Early season mistakes

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Bow_Badger
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Early season mistakes

Unread postby Bow_Badger » Tue Aug 18, 2015 3:16 pm

I recently read an article in deer and deer hunting magazine about early season no nos. My question to all of you is what is your best piece of advice on hunting early season without sacrificing any opportunities later in the season? To get it rolling I would say that I like to watch for fronts or a significant change in temperature before moving in early season. I feel that would give me the best chance of catching one on its feet during shooting hours. Obviously there is other factors that play a role in stand choice (wind, my new understanding of thermals, access,etc). Curious on everybody else's opinion.

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WEEGEE
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby WEEGEE » Tue Aug 18, 2015 3:33 pm

i recently posted some stories under..WEEGEE..it deals with that very question your asking. it is a story about giving you the best odds of early hunting decisions you need to make.not sure how to get the link on here ...just look for the post ..WEEGEE
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby PK_ » Tue Aug 18, 2015 3:39 pm

Bheckel8 wrote:I recently read an article in deer and deer hunting magazine about early season no nos. My question to all of you is [glow=red]what is your best piece ofadvice on hunting early season without sacrificing any opportunities later in the season[/glow]? To get it rolling I would say that I like to watch for fronts or a significant change in temperature before moving in early season. I feel that would give me the best chance of catching one on its feet during shooting hours. Obviously there is other factors that play a role in stand choice (wind, my new understanding of thermals, access,etc). Curious on everybody else's opinion.

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Having a big enough inventory of spots so you don't have to recycle them.
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby Bow_Badger » Tue Aug 18, 2015 3:47 pm

WEEGEE wrote:i recently posted some stories under..WEEGEE..it deals with that very question your asking. it is a story about giving you the best odds of early hunting decisions you need to make.not sure how to get the link on here ...just look for the post ..WEEGEE

Sounds good I'll take a look for it.

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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby WEEGEE » Tue Aug 18, 2015 4:00 pm

i wrote the story on this ,because of the many things you'll have to consider, in order to answer this question.
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby dan » Tue Aug 18, 2015 9:51 pm

My best piece of advice would be to tell you that my biggest bucks, and best opportunities have come from early season. Its not a time to back off, or to hunt lightly. Its a time for precision well thought out moves.
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby purebowhunting » Tue Aug 18, 2015 10:52 pm

PK_ wrote:Having a big enough inventory of spots so you don't have to recycle them.


This thought process has changed my hunting more than anything, it's not about saving your best spots but having enough best spots you're always hunting a fresh one.

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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby dan » Tue Aug 18, 2015 11:38 pm

The reason some people think you need to back off early season is because they use rut tactics all year and hunt funnels and food sources. A lot of these people also lock themselves to tiny properties they don't want to burn out and refuse to believe they could have success on public or don't bother trying to gain access or find new spots. For the guy with grey matter between his ears, early season is a great time to get it done.... I think its your best chance at a world class animal if your hunting an area that opens in mid or early September. October openers are a little harder, but still an opportunity.
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby kurt » Tue Aug 18, 2015 11:59 pm

Hunting early season mornings are less productive aND can turn into mistakes. Bumping deer off fields or aNY where really getting to stand with deer being active at that time hour or so before light . Most big bucks are bedded before daylight. Unless you have a late field pattern going to bed. I would say glass or sleep in.

Oct. 25th ish mornings all change as rut starts
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby msailor » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:01 am

kurt wrote:Hunting early season mornings are less productive aND can turn into mistakes. Bumping deer off fields or aNY where really getting to stand with deer being active at that time hour or so before light . Most big bucks are bedded before daylight. [glow=red]Unless you have a late field pattern going to bed. I would say glass or sleep in[/glow].

Oct. 25th ish mornings all change as rut starts



I'm glad you added this caveat Kurt. I see alot of people dismiss morning hunts early season; granted there is good reason but I've learned to never speak in absolutes. I hunt a farm that is set up where the deer just feel comfortable on their feet in daylight before they bed, early, mid, late season, it doesn't matter. Mostly they hit food plots on the interior of a larger tract of cover but they do this with plenty of daylight left in order to kill them. No reason to ignore good hard evidence if your recon is telling you something different than what the masses are. Here's a few examples over the last couple years:

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headgear
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby headgear » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:24 am

My advice is to hammer your best spots right away early season and then let them cool off for a month or more, plenty of time for the bucks to find their way back. I should also note I often see slightly different bedding locations early season compared to when the leaves are down. Now this certainly doesn't happen all the time but it has cost me in the past because I'd be hunting a specific bed and the bucks would often be bedding not as deep in the thick stuff and/or choose a bed that is slightly different based on wind. They are always in the same general area but it can be those fine details that can make or break a hunt. However my best advice would be to learn from those mistakes, sometimes the best thing to happen to you is to blow a buck out of a different bed by mistake and then figure out why he was there at that time of year.
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby attackone » Wed Aug 19, 2015 2:56 am

msailor wrote:
kurt wrote:Hunting early season mornings are less productive aND can turn into mistakes. Bumping deer off fields or aNY where really getting to stand with deer being active at that time hour or so before light . Most big bucks are bedded before daylight. [glow=red]Unless you have a late field pattern going to bed. I would say glass or sleep in[/glow].

Oct. 25th ish mornings all change as rut starts



I'm glad you added this caveat Kurt. I see alot of people dismiss morning hunts early season; granted there is good reason but I've learned to never speak in absolutes. I hunt a farm that is set up where the deer just feel comfortable on their feet in daylight before they bed, early, mid, late season, it doesn't matter. Mostly they hit food plots on the interior of a larger tract of cover but they do this with plenty of daylight left in order to kill them. No reason to ignore good hard evidence if your recon is telling you something different than what the masses are. Here's a few examples over the last couple years:

Image

Image

Image

Image



I have noticed i have good trail camera activity in the early stage of velvet and right when they peel but once the velvet is off they are a whole different breed of animal and my daylight sightings go why down.
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby Zap » Wed Aug 19, 2015 3:50 am

Lack of aggressive and well planned moves.
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby cbigbear » Wed Aug 19, 2015 3:54 am

dan wrote: I think its your best chance at a world class animal if your hunting an area that opens in mid or early September. October openers are a little harder, but still an opportunity.



Can you expand on why you find Sept openers better than Oct ones?
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Re: Early season mistakes

Unread postby Justin85 » Wed Aug 19, 2015 4:02 am

cbigbear wrote:
dan wrote: I think its your best chance at a world class animal if your hunting an area that opens in mid or early September. October openers are a little harder, but still an opportunity.



Can you expand on why you find Sept openers better than Oct ones?


I'm not Dan but IMO Oct brings a lot of changes in food, foliage, and testosterone, and summer patterns change a lot during Oct, thus making bucks you've watched all summer, a little more unpredictable as the prior mentions factors change up their routines.

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