Hunting a spot for the 1st time

[backstraps]

I am hoping to get some input on hunting a spot the very first time....and off of map scouting only.

I recently watched a video where a hunter went in blind set IP based on his cyber scouting, and harvested a deer.

So my interest would be once you got to the point on interest based solely on your cyber scouting..... would dense cover, open woods, lack of deer sign, ect ...turn you off enough to not sit the h not and go elsewhere?

I'm curious as to what your ideal setup would look like....and on the other hand what conditions would turn you away to not sit and hunt it.

[ Post made via Android ]

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I'd stick to the plan. You picked the spot for a reason. Sometimes, you can talk yourself out of hunting a good spot that doesn't have a lot of sign.

Also, maybe setup an observation stand instead of going head first into the area.

[Stanley]

This is really a great question. Are you talking a spot being a hunting area ? Or are you talking a spot being a hunting site?

[backstraps]

Well I was hoping to open a discussion in regards to hunting a spot.....let say 6 hours away. Somewhere you couldn't easily spend time glassing... or even better yet and area that's almost all wooded terrain, where glassing from a far isn't even a possibility.

If you studied maps and determined you have an "area" you want to hunt....100-200 acres of a 3000 acres parcel of public woodlot.

Within this area you narrowed half a dozen spots you want to try. For discussion sakes lets assume you have 2 weeks to hunt...so time isnt a factor.

I am curious if one of your pinpointed spots once you arrived to the spot marked...its dense cover, thick and nasty, or wide open mature hardwood with know cover etc.... or even the lackof buck sign in your way in....

1. What would your ideal setup "look like"
2. What would turn you away to another spot
3. Would you hunt the spot strictly off your cyber scouting because bedding and travel should be there (regardless what it appears as once you arrive)

[ Post made via Android ]

[Stanley]

Well I was hoping to open a discussion in regards to hunting a spot.....let say 6 hours away. Somewhere you couldn't easily spend time glassing... or even better yet and area that's almost all wooded terrain, where glassing from a far isn't even a possibility.

If you studied maps and determined you have an "area" you want to hunt....100-200 acres of a 3000 acres parcel of public woodlot.

Within this area you narrowed half a dozen spots you want to try. For discussion sakes lets assume you have 2 weeks to hunt...so time isnt a factor.

I am curious if one of your pinpointed spots once you arrived to the spot marked...its dense cover, thick and nasty, or wide open mature hardwood with know cover etc.... or even the lackof buck sign in your way in....

1. What would your ideal setup "look like"
2. What would turn you away to another spot
3. Would you hunt the spot strictly off your cyber scouting because bedding and travel should be there (regardless what it appears as once you arrive)

[ Post made via Android ]

For me if an area doesn't have thick cover I look for an area that does. I'm not big on open terrain hunting. I have never seen a good buck live/bed in an open area. I have seen some bucks sequestered with does in open areas. This happens during the peak of the rut. This is just chance though. The bucks came from thickets to get to those areas.

When I look at an area form the computer I look for trees and thickets. Then I look for other terrain features, hills, ditches, ridges, benches, saddles, bottlenecks. I try to eliminate non productive areas and go from there. It is easy to eliminate open fields, ponds, lakes, rivers, steep bluffs, roads, rail road tracks, things like this.

It is impossible to pinpoint the exact location of where a buck is living/bedding without laying eyes on that buck (cyber scouting). You can certainly pinpoint good looking areas and areas that could/should hold bucks. This where glassing, trail cameras, shining, observation stands, come into place. There is no better intel than eyes on the subject.

I personally think being aggressive is a great attribute when going in blind. Unfortunately I'm more geared up for low impact type hunting. I'm not a gambler, but like the sure/best bet, so to speak. Sometimes being more aggressive can lead to success. I think Dan is an aggressive type hunter. I'm sure he would be better suited to go in blind and be successful than a more passive hunter like myself. Great topic.

