Hill Country Access
- Jeff25
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Hill Country Access
When you are hunting a bed on a point how do you all prefer to access? do you walk down the top of the ridge or come up from the bottom? just using this pic as an example with the red being the bed and preferred wind direction how would you access
- wrusch
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Re: Hill Country Access
I would access carefully . In all seriousness though, If you access from the bottom, he will see you coming and grab your thermal. If you access from the top he could get your wind coming over the top of the ridge. I am fairly new to Hill Country but I have had luck hunting the exit trails coming out of the bed by accessing from the top and making sure I am off to the side enough so the wind doesn't go to him but close enough to the bed to catch him in daylight. Have you watched the Hill Country DVD?
- Jeff25
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Re: Hill Country Access
I guess I was meaning access from the top of the ridge until to got to the point then stalk down the point level with the bed
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- Zona
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Re: Hill Country Access
I would need to know where the buck is most likely going when leaving his bed before picking my access. Some will drop straight down off the point, some might take the ridgeline north or some other route. That saddle to the north of the bed looks like a yummy rut spot to me.
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Re: Hill Country Access
Honestly I have had more problems with accessing from above than below. I often bump other deer that then run down the ridge and disrupt the bedding I am targeting. Coming in from below I often can go along the creek in the valley till I hit a ditch coming down the hill near my stand, then I can go up the ditch to my stand.
I think this has been discussed before and most like to come in from the top. I can see that working better with lower deer densities where you have less other deer to worry about and also in smaller hills where its easier for deer to see down into the bottoms from the ridges. If I read the contours right on the example it looks like hills in the 100 foot range. That is marginal, depends on how thick the cover if deer can see someone approach in the bottoms. Most of the hills I hunt are larger with 200+ feet to the ridge, and unless its really open timber, and after leaf drop, getting spotted isn't an issue. I know everybody is worried about rising thermals for afternoon hunts but coming up bigger bottoms like that I haven't found it to be an issue. Morning or evening I prefer bottom access probably 3/4 of the time.
I think this has been discussed before and most like to come in from the top. I can see that working better with lower deer densities where you have less other deer to worry about and also in smaller hills where its easier for deer to see down into the bottoms from the ridges. If I read the contours right on the example it looks like hills in the 100 foot range. That is marginal, depends on how thick the cover if deer can see someone approach in the bottoms. Most of the hills I hunt are larger with 200+ feet to the ridge, and unless its really open timber, and after leaf drop, getting spotted isn't an issue. I know everybody is worried about rising thermals for afternoon hunts but coming up bigger bottoms like that I haven't found it to be an issue. Morning or evening I prefer bottom access probably 3/4 of the time.
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Re: Hill Country Access
I'm going to treat the scenario like an early season evening hunt.
Looks like road access both to the NE and SW. In this case the easier NE road access looks like it would work in my opinion, the more difficult SW road access doesn't seem necessary. Cross the creek, climb the ridge (upper right of topo) just south of creek. Follow north side of ridge below skyline view to avoid being seen. I see that narrow saddle that almost forms a shallow cut just NE of bed. Maybe set up just to the W of the saddle about the same elevation the deer is bedded (just above 1000' topo line)...maybe even slightly below bedding elevation, assuming he'll be moving at closing time with dropping thermals.
My question is this...would the buck stage and travel this leeward side if at last light thermals are dropping rather than rising?
Prevailing wind looks ok, but you better bring milk weed in this terrain! And a friend with a deer cart.
Looks like road access both to the NE and SW. In this case the easier NE road access looks like it would work in my opinion, the more difficult SW road access doesn't seem necessary. Cross the creek, climb the ridge (upper right of topo) just south of creek. Follow north side of ridge below skyline view to avoid being seen. I see that narrow saddle that almost forms a shallow cut just NE of bed. Maybe set up just to the W of the saddle about the same elevation the deer is bedded (just above 1000' topo line)...maybe even slightly below bedding elevation, assuming he'll be moving at closing time with dropping thermals.
My question is this...would the buck stage and travel this leeward side if at last light thermals are dropping rather than rising?
Prevailing wind looks ok, but you better bring milk weed in this terrain! And a friend with a deer cart.
- Jeff25
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Re: Hill Country Access
The road to the south actually turns to the north and goes over the ridge a mile from this point. There is also the logging road that runs down the top of the ridge. The point I am referring to was clear cut from the ridge about 3/4 of the way out the point and has a very high stem count and making a transition running perpendicular to the point. I bumped a few does down in the valley that went right up this point
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- Jeff25
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Re: Hill Country Access
And I beleive they are 40 foot contours joe
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Re: Hill Country Access
Jeff25 wrote:And I beleive they are 40 foot contours joe
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You are right - looks like 200+ foot slopes all together once I zoomed in.
I would agree the example doesn't offer great bottom access with that wind and bed setup. My earlier comments were more general. I would still be worried about bumping something along the ridge on the entry and ruining the hunt though coming in from above. If that ditch below the bed was deep enough to hide a hunter, might be able to slip up it completely concealed right past the buck. Down in a deep cut air currents tend to just go right up or down the ditch.
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