Saturday mornings hunt...

[dan]

On Saturday morning I was hunting a public woods in hill country I have hunted a couple days each year the last couple years... I went to a place I 1st found using google earth and an all outdoors atlas. This particular rut funnel was picked because:
1) It is very remote (long walk)
2) It connected 2 very large chunks of timber.
3) It has good potential bedding on both sides.

I had several good encounters at this ridge over the few times hunted, and its always good the 1st sit or 2 during the cruise phase. One observation though, this spot gets cruised regardless of the wind direction because it connects the bedding areas...
It took a couple seasons to figure it out, but sitting there Saturday hammered it home. The buck I shot there 2 seasons ago, I shot on a leeward wind near the top 3rd of the ridge, but shortly after shooting him I saw a huge buck cruising at the bottom of the ridge. Seemed odd, but they don't always follow the rules...
Well, because this ridge divides buck and doe bedding, it gets used in the early am too... So Saturday, I put my self at the top 3rd of the ridge 45 minutes before shooting light and within the 1st hour of daylight I had 5 shooter buck cruise buy separately heading back towards the buck bedding at the base of the ridge. They all had to cross my scent trail, none of them reacted to it.
I grunted to each buck trying to lure it up the hill prior to it hitting my scent trail. Each buck showed interest and stopped stared, but would not come in, except the last one, which was also the smallest, but still a shooter, he was a 2 1/2 year old buck with what looked like a double main beam on one side... He came right up the hill in a semi circle around me. He came in crossing my ground scent trail with no reaction. He was coming in very fast seemingly trying to get above me to scent check me, but passing by within range (30 yards) I got my bow pulled back and made a mouth grunt because of how fast he was moving, when he stopped I shot and at the sound of the bow the buck dropped and the arrow hit him in the spine... There was a loud crack, and he dropped in his tracks, but then jumped to his feet and ran off... I was never able to find a single drop of blood and watched the buck run into the valley below. I spent the rest of the morning tracking unsuccessfully. I believe I just hit backstraps.
The lessons here were:
1) Deer coming into calls are on edge, not because they think its a human, but because they don't know if its a bigger buck. And stopping a buck for a shot puts them on edge, ready to jump the string. So, since this is not the 1st time this has happened to me with called in deer, I may need to re-evaluate how far I can shoot called or stopped deer.
2) Next time I hunt this ridge, I am hunting at the bottom. If the bucks don't have to follow the rules, neither do I.
When my trip was over this morning, I scouted that ridge a little closer because I am convinced that bucks do things on purpose, not randomly. What I found was on one side the bucks either have to drop low on the ridge to go around a cliff like rock, or go above it onto private land, that unlike this public, gets pounded... The trail that leads to the best buck bedding areas would have to go low... Looking at the other end of the ridge it takes a sharp turn and if the bucks went to the top, they would have to drop down into a saddle and then back up the next ridge on an angle and they could just cut the corner by staying low...
I am sure, that very, very, few guys would realize that by just looking at the ridge. I might next time. My point is, all the planning in the world, won't give you every clue. Sometimes the deer themselves and what you see hunting makes you smarter the next time you hunt that property. As long as you open your eyes and mind to what you see while your out there...

[Swampthing]

Man, I do love reading your posts Dan. Just awesome info.

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[backstraps]

Good Post Dan

Makes me feel like I am there when reading your post.

I know what you are talking about when the deer doesnt play by the rules all the time. I also know a parcel where the bucks cruise the lower section early am. I cant figure out why they do it on this parcel however. They just do. I thought about if I get deperate next week, I am going to try that bottom portion.

I agree with the calls, or mouth bleets etc especially when stopping them for a shot. More times than not I have had a deer react with a severe drop when the string is released.

Hate you didnt find the buck. No doubt about it, there will be more opportunities for ya this season

[DropTyne]

Do you mean the bucks cruise there because 1 side of the funnel holds doe beds and the other holds buck beds? Meaning one large stand of timber holds buck beds and the other stand of timber holds doe beds?

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[headgear]

My point is, all the planning in the world, won't give you every clue. Sometimes the deer themselves and what you see hunting makes you smarter the next time you hunt that property. As long as you open your eyes and mind to what you see while your out there...

Very good tip Dan, I have learned a lot from the deer over the years in situations similar to this. There is a lot out there to learn if you keep you eyes open. I also quiz a lot of the guys I hunt with, if they see a good buck I am on them with 20 questions trying to learn everything I can.

[exojam]

I am sorry but I thought this was just funny "If the bucks don't have to follow the rules, neither do I".

James

[Stanley]

Great read Dan. I have never been a proponent of stopping deer for a shot. I would rather shoot them moving.

[matt1336]

Thanks Dan. You make everything seem so common sense like.....I guess it is to the deer. I agree about not stopping deer. I shot a smallish buck tonight that I didn't stop. He was only 15 yds or so, walking at a normal deer pace.

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[dan]

Do you mean the bucks cruise there because 1 side of the funnel holds doe beds and the other holds buck beds? Meaning one large stand of timber holds buck beds and the other stand of timber holds doe beds?

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Kind of... There is buck and doe bedding on both sides, but the best buck bedding, and the best doe bedding on the property are on either side of this ridge and I am right in the middle.

[dan]

Great read Dan. I have never been a proponent of stopping deer for a shot. I would rather shoot them moving.

Agreed... It was stop this deer, or probably not get a shot. If I could replay, I would probably pass
on the shot and hope it stopped or slowed naturally.

[NatureBoy]

Great read. So true. Often times in order to understand how to hunt a property, you have to actually see the deer moving through it and analyze how they're using it. Snow is great for this.

[Stevew77]

Good read Dan

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[DropTyne]

Do you mean the bucks cruise there because 1 side of the funnel holds doe beds and the other holds buck beds? Meaning one large stand of timber holds buck beds and the other stand of timber holds doe beds?

[ Post made via iPad ]

Kind of... There is buck and doe bedding on both sides, but the best buck bedding, and the best doe bedding on the property are on either side of this ridge and I am right in the middle.

So the bucks and does are bedding at the bottom of the ridge which would also be breaking the rules? How often do you find deer in Hill Country bedding at the base of the bluff or not in an elevated position?

[dan]

Do you mean the bucks cruise there because 1 side of the funnel holds doe beds and the other holds buck beds? Meaning one large stand of timber holds buck beds and the other stand of timber holds doe beds?

[ Post made via iPad ]

Kind of... There is buck and doe bedding on both sides, but the best buck bedding, and the best doe bedding on the property are on either side of this ridge and I am right in the middle.

So the bucks and does are bedding at the bottom of the ridge which would also be breaking the rules? How often do you find deer in Hill Country bedding at the base of the bluff or not in an elevated position?

No... They are bedding at the top... but the bucks have to drop low around a rock ledge to get to there bedding, and the doe bedding is around a bend that is easier to access by cutting across low.

[brink]

I hunt flat Indiana land. This conversation about hills, ridges, valleys and saddles is making my friggin head spin!

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