Hunting CRP fields/ tactics

[Buckslayer#13]

There is a 7 year old CRP field that it filled with thick cover. The cover mostly contains salt bushes and small trees. There is a lot of deer in there including some really old bucks. The field is extremely big, measured it on on x and it is roughly 2000 acres. We have tried to hunt it before in passed years but just have not had to much luck mostly because trees were not big enough to hang in and we tried to hunt out of tripods. Needless to say we did not see much but it mostly had to do with our strategies. We shed hunted it in 2017 I believe and found probably 10 sheds. 3 of which were extremely nice bucks. Me and dad found a heavy used bedding area but I was to young to really evaluate it properly. I am 15 now and have learned to read sign a lot better since then. There is also a big duck hunting pond that me and a buddy 4 years ago saw a really nice buck walk across. I never hunted or tried any stand that could fit in knarly small trees like a beast stand. We abandoned hunting the field for 2 years but now some of the trees are big enough to fit a hang on in. I was able to get a lone wolf from a family friend a few days ago. I believe it is a really old assult, he said it was probably 20 years old and he said he hated it but I think his tree attachment system was the problem because it works great so far for me. It is 9 pounds and is in good shape. I also bought strap on steps to get into those tiny trees. I was wondering if anyone has ever hunted a crp field like this with a tree stand and how it worked out and some tips to hunt this habitat. The CRP Also has ditches flowing through it with good bedding all around them. Tell me your thoughts on my stand/tree hunting setup and I would like to know how a older model lone wolf compares to a beast stand.

[Lockdown]

My biggest piece of advice is find whatever is different. Even if it’s a different specie of shrubs, sometimes that can up your odds. You said there are ditches that run through it and they are absolutely worth paying attention to. Is there anywhere that two ditches meet? You might find good bedding or intersecting travel corridors there. Or both.

Are there elevation changes? Typically in a CRP scenario you will find the best bedding in the lowest areas. Lower means thicker and taller grass because low spots receive more water. Plus there’s a falling thermal advantage.

The CRP field that I hunt has two very small patches of dogwood in it. Small as in 50 yard radius. Those two thickets are the most consistent bedding out there, hands down. They’re the anomaly on the property, plus they’re very thick so that’s why the deer relate to them the way they do.

Definitely check for bedding around that pond. Check along the drainage ditches, the lowest low spots, and whatever structures stand out to you.

[upwind predator]

Pretty much what lockdown said also observe from a distance is there certain trees or spots they walk by consistently. Also nice thing about crp is your not limited to trees. Get a ghillie suit and sit on the ground to or get some duck hunting cattail pattern camo.

[BRoth82]

I would echo what the other guys have said, and add to look for any small openings as well, this might just be where the grass is knee high vs shoulder head high. Also if there are any dips that are slightly lower in the terrain, I've seen when the grass is shorter they love to travel in the bottom of those dips even if they're only a foot or so lower. It keeps them out of view and I would imagine have some thermal pull.

But I wouldn't hesitate at all to ground hunt that CRP field. I remember someone said to hunt the deer where they always to be not where you want the deer to be.

[Buckslayer#13]

Yeah that’s good advice. Yes there actually is spots where drainage ditches cross or intersect and that is where I found that really good bedding area I was talking about. It was tore up with sign in there and it was pretty deep from any other possible human access. We also hung a camera really close to there and got a daylight picture of a big 8 point. There is elevation rises in the crp but not anything substantially big, just 6-10 inches of elevation difference. But it is good because salt bushes grow super thick on these elevation rises and some tall bluestem grass and shrubs grow in the lower areas. The main reason I want to get into a tree was not to avoid deer smelling me but just to get up over the bushes and thick understory to where I could get a shot.

[BRoth82]

Yeah that’s good advice. Yes there actually is spots where drainage ditches cross or intersect and that is where I found that really good bedding area I was talking about. It was tore up with sign in there and it was pretty deep from any other possible human access. We also hung a camera really close to there and got a daylight picture of a big 8 point. There is elevation rises in the crp but not anything substantially big, just 6-10 inches of elevation difference. But it is good because salt bushes grow super thick on these elevation rises and some tall bluestem grass and shrubs grow in the lower areas. The main reason I want to get into a tree was not to avoid deer smelling me but just to get up over the bushes and thick understory to where I could get a shot.

Another thing to think about that I did in Nebraska this year is to use a 5' aluminum step ladder to sit on. It worked great and is fairly light weight, that way you can sit where you need to be instead of where there is a tree.

[Buckslayer#13]

Yeah that’s good advice. Yes there actually is spots where drainage ditches cross or intersect and that is where I found that really good bedding area I was talking about. It was tore up with sign in there and it was pretty deep from any other possible human access. We also hung a camera really close to there and got a daylight picture of a big 8 point. There is elevation rises in the crp but not anything substantially big, just 6-10 inches of elevation difference. But it is good because salt bushes grow super thick on these elevation rises and some tall bluestem grass and shrubs grow in the lower areas. The main reason I want to get into a tree was not to avoid deer smelling me but just to get up over the bushes and thick understory to where I could get a shot.

Another thing to think about that I did in Nebraska this year is to use a 5' aluminum step ladder to sit on. It worked great and is fairly light weight, that way you can sit where you need to be instead of where there is a tree.

Yeah that’s something to think about. Dad has also told me a story of hunting out of a latter in a different CRP field and he has had some luck doing it.

[Prairie Sasquatch]

Sounds like a spot to kill a bunch of giants far into the future. Everyone had great points on elevation and changes in cover type.

The only other thing I would add is to not get frustrated and give up. You are going to have to hunt and build up some history that will get more and more valuable as time goes on. Think of every hunt as a fun investment in your future big buck killing knowledge. If you can learn a spot like that you really have something special.

[Buckslayer#13]

Sounds like a spot to kill a bunch of giants far into the future. Everyone had great points on elevation and changes in cover type.

The only other thing I would add is to not get frustrated and give up. You are going to have to hunt and build up some history that will get more and more valuable as time goes on. Think of every hunt as a fun investment in your future big buck killing knowledge. If you can learn a spot like that you really have something special.

Yessir it sure is a mental game. I am actually logging all
Of my hunts/scouting trips this year and taking a lot better note of things while I’m in the woods. Sure feel like I have a better grasp of killing older bucks than I did last year and years before that. And this spot does feel really hot! Been practicing hanging the lone wolf and I have a decently smooth system developed. All I have really ever hunted out of is a climber because I hunt big woods LA so this is a whole different deal for me.