Arrowbender

[Bigb]

Great write up here, for someone new to hunting ridges and valleys any information is helpful!

I have a quick question that maybe someone could help me with. The land I hunt consist of a lot of low land and not as much of the ridges. The main low land has either beans and corn in it and is about 700 yards long and about 100 yards wide and is separated into four fields that are broken up with some trees and a creek runs along one side of the valley. The elevation change from top to bottom is about 80 feet. The neighbor has some ridges that we have two bucks that seem to come off of his land and crosses the fence at the bottom of one of the ridge. The land they come off us that guy doesn't hunt other than shotgun season and just takes the first deer he sees and is done for the season. I can't hunt his land but would like to find a way to hunt where they cross. Not sure if it helps but the reason they cross at the bottom of the ridge is there is a farm house that is at the top of the ridge so they are avoiding that.

I'm trying to see if there is a way to hunt these bucks. I'm not sure if there if there is a valley width where the wind doesn't swirl as much but again, I am new to this type of hunting. I've always been a flat farmland hunter. I was thinking since the valley runs N/S and if the wind is blowing to the south and in my face the wind might run parallel with the valley and not swirl as much. Am I on the right track or is this completely wrong? We seem to get a lot of pictures of bucks on the valley floor but none at the higher elevation anywhere near daylight. I'm just trying to see if there is any situation where hunting the bottom third of the ridge might possibly work. Thanks guys

[dan]

Great write up here, for someone new to hunting ridges and valleys any information is helpful!

I have a quick question that maybe someone could help me with. The land I hunt consist of a lot of low land and not as much of the ridges. The main low land has either beans and corn in it and is about 700 yards long and about 100 yards wide and is separated into four fields that are broken up with some trees and a creek runs along one side of the valley. The elevation change from top to bottom is about 80 feet. The neighbor has some ridges that we have two bucks that seem to come off of his land and crosses the fence at the bottom of one of the ridge. The land they come off us that guy doesn't hunt other than shotgun season and just takes the first deer he sees and is done for the season. I can't hunt his land but would like to find a way to hunt where they cross. Not sure if it helps but the reason they cross at the bottom of the ridge is there is a farm house that is at the top of the ridge so they are avoiding that.

I'm trying to see if there is a way to hunt these bucks. I'm not sure if there if there is a valley width where the wind doesn't swirl as much but again, I am new to this type of hunting. I've always been a flat farmland hunter. I was thinking since the valley runs N/S and if the wind is blowing to the south and in my face the wind might run parallel with the valley and not swirl as much. Am I on the right track or is this completely wrong? We seem to get a lot of pictures of bucks on the valley floor but none at the higher elevation anywhere near daylight. I'm just trying to see if there is any situation where hunting the bottom third of the ridge might possibly work. Thanks guys

No one should be implying that you should "never" hunt in the bottoms... Just that its harder, and your more likely to have issues. I hunt low when I have too...

With that said, most of the beds in ridge country are "wind specific" so you should be keeping track of the wind direction when the bucks your after are seen in daylight on the pattern you mentioned... You can't wait for the wind to be right for you, you have to hunt when the wind dictates they are bedded where they will make it onto your property in daylight.

You need to find ways to hunt that wind or winds that the deer come in on... Testing the currents down there with milk weed on the correct wind at last light would be the way to pick your spot.

[exojam]

James, RR7,
I don't know that the type of call makes too much difference. I have a very old wooden call that I generally use for early season. It is capable of a little volume and is about the sound of the adjustable ones set at "young buck". I like this call because to me it sounds like the content feeding burps of a doe with fawns. If you have ever heard this it is pretty quiet and very non-aggressive. I would not consider it a bleat by any stretch of the imagination. That is the sound I am going for when I hunt bedrooms in the early season. I call very little.
One burp. Wait one minute. Another burp and wait nine more minutes. Repeat.....
During the pre-rut and later I use calls that are capable of more volume and won't freeze up. I get quite a bit more aggressive.

Arrowbender,

Thank you for the reply and information. I do have a newer one that adjusts to dang near everything but a squirrel. I will have to try it out a bit more this upcoming year.

James

[Stanley]

Great write up here, for someone new to hunting ridges and valleys any information is helpful!

I have a quick question that maybe someone could help me with. The land I hunt consist of a lot of low land and not as much of the ridges. The main low land has either beans and corn in it and is about 700 yards long and about 100 yards wide and is separated into four fields that are broken up with some trees and a creek runs along one side of the valley. The elevation change from top to bottom is about 80 feet. The neighbor has some ridges that we have two bucks that seem to come off of his land and crosses the fence at the bottom of one of the ridge. The land they come off us that guy doesn't hunt other than shotgun season and just takes the first deer he sees and is done for the season. I can't hunt his land but would like to find a way to hunt where they cross. Not sure if it helps but the reason they cross at the bottom of the ridge is there is a farm house that is at the top of the ridge so they are avoiding that.

