Road Trip Tactics

[backstraps]

I have decided to go on a road trip with a couple friends. Going to be hunting some new public ground.
When you guys do this type of hunting and you cyber scouted the area of interest how do you hunt it?
Do you scout early am hours then hunt your cyber spots in the afternoon.
Will be doing 7 days.

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[Ridgerunner7]

What are the dates you're going? I find it harder to cyber scout early season spots without a firm grasp on thickness of cover, food sources, hunting pressure, etc. Cyber scouting for rut hunts is much easier.

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[backstraps]

Oct 26- Nov 5
Thats the dates. Should be some pre rut activity happening.

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[phade]

Depends on how you are hunting that time, which will be good for movement. If you'll be mobile all week (ie LW), then I like to time arrival for like 10 a.m. or so.

Gear up, head in midday for some scouting and hunt sign. I really hate to arrive in afternoon, and then lose a morning of hunting to scout or to go in blind.

When I get to Ohio, I arrive on Sunday, midday. Use that day to do some light scouting and then glass the evening and be ready for Monday morning.

I will say this...if I am not feeling rushed and I have some rut funnels picked out with good entry/exit. I'll hang them for hunting later on in the week to 10 days I am there. Obviously, FTI is better, but during the rut, and out of state, you are playing a numbers game.

[backstraps]

For sure mobile all week.

Do you guys ever set up a few hours in the morning then pull your set..... Then scout for a couple of hours trying to find a new set up f!!or the evening? I am trying to decide if I should hunt mostly funnels since I will not know any exact buck bed locations .

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[backstraps]

Something else I am curious about. When you go in the woods for the first time...in example 12pm and you have slow scouted for and hour or two....nothing looks really good enough to hang. Do you pull out and go scout another area? Or hang and hope the best and observe?

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[Ridgerunner7]

If you get good weather you should have some good deer on their feet during that time. I'd be hunting funnels between larger spans of cover, down wind sides of cover, etc. Without scouting it on foot you may have a difficult time pinpointing beds enough to hunt them correctly in such a short amount of time. Depending on where you're going you should have some good luck just hunting terrain features that funnel deer movement. I've had great luck out of state hunting terrain features found online on 3 and occasionally 4 year old deer. I would have some potential bedding picked out if you're after truly mature deer but you could have a successful exciting hunt just hunting terrain featurs that funnel deer (cruising bucks). I wouldn't worry about deer sign as much while hunting features that funnel deer. They often won't be loaded with deer sign because deer start using them more towards the rut. If you decide to scout on foot for potential beds..I'd have my mobile set up on my back and ready to go.

Also, October 26 could be a hair early for cruising bucks. We had a trip to Illinois a few years back during those dates and we quickly realized we were early and quickly abandoned our "rut" spots for hunting beds and bed to feed transitions successfully.

[jeff Sturgis]

I have decided to go on a road trip with a couple friends. Going to be hunting some new public ground.
When you guys do this type of hunting and you cyber scouted the area of interest how do you hunt it?
Do you scout early am hours then hunt your cyber spots in the afternoon.
Will be doing 7 days.

[ Post made via Android ]

I went to SE OH public land in January for their ML season. I picked a large area with no roads, and decent walk-in access. I estimated where an hour walk would get me, and then picked an area with some great topographical changes and interior benches, saddles, etc. I walked 34 miles in 4 days...but part of that was the "in and out" each day of between and hour and an hour and a 1/2. I didn't shoot a buck...but my efforts were rewarded. I narrowed down what I think is an outstanding rutting area. It was my area of initial cyber scouting, and verified my thoughts by the amount of sign. Now, when I go back to bowhunt the rut, I will be going to very specific locations, within 10-20 yards of a tree I want to be in.

If I was going down blind...I would have done the same, in that I walk to a point I think should be good...go in slow in the morning to get me into the spot, wait for light...pick a tree and sit down! I then study the terrain, habitat, and sign from the air, and think about if I should shift my seat to another tree. If it's good I stick it out for the day. If I really get a bad feeling I move to another spot and do the same thing...leaving my stand for at least an evening sit and the next morning. I may even hunt the entire next day if good...but eventually I would move to another spot if the sign I am hearing from my hunting buddies is obviously better in other areas. Not that I would move to other spots, but I would shift my expectations of what/how much sign to look for.

