Desperate tactics

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isitseasonyet?
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Desperate tactics

Unread postby isitseasonyet? » Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:19 am

All of the spots I scouted this season have gone cold. I’m talking NO big buck activity. Apparently I didn’t scout enough, and will no doubt not let that happen again next year. I’m not gonna allow myself the cop out of “the gun pressure is too much or whatever.” All three of the larger bucks that I knew about and was hunting have now been killed.

I’m thinking about throwing the muzzleloader on my shoulder and walking every inch of public I can before the end of the season. And hopefully find something I can hunt the last few weeks with the bow.

Anyone have any better ideas? Because I’m not going out this season without a fight.

Next season will be different.


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Horizontal Hunter
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Re: Desperate tactics

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:57 am

isitseasonyet? wrote:All of the spots I scouted this season have gone cold. I’m talking NO big buck activity. Apparently I didn’t scout enough, and will no doubt not let that happen again next year. I’m not gonna allow myself the cop out of “the gun pressure is too much or whatever.” All three of the larger bucks that I knew about and was hunting have now been killed.

I’m thinking about throwing the muzzleloader on my shoulder and walking every inch of public I can before the end of the season. And hopefully find something I can hunt the last few weeks with the bow.

Anyone have any better ideas? Because I’m not going out this season without a fight.

Next season will be different.


Spot on.

They have changed their patterns now it is up to you to adapt and figure out where they went to avoid the pressure.

IMO the failure to adapt is one of the biggest mistakes that hunters make. I know that I have anyway. :lol:

Bob
Vegetarian: vejiˈte(ə)rēən/noun: old Indian word for lousy hunter. :o

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Jackson Marsh
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Re: Desperate tactics

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:58 am

You have a good plan, and if you have some snow on the ground it will help a ton. I've been out a bit with the muzzleloader and the deer are definitely holding tight to bedding and moving very little in daylight. It's also a great time to find the pressure bedding for future years. Might be close to private, close to food or might be in hard to reach hard to hunt deep spots.

Last year I placed a camera adjacent to a good bedding area.....I started getting daylight pictures of bucks about a week after the gun seasons were over.
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Dewey
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Re: Desperate tactics

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:05 am

I agree with both. Give it a few weeks and some good ole’ fashioned winter weather and daylight activity will pick up. No better time than now to focus on hunting near known bedding especially if you know where there is a prime food source right now. Still standing cornfields even if more than a mile away will draw deer from all over. Be aware that the older bucks will show up last so it’s even more important to be near bedding. I see them travel 1-2 miles from prime bedding to a good food source daily. Very easy to backtrack them with snow on the ground. Biggest mistake guys make late season is hunting their favorite early season spots. It’s a totally different game after all the excessive hunting pressure from the gun seasons.
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Re: Desperate tactics

Unread postby Kraftd » Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:41 am

Jackson Marsh wrote:You have a good plan, and if you have some snow on the ground it will help a ton. I've been out a bit with the muzzleloader and the deer are definitely holding tight to bedding and moving very little in daylight. It's also a great time to find the pressure bedding for future years. Might be close to private, close to food or might be in hard to reach hard to hunt deep spots.

Last year I placed a camera adjacent to a good bedding area.....I started getting daylight pictures of bucks about a week after the gun seasons wereover.


So what is that, like February at this point :twisted: These late doe seasons are awful...but I digress.

Agree with others, scout it out. Snow makes it nearly fool proof to know where the deer are. Colder the better too. I plan on being out chasing squirrels and bunnies this weekend scouting my way around to try and find a buck or two to chase late season with my bow. At least my areas don't have a holiday hunt...
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Re: Desperate tactics

Unread postby backstraps » Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:14 pm

I agree with the other post. I really like scouting this time of year for future intel. Like JM mentioned,finding pressure bedding is super valuable. Wish you luck, and having the firepower along for the "just in case" is always a plus.
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Re: Desperate tactics

Unread postby tgreeno » Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:55 pm

I actually hunted the back side of a relatively high pressured area a couple nights ago. But I believed the very back strip about 100 yards wide to be pretty much left alone. Saw a decent 2 1/2 year old at very last light. Sometimes it's those tiny unpressured pockets/strips inside the large area that make all the difference. This looks to be my first one. Now I just need to find a bunch more.
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