Got drawn for managed hunt! how would you approach this?

[PK_]

If the bucks are out in fields just before season then that is where 99% of the guys will hunt. That timeframe is perfect because the bigger deer naturally get off the fields right then and the spike in human intrusion will exacerbate it. The big deer will be shedding right then too so I would speed scout transitions and find big fresh rubs and go from there...

[matt1336]

I’m not telling you anything you don’t know....but if there’s water, cross it, if it’s “too hot”, “too cold”, “too windy”, “too wet”...hunt anyway. If you need even a small amount of brain power to figure some sign out.... This alone will separate you from the majority of the 150 other guys.
So....use your head and work hard. This should give you opportunities and that all you can ask for imo.

yea, I've thought of that. There are some really nice bucks going in to the fields now, so if they are still doing so in the week or days leading up to opening day I'll probably try to find some spots near those fields for the first few days. If that isn't working or if there are too many other hunters near me I'll probably start heading farther away and likely across the creek where I suspect there will be less hunters. Unfortunately I haven't been any further back than walking the north edge of the creek, so if I can't get back there soon I would have to rely completely on scouting my way in as I hunt.

Take your time and be observant. You’re not going to be Infalt in a day. Don’t be afraid to take chances. It’s only a deer, don’t give them too much credit.

[Brad]

If the bucks are out in fields just before season then that is where 99% of the guys will hunt. That time frame is perfect because the bigger deer naturally get off the fields right then and the spike in human intrusion will exacerbate it. The big deer will be shedding right then too so I would speed scout transitions and find big fresh rubs and go from there...

Yea, I assume most guys are going to be on the beans too. There are 7 fields that are beans, and 2 or 3 milo fields next to them. The conservation area is almost 7000 acres. There is also alot of corn fields, but those are mostly on the other half of the land.
Do you think there is a chance bucks may continue in the fields that are further back from the roads and parking lots? They are about 0.6 linear miles from the nearest parking lots, and about a mile if you stay on the access trails. I have been around most of the timber off of the fields and have had trouble finding much I thought looked like bedding. I was able to find an area close to the field that had what looked like a few really old rubs, and an area farther back in a different area that had a rub that looked like to was from last year, and it was a pretty good one. There didn't appear to be a bed close to the rub that I could find, but there were definitely deer trails around there. Do you think it would be a better idea to go straight back to the rub area or give a shot near the farther back bean fields first? Off course I start to think too much, because then I wonder if everybody else is going to pass up the first bean field right off the parking lot that I've seen several really nice bucks...

here is the rub i thought was pretty nice and more recent.

big rub.jpg

[Brad]

Take your time and be observant. You’re not going to be Infalt in a day. Don’t be afraid to take chances. It’s only a deer, don’t give them too much credit.[/quote]

That's good advice. I ask alot of questions. I can handle not taking a nice buck if it is because I make a mistake that I can learn from. What I can't handle is going into it being unprepared. I obsess over being as prepared as I am able. I do that with anything I do... to a fault sometimes. At this point all I feel like I can do is scout & glass to get as much intel as I can, and try to learn as much as I can from all of you more experienced hunters.

[<DK>]

In busy public places, the line for acceptable human disturbance and unacceptable safe zone disturbance will often be the key.

If the bucks are out in fields just before season then that is where 99% of the guys will hunt. That timeframe is perfect because the bigger deer naturally get off the fields right then and the spike in human intrusion will exacerbate it. The big deer will be shedding right then too so I would speed scout transitions and find big fresh rubs and go from there...

I definitely agree w these guys.

Keep checking the map and find the overlooked spots! I have found some really big ones in hunting areas like you described.

[<DK>]

Also - check your local hunting forum and search for info on that property. Guys seem to be a little more open about draw hunt spots. I gained some decent Intel that way for one of mine. The best advice I read was hunt right by the road and thats all he would say. He was right!

[Brad]

Is this the first time the area has been hunted or do these deer get hunted every year in the same time period? It sounds like they are pretty accustomed to people being around from your description. To me that might make it a little harder to figure out. If they are used to just going around the people they may not immediately head for the roughest terrain.

They are hunted every year. I would say they are used to having people driving by and stopping to look at them, but they definitely notice and become on edge, especially the bucks. If you stay in your car and are 100 yards away you're definitely fine. If you get out of your car less than 200 yards away a buck will be gone. They definitely aren't the county park type deer that damn near let you feed them, which I'm glad about, because I don't even think it would be fun if it were like that... or at least not near as much fun.

[austin1990]

What I would do is look for a funnel or pinch point in the terrain away back from the fields, and opening morning I'd be in it as early as I could, and I'd hope that the other guys coming in bump deer to you and you can catch the deer trying to distance themselves from the other hunters. Got any aerials of this place? May help key in on pinches, or a good looking spot to try.

[Wlog]

Is this the first time the area has been hunted or do these deer get hunted every year in the same time period? It sounds like they are pretty accustomed to people being around from your description. To me that might make it a little harder to figure out. If they are used to just going around the people they may not immediately head for the roughest terrain.

They are hunted every year. I would say they are used to having people driving by and stopping to look at them, but they definitely notice and become on edge, especially the bucks. If you stay in your car and are 100 yards away you're definitely fine. If you get out of your car less than 200 yards away a buck will be gone. They definitely aren't the county park type deer that damn near let you feed them, which I'm glad about, because I don't even think it would be fun if it were like that... or at least not near as much fun.

