Here we go again...
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Here we go again...
Its that time of year! Velvet sheds, bucks shift and the game is on. The times when everyone is excited about their camera pulls until the week before the season when they change. Because they will. If your camera pulls are not based on solid feed to bed patterns, they will change. And even your preseason scouting can be a bust. You guys that are new to chasing bucks with beast tactics, don't get discouraged when your preseason spring work does not pan out. Because sometimes it does...and other times it does not. Drought, other hunters, other people, food sources that you counted on, food sources you did not count on...all factors that can greatly affect the bedding habits of deer.
Lets use my urban hunt as an example. I scouted all spring, all winter. Found bed after bed. Rubs. Buck bedding areas. Awesome. Oaks outside the beds. Apples at a distance. All good. Early camera pulls showed some great bucks. But no apples, an abundance of acorns, major bed that was ruined and a drought. So all the bedding habitat has changed. No water, bucks are not bedding the swampy edges. So bucks shift, get pics of them .75 mile away. No pattern. Random pics. Because its urban and I am limited, I put all my eggs in one basket in this 3sq. mile chunk of ground. Its all thats left of the local urban thats decent. Just a great example of what can happen when you are limited to one chunk of ground. This area probably only has 10 deer per sq mile.
So after all of that scouting, guess what? I am still scouting, still looking. IF all my eggs for the whole season were in that one basket, yikes, discouragement can set it real quick. Its why its so so important to keep pushing off season. Find more ground than you could possibly hunt in one season. If you have one piece of public ground that looked awesome and your excited about your preseason work, be prepared for it to change. Because 50% of the time it can and it will.
My 17 days of early season hunting will consist of swapping cameras around, scouting with saddle and bow. Pushing into old sign/beds with wind in my face. If sign looks good, hunt right then. If not, no hunting that night, I keep moving. Heck, I may stay home a night or 2 and get some chores done. I am pretty relaxed about it.
Anyhow, just my experience, some stuff that has been rolling around in my head. Thought I would share. I know their are some guys new to beast tactics -- just don't get discouraged.
Lets use my urban hunt as an example. I scouted all spring, all winter. Found bed after bed. Rubs. Buck bedding areas. Awesome. Oaks outside the beds. Apples at a distance. All good. Early camera pulls showed some great bucks. But no apples, an abundance of acorns, major bed that was ruined and a drought. So all the bedding habitat has changed. No water, bucks are not bedding the swampy edges. So bucks shift, get pics of them .75 mile away. No pattern. Random pics. Because its urban and I am limited, I put all my eggs in one basket in this 3sq. mile chunk of ground. Its all thats left of the local urban thats decent. Just a great example of what can happen when you are limited to one chunk of ground. This area probably only has 10 deer per sq mile.
So after all of that scouting, guess what? I am still scouting, still looking. IF all my eggs for the whole season were in that one basket, yikes, discouragement can set it real quick. Its why its so so important to keep pushing off season. Find more ground than you could possibly hunt in one season. If you have one piece of public ground that looked awesome and your excited about your preseason work, be prepared for it to change. Because 50% of the time it can and it will.
My 17 days of early season hunting will consist of swapping cameras around, scouting with saddle and bow. Pushing into old sign/beds with wind in my face. If sign looks good, hunt right then. If not, no hunting that night, I keep moving. Heck, I may stay home a night or 2 and get some chores done. I am pretty relaxed about it.
Anyhow, just my experience, some stuff that has been rolling around in my head. Thought I would share. I know their are some guys new to beast tactics -- just don't get discouraged.
- vermonthunter16
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Re: Here we go again...
Its a good warning/ reminder for me at least. I have two spots that I have boots on the ground, a couple more that have just been aerial and gonna have to be a scout my way in type of hunt. Only time will tell!
-Rick
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Re: Here we go again...
vermonthunter16 wrote:Its a good warning/ reminder for me at least. I have two spots that I have boots on the ground, a couple more that have just been aerial and gonna have to be a scout my way in type of hunt. Only time will tell!
Especially since you live in state that is super tough to kill even 2.5yr old bucks. Discouragement can set in pretty quickly.
- vermonthunter16
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Re: Here we go again...
