Rifle spot...asap
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Rifle spot...asap
Here is the area I m rifle hunting opening morning.... Aka tomorrow!
Long story short I've bear hunted the area (drives) for several years..it always caught my eye...found out dad and his buddy deer hunt it..every opening day they see/shoot/shoot at a very good buck...
I dont know exactly where either of them sit but I know its there...
Sunday I scouted a bit...where the marker is and a bit west is a lot of big rubs...that marker is just my elevation.. I'm actually 40ft too low according to the sign...
Monday I came through on a bear drive..I jumped a solid buck and several doe..somewhere around where the 1600 is..they ran out the hillside and cut through the saddle...
I have never paid much attention to hunting saddles...I've done it but its hit or miss...with a gun I'd like to think I can make it work...
Wind will be east/southeast..
I was thinking of the north east side of the saddle..just south of the 1649...
Am I wrong?
Should I be smack in the middle of the saddle?
I like that spot because the wind will be in my favor and I have the saddle and the top of that cut plus the thermal tunnel..I know the thermal tunnel will be on the other side...
Problem with the leeward side is that's the road and the human trails...I wanna be nestled in waiting on them to spook deer to me..
Any advice?? I wanna maximize my spot..I am sure II will see deer anywhere there...but wanna maximize it and let the ole Whelen bark.
Its about exactly a mile in..all the trails kinda end and make the spot a bullseye if you will...ignore the trails and jeep trails etc...that's all outdated...some is there...some has changed...
Oh....access.....top or bottom in the wee hours of the morning?? I can do either...top is easier walking and less off trail hiking..from the bottom I won't have to move my truck to get the beast out...if I kill one I will drag it down to the main creek..there is a large trail that I can take to the road..about a mile but shouldn't be a problem..either way works for me..already have hiding spots picked for the deer while I run my stand and gun to the truck...
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Long story short I've bear hunted the area (drives) for several years..it always caught my eye...found out dad and his buddy deer hunt it..every opening day they see/shoot/shoot at a very good buck...
I dont know exactly where either of them sit but I know its there...
Sunday I scouted a bit...where the marker is and a bit west is a lot of big rubs...that marker is just my elevation.. I'm actually 40ft too low according to the sign...
Monday I came through on a bear drive..I jumped a solid buck and several doe..somewhere around where the 1600 is..they ran out the hillside and cut through the saddle...
I have never paid much attention to hunting saddles...I've done it but its hit or miss...with a gun I'd like to think I can make it work...
Wind will be east/southeast..
I was thinking of the north east side of the saddle..just south of the 1649...
Am I wrong?
Should I be smack in the middle of the saddle?
I like that spot because the wind will be in my favor and I have the saddle and the top of that cut plus the thermal tunnel..I know the thermal tunnel will be on the other side...
Problem with the leeward side is that's the road and the human trails...I wanna be nestled in waiting on them to spook deer to me..
Any advice?? I wanna maximize my spot..I am sure II will see deer anywhere there...but wanna maximize it and let the ole Whelen bark.
Its about exactly a mile in..all the trails kinda end and make the spot a bullseye if you will...ignore the trails and jeep trails etc...that's all outdated...some is there...some has changed...
Oh....access.....top or bottom in the wee hours of the morning?? I can do either...top is easier walking and less off trail hiking..from the bottom I won't have to move my truck to get the beast out...if I kill one I will drag it down to the main creek..there is a large trail that I can take to the road..about a mile but shouldn't be a problem..either way works for me..already have hiding spots picked for the deer while I run my stand and gun to the truck...
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
Don't see much I like for an East wind. Kinda hard to know what you have for pressure too... Going in blind with the info given I would probably go across the river bottom and up the hill that is barely shown on the east edge of your map... If that don't work, I would cover the river bottom, or the East side of the saddle at the top of the draw, even though its the wrong wind, I could see movement funneled thru there.
- Spysar
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
Saddles are good, but usually people already have a trail trough them....
Find one without humans using it, and hunt the opposite side that the wind is coming.
Find one without humans using it, and hunt the opposite side that the wind is coming.
A buck will see you three times, and hear you twice, but he's only gonna smell you once.
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
I like the creek crossing to the east also. Looks like a potential escape trail. If you have any mountain laurel in the area on the leeward side hunt it. Those bucks will go to the tops with laurel covering their backsides.
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
To clarify a few things...
