Going in Blind

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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Lukebroz30
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Going in Blind

Unread postby Lukebroz30 » Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:54 pm

Hey guys, I’m new to beast strategy, I’ve been a mobile hunter but haven’t targeted bedding very much. This year I plan to change that. Want to hear how much luck you guys have with buck sightings without any prior on foot scouting and just anticipating where the good bedding areas are just from google maps. However, I want to make it clear that I’m not asking this because I’m too lazy to scout but because I got into the beast tactics too late to scout for bedding areas in the winter. I plan on scouting many different areas this winter but this year I will be blind in most places. What do you guys think?


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Wetfoot
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby Wetfoot » Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:05 pm

Welcome to the Beast. My experience is much the same. I've had decent success going in blind, granted mostly getting on bucks, not necessarily what guys here would consider giants. I would just say, concentrate on not just what you see on the maps, but pay real attention to the sign ( as it relates to bedding) and you should do well. Best of luck!!
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Ghost Pointer
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby Ghost Pointer » Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:09 pm

Have you watched any of the dvd’s? Not sure what State your in, but all have great reviews. I am in big woods in VA and the Hill Country dvd helped me a ton, lots of guys talk about the marsh dvd as well. I try to find good points, leeward side, 1/3 elevation and feel like I will definitely be in he game this year. It is amazing how much sign I was not even seeing before.

I have seen as much sign scouting as I have ever come across. Being fairly new myself, my confidence has greatly increased in my setups and sightings.

Learn what you can and when you get the right conditions, try putting it to use. There is a ton of info on in season scouting as well. I would definitely dive into that info for this season.
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headgear
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby headgear » Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:20 pm

I've gotten on a several bucks going in blind, jumped a few and maybe had 5-6 encounters over the years. Many of these spots I continue to hunt to this day after going back and scouting out the area. I always mix in a few blind hunts every season, its always fun to learn a new area and you can always learn something.
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DaveT1963
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:22 pm

I may be over simplifying but here are the steps I consider important:

1) First and foremost learn to read fresh sign. Everyone can read year old rub/scrape/tracks, etc. not everyone can tell you if it was made recently and size of the animal. Stride length, overall length of track, height of rub, browse lines, faint trails, identifying preferred natural browse, etc., all will give clues if you learn to analyze them. Get good at this and the remaining items will fall into place.

2) Scout as much as you can right after the season. This will make YOU familiar with the area and should clue you into specific bedding spots. Using maps and aerials helps, but in reality every time we head into the woods we should be going in a little "blind" as just because sign was there before, or you killed in that spot before, doesn't mean it has what you are looking for.

3) Hunt hard until you find FRESH sign. Don't get into the trap of hanging and waiting base upon last years sign. Scout/hunt smart and when you find fresh sign you are looking for then use the knowledge you gained in #2 above to plan your ambush spot

4) Remain persistent. It is easy to let up after a week or so of hard hunting. Can't remember who coined the term but there is a magic 30 seconds (most buck encounters last 30 seconds or less) that can happen at any given time. Sometimes you have to embrace the suck.

Good luck, shoot straight.
Lukebroz30
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby Lukebroz30 » Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:55 pm

Thank you guys for the quick responses! Very helpful! I have not bought the dvds yet but plan to very soon. I’ve watched all the YouTube videos on the hunting beast and hunting public and all the podcasts, most of them twice. Just trying to absorb all the info I can. I’m in NE Illinois and hill country is hard to come by so a lot of the ground is prairie or river bottom with some small marshes and strip pits mixed in. I like in the grass you can easily see trails on google earth and this is what I’m going off of in terms of finding bedding areas from the map. I think I actually found a deer bedded on google earth before.
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Edcyclopedia
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Wed Sep 26, 2018 1:47 am

DaveT1963 wrote:I may be over simplifying but here are the steps I consider important:

1) First and foremost learn to read fresh sign. Everyone can read year old rub/scrape/tracks, etc. not everyone can tell you if it was made recently and size of the animal. Stride length, overall length of track, height of rub, browse lines, faint trails, identifying preferred natural browse, etc., all will give clues if you learn to analyze them. Get good at this and the remaining items will fall into place.

2) Scout as much as you can right after the season. This will make YOU familiar with the area and should clue you into specific bedding spots. Using maps and aerials helps, but in reality every time we head into the woods we should be going in a little "blind" as just because sign was there before, or you killed in that spot before, doesn't mean it has what you are looking for.

3) Hunt hard until you find FRESH sign. Don't get into the trap of hanging and waiting base upon last years sign. Scout/hunt smart and when you find fresh sign you are looking for then use the knowledge you gained in #2 above to plan your ambush spot

4) Remain persistent. It is easy to let up after a week or so of hard hunting. Can't remember who coined the term but there is a magic 30 seconds (most buck encounters last 30 seconds or less) that can happen at any given time. Sometimes you have to embrace the suck.

Good luck, shoot straight.


Good write/right up Slim ;)
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
HittinNStickin
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby HittinNStickin » Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:20 pm

I almost exclusively hunt areas without ever stepping foot in them prior to hunting them and I’m also doing this in the mornings 99% of the time. Due to work and family obligations this is the only way I get into the woods. I would say I see bucks about 60-70% of the time.
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:48 pm

DaveT1963 wrote:I may be over simplifying but here are the steps I consider important:

1) First and foremost learn to read fresh sign. Everyone can read year old rub/scrape/tracks, etc. not everyone can tell you if it was made recently and size of the animal. Stride length, overall length of track, height of rub, browse lines, faint trails, identifying preferred natural browse, etc., all will give clues if you learn to analyze them. Get good at this and the remaining items will fall into place.

2) Scout as much as you can right after the season. This will make YOU familiar with the area and should clue you into specific bedding spots. Using maps and aerials helps, but in reality every time we head into the woods we should be going in a little "blind" as just because sign was there before, or you killed in that spot before, doesn't mean it has what you are looking for.

3) Hunt hard until you find FRESH sign. Don't get into the trap of hanging and waiting base upon last years sign. Scout/hunt smart and when you find fresh sign you are looking for then use the knowledge you gained in #2 above to plan your ambush spot

4) Remain persistent. It is easy to let up after a week or so of hard hunting. Can't remember who coined the term but there is a magic 30 seconds (most buck encounters last 30 seconds or less) that can happen at any given time. Sometimes you have to embrace the suck.

Good luck, shoot straight.



Dave gave great advice. :handgestures-thumbup:

Look at this season as an adventure and don't be afraid to spook deer/bucks. Jumping bucks isn't necessarily good for that day's hunt, but it will let you know the type of terrain and cover you should be looking for.

Good luck!
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Dewey
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Sep 28, 2018 5:43 pm

I look forward to blind hunts every season. It's exciting figuring out a new area on the fly. Always a great feeling when you go in and set up off nothing but cyber scouting and have a great hunt. Many of my most memorable hunts including a decent number of kills were blind hunts. As a matter of fact I'm doing one tomorrow. Very excited to see how it works out.
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street28ss
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Re: Going in Blind

Unread postby street28ss » Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:06 am

Dewey wrote:I look forward to blind hunts every season. It's exciting figuring out a new area on the fly. Always a great feeling when you go in and set up off nothing but cyber scouting and have a great hunt. Many of my most memorable hunts including a decent number of kills were blind hunts. As a matter of fact I'm doing one tomorrow. Very excited to see how it works out.


I've become the same way. I think I'm obsessed with cyber scouting and planning a "blind" hunt. I feel like this is the strategy that is helping me grow the fastest as a hunter.


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