"Hot sign"

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Stevew77
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"Hot sign"

Unread postby Stevew77 » Fri Sep 19, 2014 1:55 pm

That phrase is repeated all the time on here when headed in mobile. I'm curious what that means to you guys. In the past if I come across a white or red oak dropping With scat under it I'm hunting right then and that usually means a doe for the freezer.

Let's just say you're headed into a new area, stand on the back.... Why would you freeze and find a tree quick?

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Milk Weed Seed
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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby Milk Weed Seed » Fri Sep 19, 2014 2:23 pm

Large fresh tracks would get my attention, especially close to bedding.
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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby Bucky » Fri Sep 19, 2014 2:30 pm

A ridge top with multiple fresh rubs and 3 or 4 huge scrapes... that is what I found last year prior to shooting my buck early Nov

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Jackson Marsh
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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Fri Sep 19, 2014 2:30 pm

It depends. If that oak tree is 200 yards onto the mainland when hunting a cattail marsh I would pass. If you are walking in to hunt a specific bed and on the transition line you see fresh big rubs with big tracks coming out of a brush pile 50 yards into the cattails, that I would hunt now.
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Dewey
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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Sep 19, 2014 2:51 pm

If I see fresh big tracks headed into a known bedding area but not coming out you can bet I am setting up. Especially if that bedding area is backed up to water or another barrier.

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Jackson Marsh
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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Fri Sep 19, 2014 2:59 pm

Dewey wrote:If I see fresh big tracks headed into a known bedding area but not coming out you can bet I am setting up. Especially if that bedding area is backed up to [glow=red]water or another barrier.[/glow]

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Great point! Often there is a daisy chain of potential bedding farther down the line, but with a barrier it's time to get excited!
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James
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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby James » Fri Sep 19, 2014 4:28 pm

Bucky wrote:A ridge top with multiple fresh rubs and 3 or 4 huge scrapes... that is what I found last year prior to shooting my buck early Nov

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Ditto. Last year I freelanced a hunt where I kept hiking a ridge until I hit a spot with about 4 huge scrapes that had all the signs of fresh activity with rubs that were also fresh. Setup and killed my buck within an hour.

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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby chasemukluk » Mon Sep 22, 2014 12:59 pm

All excellent points! Thank you for sharing!
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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby PK_ » Mon Sep 22, 2014 1:07 pm

It isn't so much the sign as it is the location of the sign. A man can waste many hours, even years hunting 'hot sign' in the wrong place.
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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby PLB » Mon Sep 22, 2014 1:08 pm

PalmettoKid wrote:It isn't so much the sign as it is the location of the sign. A man can waste many hours, even years hunting 'hot sign' in the wrong place.

Word

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Re: "Hot sign"

Unread postby Swampbuck » Mon Sep 22, 2014 1:17 pm

Exactly what palmetto said, rubs, big droppings and tracks near a very thick area is what I'd look for. I feel hot food sources are pretty much irrelevant

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