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Marcus.smith620
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Marcus.smith620 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:23 pm

Dewey wrote:
Marcus.smith620 wrote:Her is the picture that I marked up of the area that I scouted. The far right line is a cut trail for hikers. Parking is to the southeast and when you walk up that red path you can walk right past the corn plot there in the middle. The transition line is where I scouted and the yellow marks are the beds that I found that I planned on hunting. Again this is stupid easy to walk to and it seems crazy that people would miss this area, but they might hunt around the corn and not get to the transitions and thicker stuff in order to see the deer that they want. The part of the transition line to the far left is all really thick redbrush and that bed is right on the edge. The bottom transition are all tall pines while the trees to the north transition are birch until you get deeper. I will definitely get back there to look at the oxbows and the rest of the transition to the west. Any input would be great.


Image

I know that spot well. :lol:

Don't worry....your secret is safe with me and I don't hunt here anymore. ;)

Hunted there for years. It gets pounded by hunters all season. Very rare that parking lot to the south of your pic is empty. The best bucks are in the refuge to the north and don't come out till well after dark. Problem is guys line up on the refuge line and cause them to be even more nocturnal. I got sick of people ruining my hunts so moved on. The sign you are seeing is all done after dark when the deer head to the fields. Your best bet is the oxbows in the river to the west, especially the upper left one. Decent bucks always seemed to bed in them and the pressure was much lower but never seen one I wanted to kill. The biggest buck sign by far I found was east of the trail up in the high ridge. Nobody seemed to climb the highest ridge much. It's worth checking out. One year I found a dead shed buck over the winter while post season scouting in the exact bed I was hunting that season. He died within days of when I found him and have no clue how he died. Looked very healthy and no sign of injury except a little blood coming out of his mouth. Thinking he got hit by a car and after making it back to his bed he died from internal bleeding. Really bummed me out.


Well I guess since everyone on this website knows this spot, which doesn't surprise me, just time to move on I suppose. Maybe I'll check out the oxbow, but I knew something had to be up because it was too easy to get to. I guess that brings me to another question. Since these deer come there well at night, do they just bed there after they eat, or why would they bed there at all?


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Rob loper
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Rob loper » Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:50 am

Check those oxbows in that river to the west too the tips might have beds
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Dewey
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Dewey » Wed Feb 21, 2018 5:57 am

Marcus.smith620 wrote:
Dewey wrote:
Marcus.smith620 wrote:Her is the picture that I marked up of the area that I scouted. The far right line is a cut trail for hikers. Parking is to the southeast and when you walk up that red path you can walk right past the corn plot there in the middle. The transition line is where I scouted and the yellow marks are the beds that I found that I planned on hunting. Again this is stupid easy to walk to and it seems crazy that people would miss this area, but they might hunt around the corn and not get to the transitions and thicker stuff in order to see the deer that they want. The part of the transition line to the far left is all really thick redbrush and that bed is right on the edge. The bottom transition are all tall pines while the trees to the north transition are birch until you get deeper. I will definitely get back there to look at the oxbows and the rest of the transition to the west. Any input would be great.


Image

I know that spot well. :lol:

Don't worry....your secret is safe with me and I don't hunt here anymore. ;)

Hunted there for years. It gets pounded by hunters all season. Very rare that parking lot to the south of your pic is empty. The best bucks are in the refuge to the north and don't come out till well after dark. Problem is guys line up on the refuge line and cause them to be even more nocturnal. I got sick of people ruining my hunts so moved on. The sign you are seeing is all done after dark when the deer head to the fields. Your best bet is the oxbows in the river to the west, especially the upper left one. Decent bucks always seemed to bed in them and the pressure was much lower but never seen one I wanted to kill. The biggest buck sign by far I found was east of the trail up in the high ridge. Nobody seemed to climb the highest ridge much. It's worth checking out. One year I found a dead shed buck over the winter while post season scouting in the exact bed I was hunting that season. He died within days of when I found him and have no clue how he died. Looked very healthy and no sign of injury except a little blood coming out of his mouth. Thinking he got hit by a car and after making it back to his bed he died from internal bleeding. Really bummed me out.


Well I guess since everyone on this website knows this spot, which doesn't surprise me, just time to move on I suppose. Maybe I'll check out the oxbow, but I knew something had to be up because it was too easy to get to. I guess that brings me to another question. Since these deer come there well at night, do they just bed there after they eat, or why would they bed there at all?

