Does your strategy change for rifle season?

[Outdoor814]

With the early archery season behind us, and rifle now in, how do you make this transition?

My plan is to set up in the thickest, nastiest area I can get into, and hopefully have other hunters push deer to me. It's insane the amount of hunters that enter the woods when archery season ends.

[Jonny]

My favorite spot is in an area with very little human pressure. I can get away from hunters with little effort by me, so I don't go all gung ho and go miles back into the swamp. I hunt a destination safe area where historically, deer go to get away from pressure. I'm set up between two thickets, one of which is used much more than the other. It's not a consistent bedding area. Seems more like a safe zone for deer to go when they need to, rest up and move to the next one when the time comes. Just a thick nasty spot in a low pressure area. It has two access points due to the steep ridge behind it, with hunters up on top. They can drop the ridge anywhere, but prefer the easier path. Both angle right into the thicket. I don't think I can set up on the ridge side of the thicket, and would severely limit myself if I did. I set up on the open side where I have seen deer enter, and this year exit.

I make sure I can shoot longer shots, and try to set up out of the line of smell and sight. This year I set up for a 50-60 yard shot which with a rifle and scope, is a chip shot for me.

People play a big deal in gun season. Some years more than others. The only consistent by me is you don't dare set foot in the upper hardwoods without a prison jump suit on. Been there, done that. They do shoot deer up there, but typically fawns and yearlings. All my deer in the bottom have been 2.5, and have seen bigger.

[Matty]

We don't have rifle here, only shotgun and muzzleloader, but yes, my strategy changes quite a bit.

When I hunt with a firearm, it's more of a "casual" type hunting. I still-hunt more, or do drives with friends and family. My favorite is to take the gun for a walk and learn some new areas. I figure I have a good chance at shooting something while learning new spots. In season intel is my favorite too. If I struggled with bow in an area this season, I may take the gun for a walk through there to see what's shaking. What was I missing there, what changed?

Stand hunting though, I treat just like bow. Typically I'm in thick, nasty, wet, where all the animals go to escape people. I might back off a tad, but not much. So instead of 15 yards to an intended shot, I might setup to make it 30. I also usually switch to the tree saddle and mini-sticks so I can walk and walk and walk and then get up a tree if I feel the need (basically just for better shots).

Last year during firearm season I stayed with the bow and hunted one of the local bow only properties. Shot a good one, but lost it. Saw a lot of deer though. That's another thing to consider is hunting bow only areas if you have them. They can become like sanctuaries during firearm.

[JAK]

Yea mine changes I switch right to drive mode start with easy to access bedding then as the week goes on get into the nasty stuff.

[DaveT1963]

No. I still grab my recurve or longbow and go to where the deer are and hunters are not.

[BradC36]

With the early archery season behind us, and rifle now in, how do you make this transition?

My plan is to set up in the thickest, nastiest area I can get into, and hopefully have other hunters push deer to me. It's insane the amount of hunters that enter the woods when archery season ends.

I don't know if you saw the pictures from Erie News on opening day, but the parades of guys walking on all of the game lands has forced me to change my strategy a bit from archery . More similar to what you do. I try to get in a set in the thick stuff when I can to be out harms way with the firing team walking through. I watched hunter after hunter parade through all of my good stuff I found during archery on the opener.

[Ragingun]

I do much more stalking/still hunting for gun than I do sitting. Also, because of the different location I gun hunt the deer tend to move nearly all day long, even the older bucks since there is next to no human activity or pressure ever in that area. Finding buck beds there is much much harder if you can even find a repeat buck bed in any given area. The bucks have such a large range and they commonly travel long distances every day even when not in the rut season. I followed a mature deer this year I saw far off in the distance for 4 miles. He was not on a doe and rut was over with. He was just moving through and he didn't take the normal routes mentioned commonly on this site. He didn't travel leeward hill sides nor did he stick to swamps. He was very comfortable going wherever he felt like going regardless of thermals.

As far as stalking, I will simply get on a fresh good size track and go. I followed a different buck for a mile, came to a dense cedar swamp and slowed down to take my time getting closer as he was likely bedded. He was and near dusk I watched him 40 yards away get up out of his bed and slowly wander off. He was a 2 year old 6 pointer so I didn't take him but it's still a lot of fun.