Hunting the tops vs the Bottoms

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JMAR85
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Hunting the tops vs the Bottoms

Unread postby JMAR85 » Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:42 am

I’ve always hunted the tops to 1/3 elevation in hill country. But I have a buddy who loves to hunt the bottoms where multiple points come down together, and he has a whole wall full of success doing it. I recently scouted a new ridge system with a series of clear cuts that was Tore Up big time. I found an awesome looking saddle that had me feeling really excited. Interestingly down the ridge from the saddle there was a bottom that had 4-5 points coming down to it in a relatively short distance with some serious trails funneling down to it. I was going over the map wit him telling him about the saddle and he urged me to consider hunting the bottom. Obviously, I can hunt both but I’d like to hear everybody’s thoughts/experiences in these types of situations. Hill country terrain with solid timber/mixed clear cuts for miles.


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Boogieman1
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Re: Hunting the tops vs the Bottoms

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Fri Jan 29, 2021 11:23 am

For me it depends on what the sign is saying. Are rubs showing going down the ridge or up the ridge? Ridge side scrapes which way is the dirt kicked? High or low? These are the questions I Atleast ask myself. When I hit a trail or area that has tracks going in both directions it has always been at a feeding area. One direction tracks are how they go to or from under various conditions. There’s a bit of guessing in anything, but I must say the more time I’ve spent the better my guesses have been.
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
-John Wayne-
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jkelley1487
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Re: Hunting the tops vs the Bottoms

Unread postby jkelley1487 » Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:05 pm

If you hunt down low make sure it’s a strong steady wind and play the thermals. It’s a high risk sit but can pay off.

The higher up the ridge you get, the steadier the wind and thermals will be.


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