in?

In the scenario you have above, your walking to a spot where you scouted, so, unless I find some hot situation along the way, I am going to the tree I picked out scouting...

Or say you're on a 7 day out of state hunt, did your "map homework" and you're walking in to a spot you previously marked on a map, but come across some "hot sign" on your walk in. What makes it good enough to hang and hunt? I understand each situation is different.

I would determine if the sign was made in daylight... Is it near buck bedding cover? Is it between or near doe bedding areas? Or is it random, or near a food source?
Lets try and remember that 90% or more of a mature bucks travels are at night, so most of the sign you see was put there at night... The factor to get me to hang my stand right there would be that something tells me that the buck laid the sign there during the day.