[keb]

It depends on what state, time of the season and what's going on around the place ie, neighbors. I have driven 3 hours, to look at a spot that looked great on the computer only to find out, stuff around the spot was not to my liking.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[keb]

My ideal set up is we're no one is hunting, that's where big daddy and will be.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[huntinsonovagun]

I will definitely hunt an area with little to no sign if on the aerial it shows characteristics of producing deer. In the situation you described, I would pick out my best spots and mark them on a map. On the day of the hunt, pick the best stands for the current wind conditions and go from your "most likely" spot to the "least likely". Sometimes you get to the area you think has the best potential, but it might be way too thick to even think about hunting in that location...move on. Or there could have been a recent fire that devastated that particular area. There's a number of reason why a spot on a map wouldn't look as good in person as it did on an aerial. Also, if you've gotten into an area and gave it a fair chance and haven't seen anything...move on down the list.

One thing I like about those long distance type hunts is I don't get lazy. Sometimes at home I'm just trying to get a quick hunt in after work or a quick hunt on a Saturday mornin before heading to family gatherings, etc and I'll hunt and area that's prepped, ready, and easy, but NOT necessarily the best area to shoot a good buck. I also tend to hunt longer hours on "away" hunts. I think this is simply because I'm out there that week (or weekend) for the sole purpose of hunting and nothing else can get in the way. Bottom line is I do more online scouting, walk further to the best looking spots, and hunt longer. Generally if I'm gone there's also a reason I went there i.e. better chance and a wallhanger etc.

There is something super gratifying (to me) to be able to go into an area I've never hunted and be able to get on deer.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Bucky]

If it doesn't hold cover.... I'm typically not a fan. The cover can be close and if the topography is right I will still hunt...

If you got 14 days... sit it day #1 and see what happens. There is typically a spot within the spot that is best... overtime you can find that spot by instinct/learned whitetail behavior

[cwoods]

Im sure spysar has some good info on this subject. Look up his thread or maybe he will post something up here.

[bowmike]

Early season:

How i would cyber scout:

Look at the topo map first.

1) find the points that would look like a buck would be bedded and mark them for the winds you would be able to hunt/scout them.

2) disect the map for travle corridors. Look for saddles, tops of valleys or cuts, small areas on hillsides where deer would take because it is easier for them to move

3) look for potential water sources.

4) connect the dots. when you find a point that looks like the buck would be bedded, near a decent travle corridor, and has a water source, you have found a decent place to start IMO. No matter what food is in the area the deer should funnel towards the travel corridors. Water source will not always be present on the map, but if you see a stream or lake close to the other areas, that would be my starting point.

i would then look at the satellite image of the area and try to compare your initial topo scouting to what the vegetation is like in the area. Meaning if you see a huge field in the open but labled a point on this field as a buck bed area, you may want to avoid that area as a primary area to scout. I am a firm believer that the lay of the land and being able to locate these travle corridors is one of the most overlooked item when cyber scouting by many.

Once you are on the ground:

I would say to pick your number one spot, get in early and sit til about 10 or so. From there go to the areas that look to have the easiest way deer would use to get from point A to point B (travel corridors). Reguardless of knowing what food or bedding is the deer are typically going to funnel through these spots no matter what.Basically a deer will not want to walk down a steep cliff or Once you find a trail in one of these corridors you can branch out and find the food sources and such and other trails that will attach to the main trail. Set up on the best looking intersectsion of trails. If you see a highway of a trail, but is in the wide open, use caution because it may be a night time travle rout and suggest they are using this between feeding and bedding. If you can narrow a foodsource down this could give you an idea as to where there bedding areas are.

This would be a very aggressive hunting style and you would have to pay unbelievable attention to the wind and scent control practices to get in, speed scout, and get out undetected. If you could do all of this in the early season and narrow it down before the rut, you may not totally contaminate your area, and have a more passive way to hunt the property.

Just my .02

[binney59]

Early season:

How i would cyber scout:

Look at the topo map first.

1) find the points that would look like a buck would be bedded and mark them for the winds you would be able to hunt/scout them.

2) disect the map for travle corridors. Look for saddles, tops of valleys or cuts, small areas on hillsides where deer would take because it is easier for them to move

3) look for potential water sources.

