Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land MI

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johndeere506
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Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land MI

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Dec 03, 2014 7:53 am

I did lots of scouting this summer and fall to learn the fresh sign I was really looking for, rather than relying on rut stands. My known areas fit this desciption, so it makes sense why they work. I picked a new area, but it had gun hunters there when I arrived so I was obviously not the only one scouting. Its 4 miles down a river too...

So, now Im looking for new spots. What types of things are you looking for in December? How do you find potential areas? Do you drive 2 tracks and look for big buck tracks before deciding to hunt? Follow the tracks or make a plan on where you think he comes from? Im looking forward to snow for this. I have a couple spots picked that Im at least a little familiar with, but low deer density, so I can make some type of plan. My best thought is to find food areas, and follow big tracks out until I see they came from something like potential bedding, and set up there. Other option is to go to new areas and find swamp islands, overlooked areas, or some smaller cedar thickets that may hold deer after gun season pressure.

Is still hunting or snow tracking best?


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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby SamPotter » Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:02 am

If you are hunting the UP don't waste time setting up in a stand. Get tracking them in the snow! Our Adirondacks are very similar and last weekend I was seeing fresh sign in a spot one day and none the next. I did see 3 bucks, all because I was on their track.
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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:24 am

SamPotter wrote:If you are hunting the UP don't waste time setting up in a stand. Get tracking them in the snow! Our Adirondacks are very similar and last weekend I was seeing fresh sign in a spot one day and none the next. I did see 3 bucks, all because I was on their track.


No LP only. Tracking sounds like more fun than sitting this time of year for sure. I just need to know what to do once I get on good tracks. Im guessing driving works best for finding a good set to follow.
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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby SamPotter » Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:01 am

Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert tracker, but I have killed 3 bucks this way and passed about twice that many that weren't quite big enough. The most recent kill was last Sunday, so my confidence is way up!

Yes, driving around looking for a track will allow you to cover a lot more territory than you ever could on foot. Of 3 days I hunted last weekend, I found tracks on the road the first and last day and followed both. I jumped both bucks within 2 hours of starting on the track. The middle day I drove around until 10:30 am and couldn't find a track that got me excited, so I went for a hike into some territory that looked promising the day before. Aside from bumbling into a yearling buck, I spent the rest of the day wandering around and only seeing a few doe and fawn tracks. A lot of time can be wasted walking and looking for a track, but sometimes the bucks know better than to cross the roads, so to me there is no definitive answer which is better.

If you are in big country where you are not likely to cross onto posted land within 3+ miles the strategy might be a little different than if you are in smaller parcel territory.

Big woods tracking is unlike any other deer hunting you will do. In my experience (and reading) you need to forget which way the wind is blowing because you can't afford to leave the track to try to get the wind in your favor, unless you are confident the deer is bedded ahead, but you could also lose valuable time. Also, just because you jump the buck, it doesn't mean the jig is up and you trudge home. Actually, the fun is just starting. Big woods tracking also is not simply running the deer down until he is so tired he can't run any more. What actually happens more is you jump him a couple of times and he either gets curious and wants to get a better look at you or he notices that nothing bad has happened so far, so he starts to think you're not as much of a threat as much as he'd originally thought. Usually you get to see them once or twice. One the toughest things to master is what pace to go at. A big woods buck that is just cruising for does can be walking all day and you just can never close the gap because you are going too slow. Some guys actually like to really move fast and jump the buck as soon as possible so they now know how far ahead he is. Once he's up, you run when he runs, walk when he walks, and go into creep mode when you think he's close.

I'd recommend spending some time on youtube for now and also look for some books on the subject. I have several books by and/or about the Benoits, a family famous in the Northeast for their tracking prowess. They have several DVDs as well. Other esteemed trackers to search for are Hal Blood, R.G. Bernier, and the Salerno family. Of course there are lots of good trackers out there but these are the ones that might have some published material.

Here's a couple of youtube videos I found:

Hal Blood:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3avF3mmFo5g

Jeff Doyle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB2_YXeY_9I

On small parcels the main idea is to be as quiet as possible and shoot the deer in his bed or as he gets up. Otherwise he will likely leave the property and you are all done for the day. Here you want to go back to playing the wind as best you can. Likely you know the preferred bedding areas and if you have a good track headed in that direction, you likely want to make sure you have the wind in your favor before the final approach. I tracked and killed a buck in Connecticut in 2005 that was bedded 200-250 yards off a field edge. I had my muzzleoader ready like a trapshooter and got him when jumped from his bed. Last year I hunted some public land (mixed ag and small woodlots) near hear during the late season and snuck up on 2 different young bucks (one within spitting distance). The thing to remember on small parcels is A) you have all day, so if there is a good track going in, take as much time as you need because you are only going to get one chance, B) Plan on doing it at the very end of the season, because once you go creeping through dense bedding cover and bust them out, the deer probably won't be back to give you another chance that season, and C) consider bringing a buddy along to stand watch over a likely escape route in case you miss the chance, maybe the buddy will connect. I have had a lot more shot opportunities with small parcel tracking than in the big woods, most likely because I am in the creep mode the whole time.

