Cover so thick...how do you quiet things down.

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basspro05
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Cover so thick...how do you quiet things down.

Unread postby basspro05 » Tue Oct 21, 2014 2:04 am

Hunted a very promising spot yesterday, but the walk in is so thick it is almost impossible not to make noise. It is waste high undergrowth that is a mix of saplings and thorn vines.

So thick that you cant see any trails but you will see the occasional rub on a small tree so you know they are walking through this thick crap.

Do you just leave really early and snip every thing off before every step as you walk through? I felt like an NFL runningback dragging a linebacker through this stuff it was so thick.

And because you can't see the ground you are constantly snapping limbs you can't see...

When I found the tree I wanted to climb, i was able to set my LW Assault and sticks flat on top of this stuff and it was resting 3-4 ft off the ground.

I still had a good time, and it was the highest I had climbed so far with my mobile set up, I got up a full 4 sticks, and I took that as my positive experience for the hunt.


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jboswell
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Re: Cover so thick...how do you quiet things down.

Unread postby jboswell » Tue Oct 21, 2014 2:19 am

I feel your pain... I hunt similar areas... great bedding cover and nice browse for the deer but wow, what a pain to get through.

I try to just take my time and be as quiet as possible, getting in early helps I think, as well as hunting those spots on high wind days due to the extra background noise.
basspro05
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Re: Cover so thick...how do you quiet things down.

Unread postby basspro05 » Tue Oct 21, 2014 3:02 am

Windy is probably a good idea. Seemed like the slower I went the noisier I became, because when I would slow down sometimes the thorny vines would nearly trip me or latch on to the lone wolf.
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Re: Cover so thick...how do you quiet things down.

Unread postby redwhiteblue » Tue Oct 21, 2014 3:44 am

I have the same problem on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The thorns/thickets are like trying to get through a barbed-wire obstacle course, they snag and slice everything. The thorns are 3/4 inch long! So here's what I do. Sunday hunting is illegal on public land here, so I go out on a Sunday with a giant pair of pruning shears. I don't prune my entrance to my route because I don't want other hunters to take advantage of my work (at least not until I get a first kill at the spot). Once I'm far enough in that you can't see from the main trail, I start clipping my way in. GPS routing is helpful if you plan on coming back early morning when it's still dark. Once you've cut your path, cut in a couple different stand areas to allow flexibility for wind changes. Then leave and don't come back for at least a week, preferably two. If you wait two weeks, then you can sprinkle a generous amount of corn around to encourage the bucks to ignore your scent, and by the time you return it will have been long enough to not break the baiting laws.
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Re: Cover so thick...how do you quiet things down.

Unread postby dan » Tue Oct 21, 2014 4:06 am

GO EARLY, GO SLOW... They will likely forget by the time they rise. and if its windy in will cover your noise.

The last buck I shot I was walking on crunchy leaves on an island, set up just off the island in some swamp grass, had a buck come in and spook running hard, and still had the buck I shot and one other get out of beds 40 or 50 yards away...
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Re: Cover so thick...how do you quiet things down.

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Tue Oct 21, 2014 11:58 am

Windy day is good idea. As Dan mentioned, go really slow. Make sure your state allows brush trimming on public land before you make any plans to do that. I know its not allowed in WI. .
The cave you fear hides the treasure you seek!!!


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