A little help with hunting maps

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Tufrthnails
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A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:04 pm

Going back to the farm next week for one last shot at tagging out in KY with the Bow.
everything inside the red is property I am hunting
The yellow dots on the aerial are existing ladder stands that get some pressure by my cousin.


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I tend to hunt my climber, but from time to time I will sit a ladder for an observation sit.
wind is forcasted all over the place next week, but several days are straight out of the E.

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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:25 pm

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Okay seems I may need to be a bit more specific. Yellow circles are where I know deer are bedding. blue lines are approaches I have used to existing stands. The big yellow circle is ridiculously thick I had to trail a Doe in I shot earlier this season and found her in one of the beds. I was scouting last year the bed area in the bottom left of the pic and found lots of rubs and 4 beds. I am really wanting to hunt this area this week. What wind and how would you approach? There is a very little traffic on the road except people coming and going to work. This area has not been hunted this year at all.
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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby dan » Sat Jan 02, 2016 9:38 pm

Its hard to pinpoint at this time of year cause deer will move close to the food. I would really consider my approach. That large yellow circle looks like a good area for an east wind putting some bucks probably bedding on the East side of the creek on the little points. But, I would not doubt it if deer are bedding the edges watching the fields, so approach is critical. At this time of year I usually sit back once and try and observe before moving in. Knowing what eyes and noses will be where and where the target comes out and heads to can be game changing, and deer stick to a pretty good pattern late season around food.
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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Sun Jan 03, 2016 6:58 pm

That would make sense. I have seen plenty of bucks in and around the big yellow circle. Shot my 2014 8pt after it came in and circled down wind across to the field on the west side of the creek. But them bedding were they can see makes sense. I rarely see deer in evening hunts if I do it is right before dark and will be does. I usually get in that stand Very early in the morning sometimes 2 hours before light because I have bumped deer headng back to the bedding area if I get a late start.


Let me bounce this off you. I am thinking of climbing a tree in that SW corner of the field with the big yellow circle. That corner was rubbed all to this year during november. no one has set foot on the property since Nov. Should I go in during the middle of the day and prep a tree it is fairly thick in that corner. Or should I pull another 2 hours before light sit and slip in and just do my best not to make noise trimming to get my climber up. There are two beds about 30 yards east of the creek there and ten yards from the south boundary I would say. Is that just to close to try the climber there. I am pretty quiet with it now that I have souped it up with the stealth strips.
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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby dan » Mon Jan 04, 2016 12:37 am

Tufrthnails wrote:That would make sense. I have seen plenty of bucks in and around the big yellow circle. Shot my 2014 8pt after it came in and circled down wind across to the field on the west side of the creek. But them bedding were they can see makes sense. I rarely see deer in evening hunts if I do it is right before dark and will be does. I usually get in that stand Very early in the morning sometimes 2 hours before light because I have bumped deer headng back to the bedding area if I get a late start.


Let me bounce this off you. I am thinking of climbing a tree in that SW corner of the field with the big yellow circle. That corner was rubbed all to this year during november. no one has set foot on the property since Nov. Should I go in during the middle of the day and prep a tree it is fairly thick in that corner. Or should I pull another 2 hours before light sit and slip in and just do my best not to make noise trimming to get my climber up. There are two beds about 30 yards east of the creek there and ten yards from the south boundary I would say. Is that just to close to try the climber there. I am pretty quiet with it now that I have souped it up with the stealth strips.

If at all possible, I would do the evening sit over the AM sit.. Just really think out your approach.
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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:43 am

Okay thanks for the advice. I was told my cousin drove in their yesterday and filled the feeder. which is 20 yards in front of the stand by the creek on the big yellow circle. How many days do you think I should wait to hit that area now. The plan was to leave it alone and not mess with that feeder since we know deer are bedding there. I am heading up tonight and will be there till next mon or tues.
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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:44 am

Okay thanks for the advice. I was told my cousin drove in their yesterday and filled the feeder. which is 20 yards in front of the stand by the creek on the big yellow circle. How many days do you think I should wait to hit that area now. The plan was to leave it alone and not mess with that feeder since we know deer are bedding there. I am heading up tonight and will be there till next mon or tues.
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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Thu Jan 14, 2016 3:41 am

First off all you northern hunters my hat is off to you. This is the first true winter hunt I have ever done. It straight sucked, but I learned a lot. I would call my hunt a successful failure. I waited for a ESE wind and crept into the corner of the big yellow circle took over an hour to get in position to climb the tree it was a long walk in and when I got to within 100 yards i got low and slowly got to the tree I wanted to climb.

I took me quite a while to trim it with my pruning shears to be able to quietly climb it. I managed to get up 20ft into the tree where I thought I would have an okay shooting lane rotated my climber around the tree. By this time it was 2:30pm and I slowly pulled my bow up. I got set and started slowly scanning the CRP with my binos for antlers. after half an hour I slowly eased up to stand for a few minutes when my climber shifted and I heard a loud clang where my binos fell and hit the bottom of my climber I had the strap wrapped around the top of climber and I had forgotten to gently set them back down.

Immediately I looked to the field where a big 8 stood up 25yards from me and instantly bolted along with four other does. I was happy that the tactic had worked I was in bow range of the deer and had I not relaxed my guard I would have had a good chance to shoot the deer.

The rest of the week was pretty miserable with rain, snow, wind and freezing conditions. Thanks for your help with advice Dan. I just didn't execute the plan to perfection. Now on to hunt/scouting the local WMA here in FL.
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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Thu Jan 14, 2016 10:19 am

It must have been bittersweet seeing the deer leave. I felt that way once this season too.
But now it is suddenly a legitimate and achievable endeavor. Can't wait to target bedding again.

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Re: A little help with hunting maps

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Fri Jan 15, 2016 4:34 am

It really was bittersweet. I was very excited that the tactic had worked. I am really stoked to put some legwork in next week at the local WMA. This is going to be much more difficult as I don't know where the beds are, but I am really excited to start the process. Just that little taste of success has wet my appetite.
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