Tracking deer in the snow at the end of the season is a very welcome change of pace from sitting in a tree wondering what's going on over the next rise! Plus, you always know somewhere up ahead there is a deer laying down the tracks in front of you.
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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby kenn1320 » Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:46 am

You floated 4miles of river and ran into others, that's michigan. You will find it extremely difficult to get away from others and when/if you do, it's cause there's no deer there. Sounds like you were in NLP, which should be plenty of room to track like you want. I believe Magicman on here is a tracker, maybe pm him and see if he will chime in on this post.

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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Dec 03, 2014 1:32 pm

Sam thanks that very good info and lots of it. Ive done this in small pieces after spotting bucks, or stalking known good areas. I'll start trying this out. Im getting tired of sitting.
Ken yes its NLP where I've been going. Archery was much less crowded up there.

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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby PK_ » Wed Dec 03, 2014 4:00 pm

Just reading about track hunting gets my blood pumping!
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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby johndeere506 » Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:17 am

Im headed 3 hrs north to my uncles place and surrounding public on Thursday. It sounds like they dont have any snow so this will likely be a lot harder. I guess looking for fresh food sources and tracks in the mud are the best I can do. Im still looking forward to it but was hoping for snow.
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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby Fresh Track » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:09 am

Tracking a buck in the big woods is the ultimate challenge. I have been fortunate to spend most of my time hunting the Adirondacks and have been able to track and take over a dozen bucks through the years. I have hunted northern Maine and northern New Hampshire as well however the Adirondacks has been in my opinion the most rewarding area to hunt simply because the rugged country and lack of roads allows you to go back into areas where you may be the only hunter all season. I have found that when a snow arrives the most important thing to do is cover as much country on foot as possible until I find a buck track that's 4 fingers wide. Many times I will walk 10 miles a day usually going along the base of mountains looking for a buck heading up to the top to bed for the day. There's an old saying that I have found holds true "feed low and bed high" this is usually the situation I will find when I come across a track worth going after. The last week of the season is the best time to go in these remote areas bucks are mostly done cruising for does and have one thing they are focused on that's feeding and building their fat reserve back up prior to the harsh winter. Many times the track I'm looking for and finally find may be 2 days old however these bucks will not go far this time of year. I have multiple times caught up to bucks that went through 2 days prior and was able to catch up to him less than 4 hrs later. There will be multiple beds that I will come upon seeing walking tracks coming out of each of them each time I'm gaining time and closing in on fresher sign. I will leave the gun on my shoulder as I'm moving at a quick pace gaining ground each step. It's when the tracks and feeding sign are fresher that I slow down and start to my hunt. I have learned so much from so many that I would love to share more.

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Re: Fresh Sign-Big Woods or other- LATE SEASON- public land

Unread postby SamPotter » Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:05 am

Fresh Track wrote:Tracking a buck in the big woods is the ultimate challenge. I have been fortunate to spend most of my time hunting the Adirondacks and have been able to track and take over a dozen bucks through the years. I have hunted northern Maine and northern New Hampshire as well however the Adirondacks has been in my opinion the most rewarding area to hunt simply because the rugged country and lack of roads allows you to go back into areas where you may be the only hunter all season. I have found that when a snow arrives the most important thing to do is cover as much country on foot as possible until I find a buck track that's 4 fingers wide. Many times I will walk 10 miles a day usually going along the base of mountains looking for a buck heading up to the top to bed for the day. There's an old saying that I have found holds true "feed low and bed high" this is usually the situation I will find when I come across a track worth going after. The last week of the season is the best time to go in these remote areas bucks are mostly done cruising for does and have one thing they are focused on that's feeding and building their fat reserve back up prior to the harsh winter. Many times the track I'm looking for and finally find may be 2 days old however these bucks will not go far this time of year. I have multiple times caught up to bucks that went through 2 days prior and was able to catch up to him less than 4 hrs later. There will be multiple beds that I will come upon seeing walking tracks coming out of each of them each time I'm gaining time and closing in on fresher sign. I will leave the gun on my shoulder as I'm moving at a quick pace gaining ground each step. It's when the tracks and feeding sign are fresher that I slow down and start to my hunt. I have learned so much from so many that I would love to share more.

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Fresh Track- your advice is pretty similar to what some other Adirondack trackers have given me from the Blue Mountain/Long Lake area.

I've noticed the same thing this time of year, several beds and heavy feeding sign in a concentrated area made by just the 1 buck. Usually he's not far away.

There were no beechnuts in my area this year, so no mast to speak of as there are no oaks. Deer were mostly feeding on ferns and their roots. The majority of the feeding sign I found was about 50-100 yards down from the top of whatever respective mountain or hill I was on at the time.


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