How to hunt transitions

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mhill
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How to hunt transitions

Unread postby mhill » Fri Sep 18, 2015 5:51 am

Please help me analyze this map some more.

I have made notes of what I think and what I have confirmed. The blue box is private land I don't have permission to hunt, but I have walked the confirmed bedding area which seemed to be a doe bedding area with permission while tracking a deer.

The map is orientated north facing up. The prevailing wind comes out of the west (left side of pic).

The yellow line is a transition from hardwoods to pines, how would you hunt that transition, would you sit on the edge of it 20 yards from it 50 yards from it? My idea is that these deer will travel from the suspected bedding area to the confirmed bedding area and visa versa and would want to hug the transition for protection. There is an old logging road 50-60 yards from the edge of the transition.

The bedding areas are CRP fields where timber was cleared and now the area is over grown. Im not sure if the trails in the suspected bedding is animal runs or Illegal ATV trails or left over logging trails, im not sure how old the areal map is.

mark up this map and explain what you would do please. Point out other areas also that you would target.

Thanks

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Re: How to hunt transitions

Unread postby mhill » Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:59 am

any help would be appreciated.
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Re: How to hunt transitions

Unread postby exojam » Fri Sep 18, 2015 11:34 am

Be patient, your original post went up what 2 hours before your second? Someone will be by to help but looking for a mark up of a area and explanation in that amount of time is asking a bit much.
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Re: How to hunt transitions

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Sat Sep 19, 2015 11:56 am

mhill... The yellow line is a transition from hardwoods to pines, how would you hunt that transition, would you sit on the edge of it 20 yards from it 50 yards from it? My idea is that these deer will travel from the suspected bedding area to the confirmed bedding area and visa versa and would want to hug the transition for protection.


During the rut periods you have made a reasonable assumption. There should be at least a faint trail along the transition of the hardwoods and pines. If your area doesn't have a lot of hunters the trail is likely just onto the hardwood side. The trail moves just into the pines (I'm assuming these pines are not wide open canopy at ground level) if there is moderate to high hunting pressure.

To hunt it, I would set up a stand on both the north and south side of the trail. When the wind will take your scent away from the trail and away from those 2 bedding areas, pick the stand that works best for the condions on that day and hit it. Do not forget that your approach trail will need to keep your airborne scent away from those bedding areas as well. The bedding area to the east has a higher elevation than the one to the west, morning and evening thermals will need to be accounted for if you are hunting a quartering wind that moves toward one of the bedding areas. I would hunt with a steady, north or south wind that is over 10 mph within 20 yards of the trail (bow).

There is an old logging road 50-60 yards from the edge of the transition.


If this logging trail is also running between both bedding areas you will need to determine which of the trails the mature bucks prefer. Old, big rubs along one trail or the other are something to watch for. You didn't say if the logging trail was in the pines or in the hardwoods, which can make a difference in high pressure areas.
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Re: How to hunt transitions

Unread postby mhill » Tue Sep 22, 2015 12:44 pm

Singing Bridge wrote:
mhill... The yellow line is a transition from hardwoods to pines, how would you hunt that transition, would you sit on the edge of it 20 yards from it 50 yards from it? My idea is that these deer will travel from the suspected bedding area to the confirmed bedding area and visa versa and would want to hug the transition for protection.


During the rut periods you have made a reasonable assumption. There should be at least a faint trail along the transition of the hardwoods and pines. If your area doesn't have a lot of hunters the trail is likely just onto the hardwood side. The trail moves just into the pines (I'm assuming these pines are not wide open canopy at ground level) if there is moderate to high hunting pressure.

To hunt it, I would set up a stand on both the north and south side of the trail. When the wind will take your scent away from the trail and away from those 2 bedding areas, pick the stand that works best for the condions on that day and hit it. Do not forget that your approach trail will need to keep your airborne scent away from those bedding areas as well. The bedding area to the east has a higher elevation than the one to the west, morning and evening thermals will need to be accounted for if you are hunting a quartering wind that moves toward one of the bedding areas. I would hunt with a steady, north or south wind that is over 10 mph within 20 yards of the trail (bow).

There is an old logging road 50-60 yards from the edge of the transition.


If this logging trail is also running between both bedding areas you will need to determine which of the trails the mature bucks prefer. Old, big rubs along one trail or the other are something to watch for. You didn't say if the logging trail was in the pines or in the hardwoods, which can make a difference in high pressure areas.


Thanks for the reply..

The logging road is in the hardwood portion. This area doesnt see pressure til the gun season in mid november.

I was out driving the roads this past weekend and the have logged a large section of the area to the south of these bedding areas. They are still in there running machinery these bedding areas are about 1/2 mile from where they are working. They are leaving the tree tops on the ground this will create bedding i assume? They are finishing a 180 acre logging lot, and they are selectively cutting certain trees.
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