Lot's of night beds they use between feeding cycles in the dark. Younger deer do bed on the edges during the day in the lesser pressured areas but never seen any mature deer do the same. Like I said this area is pounded pretty hard. A guy I work with is there just about every other day running his dogs. Even told me he pushes any deer that are bedded back into the refuge before the gun and muzzleloader seasons so nobody kills "his" deer. Pretty disappointed to hear that and a big reason why I never hunt there anymore. Funny thing is he doesn't kill any deer there. He's his own worst enemy and doesn't even realize it. Running dogs and leaving all that scent just makes them even more nocturnal. I always get a kick out of the guys that hunt along the crop fields. Good luck with that. :lol:
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Marcus.smith620
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Marcus.smith620 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 6:19 am

Dewey wrote:
Marcus.smith620 wrote:
Dewey wrote:
Marcus.smith620 wrote:Her is the picture that I marked up of the area that I scouted. The far right line is a cut trail for hikers. Parking is to the southeast and when you walk up that red path you can walk right past the corn plot there in the middle. The transition line is where I scouted and the yellow marks are the beds that I found that I planned on hunting. Again this is stupid easy to walk to and it seems crazy that people would miss this area, but they might hunt around the corn and not get to the transitions and thicker stuff in order to see the deer that they want. The part of the transition line to the far left is all really thick redbrush and that bed is right on the edge. The bottom transition are all tall pines while the trees to the north transition are birch until you get deeper. I will definitely get back there to look at the oxbows and the rest of the transition to the west. Any input would be great.


Image

I know that spot well. :lol:

Don't worry....your secret is safe with me and I don't hunt here anymore. ;)

Hunted there for years. It gets pounded by hunters all season. Very rare that parking lot to the south of your pic is empty. The best bucks are in the refuge to the north and don't come out till well after dark. Problem is guys line up on the refuge line and cause them to be even more nocturnal. I got sick of people ruining my hunts so moved on. The sign you are seeing is all done after dark when the deer head to the fields. Your best bet is the oxbows in the river to the west, especially the upper left one. Decent bucks always seemed to bed in them and the pressure was much lower but never seen one I wanted to kill. The biggest buck sign by far I found was east of the trail up in the high ridge. Nobody seemed to climb the highest ridge much. It's worth checking out. One year I found a dead shed buck over the winter while post season scouting in the exact bed I was hunting that season. He died within days of when I found him and have no clue how he died. Looked very healthy and no sign of injury except a little blood coming out of his mouth. Thinking he got hit by a car and after making it back to his bed he died from internal bleeding. Really bummed me out.


Well I guess since everyone on this website knows this spot, which doesn't surprise me, just time to move on I suppose. Maybe I'll check out the oxbow, but I knew something had to be up because it was too easy to get to. I guess that brings me to another question. Since these deer come there well at night, do they just bed there after they eat, or why would they bed there at all?

Lot's of night beds they use between feeding cycles in the dark. Younger deer do bed on the edges during the day in the lesser pressured areas but never seen any mature deer do the same. Like I said this area is pounded pretty hard. A guy I work with is there just about every other day running his dogs. Even told me he pushes any deer that are bedded back into the refuge before the gun and muzzleloader seasons so nobody kills "his" deer. Pretty disappointed to hear that and a big reason why I never hunt there anymore. Funny thing is he doesn't kill any deer there. He's his own worst enemy and doesn't even realize it. Running dogs and leaving all that scent just makes them even more nocturnal. I always get a kick out of the guys that hunt along the crop fields. Good luck with that. :lol:


Glad i brought up the picture to get all of this information, otherwise I'd be wasting a ton of my time. Still helpful to do scouting and to learn from people that have responded. Makes you sharper for the next scout and hunt.
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Southern Man » Wed Feb 21, 2018 6:27 am

Marcus.smith620 wrote:
Dewey wrote:
Marcus.smith620 wrote:Her is the picture that I marked up of the area that I scouted. The far right line is a cut trail for hikers. Parking is to the southeast and when you walk up that red path you can walk right past the corn plot there in the middle. The transition line is where I scouted and the yellow marks are the beds that I found that I planned on hunting. Again this is stupid easy to walk to and it seems crazy that people would miss this area, but they might hunt around the corn and not get to the transitions and thicker stuff in order to see the deer that they want. The part of the transition line to the far left is all really thick redbrush and that bed is right on the edge. The bottom transition are all tall pines while the trees to the north transition are birch until you get deeper. I will definitely get back there to look at the oxbows and the rest of the transition to the west. Any input would be great.


Image

I know that spot well. :lol:

Don't worry....your secret is safe with me and I don't hunt here anymore. ;)

Hunted there for years. It gets pounded by hunters all season. Very rare that parking lot to the south of your pic is empty. The best bucks are in the refuge to the north and don't come out till well after dark. Problem is guys line up on the refuge line and cause them to be even more nocturnal. I got sick of people ruining my hunts so moved on. The sign you are seeing is all done after dark when the deer head to the fields. Your best bet is the oxbows in the river to the west, especially the upper left one. Decent bucks always seemed to bed in them and the pressure was much lower but never seen one I wanted to kill. The biggest buck sign by far I found was east of the trail up in the high ridge. Nobody seemed to climb the highest ridge much. It's worth checking out. One year I found a dead shed buck over the winter while post season scouting in the exact bed I was hunting that season. He died within days of when I found him and have no clue how he died. Looked very healthy and no sign of injury except a little blood coming out of his mouth. Thinking he got hit by a car and after making it back to his bed he died from internal bleeding. Really bummed me out.