I'm trying to see if there is a way to hunt these bucks. I'm not sure if there if there is a valley width where the wind doesn't swirl as much but again, I am new to this type of hunting. I've always been a flat farmland hunter. I was thinking since the valley runs N/S and if the wind is blowing to the south and in my face the wind might run parallel with the valley and not swirl as much. Am I on the right track or is this completely wrong? We seem to get a lot of pictures of bucks on the valley floor but none at the higher elevation anywhere near daylight. I'm just trying to see if there is any situation where hunting the bottom third of the ridge might possibly work. Thanks guys

No one should be implying that you should "never" hunt in the bottoms... Just that its harder, and your more likely to have issues. I hunt low when I have too...

With that said, most of the beds in ridge country are "wind specific" so you should be keeping track of the wind direction when the bucks your after are seen in daylight on the pattern you mentioned... You can't wait for the wind to be right for you, you have to hunt when the wind dictates they are bedded where they will make it onto your property in daylight.

You need to find ways to hunt that wind or winds that the deer come in on... Testing the currents down there with milk weed on the correct wind at last light would be the way to pick your spot.

Great statement. If all you have to hunt is bottoms you must find away to make it work. There is usually never "a never" when hunting.

[Uncle Lou]

Always enjoy cousin Mikes perspective on deer hunting. He is definitely an out of the box deer hunter, has an attention to detail that blows me away and some time should go deer hunting with him. We did share a couple memorable turkey hunts but not deer.

Cuz you need to get your but up to the UP with me. You can bring that bow and set in a tree and freeze your but off and I could go MZ hunting next December. You up, bring your older brother too.

[rizzo999]

Thanks for the suggestions Arrowbender. One of the properties I have access to is ONLY ridgetop crop fields with very few trees. I do not have access to the actual ridges surrounding the property, but have seen numerous bucks making their way along that top 1/3 level that Dan mentions especially the second half of October until gun season (in WI). The one neighbor had many trees blow over last year in the summer. I was thinking of asking him if I could move some of the downed around to form an obstacle that the deer would have to go around to continue on the ridge. I'm not sure I could manipulate them to ensure that they go "high" versus go "low".

[Bigb]

Great write up here, for someone new to hunting ridges and valleys any information is helpful!

I have a quick question that maybe someone could help me with. The land I hunt consist of a lot of low land and not as much of the ridges. The main low land has either beans and corn in it and is about 700 yards long and about 100 yards wide and is separated into four fields that are broken up with some trees and a creek runs along one side of the valley. The elevation change from top to bottom is about 80 feet. The neighbor has some ridges that we have two bucks that seem to come off of his land and crosses the fence at the bottom of one of the ridge. The land they come off us that guy doesn't hunt other than shotgun season and just takes the first deer he sees and is done for the season. I can't hunt his land but would like to find a way to hunt where they cross. Not sure if it helps but the reason they cross at the bottom of the ridge is there is a farm house that is at the top of the ridge so they are avoiding that.

I'm trying to see if there is a way to hunt these bucks. I'm not sure if there if there is a valley width where the wind doesn't swirl as much but again, I am new to this type of hunting. I've always been a flat farmland hunter. I was thinking since the valley runs N/S and if the wind is blowing to the south and in my face the wind might run parallel with the valley and not swirl as much. Am I on the right track or is this completely wrong? We seem to get a lot of pictures of bucks on the valley floor but none at the higher elevation anywhere near daylight. I'm just trying to see if there is any situation where hunting the bottom third of the ridge might possibly work. Thanks guys

No one should be implying that you should "never" hunt in the bottoms... Just that its harder, and your more likely to have issues. I hunt low when I have too...

With that said, most of the beds in ridge country are "wind specific" so you should be keeping track of the wind direction when the bucks your after are seen in daylight on the pattern you mentioned... You can't wait for the wind to be right for you, you have to hunt when the wind dictates they are bedded where they will make it onto your property in daylight.

You need to find ways to hunt that wind or winds that the deer come in on... Testing the currents down there with milk weed on the correct wind at last light would be the way to pick your spot.

Thanks Dan, I appreciate the advice. I'm going to have to make sure I use my milkweed to scout this year. I never knew they trick until I joined the forum last fall so I only used it while hunting. I'll have make sure to check wind at all my stands in a couple week to see if I can start learning how the wind moves in the valleys.