Big woods hunting - I have no idea how to start

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fishlips
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Re: Big woods hunting - I have no idea how to start

Unread postby fishlips » Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:07 am

stash59 wrote:
hunter10 wrote:Beauty posts guys thanks for sharing. I have always been fascinated by the endless landscape for miles around in all directions but i wont beat around the bush and tell you Im not worried about this type of hunting. The feeling of being lost in dense forests with minimal chance of being within close proximity of others, the potential to run into bears with only a bow in my hand doesn't sit well with me.

I have a cottage that with a 2 min boat ride i can find all the back bays, marshes, beaver ponds and swamps witbhout even trying... they are everwhere. I guess at the end of the day I am scared to jump in head first deep into the bush looking for minimal sign (low deer populations) and push myself deeper and deeper trying to figure it out and end up being lost. Cell phone service is minimal.

Big woods hunters I tip my hat to you. I would like to give it a shot even if im only 100yds from the boat.


Conquering your fear is very important. If your scared of getting lost you'll be paying more attention to that than the story the sign and terrain are telling you.

Read some books on outdoor survival. In my day Dwight Shue had some good ones. Just like anything learning how to be prepared ahead of time takes away alot of fears. Practice in safer environments to gain confidence. Throw away the "boogieman myth" about bears and other large predators. In general they fear you far more. Still show them respect but don't let that make you afraid of them.

To me the big woods is a mystical spiritual place. A place to be respected but also one to take so much away from.


x2 what Stash said. I wouldn't said I hunt big woods by any means, but a large chunk of continuous woods with cedar swamp. At times it all looks the same. I have gotten better navigating it, but I admit I have a GPS. I don't have to worry too much as I wouldn't have to walk too far (no more than 3/4 of a mile) to hit something that would look familiar. Hard part is that in those areas it can be really easy to walk in circles.

I definitely wasted a lot of time scouting the property by just walking and not really concentrating my scouting on areas that would be likely bedding areas. After enough trial and error and reading this site, I finally started to focus my time on edge habitat within the woods. Where I hunt there is a ton of open woods that is just not worth spending much time on. Instead I have focused most of my time on a transition from hardwoods to cedar swamp. Definitely more sign there than in the open woods.

It's fun hunting though. I could stick around and hunt better properties closer to home, but I love going to where we have gun hunted the past 13 years. Kind of one of those things that gets in your blood and can't quite shake it. I definitely did not hunt it hard the first 10 years, but have invested more time into scouting and have finally started to put together some of the pieces. It takes time and a lot of patience and I still haven't connected on a nice buck up there, but I have had opportunities that I just flat out screwed up.


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justin84
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Re: Big woods hunting - I have no idea how to start

Unread postby justin84 » Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:26 am

Most of my hunting takes place in the northwoods of Wisconsin. I used to hunt a location based on convenience and proximity to our place. Now that I've had 9 months to read on the Beast, I have unlimited (maybe literally) spots to check out, all of them not in any of the places I have been previously. There is so much to choose from I have found it overwhelming but now I feel like I know where to start on the map. Looking forward to seeing how it plays out this season and hopefully I'll have some good experience to share this year.
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headgear
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Re: Big woods hunting - I have no idea how to start

Unread postby headgear » Thu Jul 16, 2015 11:20 am

johndeere506 wrote:You mentioned going only 100 yards from the boat. Sometimes ghats all it takes.

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A lot of truth here, I have a couple of spots near roads that get some truck traffic in the fall, mind you these are still remote logging roads 7-10 miles off the blacktop but still see a lot of hunters. A lot of times these trails and logging road are everywhere in the bigwoods so the deer cross them pretty much daily. The key is finding an active crossing and a good reason to setup in that spot. I hunt plenty of way back remote stuff that I am the only person for miles but I can't tell you how many guys have seen big bucks crossing roads in the daylight, if the sign is there follow it!
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Terry
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Re: Big woods hunting - I have no idea how to start

Unread postby Terry » Sun Jul 19, 2015 12:09 am

You can't look at the woods as a whole, you need to break it down into sections and learn each one individually. Takes time, but I find it to be effective. And like others have said, concentrate on changes in terrain and water. Following creeks is another method. They will take you to bigger bodies of water and or elevation changes.

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PK_
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Re: Big woods hunting - I have no idea how to start

Unread postby PK_ » Sun Jul 19, 2015 2:12 am

It is easy to get lost if you do not have a system for keeping track of where you are. Boat access, just stick close to the shore of the body of water you are using for traveling. If you venture away from it, stick to something that will guide you, a hard transition, creek, ridge, etc…Those are the features the animals will relate to anyways. Frequently stop and look behind you to remember what the landscape will look like when trying to find your way out…

I think purchasing and familiarizing yourself with a good gps unit would solve your problem as well.
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stash59
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Re: Big woods hunting - I have no idea how to start

Unread postby stash59 » Sun Jul 19, 2015 4:00 am

PK_ wrote:It is easy to get lost if you do not have a system for keeping track of where you are. Boat access, just stick close to the shore of the body of water you are using for traveling. If you venture away from it, stick to something that will guide you, a hard transition, creek, ridge, etc…Those are the features the animals will relate to anyways. Frequently stop and look behind you to remember what the landscape will look like when trying to find your way out…

I think purchasing and familiarizing yourself with a good gps unit would solve your problem as well.


Even just a good quality compass. If you are going in north of a road to scout you know you have to head south to get back out.

Pay attention to time. If you've hiked for 3 hours you know it will take about that long to get back out.
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funderburk
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Re: Big woods hunting - I have no idea how to start

Unread postby funderburk » Sat Mar 23, 2024 2:39 am

stash59 wrote:
PK_ wrote:It is easy to get lost if you do not have a system for keeping track of where you are. Boat access, just stick close to the shore of the body of water you are using for traveling. If you venture away from it, stick to something that will guide you, a hard transition, creek, ridge, etc…Those are the features the animals will relate to anyways. Frequently stop and look behind you to remember what the landscape will look like when trying to find your way out…

I think purchasing and familiarizing yourself with a good gps unit would solve your problem as well.


Even just a good quality compass. If you are going in north of a road to scout you know you have to head south to get back out.

Pay attention to time. If you've hiked for 3 hours you know it will take about that long to get back out.


Totally agree. It would also be helpful to learn about simple land navigation skills, like using baseline, handrails, backstops, etc. Dave Canterbury has a great video that explains land navigation for woodsmen really well. Definitely a skill set worth investing some time and energy in.

Gotta love the bigwoods 8-)
“I’ve always believed that the mind is the best weapon.” John Rambo


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