I would say the first 2-3 days they may still be bedding relatively close to the crops but as the hunt goes on you will need to keep pushing farther. I would be thinking of it like an outside in approach. Just keep pushing deeper and stack the remote areas as the week goes on.

[Brad]

What I would do is look for a funnel or pinch point in the terrain away back from the fields, and opening morning I'd be in it as early as I could, and I'd hope that the other guys coming in bump deer to you and you can catch the deer trying to distance themselves from the other hunters. Got any aerials of this place? May help key in on pinches, or a good looking spot to try.

Yea, I have thought about that as well. There is in fact a drainage between two hills that looks to be a very heavily traveled point that crosses the creek just north of the fields. That could be a good option. Here's a pic.

East side Fields 1.jpg

[Brad]

Is this the first time the area has been hunted or do these deer get hunted every year in the same time period? It sounds like they are pretty accustomed to people being around from your description. To me that might make it a little harder to figure out. If they are used to just going around the people they may not immediately head for the roughest terrain.

They are hunted every year. I would say they are used to having people driving by and stopping to look at them, but they definitely notice and become on edge, especially the bucks. If you stay in your car and are 100 yards away you're definitely fine. If you get out of your car less than 200 yards away a buck will be gone. They definitely aren't the county park type deer that damn near let you feed them, which I'm glad about, because I don't even think it would be fun if it were like that... or at least not near as much fun.

I would say the first 2-3 days they may still be bedding relatively close to the crops but as the hunt goes on you will need to keep pushing farther. I would be thinking of it like an outside in approach. Just keep pushing deeper and stack the remote areas as the week goes on.

Yea, I am curious as to where the other hunters are going to be. For instance I am very sure there will be alot of people heading to the bean fields, but are they going to go 3/4 of a mile in, and pass 3 or 4 bean fields that have had nice bucks in them recently, to get to the ones that are further back? Only the one closest to the parking lot is able to be glasses without walking through or around the other fields. How many fields back the others will go remains to be seen. My thought has been to glass the 2 or 3 fields furthest back, to see if anything good is using those fields before dark and to see where they are coming from, then to hunt those areas the first day or two. If the pressure is heavy back that far I could start heading back to the timber behind the hills where I have found a bunch of oaks. Then if that is still getting pressure start working across the creek where I am certain the pressure will be much less. If I hadn't seen a bunch of really nice bucks in the ag fields I would just go straight across the creek and get away from everyone, but since I've seen some great ones I want to throw a few hopeful sits at them first thing. At least that's what I've been thinking, but I don't know if that's a great plan or not.

[Wlog]

Is this the first time the area has been hunted or do these deer get hunted every year in the same time period? It sounds like they are pretty accustomed to people being around from your description. To me that might make it a little harder to figure out. If they are used to just going around the people they may not immediately head for the roughest terrain.

They are hunted every year. I would say they are used to having people driving by and stopping to look at them, but they definitely notice and become on edge, especially the bucks. If you stay in your car and are 100 yards away you're definitely fine. If you get out of your car less than 200 yards away a buck will be gone. They definitely aren't the county park type deer that damn near let you feed them, which I'm glad about, because I don't even think it would be fun if it were like that... or at least not near as much fun.

I would say the first 2-3 days they may still be bedding relatively close to the crops but as the hunt goes on you will need to keep pushing farther. I would be thinking of it like an outside in approach. Just keep pushing deeper and stack the remote areas as the week goes on.

Yea, I am curious as to where the other hunters are going to be. For instance I am very sure there will be alot of people heading to the bean fields, but are they going to go 3/4 of a mile in, and pass 3 or 4 bean fields that have had nice bucks in them recently, to get to the ones that are further back? Only the one closest to the parking lot is able to be glasses without walking through or around the other fields. How many fields back the others will go remains to be seen. My thought has been to glass the 2 or 3 fields furthest back, to see if anything good is using those fields before dark and to see where they are coming from, then to hunt those areas the first day or two. If the pressure is heavy back that far I could start heading back to the timber behind the hills where I have found a bunch of oaks. Then if that is still getting pressure start working across the creek where I am certain the pressure will be much less. If I hadn't seen a bunch of really nice bucks in the ag fields I would just go straight across the creek and get away from everyone, but since I've seen some great ones I want to throw a few hopeful sits at them first thing. At least that's what I've been thinking, but I don't know if that's a great plan or not.

I think that’s a good plan. Keep notes. Whatever works or doesn’t work is good info if you get drawn in the future.

[austin1990]

What I would do is look for a funnel or pinch point in the terrain away back from the fields, and opening morning I'd be in it as early as I could, and I'd hope that the other guys coming in bump deer to you and you can catch the deer trying to distance themselves from the other hunters. Got any aerials of this place? May help key in on pinches, or a good looking spot to try.

Yea, I have thought about that as well. There is in fact a drainage between two hills that looks to be a very heavily traveled point that crosses the creek just north of the fields. That could be a good option. Here's a pic.

East side Fields 1.jpg

I like the looks of that drainage just east of that farthest north field, that runs down to the creek. Also a couple other good looking spots. I think you're on the right track to start checking those drainages, that's probably what I would try as.