Burning Bridges, When and How?

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johndeere506
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Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:14 am

I have several beds in totally different areas Ive found that leave me with the same question. Lets say the buck bed has 3 main exits, Im sure he uses one more than another. He can exit 3 direction into timber winding up eventually at North (hayfield), NE (food plots) or East (corn). My access is from the North East. Do you hunt the MOST LIKELY exit first, and essentially burning the other bridge also? Or do you hunt all 3 in order being careful to only burn one at a time? This is what I would think being new to full beast mode, but Im wondering if the successful beast hunters would go all out first sit.

This is private land by the way, Im the only one hunting it. On the public beds Ive found, Id probably go all out most aggressive the first time in there.

This is for planning opening days of bow season, Ive always sat them out waiting for pre-rut while the beast were out killing bucks! :D


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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby dan » Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:21 am

I have done it both ways depending on how much damage I feel the 1st hunt does...
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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:26 am

One of my problems is walking to far. I now try to hunt the bedding trail closest to my entry point and one I feel my best wind is and entry to the setup is less noticible. I have made the wrong choice several times but that's part of hunting learning from mistakes.

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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby Stanley » Wed Feb 04, 2015 10:37 am

My primary objective is to get as many quality chances as I can get. I hunt a lot of small parcels and they wont' take a lot of pressure. So for me low impact and highest percentage is what I'm after. The buck doesn't dictate how I hunt. I dictate how I hunt. By this I mean I absolutely can't hunt the buck if the wind is wrong. If I bugger the buck in it's bed I have no chance and my chances are extremely diminished for a subsequent hunt.

I may not get the buck on the first time in on one of the travel routes if he takes a different one than I'm set up on due to the wind direction. But I still have a chance the next time if I don't bugger the buck to start. If you have unlimited good buck beds to set up on then it's no big deal. I don't have unlimited buck bedding areas to set up on. This means I must treat the ones I do have like gold.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby mheichelbech » Wed Feb 04, 2015 11:11 am

dan wrote:I have done it both ways depending on how much damage I feel the 1st hunt does...

How do you judge how much damage you did?

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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:57 pm

Stanley- I agree with what you said and I definitely won't hunt with the wrong wind. I also have very limited supply of shooter beds. The wind will likely decide where I go first. I just hate to walk past one stand location on the way to another, then I burned both.

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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Feb 04, 2015 1:00 pm

dan wrote:I have done it both ways depending on how much damage I feel the 1st hunt does...

Its hard to determine how much damage I'm doing. My guess is a lot since I'll cross the best trail I've seen over the years, but it was best because I didn't find this new spot 100 yards farther. It will be some trial and error.

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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Feb 04, 2015 1:00 pm

dan wrote:I have done it both ways depending on how much damage I feel the 1st hunt does...

Its hard to determine how much damage I'm doing. My guess is a lot since I'll cross the best trail I've seen over the years, but it was best because I didn't find this new spot 100 yards farther. It will be some trial and error.

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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Feb 05, 2015 4:58 am

I am not sure if there is a right or wrong way of doing it.

I am generally pretty aggressive so I will set up on the highest odds spot the first time in, that's a rule I follow most of the time. The first hunt will be your best chance so might as well max out the odds, then with each subsequent hunt your odds will go down anyway because it is more and more likely the buck will detect you. You should be able to figure out what is feeding on at a particular time with tracks or trail cameras.

I understand a more conservative approach can sometimes pay off too.
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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby dan » Thu Feb 05, 2015 5:22 am

mheichelbech wrote:
dan wrote:I have done it both ways depending on how much damage I feel the 1st hunt does...

How do you judge how much damage you did?

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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby dan » Thu Feb 05, 2015 5:25 am

johndeere506 wrote:Stanley- I agree with what you said and I definitely won't hunt with the wrong wind. I also have very limited supply of shooter beds. The wind will likely decide where I go first. I just hate to walk past one stand location on the way to another, then I burned both.

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Patience kills big bucks
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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby dan » Thu Feb 05, 2015 5:25 am

dan wrote:
johndeere506 wrote:Stanley- I agree with what you said and I definitely won't hunt with the wrong wind. I also have very limited supply of shooter beds. The wind will likely decide where I go first. I just hate to walk past one stand location on the way to another, then I burned both.

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Patience and timing kills big bucks
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Re: Burning Bridges, When and How?

Unread postby johndeere506 » Thu Feb 05, 2015 7:12 am

dan wrote:
dan wrote:
johndeere506 wrote:Stanley- I agree with what you said and I definitely won't hunt with the wrong wind. I also have very limited supply of shooter beds. The wind will likely decide where I go first. I just hate to walk past one stand location on the way to another, then I burned both.

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Patience and timing kills big bucks


Patience and Timing. This is always what I thought I was doing waiting for pre-rut to start. But, I see your point that even bed/staging area hunting requires perfect planning, with patience and the right timing/wind direction.

BTW, Im REALLY looking forward to seeing you test those cellular cameras. The idea has been growing on me in locations I wont risk checking AT ALL during the season with a standard camera. It really wont change my plans, but would be cool to know if he is around...


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