Well I guess since everyone on this website knows this spot, which doesn't surprise me, just time to move on I suppose. Maybe I'll check out the oxbow, but I knew something had to be up because it was too easy to get to.


LOL That's got to be depressing! I hate to laugh but that caught me by surprise. Of course if I were to find that someone was there before me Dewey would be one of my choices. A sure sign you're on the right track.

Don't be fooled by short walks. Some of my best hunts have been very short walks, places people pass by because they think they have to go deep. That's not always the case. And even with people around, there might be something they missed.

Keep after it man!!
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Marcus.smith620
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Marcus.smith620 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:30 am

Southern Man wrote:
Marcus.smith620 wrote:
Dewey wrote:
Marcus.smith620 wrote:Her is the picture that I marked up of the area that I scouted. The far right line is a cut trail for hikers. Parking is to the southeast and when you walk up that red path you can walk right past the corn plot there in the middle. The transition line is where I scouted and the yellow marks are the beds that I found that I planned on hunting. Again this is stupid easy to walk to and it seems crazy that people would miss this area, but they might hunt around the corn and not get to the transitions and thicker stuff in order to see the deer that they want. The part of the transition line to the far left is all really thick redbrush and that bed is right on the edge. The bottom transition are all tall pines while the trees to the north transition are birch until you get deeper. I will definitely get back there to look at the oxbows and the rest of the transition to the west. Any input would be great.


Image

I know that spot well. :lol:

Don't worry....your secret is safe with me and I don't hunt here anymore. ;)

Hunted there for years. It gets pounded by hunters all season. Very rare that parking lot to the south of your pic is empty. The best bucks are in the refuge to the north and don't come out till well after dark. Problem is guys line up on the refuge line and cause them to be even more nocturnal. I got sick of people ruining my hunts so moved on. The sign you are seeing is all done after dark when the deer head to the fields. Your best bet is the oxbows in the river to the west, especially the upper left one. Decent bucks always seemed to bed in them and the pressure was much lower but never seen one I wanted to kill. The biggest buck sign by far I found was east of the trail up in the high ridge. Nobody seemed to climb the highest ridge much. It's worth checking out. One year I found a dead shed buck over the winter while post season scouting in the exact bed I was hunting that season. He died within days of when I found him and have no clue how he died. Looked very healthy and no sign of injury except a little blood coming out of his mouth. Thinking he got hit by a car and after making it back to his bed he died from internal bleeding. Really bummed me out.


Well I guess since everyone on this website knows this spot, which doesn't surprise me, just time to move on I suppose. Maybe I'll check out the oxbow, but I knew something had to be up because it was too easy to get to.


LOL That's got to be depressing! I hate to laugh but that caught me by surprise. Of course if I were to find that someone was there before me Dewey would be one of my choices. A sure sign you're on the right track.

Don't be fooled by short walks. Some of my best hunts have been very short walks, places people pass by because they think they have to go deep. That's not always the case. And even with people around, there might be something they missed.

Keep after it man!!



Thanks! Not depressing if you learn I suppose. Good thing I have more spots that I have had success with.
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Dewey
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Dewey » Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:44 am

I don’t mean to scare you away from hunting there. Fact is there are some good bucks around but I felt you needed to know the specifics of the hunting pressure so you can better plan how to hunt it. The sign you found is pure proof that things are not always as they appear. Hot sign is not always the best place to hunt if it’s made at night. Backtrack from that stuff to the more secure bedding and you will have much better luck.

Nobody identified this location and hope they don’t. I know a handfull of members here that hunt in that area but 99.9% of the others will have no clue where this is without doing a ton of cyber scouting. Don’t be afraid to give it a try.
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:50 am

I feel the same as Dewey. I know where it is, but I've never actually hunted it. The reason I never hunted it, is because I know more than a few guys that have hunted in that general area. And I like to concentrate on lesser known areas that are more low pressure.
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Marcus.smith620
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Marcus.smith620 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:53 am

Dewey wrote:I don’t mean to scare you away from hunting there. Fact is there are some good bucks around but I felt you needed to know the specifics of the hunting pressure so you can better plan how to hunt it. The sign you found is pure proof that things are not always as they appear. Hot sign is not always the best place to hunt if it’s made at night. Backtrack from that stuff to the more secure bedding and you will have much better luck.

Nobody identified this location and hope they don’t. I know a handfull of members here that hunt in that area but 99.9% of the others will have no clue where this is without doing a ton of cyber scouting. Don’t be afraid to give it a try.


No worries. Still plan on checking out the oxbows, but I'm glad to know the other information so I don't waste my time on the other places there. The more information the better when trying to find the best spots.


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