Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

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wkpjs
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Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby wkpjs » Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:38 am

Wondering what your thoughts on the following.
I am re watching Hill Country Bedding.
If I am not misunderstanding, a good tactic would be to have found a known bedding area like a point, spur, etc, and then position yourself, between that bedding spot and the food on a trail that he is likely to travel. Likely the easiest route between his bed and the food. My question or rather my dilemma is that I didn't plan on hunting public until May. This has left me in a quandary as to whether I should hoof it around the MFL properties in the hill country where I am unlikely to find the beds without scouring the ridges and bumping deer so close to the season opener.
Here is my question...... Am I better off hoofing it thru several of these places before the season and getting a game plan that is relatively sound? Or am I better off using digital scouting and setting up on the topography and the trail that leads from that topography to the food and winging it? Any thoughts?


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stash59
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby stash59 » Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:26 am

Use your cyber scouting to go in once season start. With stand on back. Looking for hot sign as you go. If you find hot sign set up on it.
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tgreeno
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby tgreeno » Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:18 am

The thing that makes me laugh is: How many other guys are hoofing it thru that territory looking for a "good spot"? We never think about the other guys on public this time of year that could be screwing up our areas without us knowing. I would at least try to scout some of it. Maybe on a rainy/windy day. You still have 4 weeks. Maybe some spots your weren't going to hunt til Oct?

Would an observation stand work for any of those areas? Possibly even before the season.

Otherwise scouting with a stand on your back is always a good option for the other areas. There is no perfect right answer.
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seazofcheeze
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby seazofcheeze » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:13 pm

Early season bed hunts are a precision technique. You're odds are considerably lower without confirmed beds or bedding areas. I think it's even tougher early season because of the lack of rut sign. A guy has to pay more attention to the subtle sign, like active browse lines and tracks, which can be harder to pick up in hill country.

If it was me, I would go in asap. The good thing about scouting this close to season is that a lot of the good sources should still be similar for the WI opener. Get the info you need in one trip and then stay out.
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:17 pm

seazofcheeze wrote:Early season bed hunts are a precision technique. You're odds are considerably lower without confirmed beds or bedding areas. I think it's even tougher early season because of the lack of rut sign. A guy has to pay more attention to the subtle sign, like active browse lines and tracks, which can be harder to pick up in hill country.

If it was me, I would go in asap. The good thing about scouting this close to season is that a lot of the good sources should still be similar for the WI opener. Get the info you need in one trip and then stay out.



I agree. Even if it doesn't pan out early season, you at least have an idea of what's going on for next year or rut.
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby Whitetailaddict » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:26 pm

Regardless on what you decide make note of areas you jump deer regardless of bucks or does. If it's a big buck you might have found a good spot for future years. A young buck may be in a satellite location so you may be close to where you need to be but you'll have to scout that likely after season to confirm or deny. Finally if you jump does you can probably bet the bucks will be around those areas come rut. Of course this will also depend on available cover, food sources and hunting pressure. Lots of variables but the best teacher is experience and if you're not struggling you're not learning. Good luck this season.
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:23 pm

Your better off to go in blind then to go scout through your hunting areas a few weeks before season stay out until the hunt.

If you understand where bucks bed their are spots on public you just know a bucks using.
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<DK>
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:33 pm

Jackson Marsh wrote:
seazofcheeze wrote:Early season bed hunts are a precision technique. You're odds are considerably lower without confirmed beds or bedding areas. I think it's even tougher early season because of the lack of rut sign. A guy has to pay more attention to the subtle sign, like active browse lines and tracks, which can be harder to pick up in hill country.

If it was me, I would go in asap. The good thing about scouting this close to season is that a lot of the good sources should still be similar for the WI opener. Get the info you need in one trip and then stay out.



I agree. Even if it doesn't pan out early season, you at least have an idea of what's going on for next year or rut.


Yep. I agree also. Well said seazofcheeze!
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<DK>
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:34 pm

Whitetailaddict wrote:Regardless on what you decide make note of areas you jump deer regardless of bucks or does. If it's a big buck you might have found a good spot for future years. A young buck may be in a satellite location so you may be close to where you need to be but you'll have to scout that likely after season to confirm or deny. Finally if you jump does you can probably bet the bucks will be around those areas come rut. Of course this will also depend on available cover, food sources and hunting pressure. Lots of variables but the best teacher is experience and if you're not struggling you're not learning. Good luck this season.


This was very good as well. 8-)
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tgreeno
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby tgreeno » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:35 pm

I've heard Dan say many times..."If you don't have the intel, go get it"!
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby hunter_mike » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:55 pm

Definitely a question with no easy answer. I would say scout as much as you feel like doing. Its supposed to be fun. I would definitely put some thought into the potential effects your scouting may have though. If you truly get into a spot where everyone else is missing, a big buck's prime bedding, this time of year and put enough pressure in it, it could burn out the bedding area. That in itself is not a big deal however if these are properties you are planning on learning for the long term, all that sign that normally would have accumulated sept-nov will basically be missing when you go walk back thru there in the spring and you could be missing out on the big picture for that property for yet another year.

I have seen this happen in a spot where i have killed a buck. The spring i scouted it, the sign was there and that fall i had a successful hunt in a very hot area. The following winter i did a walk thru and it looked like a deerless area. No trace of beds or rubs or scrapes. I can only imagine that was due to the gutpile i left there and the multiple human scent trails i left walking in and out of there just during the time of year all of that kind of sign would have been normally laid down. It was kind of eye opening.
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby matt1336 » Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:00 pm

IMO- you can go in there with your best guess and observe with the hope that you learn something from what you saw or go in there, scout and hope you learn something from what you saw. More times than not the deer teach us what we need to do, especially the first time ever hunting a certain spot. It's taken me years to fine tune some properties and even then I never stop learning. I'd go in there scout and see what you see, then hunt it opening weekend. It's not perfect, but what is? Maybe hunt it a time or two this season then scout the out of it in winter and spring. Maybe still hunt it with the gun this fall. Don't be timid, get in there and get the intel you need
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby BigHunt » Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:40 pm

My number one tactic is to find where BassBoysLLP is hunting and get there first. .... :mrgreen:
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Aug 23, 2017 12:35 am

BigHunt wrote:My number one tactic is to find where BassBoysLLP is hunting and get there first. .... :mrgreen:


:lol: :shhh:
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Re: Wisconsin's Opening Week Tactics

Unread postby JoeFranchise » Wed Aug 23, 2017 1:53 am

Well let's see;

1) The wife is on call September, 15-21st so I will be on kid duty those dates (with the small chance of a babysitter one, maybe 2, evenings)
2) One of her friends is getting married on September 22nd so we will be in IA until Sunday the 24th...
3) She was able to switch her next call weekend from October 27th - November 2nd to September 29th - October 5th; so that is a plus...

All in all though, my early season is a little hosed... Going to have to be on my A-game, and make the most of my opportunities, this fall.

Blah,
Joe


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