Anyways...I am NOT one for blind scouting or walking. I like figuring out where deer are based on why they should be in a spot...and then go to that specific spot to verify and hunt. I try to narrow down my search to a handful of spots that may be 5 acres or less...out of 10,000 acres or more...

Good luck!

[rudy78]

Like others said that time of year I would use terrain & funnels, another great/easy to identifyfeature is edges where cover changes. When I go blind I pick an easy to identify & access spot for a morning hunt & see how it goes. If I see a lot in the area I will adjust/move for evening. If I don't see a lot but think it's a good area I'll walk it more, if I find something hot I'll sit it, if not I mark other good places & move to a new area to walk & hunt for the night.
I wouldn't not sit the mornings & wait, I'd much rather be in a decent spot trying to observe then trying to find the perfect spot in the afternoon, way to much cruising happens in morn not to be in the stand.

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[backstraps]

Jeff thanks. You brought up a point that I personally struggle with more than any other aspect of my hunting habits....

I have a terribly hard time narrowing the 10k acres down to a few good hunting spots.
I have an area also in SE Ohio that I have hunted for 8 years. I see some descent deer but have still yet to harvest a 4 year old off of that public ground. As a matter of fact I have only seen maybe 10 bucks over the last 5 years that would be 4+ years old.

Like I said im really hoping to gain the knowledge of narrowing a large tract down to better utilize my limited amount of hunting time

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[backstraps]

I wouldn't not sit the mornings & wait, I'd much rather be in a decent spot trying to observe then trying to find the perfect spot in the afternoon, way to much cruising happens in morn not to be in the stand.

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Thanks I think the same thoughts here

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[backstraps]

Also, October 26 could be a hair early for cruising bucks. We had a trip to Illinois a few years back during those dates and we quickly realized we were early and quickly abandoned our "rut" spots for hunting beds and bed to feed transitions successfully.

I tend to agree...and somewhat hoped to utilize first few days to scout. Your thoughts...good idea or not so good?

[ Post made via Android ]

[backstraps]

Also, October 26 could be a hair early for cruising bucks. We had a trip to Illinois a few years back during those dates and we quickly realized we were early and quickly abandoned our "rut" spots for hunting beds and bed to feed transitions successfully.

I tend to agree...and somewhat hoped to utilize first few days to scout. Your thoughts...good idea or not so good?

[ Post made via Android ]

[kenn1320]

Jeff thanks. You brought up a point that I personally struggle with more than any other aspect of my hunting habits....

[glow=red]I have a terribly hard time narrowing the 10k acres down to a few good hunting spots.[/glow]I have an area also in SE Ohio that I have hunted for 8 years. I see some descent deer but have still yet to harvest a 4 year old off of that public ground. As a matter of fact I have only seen maybe 10 bucks over the last 5 years that would be 4+ years old.

Like I said im really hoping to gain the knowledge of narrowing a large tract down to better utilize my limited amount of hunting time

[ Post made via Android ]

Not that Jeff needs any help promoting his book(every post has it ), but I am 58 pages into it and he talks about how he narrows his scouting down. So far its a great book.

[Bucky]

If I got even only 4-5 days to hunt I will likely burn the first one walking until I see something that looks promising. Like Rudy mentioned it way not be loaded with sign but it has to be the right topography and habitat. I usually look at all the access areas... Then look at the topography then look at an aerial photo. From there I find a few areas of interest (usually with a barrier - hills, marsh, water, long walk, etc) and go! I don't pick random pieces to scout I have a method of what habitat features I look for.... Water, bedding cover, topography, and an area with trophy buck potential. Once you find the right ingredients from looking at topos/aerials and scouting/hunting it becomes easier to find the right spot to be on new ground or pick new ground with good hunting potential.

I think the hardest thing for most that have not had success is to give up on the familiar ground and explore "new" territory

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