Historical Data

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Bowhunter4life
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby Bowhunter4life » Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:20 pm

mainebowhunter wrote:
Bowhunter4life wrote:
mainebowhunter wrote:Figured it would be a good time to resurrect this post. Over the past few years, I have become a student of it trying to put together annual patterns based on mast crops. Its tricky for sure. Super intriguing going through the data trying to correlate things.

Any of you guys have any data your banking on for early season, prior to prerut?


I have a few things I'm looking at. Actually glassed a buck last night that came from a known bedding area. The deer was too far out to be for sure but believe this is a deer that was using this same bed early last season. Lot of the crops are the same and I have some pretty good camera intel on him. The thing that has me worried is some of the oaks I've seen. Noticed a few that were already loaded so that could alter some things come season as last year was hit and miss for acorns here.


Funny you should mention that.

Tonight when I was out noticed we had beechnuts in a spot. Very rarely see them. But now it means I will need to check out another beechnuts spot as it really could have bucks doing a switch how they use a bed if those trees produce.

August is my Fav month for setting up my fall plan. Post season scouting told who made the season. August intel tells me who made the winter.

The oaks last really made things tough here last season. Remember last August looking at the trees loaded everywhere knowing full well it was going to be tough.


Yes the oaks were not a pleasant surprise to me. It is very difficult to get on deer early when their are a lot of oaks. They just don't have to move to get a fully belly. I'll be also looking back at intel I have from years we had heavy acorns.


JoeRE
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby JoeRE » Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:21 pm

This is the first year in three years we have had a decent acorn crop. Mostly reds. They are patchy though, some areas tons of them and others none. For me the hunter, that is perfect. Seems to align with where the late frost we got hit - more sheltered areas did not get damaged by the frost.

So the early season patterns around here will be complete different than the last couple seasons. Another change is that far more soybeans were planted this year than usual. Some sections of timber are entirely surrounded by beans, that reduces effective cover by a lot early season.

Farmers got most of their crops in early, which if they get decent weather means they will come out early too. Fields will be picked, with time to get many plowed under, and deer will focus even more on the acorns.

I might as well show my crazy and mention the full moon lines up with peak rut this year so there will be a clear strong buildup, hard lockdown, and well defined second peak of activity after that. No trickle rut this year unless we get a lot of hot weather.

There is a chance all these conditions will offer me a chance at one of the bruisers that have been hard to pin down the last couple seasons. :D
mainebowhunter
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:36 pm

JoeRE wrote:This is the first year in three years we have had a decent acorn crop. Mostly reds. They are patchy though, some areas tons of them and others none. For me the hunter, that is perfect. Seems to align with where the late frost we got hit - more sheltered areas did not get damaged by the frost.

So the early season patterns around here will be complete different than the last couple seasons. Another change is that far more soybeans were planted this year than usual. Some sections of timber are entirely surrounded by beans, that reduces effective cover by a lot early season.

Farmers got most of their crops in early, which if they get decent weather means they will come out early too. Fields will be picked, with time to get many plowed under, and deer will focus even more on the acorns.

I might as well show my crazy and mention the full moon lines up with peak rut this year so there will be a clear strong buildup, hard lockdown, and well defined second peak of activity after that. No trickle rut this year unless we get a lot of hot weather.

There is a chance all these conditions will offer me a chance at one of the bruisers that have been hard to pin down the last couple seasons. :D


This year is tracking the same as 2015. Heavy apples, no acorns. Should be good.
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby JoeRE » Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:42 pm

Good luck 8-)
mainebowhunter
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:46 pm

JoeRE wrote:Good luck 8-)


I am going to need it. He is big and he is smart :D
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:06 am

JoeRE wrote:This is the first year in three years we have had a decent acorn crop. Mostly reds. They are patchy though, some areas tons of them and others none. For me the hunter, that is perfect. Seems to align with where the late frost we got hit - more sheltered areas did not get damaged by the frost.

So the early season patterns around here will be complete different than the last couple seasons. Another change is that far more soybeans were planted this year than usual. Some sections of timber are entirely surrounded by beans, that reduces effective cover by a lot early season.

Farmers got most of their crops in early, which if they get decent weather means they will come out early too. Fields will be picked, with time to get many plowed under, and deer will focus even more on the acorns.

I might as well show my crazy and mention the full moon lines up with peak rut this year so there will be a clear strong buildup, hard lockdown, and well defined second peak of activity after that. No trickle rut this year unless we get a lot of hot weather.

There is a chance all these conditions will offer me a chance at one of the bruisers that have been hard to pin down the last couple seasons. :D


Are you going after them right away or waiting until later?
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby JoeRE » Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:17 am

mainebowhunter wrote:
JoeRE wrote:This is the first year in three years we have had a decent acorn crop. Mostly reds. They are patchy though, some areas tons of them and others none. For me the hunter, that is perfect. Seems to align with where the late frost we got hit - more sheltered areas did not get damaged by the frost.

So the early season patterns around here will be complete different than the last couple seasons. Another change is that far more soybeans were planted this year than usual. Some sections of timber are entirely surrounded by beans, that reduces effective cover by a lot early season.

Farmers got most of their crops in early, which if they get decent weather means they will come out early too. Fields will be picked, with time to get many plowed under, and deer will focus even more on the acorns.

I might as well show my crazy and mention the full moon lines up with peak rut this year so there will be a clear strong buildup, hard lockdown, and well defined second peak of activity after that. No trickle rut this year unless we get a lot of hot weather.

