A/B/C/D = My Stand options
X = other hunters tree stands
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Uploaded with ImageShack.comI saw da big buck Saturday morning 11/16/13 at location (B)- he was walking SOUTH into what appeared to be his bedding area. I was set up on the ground on the trusty 3-step stepladder from Menards that I tucked into some brush at a new spot that I found by studying my aerial maps looking for interior travel corridors and just plain marking where all the other hunters are and going where no one else goes. I had never sat at location (B) before 11/16 - a definite sanctuary because of the tough access through the cattails, water, and muck. This spot is about 50yds south of the river according to my gps. Right at about 7am the first and only deer, a tall and wide symmetrical rack appears I just saw his face and head above the cattails as he entered the red osier dogwoods 40 yards away quartering towards- no shot opportunity. I was fairly concealed and there was a cross wind, but he must have picked up my silhouette or a swirling wind because we ended up locking eyes for about 7.5 seconds with that look on his face, “how the did you get back here?!” before he jumped away and down a trail south right into the entrance of a thick bedding area that was all tore up with rubs.
Did I burn this bridge by hunting it once? Now Im stuck with the dilemma of where to sit for gun season!
Did I spook him enough that he will either
1. enter the same bedding area on a different route,
2. move off to a new bedding area altogether,
3. disregard our rendezvous and follow the same pattern or
4. arrive to bed well before first light and avoid the spot during daylight hours? I know the big ones get big from patterning hunters and not vise versa so I’ve got a lot of planning ahead of me to outsmart this one.
A-Last year I sat in a tiny ground blind at spot (A) and a 2.5 yr old came out from/near spot C at 1:50pm heading NORTH/NORTHEAST offering me an opening day 25 yd shot that I could not pass up- see picture below. I had never hunted this spot until the day I shot the buck (previously only set foot there once while rainy day scouting the week before) I did sit here one morning during bow season and could hear that I jumped a deer right as I was sneaking quietly into my stand about an hour before shooting light- did not see a single deer the rest of the morning. Visibility limited to about 40yds. Neighbor has a tripod approximately 150yds northeast of this stand and shoots a big buck every damn year - you can see the shooting lanes cut through the cattails on the birds eye view map.
B-Only sat here once- morning of 11/16 and spooked a shooter buck at 40yds. Visibility limited to about 40yds. Neighbor to the north has a tripod 140yds directly north- you can see the shooting lanes cut through the cattails on the aerial view map.
C-Spot C is a climber stand location that i found mid-October while scouting for fresh sign on a rainy day because its near a heavily used trail with big tracks. I sat nearby here evening of 10/19 but didn't see any deer. Visibility
D-Spot D is an actual buck bed with a climber-able tree literally directly over the top of the bed- I have the feeling this is from a different buck than the one I saw on 11/16 but it appears to be a big deer based on the size of the matting and big trees rubbed. I stumbled across this while scouting for a climber-able tree after my 11/16 morning hunt. I hope I didn't encroach too much there but it was just hours before a rain and storm hit the area...
Lightning bolt = buck rubs and where I know an actual bed or immediate staging area is
Typically I like to stay put in one spot all day for opening day of gun but since I am hunting mobile on the ground or climber and all my spots aren't too far from each other I could possibly consider a midday change of locations. The area where my A/B/C/D stands are located there are very few trees that you can hang a stand in. Any thoughts or input is appreciated- Thanks
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