Run and gun traveling
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Run and gun traveling
OK guys. Obviously boots on the ground beat the pants off of everything, but what about when that's just not an option. For instance travel distance, property rules, family issues whatever. Let's hear some stories. Hits and misses.
Let's talk plan of attack, rut phase, ect.
Obviously you really can't focus on specific deer but what would be your number one terrain feature?
Farm country, hill country, river bottoms, or Marsh?
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Let's talk plan of attack, rut phase, ect.
Obviously you really can't focus on specific deer but what would be your number one terrain feature?
Farm country, hill country, river bottoms, or Marsh?
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- Lockdown
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Re: Run and gun traveling
It's hard to pick one thing, but keeping bedding and destinations in mind: funnels
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- Crazinamatese
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Re: Run and gun traveling
For me, its finding the best fresh sign wherever hunt on any given day. Having several sections of public ground picked out really helps expand the horizon if one or two areas aren't very productive or lacking good sign.
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- Hawthorne
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Re: Run and gun traveling
Marsh early season, farm country rut for me. Focus on terrain and bedding.
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- <DK>
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Re: Run and gun traveling
Hawthorne wrote:Marsh early season, farm country rut for me. Focus on terrain and bedding.
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X2!
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Re: Run and gun traveling
I would have to agree with lockdown. Natural funnels is where I would focus my attention.
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Joe™
- Tufrthnails
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Re: Run and gun traveling
Before I came here if I had absolutely no prior knowledge of a property I was heading to it was transitions. I would literally walk the transition until I found a good hot rubline and setup immediately. Funny enough I was way more successful with that style of hunting then when I would go in somewhere I hunted and scouted a lot previously. It had almost conditioned me to not bother scouting a property. I think my biggest problem with previously hunted places is I became a creature of habit sometimes siting the same exact tree with my climber especially if I found a good food source.
Tuf- The below average hunting beast
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Re: Run and gun traveling
I've always focused my travel trips on what I thought would be bedding and transitions. One of my best spots I've found in farm country is a river and slough come together and there is an inside corner of ag right there. Thick river cane in the area. Great spot I usually hunt during the early rut.
Another spot I have done pretty well with is a creek and a flag pond. Deer would seem to travel parallel with the creek along the timber transition then funnel between the pond and Creek. Deer would also bed in high spots and bends along this Creek. This observation is what started my hunting bedding areas.
I know there are some guys who travel long distances like me and do very well. Just looking for some camp fire stories about those hunts.
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Another spot I have done pretty well with is a creek and a flag pond. Deer would seem to travel parallel with the creek along the timber transition then funnel between the pond and Creek. Deer would also bed in high spots and bends along this Creek. This observation is what started my hunting bedding areas.
I know there are some guys who travel long distances like me and do very well. Just looking for some camp fire stories about those hunts.
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Re: Run and gun traveling
Tufrthnails wrote:Before I came here if I had absolutely no prior knowledge of a property I was heading to it was transitions. I would literally walk the transition until I found a good hot rubline and setup immediately. Funny enough I was way more successful with that style of hunting then when I would go in somewhere I hunted and scouted a lot previously. It had almost conditioned me to not bother scouting a property. I think my biggest problem with previously hunted places is I became a creature of habit sometimes siting the same exact tree with my climber especially if I found a good food source.
I agree. I have fallen into that with properties I've scouted previously. Sit the same stands because sign was there on labor day and now it's Halloween. Looking back when I would finally move I would get on deer.
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- Crazinamatese
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Re: Run and gun traveling
Look up Spysar's venison tour posts.
The cave you fear hides the treasure you seek!!!
- PK_
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Re: Run and gun traveling
#1 thing when you can't get boots on the ground is picking areas with defined, patternable terrain. Stay away from blended transitions and gradual topography. Stay away from areas with a hundred great looking potential bedding spots in a square mile. I want defined food/bed and hard transitions or steep topography putting those deer where I want them to be.
Rut is by far the easiest for going in blind but early season is right up there. Rut you have to worry about how much hunting pressure is there and where it will be, early season you may have the whole place to yourself.
Florida is a little different. All the hunting pressure is the opening weekends regardless if that is the rut or not. Some WMAs the rut is not cranking until the last week the WMA is open. All the hunters are burnt out after the first couple weeks and you can go in there and hunt good rut action without much competition at all.
Rut is by far the easiest for going in blind but early season is right up there. Rut you have to worry about how much hunting pressure is there and where it will be, early season you may have the whole place to yourself.
Florida is a little different. All the hunting pressure is the opening weekends regardless if that is the rut or not. Some WMAs the rut is not cranking until the last week the WMA is open. All the hunters are burnt out after the first couple weeks and you can go in there and hunt good rut action without much competition at all.
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Re: Run and gun traveling
Funnels are tough to beat expecially if you have limited time to hunt and scout. Trying to find bedding is all fine and dandy but if your going to a place you have never been to and only have 4 or 5 days your probably going to spend more time hunting than scouting. I also think it's important to stick to "what you know". If you have killed most of your bucks on ridges hunt ridges. If you are good at hunting creek bottoms. Hunt those. Seems to work for me but just my 2 cents.
Redfeather
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Redfeather
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Re: Run and gun traveling
I've always done rut hunts on my travel trips but I'm doing a early season hunt in Missouri this year. I think it's fun to mix things up.
I forgot about the venison tour. I may get lost in that thread tonight.
I think that a good point about defined terrain PK. I think we've talked about that before. You are right about opening weekends down here. Everybody hunts then you see the same 5 trucks the rest of the season. The rut just seems tricky down here to me because I've seen stuff going on around labor day but I think it is strongest around Halloween. Just kinda trickles in. I don't know. I know it can be different county to county.
Red feather I agree going back to things you are familiar with usually leads to more success. I'm usually drawn to water because it is usually the most consistent edge I find down here. I've hunted water before I had any understanding of how deer bed and use terrain. The new and unknown is intimidating but could be the most rewarding.
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I forgot about the venison tour. I may get lost in that thread tonight.
I think that a good point about defined terrain PK. I think we've talked about that before. You are right about opening weekends down here. Everybody hunts then you see the same 5 trucks the rest of the season. The rut just seems tricky down here to me because I've seen stuff going on around labor day but I think it is strongest around Halloween. Just kinda trickles in. I don't know. I know it can be different county to county.
Red feather I agree going back to things you are familiar with usually leads to more success. I'm usually drawn to water because it is usually the most consistent edge I find down here. I've hunted water before I had any understanding of how deer bed and use terrain. The new and unknown is intimidating but could be the most rewarding.
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Re: Run and gun traveling
New area give yourself 2-3 days to scout other hunters, see where everyone is at. Post season scouting is nice if you have control or sole access to the ground, but public and permission land stuff will change, year old sign will do you no good if clowns are on it.
Only thing that stays the same is terrain, so that's about the only constant.
But if you got clowns setting in the bedding on either end of ur funnel ur screwed, so my advice is see what the others are doing.
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Only thing that stays the same is terrain, so that's about the only constant.
But if you got clowns setting in the bedding on either end of ur funnel ur screwed, so my advice is see what the others are doing.
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