There is a chance all these conditions will offer me a chance at one of the bruisers that have been hard to pin down the last couple seasons. :D


Are you going after them right away or waiting until later?


I don't know yet for sure. Current plan is to sit and wait. These were the big boys that show up late in the rut the last two years. However with the different food arrangement I think they might show up earlier. The food was all the wrong direction for the last two years.

Two years ago, the first spring I scouted the property, I found a great looking buck bedroom with some very tall rubs by it next to a patch of redoaks that had been loaded with acorns (from the previous year). No acorns the two years since then and that bedding area hasn't seen much use UNTIL the late rut. This year that patch of reds is loaded again. I have a trail camera already set up on the edge of those oaks, going to sneak in there and check it and look for tracks as much as possible w/o disturbing the area when those oaks start dropping end of September. I am absolutely not hunting in there w/o some confirmation because it could hurt my chances later in the year. Its a high impact hunt and no room to maneuver, as usual I'm squeezed into in a tiny corner of public land.

That buck is the non typical I talked about in my journal finding the sheds of spring 2015. This year he has to be 7 at the youngest probably older. There's another more nomadic buck that I would take in a heartbeat too in the area. They should be heart attack size this year.

I don't even know if they are alive this year, have some cams soaking that I will check in Sept but they have been very hard to find in the summer. Its all going to depend on what I find in September....if need be I have a few plan B's to turn my attention to in other areas, but a boy can dream. I love this time of year, anticipation is half the fun :lol:
mainebowhunter
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:16 am

JoeRE wrote:
mainebowhunter wrote:
JoeRE wrote:This is the first year in three years we have had a decent acorn crop. Mostly reds. They are patchy though, some areas tons of them and others none. For me the hunter, that is perfect. Seems to align with where the late frost we got hit - more sheltered areas did not get damaged by the frost.

So the early season patterns around here will be complete different than the last couple seasons. Another change is that far more soybeans were planted this year than usual. Some sections of timber are entirely surrounded by beans, that reduces effective cover by a lot early season.

Farmers got most of their crops in early, which if they get decent weather means they will come out early too. Fields will be picked, with time to get many plowed under, and deer will focus even more on the acorns.

I might as well show my crazy and mention the full moon lines up with peak rut this year so there will be a clear strong buildup, hard lockdown, and well defined second peak of activity after that. No trickle rut this year unless we get a lot of hot weather.

There is a chance all these conditions will offer me a chance at one of the bruisers that have been hard to pin down the last couple seasons. :D


Are you going after them right away or waiting until later?


I don't know yet for sure. Current plan is to sit and wait. These were the big boys that show up late in the rut the last two years. However with the different food arrangement I think they might show up earlier. The food was all the wrong direction for the last two years.

Two years ago, the first spring I scouted the property, I found a great looking buck bedroom with some very tall rubs by it next to a patch of redoaks that had been loaded with acorns (from the previous year). No acorns the two years since then and that bedding area hasn't seen much use UNTIL the late rut. This year that patch of reds is loaded again. I have a trail camera already set up on the edge of those oaks, going to sneak in there and check it and look for tracks as much as possible w/o disturbing the area when those oaks start dropping end of September. I am absolutely not hunting in there w/o some confirmation because it could hurt my chances later in the year. Its a high impact hunt and no room to maneuver, as usual I'm squeezed into in a tiny corner of public land.

That buck is the non typical I talked about in my journal finding the sheds of spring 2015. This year he has to be 7 at the youngest probably older. There's another more nomadic buck that I would take in a heartbeat too in the area. They should be heart attack size this year.

I don't even know if they are alive this year, have some cams soaking that I will check in Sept but they have been very hard to find in the summer. Its all going to depend on what I find in September....if need be I have a few plan B's to turn my attention to in other areas, but a boy can dream.I love this time of year, anticipation is half the fun :lol:


You got that right. I stopped and talked with a landowner today...got me a sweet spot to park. Checked a camera on edge where I jumped a big body deer early in the year. I was hoping to pin it on the buck that I have been chasing. The buck turned up to be a nice buck but not the one I was hoping. I have a pile of cams soaking right now. Think I have 12 spread out over 3sq. miles at different locations just trying to get some intel on one certain buck. Only my second year on this piece of ground ...still more that I need to learn on it.

But man your right. It sure is fun to dream.
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby tgreeno » Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:25 am

I wish I had any historical data this year. All my areas are brand new this year. Spring scouting was killer! I decided to go "all in" on bed hunting this year. 30+ new bedding areas. It's going to be a steep learning curve, but it should be entertaining! I plan on documenting my entire year very carefully.
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mainebowhunter
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Re: Historical Data

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:54 am

tgreeno wrote:I wish I had any historical data this year. All my areas are brand new this year. Spring scouting was killer! I decided to go "all in" on bed hunting this year. 30+ new bedding areas. It's going to be a steep learning curve, but it should be entertaining! I plan on documenting my entire year very carefully.


Yeah. That takes time for sure to gather. There are a lot of pieces to early season hunting and so many of them vary from the deer your chasing getting killed to mast crop changing. I know I have been wrong way way more than I am every right. I remember last year. I was SURE a 4.5yr old buck I was chasing was bedding on a powerline. And was SURE that he would be feeding on the acorns closest to those beds.

He was alive. I saw him during the season. BUT never got a picture of him on those acorns. Not a single one of him in that area.


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