The main road access is west and south...as are the human trails...that saddle doesn't have human trails..
The creeks are creek..the one north/south is a mountain trickle..the east/west one is bigger but crossable by deer in most places..human trails run the length of the east/west creek bottom..
The ridge on the east I believe IS mountain Laurel...I remember a few years ago I was still hunting/tracking and seen a few buck in my spot that headed over to there..I tracked them through it to the south..south is lots of human trails..
My thinking was hunt that saddle in the morning..pressure from the south/west should put deer through there...if I don't see the movement or the bucks I want hop over to the other ridge across the small N/S creek...
Any spot over there stand out in particular?
I like thick...but going over sight unseen has me nervous... Atleast my area I know what it looks like and I can be settled in quietly long before sunrise...
The pressure near the road will be pretty heavy I think...
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The main road access is west and south...as are the human trails...that saddle doesn't have human trails..
The creeks are creek..the one north/south is a mountain trickle..the east/west one is bigger but crossable by deer in most places..human trails run the length of the east/west creek bottom..
The ridge on the east I believe IS mountain Laurel...I remember a few years ago I was still hunting/tracking and seen a few buck in my spot that headed over to there..I tracked them through it to the south..south is lots of human trails..
My thinking was hunt that saddle in the morning..pressure from the south/west should put deer through there...if I don't see the movement or the bucks I want hop over to the other ridge across the small N/S creek...
Any spot over there stand out in particular?
I like thick...but going over sight unseen has me nervous... Atleast my area I know what it looks like and I can be settled in quietly long before sunrise...
The pressure near the road will be pretty heavy I think...
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
I would want to be on the point at center top of the picture just under the letter "A" in land, And just to the right of the number 15... But, I would want to come in from above, and be there well before daylight, and high in a tree...
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
Thanx Dan!
I see it...
I hate not knowing...i would be in a pickle if I got over there and it's so thick I can't find a way through...
I think you're right...that's the spot to be...I just can't trust to get there...especially from above...
Across the east/west creek will be heavy pressure too....
I know what you mean...going over after the lead is flying a while and I'm just gunna chase them out of there....
I'm heading in there in the morning...
Gotta find a new opening day killin spot...behind camp just isn't cuttin it...
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I see it...
I hate not knowing...i would be in a pickle if I got over there and it's so thick I can't find a way through...
I think you're right...that's the spot to be...I just can't trust to get there...especially from above...
Across the east/west creek will be heavy pressure too....
I know what you mean...going over after the lead is flying a while and I'm just gunna chase them out of there....
I'm heading in there in the morning...
Gotta find a new opening day killin spot...behind camp just isn't cuttin it...
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
When looking over a new palace , the first place I go is along the creek. Nice ridge there under the "A" too. Good chance you dont might not even need a tree stand.
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
Debated not carrying the stand...but if I don't I know I will walk all day lol...atleast if I'm a mile back up a tree I will think twice before you anywhere...
If I don't see much I will stash the stand (or bring it) and go see what is over there...
I've seen heavily used funnels after the lead was flying a while and even in dry leaves you can spot the fresh trail...
Problem is the wind is such a freak I may not see it on another opener in my life lol..
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If I don't see much I will stash the stand (or bring it) and go see what is over there...
I've seen heavily used funnels after the lead was flying a while and even in dry leaves you can spot the fresh trail...
Problem is the wind is such a freak I may not see it on another opener in my life lol..
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
In my opinion if you get in the river bottom and hunt from the ground with the high hills surrounding you your going to get wind swirls and deer are going to smell you
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
0605hrs almost into the saddle and 2 small legal buck almost killed me....someone spooked them and they were running and snorting and got close enough I seen they were both legal lol...
15mins before light and I heard movement.. Thought it was a hunter..
Broke light and yep..I got surrounded...
Walked to my 2nd and 3rd picks on that ridge and guys were everywhere...
Walked over to Dan's spot...that point is lined with guys but they are all facing the wrong ways...guys too low..others too high...
I kept up the spine of the ridge...i was running out of gas...that stand was killing my shoulders...II walked over 2 miles with it already thismorning...
I needed a spot quick...I peeked over the south side of the ridge and seen nice mountain Laurel 100yds over the spine...got a tree just inside the edge of it...can shoot to the spine and down to where the hillside drops off hard...
If you look at my map I am right between the G and A of GAS.
