hunting hill country when access from bottom

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Buck56
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hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby Buck56 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:50 pm

have a couple of tracts to hunt where its crop fields and pasture in bottom lands and big timber on the hill sides. access is from the bottom. just wanted to see what how folks approach this similar setup and if any different when hunting mornings or evenings. thanks


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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:16 pm

Subscribed

I’m interested in the replies as well.

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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby wolverinebuckman » Mon Jun 24, 2019 2:12 pm

I'm in for some info, too. Our house lies in the valley, with 300 foot, forest covered "hills" going up each side.
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elmorken
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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby elmorken » Mon Jun 24, 2019 3:20 pm

Buck56 wrote:have a couple of tracts to hunt where its crop fields and pasture in bottom lands and big timber on the hill sides. access is from the bottom. just wanted to see what how folks approach this similar setup and if any different when hunting mornings or evenings. thanks


I hunt a lot of hill country with ag fields on the bottom and top, so I'll try to offer some thoughts here.

This is difficult when you are forced to enter from the bottom without having the top access as at least an option when the situation calls for it. I guess I'm left wondering what the top looks like here? Is it crop fields as well so it would provide a food source for the deer, or are the bottom crop fields the predominant food sources in the area where the deer are going to be at night? In mornings, you obviously want to avoid walking right through the food sources if possible. Just based on what you wrote, I would likely look at entering through the pasture land and avoiding the crop fields if that's doable. Get into the timber before hitting that ag land and just take your time going as quietly as possible. I think of hunting mornings in this type of terrain mostly by timing the hunts during the late pre-rut or rut.

I would also make sure I'm in there at least an hour and a half before shooting light. I got into a stand on a hunt in late October last year that was in bedding cover on river bottom that's surrounded by hills. I accessed by crossing the river and paralleling the bank until it was time to head directly into my stand about 20 yards off the river.

When I got to my tree, I heard a deer trot off slowly. I had my head lamp on and it was bright due to the moon, but I couldn't see what it was through the cover. I got in the stand and about 10 minutes later I had a big buck come in to investigate. I don't know if it was the same deer, but I kind of assume it was and that his curiosity brought him back. He proceeded to make a rub about 12 yards away from me in the moon light and all I could do was watch. I never did see him during daylight. He never seemed to have any idea I was there, and just walked off slowly when he was done making the rub. It was another reminder just how much more you get away with by getting in early.

As for evenings, the best luck I've had is just finding those beds and planning your access accordingly. Know what it looks like from the beds in all parts of the season if you can. You'll get away with getting closer often when the foliage is up. Then it's just a matter of following all the rules the members here talk about frequently -- knowing when the bucks are bedded there based on the right wind and keeping the thermals in mind as you enter when you're coming up at him from the bottom. If you know the bed locations and the exit trails from them, it becomes a matter of getting just out of reach of that deer's ability to see, smell or hear you and then set up. Obviously easier said than done in many situations when it comes to getting that buck within bow range during daylight.
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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby krent12 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 3:23 pm

I hunt that kind of scenario a lot.

1.Corn. I have 1 spot I can’t hunt unless it is corn. Because the deer are bedded to watch me walk in threw the bottom fields. If it is beans I only hunt it in the morning and catch them coming back to bed.

2.Go straight up the ridge with wind in your face. Imagine 2 crop field and a “bowl” ridge all the way around it. Everything can see that bottom field. What I do as soon as I get the corner of the field I go directly up the ridge with the wind in my face. I’m anticipating the deer to be bedded on that side because of the wind. So I immediately get onto there level. Again ,you have to know there bedding.

3. Morning hunt. Combined with #2. Use darkness to your advantage. I still don’t walk through the bottom field tho. Get up to where you wanna be in a straight line and beat them back to bed. This tactic is best pre rut.
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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby krent12 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 3:29 pm

elmorken wrote:
Buck56 wrote:have a couple of tracts to hunt where its crop fields and pasture in bottom lands and big timber on the hill sides. access is from the bottom. just wanted to see what how folks approach this similar setup and if any different when hunting mornings or evenings. thanks


I hunt a lot of hill country with ag fields on the bottom and top, so I'll try to offer some thoughts here.

