Confidence and Deer Hunting

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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Colingraat
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Confidence and Deer Hunting

Unread postby Colingraat » Sat Oct 03, 2020 2:31 am

New ish beast here. I hunt farmland type areas, with alot of low brushy swamps. I can and have found some beds and bedding areas with good buck sign in them. I am struggling with when to hunt them because i really dont know when the deer are using them, if its the deer i am after. Also everyone talks about scouting during season, but what does this really mean. Is this scouting walking into an area or is that actually walking the areas you think could be good. Just not sure i want to do that during season.


Zephyrus
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Re: Confidence and Deer Hunting

Unread postby Zephyrus » Sat Oct 03, 2020 3:37 am

I'm no expert either, but instead of going straight from "point A to point B" like your average hunter - the ones that park their truck on the side of the road 50 yards from their stand - park silently away, take "the scenic route" where you think you could expect deer activity.

While going in, keep your eyes peeled for signs of browsing activity, tracks (big/small), trails you didn't know of, scat, bedding, etc. Did you jump something? Where at? Where did they go? Was it big? Is this an area you'd want to explore later? Does the sign show that this new area (on the way to where you were going) is maybe good enough to stop and set up on?
I welcome constructive criticism to any of my comments, because Knowledge is Power!
Colingraat
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Re: Confidence and Deer Hunting

Unread postby Colingraat » Sat Oct 03, 2020 4:45 am

Zephyrus wrote:I'm no expert either, but instead of going straight from "point A to point B" like your average hunter - the ones that park their truck on the side of the road 50 yards from their stand - park silently away, take "the scenic route" where you think you could expect deer activity.

While going in, keep your eyes peeled for signs of browsing activity, tracks (big/small), trails you didn't know of, scat, bedding, etc. Did you jump something? Where at? Where did they go? Was it big? Is this an area you'd want to explore later? Does the sign show that this new area (on the way to where you were going) is maybe good enough to stop and set up on?


gotcha, and by doing this i would/could come across better sign that could put me in position for a buck. how often would you say that you dont even end up making it too your stand but end up hunting a different area?
Zephyrus
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Re: Confidence and Deer Hunting

Unread postby Zephyrus » Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:01 am

Depends.

If I prescouted my destination and am superconfident - as in I was nearby yesterday and had eyes on a big buck bedding in a certain spot - I'd mark it and keep moving.

If I'm going in blind, just off of cyber scouting, if it looked good, I'd stop.
I dont have the benefit of prescouting this season so if I had good sign in an area, and I can presume decent bedding areas, I'd set up and save the other spot for another day. I'd hate to get to my original destination and find somebody in a stand smoking a cigarette upwind from my destination bedding and have lost my just scouted area because I just burned it walking through it... it happens.
I welcome constructive criticism to any of my comments, because Knowledge is Power!
Colingraat
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Re: Confidence and Deer Hunting

Unread postby Colingraat » Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:12 am

Zephyrus wrote:Depends.

If I prescouted my destination and am superconfident - as in I was nearby yesterday and had eyes on a big buck bedding in a certain spot - I'd mark it and keep moving.

If I'm going in blind, just off of cyber scouting, if it looked good, I'd stop.
I dont have the benefit of prescouting this season so if I had good sign in an area, and I can presume decent bedding areas, I'd set up and save the other spot for another day. I'd hate to get to my original destination and find somebody in a stand smoking a cigarette upwind from my destination bedding and have lost my just scouted area because I just burned it walking through it... it happens.


This keeps you on the deer as the season progresses then. you have had good success with this type of hunting?
Zephyrus
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Re: Confidence and Deer Hunting

Unread postby Zephyrus » Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:53 am

I am new to this too.

But I know that others have.
I welcome constructive criticism to any of my comments, because Knowledge is Power!
A5BLASTER
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Re: Confidence and Deer Hunting

Unread postby A5BLASTER » Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:07 am

Colingraat wrote:New ish beast here. I hunt farmland type areas, with alot of low brushy swamps. I can and have found some beds and bedding areas with good buck sign in them. I am struggling with when to hunt them because i really dont know when the deer are using them, if its the deer i am after. Also everyone talks about scouting during season, but what does this really mean. Is this scouting walking into an area or is that actually walking the areas you think could be good. Just not sure i want to do that during season.



For me scouting during the season, means stand on my back and weapon in hand scouting for the fresh's hottest rut and heavy trail sign I can find, set up and hunt it the rest of the day. Small camera and note pad in my pack and take good pics and notes. May not kill that day but good notes and pics will put meat on the ground there for you down the road.

I also use my in season scouting on new areas I have never hunted are scouted before. Best chance to kill is the first hunt, so best to hunt it since your stinking it up anyways.

When it comes to beds I took a tip from hill country bedding video. Get down in the bed and determine what direction they are laying in it and watching. That will tell you the wind direction that will put them in that bed. Once you know that you know when and when not to try and hunt it.

I'm big time into handloading for my rifles and I use that same methodical system of data collection when it comes too scouting and hunting.

Hope this helps.
Colingraat
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Re: Confidence and Deer Hunting

Unread postby Colingraat » Sat Oct 03, 2020 1:40 pm

A5BLASTER wrote:
Colingraat wrote:New ish beast here. I hunt farmland type areas, with alot of low brushy swamps. I can and have found some beds and bedding areas with good buck sign in them. I am struggling with when to hunt them because i really dont know when the deer are using them, if its the deer i am after. Also everyone talks about scouting during season, but what does this really mean. Is this scouting walking into an area or is that actually walking the areas you think could be good. Just not sure i want to do that during season.



For me scouting during the season, means stand on my back and weapon in hand scouting for the fresh's hottest rut and heavy trail sign I can find, set up and hunt it the rest of the day. Small camera and note pad in my pack and take good pics and notes. May not kill that day but good notes and pics will put meat on the ground there for you down the road.

I also use my in season scouting on new areas I have never hunted are scouted before. Best chance to kill is the first hunt, so best to hunt it since your stinking it up anyways.

When it comes to beds I took a tip from hill country bedding video. Get down in the bed and determine what direction they are laying in it and watching. That will tell you the wind direction that will put them in that bed. Once you know that you know when and when not to try and hunt it.

I'm big time into handloading for my rifles and I use that same methodical system of data collection when it comes too scouting and hunting.

Hope this helps.


awesome man! it does help


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