4) connect the dots. when you find a point that looks like the buck would be bedded, near a decent travle corridor, and has a water source, you have found a decent place to start IMO. No matter what food is in the area the deer should funnel towards the travel corridors. Water source will not always be present on the map, but if you see a stream or lake close to the other areas, that would be my starting point.

i would then look at the satellite image of the area and try to compare your initial topo scouting to what the vegetation is like in the area. Meaning if you see a huge field in the open but labled a point on this field as a buck bed area, you may want to avoid that area as a primary area to scout. I am a firm believer that the lay of the land and being able to locate these travle corridors is one of the most overlooked item when cyber scouting by many.

Once you are on the ground:

I would say to pick your number one spot, get in early and sit til about 10 or so. From there go to the areas that look to have the easiest way deer would use to get from point A to point B (travel corridors). Reguardless of knowing what food or bedding is the deer are typically going to funnel through these spots no matter what.Basically a deer will not want to walk down a steep cliff or Once you find a trail in one of these corridors you can branch out and find the food sources and such and other trails that will attach to the main trail. Set up on the best looking intersectsion of trails. If you see a highway of a trail, but is in the wide open, use caution because it may be a night time travle rout and suggest they are using this between feeding and bedding. If you can narrow a foodsource down this could give you an idea as to where there bedding areas are.

This would be a very aggressive hunting style and you would have to pay unbelievable attention to the wind and scent control practices to get in, speed scout, and get out undetected. If you could do all of this in the early season and narrow it down before the rut, you may not totally contaminate your area, and have a more passive way to hunt the property.

Just my .02

I like this approach.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[backstraps]

Some very good points and tactics so far.

I have had good luck cyber scouting and avoiding areas that are wide open with little or no cover.

The problem I am having, some of the general areas I cyber scout and arrive to hunt are so dense, you cant walk into or through the areas.
One such place I had the Beast members help get me pointed in the right direction last year. I arrived to scout it, and each spot was literally impossible to walk through, let alone an attempt to approach quietly with stand and gear to hunt.

In my pass experiences, when I show up to a spot I have cyber scouted in middle Tn, or out of state, I generally hunt very near that spot as long as I have a correct wind once I arrive in the general area I cyber scouted. However, there have been times I made my way through the woods only to be in wide open mature hardwoods and could see 200 yards in any given direction....and I have went on to another area to hunt.

I like the post from Binney59. Rgardless if I totally agree with all his tactics listed, those
are the types of post I really enjoy reading. No matter is I agree 100% or not, there are times members could learn things from post like that. None the less, may at least get us thinking about our own approaches and how we may improve on our tactics.

Kind of like a step by step approach to 1st time sits in an area.

I would really like to read how other Beast members approach a first time setup in an area.... what you look for and the tactics you use. PLEASE feel free to post em up

[Bucky]

I look for bedding cover and water... if u have that u got a chance at 3yr old or better buck

[ Post made via Android ]

[headgear]

I've had some luck doing this, 3 times now I have picked a spot on a map and gone in blind and got on mature bucks. I basically search for places I think are remote enough (low pressure) and have the potential for buck bedding. Then I scout my way in and setup where I feel I have the best chance to make a kill. Sometimes I am hunting one place that holds the potential for bedding, other times I try and centrally locate myself in an area that has several potential bedding areas.

My first encounter I had to pass up a shot right at dark, I could see the buck ok but at 35+ yards and minutes to closing time it was jus to dark to make a good shot. On another hunt in I jumped a nice buck out of his bed 50 yards in front of me, I was actually going in to setup on a different bedding area but was happy to find a great looking bed where I jumped this buck, the other spot I planned to hunt turned out to be a good buck bedding area too. Last season I hit a new spot and saw a buck in the distance but he didn't come my way, now I know one of his exit trails. Oh and one time I went in blind and jumped up a big bear where I was expecting a buck to come from, its always exciting and you can learn a lot hunting this way. I should note most of the time you end up skunked but it sure gives a guy confidence to be able to pick a spot on a map and have a chance at a nice buck (or bear).