This is difficult when you are forced to enter from the bottom without having the top access as at least an option when the situation calls for it. I guess I'm left wondering what the top looks like here? Is it crop fields as well so it would provide a food source for the deer, or are the bottom crop fields the predominant food sources in the area where the deer are going to be at night? In mornings, you obviously want to avoid walking right through the food sources if possible. Just based on what you wrote, I would likely look at entering through the pasture land and avoiding the crop fields if that's doable. Get into the timber before hitting that ag land and just take your time going as quietly as possible. I think of hunting mornings in this type of terrain mostly by timing the hunts during the late pre-rut or rut.

I would also make sure I'm in there at least an hour and a half before shooting light. I got into a stand on a hunt in late October last year that was in bedding cover on river bottom that's surrounded by hills. I accessed by crossing the river and paralleling the bank until it was time to head directly into my stand about 20 yards off the river.

When I got to my tree, I heard a deer trot off slowly. I had my head lamp on and it was bright due to the moon, but I couldn't see what it was through the cover. I got in the stand and about 10 minutes later I had a big buck come in to investigate. I don't know if it was the same deer, but I kind of assume it was and that his curiosity brought him back. He proceeded to make a rub about 12 yards away from me in the moon light and all I could do was watch. I never did see him during daylight. He never seemed to have any idea I was there, and just walked off slowly when he was done making the rub. It was another reminder just how much more you get away with by getting in early.

As for evenings, the best luck I've had is just finding those beds and planning your access accordingly. Know what it looks like from the beds in all parts of the season if you can. You'll get away with getting closer often when the foliage is up. Then it's just a matter of following all the rules the members here talk about frequently -- knowing when the bucks are bedded there based on the right wind and keeping the thermals in mind as you enter when you're coming up at him from the bottom. If you know the bed locations and the exit trails from them, it becomes a matter of getting just out of reach of that deer's ability to see, smell or hear you and then set up. Obviously easier said than done in many situations when it comes to getting that buck within bow range during daylight.


Exactly. Great response . If you can get up before the fields and parallel the ridge on the lee side your in the game.
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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Tue Jun 25, 2019 1:27 am

If you know the exact bedding spot and trail you can come up from the bottom 80 yards away from stand around 180 yards away from the bed.

Then walk above the trail to setup.

This prevents your thermal rise from reaching the buck and if a young buck comes through first he will spook when he reaches your ground scent after he has passed the setup.


The main issue I face in bottoms is deep creeks only being crossed at certain spots this makes some spots rough to get too quietly. If its rut and your wanting to t bone your setup from bucks coming from both ways can be very frustrating.
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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby Jdw » Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:53 am

Here are a few things that have worked for me in the past on evening hunts.
If the buck is bedding above the pasture of crop field wade the creek or crawl through the available cover to get inside of the area he has been watching all day and he will be more likely to get to you in daylight.

If the bottom is wide enough sometimes you can hunt it with the wind blowing down the bottom the same direction the thermals will pull when the sun starts going down. Some areas only work when the leaves are off the trees or on sunny days. You will need to deploy milkweed to see what you can get away with.

I like using ditches and hollows to access the ridges and points. The deeper and steeper the ditch the better. But even a small low spot can keep you out of sight of the bed. You have to be careful that the thermals and wind don’t mess you up especially when you are coming up out of the top of the ditch.
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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby brancher147 » Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:48 am

Depends if they are feeding on acorns on top or whatever crop is in the bottom.
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Re: hunting hill country when access from bottom

Unread postby hoyt31786 » Wed Jun 26, 2019 2:14 pm

Whether theres ag in the bottoms or not i find it very difficult to access hill country from any bottom and be successful. Due to the fact thats what the mature bucks are watching and can smell with thermals . Not saying it cant be done but i always try to hunt hill country coming in on an angle from suspected bedding .


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