How do you choose where to hunt for the day?

[mheichelbech]

Assuming you have more than one property or spot with good wind, same potential for deer/buck, etc. how do you choose where to hunt in a given day?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Outdoor814]

All depends how I feel. How far I want to travel and what day of the week.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Hawthorne]

The freshest spot and history for buck movement for time of year.

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[hunter_mike]

If its a morning hunt i usually have a pre-picked tree to get to.

If its an evening hunt ideally i like to have a bit of time to scout around a bit before i commit to hunting a spot.

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[csoult]

Wind, spotting (shining) Intel, my gut. In some order, depending on what is strongest for the day.

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[Crazinamatese]

Wind direction often dictates, but alot of times, I will do a drive-by along a section and if I feel it might be worth a sit I will park it and go in. I don't know if anyone else does this.

[oldrank]

Wind, past intel and where it lies at in my rotation. Amount of time I have available to hunt also plays a role. I cant hike in deep after work because time doesnt allow it. If im hunting mornings I focus alot on my well known spots so I can find them in the dark. Time of year also plays a roll. The woods change with the seasons. Weather also will determine how I hunt. If its nasty out Ill still hunt rather than toture myself sitting in a stand. Human activity could also play into my decisions.

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[hunter10]

Usually how I'm feeling, where I have sat before, day of the week and sometimes what kind of track job it would require and who is around to help if I do get one. It al comes into play

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[magicman54494]

I remember a person new to the sport talked about this same topic. He started out with just one spot and as he added spots he started second guessing his choice of where to hunt. Doubt will mess with a persons head. I should have went to the other stand. why did I come here? I wonder if any deer showed up at the other places. Doubt and second guessing will drive a person crazy.
I made it very simple on myself. I decide what stand I will hunt (for whatever reason) and I don't look back. I would say that most often it's just gut feeling. Trust yourself. In most cases you will get many chances to hunt the other spots.
This is the mental aspect of choosing.

There are many other reasons such as shifting food sources, hunter pressure, time of year - pre rut, rut, post rut, late season etc.
Also you may choose based on intel such as tracks, trail cams, glassing.

[headgear]

If I have the time a little in season scouting helps me decide to hunt a spot or not. Without that time I use wind and area history to take a guess at which bed to hunt on a given day.

[whitetailassasin]

I remember a person new to the sport talked about this same topic. He started out with just one spot and as he added spots he started second guessing his choice of where to hunt. Doubt will mess with a persons head. I should have went to the other stand. why did I come here? I wonder if any deer showed up at the other places. Doubt and second guessing will drive a person crazy.
I made it very simple on myself. I decide what stand I will hunt (for whatever reason) and I don't look back. I would say that most often it's just gut feeling. Trust yourself. In most cases you will get many chances to hunt the other spots.
This is the mental aspect of choosing.

There are many other reasons such as shifting food sources, hunter pressure, time of year - pre rut, rut, post rut, late season etc.
Also you may choose based on intel such as tracks, trail cams, glassing.

I rely on what I'm seeing when I'm set up as well. Trusting my scouting in season just as much as what I learned before season.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[tgreeno]

For me it's mostly gut feel, hunting pressure & fresh sign. I know all my scouted spots are good. I did go on a few "flyers" (with stand on back) to cyber scouted or spot that looked interesting from the road. Usually those sits produced deer sightings. If I see a good looking area and notice no hunting pressure throughout the year, I'll give it a scout/hunt. I think you need to be flexible and take what nature gives you sometimes.

[dan]

If im hunting without a lead, I go from hot spot to hot spot based on wind direction and how I feel about the spot. One influence is pressure. Some spots need pressure to be great, some you need to hunt before pressure... If I am hunting a particular buck, I look at the area and try to figure out where he is hiding / where people have not hunted or put pressure and keep knocking spots off the list till I either kill him or run out of time.

[mainebowhunter]

I ask the magic 8 ball...the one you shake and wait for the answer.

[mainebowhunter]

I also stopped worrying about daylight activity on cams telling me I "should" have been somewhere else. Hind sight is 20/20. Cams tell me what WAS at the spot and most times once I check, that has changed. Lots of years I realize ...yep, should have been here. The more cams I run, the more it happens.

I really push for historical data based on previous years intel. What did the deer do in this area last year or years when they had this sign? For instance, there was a ground scrape this year, the 3rd week of October it was HOT. Lots of daylight activity. Most activity I have seen on a ground scrape 3rd week of Oct. So 2017, will be watching this scrape to see if there is a repeat. The downside to historical data is that it changes year to year soley based on food. Have a much much harder time relying on it here in the northeast than I do the midwest. Its all about trying to stay ahead of the deer and not behind them. The food changes so radically from one year to the next it takes as well as what deer made it and what deer did not.

In season scouting is something I really rely on also. Find the hottest sign thats happening right now.