Outside My comfort Zone

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Jrichard
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Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Jrichard » Sun Aug 20, 2017 6:27 am

[img][IMG]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f34/jrthornlimb/IMG_0011_zpst3jblgwa.png[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f34/jrthornlimb/IMG_0012_zpsecvrg2f1.png[/img][/img]


Okay so I am trying some cyber scouting. This is one area I was never really all that comfortable with. These are two images of two spots that I know for a fact there are big bucks running around. Between glassing, and a friend of mine who is no longer hunting due to health issues told me about. So I was just looking for helpful tips. Private messages and comments are welcome.Please note I am not completely against taking a doe out of one of these spots. I am just trying to get used to reading maps and getting on deer. I am planning a nice out of state hunting vacation and I just want to get used to reading maps and getting a shot at something. But my primary focus would be bucks. But if I put. Self on a nice healthy doe bedding area I would be happy with that :D also my hunts are going to start off as evening hunts until I get comfortable reading maps and navigating lol

So just a heads up, Where it is a bluish green tint to the map it is public hunting land. Where it is white is private/non hunting land. So I am not allowed to go into the white parts. Also the white and black dotted lines are all trails/roads.

So image #1. This spot has the ocean to the south and the indent in the green to the north is actually a farm another one of my buddies hunts but I do not have access too. And he sees some monster deer. Anyway. I marked the map with red where I think the bedding areas could be. As well as the yellow arrowed lines. Those are what I think are low points where I think the deer will travel. According to google maps there are no fields except for where the white meets the green in the indent. Am I missing anything?. Should I be looking to set up in other areas?


Image #2. In this spot I have outlined the fields in green. As well as marked all decent looking bedding areas in red. Now I marked what looks like an awesome pinch point. But I don't have any closer access than where the greenish blue meets the white. So I put an X in the area I was thinking would be a good spot for a stand. Now for early season, would moving more towards those fields be a good move? I know a lot of other guys will be doing the same thing, but I think that I should be able to get into this spot before anyone else because of my days off.


If someone could help me break down these maps for me I would appreciate it. There aren't any really big ledges or anything in image one. So hill country beds are kind of throwing me for a loop. As for number 2 I just have no dea what to do. I am thinking I may start heading towards that blue X I marked and try to find the best oak flat that I can deep in the woods where other guys may not go and try setting up there.


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backstraps
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby backstraps » Sun Aug 20, 2017 7:44 am

I couldnt get either of your maps to open
Jrichard
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Jrichard » Sun Aug 20, 2017 8:56 am

Image
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Jrichard » Sun Aug 20, 2017 8:57 am

Image

This is image 1
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Divergent
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Divergent » Sun Aug 20, 2017 1:09 pm

Try using imageshack. Photobucket blocks 3rd party use these days
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Jrichard » Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:10 am

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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Divergent » Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:24 pm

Here you go
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Divergent » Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:59 pm

I added a few more possible bedding spots in blue. I don't have marsh bedding experience, so I marked those as blue lines. A good aerial could knock out a few of these I'm sure. When looking at a topo I focus on aereas where your contour lines go from spread out to stacked up. This is where your military crest occurs and where I find most beds. Cover will trump a crest in a lot of cases. I also focus on the smaller stumpy looking secondary points versus a long point. The long points usually have well used trails from higher elevations to lower elevations. I don't find near as many beds on those points. I will find good beds close by on a secondary point though because this offers them sight and sound to see what's using these main trails. It looks like you've got a few good spots marked already.
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby tgreeno » Mon Aug 21, 2017 4:07 pm

For marsh bedding you really need aerials. Edges, transitions & islands! You can't see these unless you have an aerial.
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Jrichard
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Jrichard » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:40 am

Wow I didn't even see the funnel off to the west on the first one. The contour lines are tough I am not too comfortable with them. I know the the more lines that are closer together mean that there is more of a slope. Bot where there are only one or two lines a little further apart I can never tell how much of a slope there is. So once I get more comfortable at what that hill looks like in person and wha it shows on the map I should be a little better at reading them.

Now I don't know if you have any experience with doe bedding areas and how they run. Would these spots also be good for seeing does? I plan on taking my girlfriend on her first hunt to one of these spots. And she gets REALLY excited. She shakes even when we are sitting in the car and just looking at a deer on the side of the road haha. She's too excited in some cases lol.

We just want to get on some deer. If a buck walks by I'm shooting. If a doe walks by I may hand the bow over to her haha.
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Jrichard » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:41 am

Wow I didn't even see the funnel off to the west on the first one. The contour lines are tough I am not too comfortable with them. I know the the more lines that are closer together mean that there is more of a slope. Bot where there are only one or two lines a little further apart I can never tell how much of a slope there is. So once I get more comfortable at what that hill looks like in person and wha it shows on the map I should be a little better at reading them.

Now I don't know if you have any experience with doe bedding areas and how they run. Would these spots also be good for seeing does? I plan on taking my girlfriend on her first hunt to one of these spots. And she gets REALLY excited. She shakes even when we are sitting in the car and just looking at a deer on the side of the road haha. She's too excited in some cases lol.

We just want to get on some deer. If a buck walks by I'm shooting. If a doe walks by I may hand the bow over to her haha.
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Divergent » Tue Aug 22, 2017 3:13 am

Does aren't nearly as picky about terrain features IMO. I've read others that might disagree. To me they get the leftovers of preferred bedding and just are scattered about. They'll usually be close to food and at lower elevations near creeks in the early season.
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Jrichard » Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:17 am

Thank you divergent!!
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby Divergent » Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:12 am

Jrichard wrote:Thank you divergent!!

You're welcome and hopefully you and your girl will both get you one this year.
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Re: Outside My comfort Zone

Unread postby checkerfred » Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:37 pm

For does, check the tops of ridge points, especially if there's thick cover like powerline right of ways, grassy areas, briars, cutovers, pine thickets etc. In hill country, I typically see them better more on top of the ridges and points, down low on points, inside either side of a draw, and on little hill tops. For swamps, they'll tend to bed on any dry hump, next to or in some cover or thicket, along creeks, transitions etc...but it's typically more random that bucks. When you see a buck bed in those same swamp areas, you'll look at it and say, DANG he's got this place nailed down. He will use more terrain and safety features of the area where as does will typically bed in groups and use each other for security. It also depends on the pressure. I've seen does bed right next to access but in little patches of dry land just big enough for one deer.


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