Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

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virginiashadow
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Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby virginiashadow » Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:22 am

I scouted this area extensively in the off-season, including the 500 or so acres to the north. For some reason this area is calling me for a couple of week 1 hunts, not sure why I feel this way. I found some big rubs marked in large red circles and a little rub line leading up the western part of the point. I found a big scrape marked in blue. The green represents old blowdowns situated in and around that saddle. I did not find any signs of any other hunters which is encouraging. It has to be accessed from the north or from the south by boat. If one accesses it from the north they risk bumping every deer on the way in...from the south is where I want to enter.

How would you hunt it? What fine tune scouting would you do to pinpoint an exact stand location or two based on the wind? I cannot run trail cams so it is good old boot leather that will win the game for me.

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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby Autumn Ninja » Mon Jul 05, 2010 5:29 am

That looks like a tough spot to hunt since you dont want to come in from the North. You using a boat to hunt that spot?

Sometimes, if your after a specific buck you may have to throw cation to the wind in regards to "other deer" to get the one you want.
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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby virginiashadow » Mon Jul 05, 2010 8:37 am

Yes, I will be using my kayak to enter from the south. It is a 5 minute kayak trip from the south...easy. Autumn, not really hunting a specific buck because well I have never hunted this spot. But it is fairly remote and I did not see sign from any other hunters when I scouted it. I found some massive, above waste rubs on cedar trees, a couple of large tracks, and something just felt right about the spot...kind of hard to explain. The bedding looked to be great as there were a million lay down pines in that saddle area in the middle.
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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby Autumn Ninja » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:48 am

I highlighted the most likely bedding...which I'm sure you already knew. Are you going to try and find a bed? Or, hunt it based on where a buck should be on a given day? When does your season open up there Shadow? Food, is there good sunlight and plant growth along the shore of the lake?

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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby virginiashadow » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:57 am

"I highlighted the most likely bedding...which I'm sure you already knew. Are you going to try and find a bed? Or, hunt it based on where a buck should be on a given day? When does your season open up there Shadow? Food, is there good sunlight and plant growth along the shore of the lake?"

I need all the help I can get about bedding area and I am not that good at finding beds, I readily admit to that so I appreciate your help. I am going to try to find a specific bed this weekend. If I cannot then I will have to try to hunt it thinking where a buck is "supposed" to move/bed given a particular set of winds/thermals. Season opens the first Saturday in October I believe. The best sunlight is from the blue dot(large scrape) all the way to the southern portion of the point below it..to the southeast of the scrape has some good sunlight as well. I have often thought about using my kayak to stealth scout spots a long lakes the week or so before the season but have never followed through, do you think that would be beneficial?
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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:48 am

virginiashadow wrote:...I need all the help I can get about bedding area and I am not that good at finding beds, I readily admit to that so I appreciate your help. I am going to try to find a specific bed this weekend. If I cannot then I will have to try to hunt it thinking where a buck is "supposed" to move/bed given a particular set of winds/thermals. Season opens the first Saturday in October I believe. The best sunlight is from the blue dot(large scrape) all the way to the southern portion of the point below it..to the southeast of the scrape has some good sunlight as well. I have often thought about using my kayak to stealth scout spots a long lakes the week or so before the season but have never followed through, do you think that would be beneficial?


I marked what I thought were the most likely possibilities for buck beds although I see other possibilities as well. I don't know what the heat is going to be like down there, but I would take plenty of water and plan on making a day of it. Head out there early in the morning when it's coolest and try to cover as much as possible. I try to come out of there feeling confident I found all the buck beds and all the doe bedding areas in the area. Did you verify there were doe beds in those blow downs or did you just assume it was a doe bedding area? Also, what kind of food sources are in the area? I think the point by the big rubs could be used for any wind direction but a southernly one. With the exception of a ESE wind.

I'm guessing you know much of this stuff already. I just wanted to refresh your memory.

I have trouble spotting beds also if I don't get with in 10'-15' of them. Unless I find a well used bed that is worn down to dirt and has plenty hair in it, but since the key to catching him out during daylight is knowing where he beds you have just keep looking.