I wasn't even settled in and 2 doe ran at me down the edge of the Laurel...
I got the best news ever though....dad shot a nice 8 point this morning...said he seen 16 deer before 0800hrs and killed that buck...
That's the best news ever...dad is different...he taught me to hunt and got me into it but lacks patience..easily frustrated..a lot of qualities that make a poor hunter lol...
Since I started hunting 16 years ago he killed one buck...that I pushed him...and had to help him kill lol...he's missed a few..wounded one that someone else killed after he chased it...
So...I am pumped for him...
I wish we could have been together...we've both been doing our own things when It comes to deer season...hard for schedules and locations etc to line up...
Like now..dad usually hunts here but couldn't this year and I could....
Time to put the phone away and get serious...these guys gotta be getting cold and hungry soon...I think I might be in a pretty decent spot...
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15mins before light and I heard movement.. Thought it was a hunter..
Broke light and yep..I got surrounded...
Walked to my 2nd and 3rd picks on that ridge and guys were everywhere...
Walked over to Dan's spot...that point is lined with guys but they are all facing the wrong ways...guys too low..others too high...
I kept up the spine of the ridge...i was running out of gas...that stand was killing my shoulders...II walked over 2 miles with it already thismorning...
I needed a spot quick...I peeked over the south side of the ridge and seen nice mountain Laurel 100yds over the spine...got a tree just inside the edge of it...can shoot to the spine and down to where the hillside drops off hard...
If you look at my map I am right between the G and A of GAS.
I wasn't even settled in and 2 doe ran at me down the edge of the Laurel...
I got the best news ever though....dad shot a nice 8 point this morning...said he seen 16 deer before 0800hrs and killed that buck...
That's the best news ever...dad is different...he taught me to hunt and got me into it but lacks patience..easily frustrated..a lot of qualities that make a poor hunter lol...
Since I started hunting 16 years ago he killed one buck...that I pushed him...and had to help him kill lol...he's missed a few..wounded one that someone else killed after he chased it...
So...I am pumped for him...
I wish we could have been together...we've both been doing our own things when It comes to deer season...hard for schedules and locations etc to line up...
Like now..dad usually hunts here but couldn't this year and I could....
Time to put the phone away and get serious...these guys gotta be getting cold and hungry soon...I think I might be in a pretty decent spot...
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
if THERE IS THAT MUCH PRESSURE, YOU BETTER STICK TO THICK.
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
Decent thus far. 3 1.5yos and a few doe.
I did find another hunter 100yds up the ridge..he will kill him before I do if a shooter comes the way the rest have...
2 1.5yos passed...I thought "I hope a kid is down there and gets his first buck!".
Pow! Pow!
They came back running and one was leaking and not using a front leg...blood looked alright from what I seen quickly...
I'm furious though...half hour and noone tracking...
Betting it was an adult and he realized it wasn't a legal buck for adults....
Buck was hurting he didn't go much farther before bedding...
Sadly if I shoot it I am a poacher......
Oddly enough Dan all these deer are above the mountain Laurel...fairly open woods...if I was a deer I'd be in the stuff I'm watching...Laurel but not choked out thick...
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I did find another hunter 100yds up the ridge..he will kill him before I do if a shooter comes the way the rest have...
2 1.5yos passed...I thought "I hope a kid is down there and gets his first buck!".
Pow! Pow!
They came back running and one was leaking and not using a front leg...blood looked alright from what I seen quickly...
I'm furious though...half hour and noone tracking...
Betting it was an adult and he realized it wasn't a legal buck for adults....
Buck was hurting he didn't go much farther before bedding...
Sadly if I shoot it I am a poacher......
Oddly enough Dan all these deer are above the mountain Laurel...fairly open woods...if I was a deer I'd be in the stuff I'm watching...Laurel but not choked out thick...
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
Passed a legal 1.5yo. With 4 doe.... Didn't go passed the other guy... Hopefully he survives with the other legal one I passed on!
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Re: Rifle spot...asap
The guy up the ridge is climbing down...guys are moving and shooting is starting again...
Noone tracked that little buck....
I'm staying till dark...
Gunna hafta be a bigger buck for me to shoot him closer to dark...I work daylight the next 2 days and its over an hour from here..
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Noone tracked that little buck....
I'm staying till dark...
Gunna hafta be a bigger buck for me to shoot him closer to dark...I work daylight the next 2 days and its over an hour from here..
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