It has been difficult finding places, moved here in May and been so dang busy, I'll be more than happy if I plug a doe and at least see a buck while hunting at this point. Been watching a decent bachelor group in beans all summer, but we all know what happens in another week once the season kicks off and the beans dry up, so do the buck sightings. I have a plan on those bucks based around the beans, so I am already going into that spot knowing there is a high percentage that I won't see those bucks coming and going in the same spot. But why not give it a shot???
-Rick
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Re: Here we go again...
Just one of the reasons I have all but given up scouting outside of season.
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Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
- DaveT1963
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Re: Here we go again...
Dove season starts here first day of Sept.... deer archery opens first day of Oct. There is no such thing as undisturbed deer come archery season down this way as Dove hunting is very popular. The influx of people ,guns going off all over, roads being driven that see little use rest of year...... all equates to hunting pressured deer here on public land. Watching other hunters and their movement in Sept is vital if you want to figure out where to head October first. I drive around a lot and watch to see where cars park, how often and even watch to see if I can determine where they head. My spotting scope and binoculars follow a lot of unsuspecting humans - gives a new meaning to sitting an observation stand.
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Re: Here we go again...
PK_ wrote:Just one of the reasons I have all but given up scouting outside of season.
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In northeast, its super important to me. BUT I cannot 100% rely on it. Very rarely do I go into a spot I have not been for a year. I have to be at it / in it all the time. Wish I could just sit back and observe, but that only works on a very limited basis.
When I can put my offseason scouting together with my inseason scouting and they both match up...I know I am in the chips. Most of my inseason scouting revolves around food sources. Wild food sources are tough to predict...in fact, you really cannot. You just have to roll with whatever mother nature decides.
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Re: Here we go again...
We only have a few targets identified and even then, no pattern or consistency. But plenty of doe, so the bucks will come. Just the way it is when you hunt small parcels in WNY. Never got a photo of the buck I killed last year or the giant I saw after I was tagged out. Hoping for the best, but will have fun regardless.
- Edcyclopedia
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Re: Here we go again...
Sorry Son - it's called hunting:)
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- vermonthunter16
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- PK_
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Re: Here we go again...
Don't get me wrong. If I could be in the woods more off season I would. But all of the areas worth scouting are over 2 hour drive. I prefer to take my time off work and away from family when I have a weapon in my hand.
I think it is better to do the scouting than not to, for sure. but the trade off is not worth it for me personally at the moment.
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I think it is better to do the scouting than not to, for sure. but the trade off is not worth it for me personally at the moment.
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No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
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Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
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Re: Here we go again...
I'm lucky enough, or so lazy that, all my areas are wishin 30 mins drive. Offseason scouting has mainly worked in finding spots, making sets, clearing shooting lanes...some will have been a waste of time or not good till other parts of the season but some will also have fresh sign and be good hunting come 10/1. In season scouting will verify which ones.
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Re: Here we go again...
mheichelbech wrote:I'm lucky enough, or so lazy that, all my areas are wishin 30 mins drive. Offseason scouting has mainly worked in finding spots, making sets, clearing shooting lanes...some will have been a waste of time or not good till other parts of the season but some will also have fresh sign and be good hunting come 10/1. In season scouting will verify which ones.
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Its interesting, because in the new ground I scouted all winter, none of the beds I scouted are being used. Not at this time. The primary bedding (that was being used) got ruined with the squatter. So I have spent almost a week pushing into areas, literally hoping to bump the buck out of a bed. Its kind of what prompted me to start this post. Lots of guys probably keyed in on one area with high hopes only to show up on the opener, start putting in some hunts...and have everything cold as ice. If this was my ONLY 1500-2000 acre piece of ground, week into the season, I would be scrambling.
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Re: Here we go again...
The beautiful thing is you know the ground you are hunting. They may not be where you expected them but I'm confident you will find them. All that walking and scouting creates no unfamiliar ground. Even if you don't have the exact bed you know a lot of bedding tendencies so you can make a move once you find that thicket, pond, oxbow whatever is holding them. That's how I see it. All the scouting and walking I did created familiarity. Now hopefully the sign will be there. There are tons of trucks parked in the public I hunt everyday now binge scouting for the opener. Who know where they will be come saterday but we will find them. I suspect within a week or so we will be reading about an encounter from you. This is what makes it fun.
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