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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby virginiashadow » Tue Jul 06, 2010 8:14 am

Thank you Deerslayer, I appreciate your help and thoughts. I "assumed" the blowdowns could be a doe bedding area. It wasn't until I really scouted the entire area to the north of the area I circled in black that I came back mentally to this spot. It just fits into what I think could be a very safe spot for a buck to age based on what I know about the overall hunting grouds that surround. To the south of the lake and creek is bow only which adds positively to the mix. Food sources include some oaks and looks to be some honeysuckle along that clearcut that runs to the north by the scrape in blue. I readily admit that I am not good at finding beds or food sources. It is something I must work on constantly. I am going to cover a lot of ground on Saturday and Sunday when I scout this spot and will bring print outs of your and Autumn Ninja's maps.

The potential bedding spot to the northwest that you marked has me most intrigued. The view from that spot is beautiful. I will try to bring my camera and take a pic.
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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby magicman54494 » Tue Jul 06, 2010 8:43 am

The first places I would look (yellow dots)

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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby virginiashadow » Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:20 am

Thank you Magic, I will be up in that area as I circle around from the south and will take a good look. If I am lucky I may be able to get into that area Tuesday or Wed.
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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby magicman54494 » Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:00 am

Now you got me thinking more about this spot. Darn you! :lol:
If he is bedding where I guessed I marked a few spots(blue dots) in areas I would set a stand. I'll bet there is a faint trail (purple line) on the edge on the steeper drop thru that thick blow down area. I guessed he would be bedding there because the road is cut off by the blowdown area and they love to bed on an edge with their back side covered by some thick stuff. I would also check for creek crossings along that edge where the rubs were. That would be an awesome rut stand. My yellow dots should be south (up hill) of the purple trail line
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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:36 pm

virginiashadow wrote:...I "assumed" the blowdowns could be a doe bedding area...

I'm sure it is, but I like to go in to see just how good a doe bedding area it is (in the off season) and what kind of buck sign might be in there. It's likely just a doe bedding area, but there have been a couple of occasions where I have found the does choose not to bed in the thicket and the big buck I was looking for was using it. In these cases it was so thick I was amazed a rack of any size at all could fit through it.

virginiashadow wrote:...It just fits into what I think could be a very safe spot for a buck to age...


I thought so too. Depending on the cover he may have a great vantage point to see an approach by boat while having the wind at his back.

virginiashadow wrote:...The potential bedding spot to the northwest that you marked has me most intrigued. The view from that spot is beautiful. I will try to bring my camera and take a pic.


It gives him a good view to see danger coming. Looking forward to the pic.
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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby dan » Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:12 pm

I like most of Deerslayers buck bed pic's... Here are my hunting pic's in yellow. I added one great looking rut spot for cruising bucks in pink if that area is open for hunting?

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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby virginiashadow » Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:48 pm

Dan that area is open for hunting. I am glad you marked that rut spot because it kind of lines up with what I thought would be a good rut area( I am learning!). I was just a little off from your spot. I was thinking of stands by the spots I marked in light blue. How did you pick that area in pink? The area I marked with double black lines kind of brings two large areas together because the creek gets to a point where it can be crossed and all the topography comes together at that point, I am excited about that area. Not really sure when or how to hunt it--hahaha.

I pretty much mapped the entire area to the north out above the spot I marked up in my original post.


Black lines=major deer trails
red=large/tall rubs
green=big scrapes
pink=high stem density small tree areas with tons of small rubs
dark blue-lone deer bed
light blue-potential rut spots

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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby dan » Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:58 pm

How did you pick that area in pink?

There are some great bedding points to either side of the pink spot overlooking the river valley. Early or late season it would be tough to sneak around and come in from above to avoid the eyes on the hill tops and the thermals and a West wind, maybe even impossible.
But during rut in the morning a guy could go right up that draw till he hit the spot where the deer pinch thru near the top and catch the late morning cruising bucks as they check for does. I would wait till 1st light before setting up so you don't go to far or get your scent in the wrong spot.
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Re: Feel like this is a week 1 kill spot..need advice

Unread postby virginiashadow » Wed Jul 07, 2010 2:09 pm

And what would I be looking for as sign to know where to set up? Tracks? Trails? Would it be something I could look for this weekend? So come in from the south at first light and walk slowly uphill with the uphill thermals still not activated. Then find a good pinch in the terrain/blowdowns/trails and then set-up slightly uphill of that so the thermals carry my scent up so that anything coming downhill of me does not wind me? Thanks.


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