What would you do?

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Jrdeerhuntr
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What would you do?

Unread postby Jrdeerhuntr » Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:00 am

I pulled a camera card yesterday that I have on private bean field but it bordered by public and I have two shooter bucks coming from the public to the beans. They seem to get to the field an 1-2 hours after dark. out of the 40 days the camera soaked they were on it 17 of the days, which is the most consistent I have ever gotten. I have scouted the public one time and found a couple beds that are about 200 yards from the field.

I will not be able to observe the bedding without them knowing.

The season opens the 17th of September and beans were planted late so I am guessing there will greens left, but also the oaks will be dropping which is sure to change things.

Would you go back the week before the season opens and check the camera again or just wait until opener and scout in. (check the camera and hopefully find some rubs leading to where bedding is most likely)?


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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:42 am

I definitely wouldn't check the cam again.
You know theirs two shooters their thats all the intel you need.

I would just try to wait till a rainy day during season and sneak in between the beds and the field. Chances are of theirs oaks in the bedding area they won't get far from beds before dark.

If it's only 200 yards you should have a pretty good idea of the general trail they use to the field even if you setup wrong your likely to be within. 50 yards of where they come through rain should help new rubs be more obvious on the way in. Keep in mind afternoon travel the rubs are likely to be behind you on the trees headed to the field if you find them infront of you its likely am the bucks trail to bed.

If the bedding is elevated you will need to have a idea what wind direction they are bedded their and plan your setup around that. It can be hard to get the right wind,weather and time period for a perfect setup.

You can go back through your pictures and see if they prefer heading to that field on a certain wind.
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Stingray713
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Stingray713 » Tue Aug 16, 2022 11:15 am

If the beans are still green in a month I’d check the camera again a couple days or the day before the season. If they are getting out there after dark and it’s a private field I don’t think it’s a big deal to check it. The info you’ll get should help you game plan for opening day if you decide to head in after them.
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby szwampdonkey » Tue Aug 16, 2022 12:23 pm

Ignore the camera and show up opening day to hunt the deer. Cam already told you all you need to know, that they are there.

good luck
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby tlholmes » Mon Aug 22, 2022 3:23 pm

Agreed. You know they are there. Going in too much/soon to opening day could only hurt your chances. However, if you feel the need for intel so close to hunting time without leaving your scent in the area, buy a cell cam.
When close to or on public ground I use a stealth fusion or muddy manifest cell cam. I can usually find under $100 & $5 gets you 650 pics. I don’t bait so this is enough for me. $10 gets you 2000 pics if you have doe issues!
Good luck
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Stingray713 » Mon Aug 22, 2022 3:44 pm

The camera is on a private bean field. The bucks are showing up after dark. I don’t see how checking the camera creates any issues. You could probably check it everyday and if the bucks want to go eat soybean leaves in the dark, nothing that people do there in the daytime is going to stop them.

If you’ve only scouted the public one time, then any information you can get is important.
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Stingray713
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Stingray713 » Mon Aug 22, 2022 4:14 pm

Maybe I’m just bad at puzzles, but I don’t see how getting pictures of bucks in July and early August on a bean field after dark is all you need to know.

I get that it’s a catchy thing guys say, “oh I just need to know a big one is in there and I can hunt him down”, but that’s pretty unrealistic most of the time. Maybe if you can hunt everyday or you have the place scouted and know every inch of it. Reading the OP I don’t think that’s the case here.

I can understand if you get a picture in October of a buck leaving his bedding area 20 minutes before dark. In that case, forget the camera, you got the info you need. If it’s August 14th and you get pictures of bucks at night, keep searching and gathering info.
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Aug 22, 2022 4:47 pm

How is your camera set up? Is it on the trail leaving bedding before they get to the beans? Is it on the bean edge and they’re just feeding past it?

I have mixed emotions. My first thought was stay out. You know they’re there and the rest comes down to:

1) Are they still going to be there opening day
2) which bedding are they using

There is definitely some merit to what stingray is saying. My rule is to never leave scent where I think he might be during daylight hours (during season). So it SHOULD be ok to check that cam again but you definitely don’t want to go overboard with it.
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Aug 22, 2022 4:52 pm

How well do you know the public? You said you found a few beds but are you suspecting there is a bunch more bedding out there?

Typically I would think a summer time buck would move way more than what we’re guessing here. 200 yards from the field is NOTHING and deer move this time of year. During season that would be totally believable. But summer time bucks hanging tight to bedding? That doesn’t happen around here.

My gut instinct is that they’re bedding further than 200 yards from the field. But I obviously don’t know the situation.
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Brad
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Brad » Mon Aug 22, 2022 9:59 pm

I would not check the camera again myself. You'll get that data from your camera when you go in to hunt. I don't doubt they are bedded very close to the field in July and August, but would not be surprised at all if they've spread out more by the time mid September comes around. That seems to be how it goes in the farm lands here as well, and especially on public. They're in the fields every night in July and August, but start to disappear in September. Not sure if it's more due to them shedding the velvet or if they start feeling the pressure, but I'd assume a little of both.

Another thing to think about is how are the thermals flowing in that spot. The vast majority of the time the bucks enter bean fields from the low spot where the thermals are dropping toward so they can smell the field long before they get there. If you know where the bedding is located, do you know if you can get to the area where they will likely be checking the thermals? I feel like there's no reason not to throw a sit at the spot if you think you can get the approach and set up as well calculated as possible. Unless you have another target, why not? But I think the risk of checking the cameras again is high enough that I wouldn't bother with it. I would rather have the buck on my wall than another pic on my computer. If they're gone before Sept 17th, no harm done. You gave it a shot and will likely know more after you go in to hunt. When you hunt it, check the cameras and it'll also give you some info. Good luck!
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby <DK> » Mon Aug 22, 2022 11:40 pm

Yes. I would wait until the opener and check it then

More importantly - Id try to locate the local Doe groups in that area and find the thickest areas for when the bucks come through during the rut. 1-2 hrs after dark while still in Velvet is hard to bank on. Hopefully at least one shifts to your side.

PS - I just checked oaks in my area and I didnt find much at all. The beans could be where its at and ours were also planted late
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Rich M » Mon Aug 22, 2022 11:47 pm

How many other guys hunt this piece of public?

If it is heavily hunted, no harm in checking the camera - gonna be plenty of guys wandering around in there scouting before season - you might as well be one of them.
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Re: What would you do?

Unread postby Jrdeerhuntr » Tue Aug 23, 2022 1:16 am

<DK> wrote:Yes. I would wait until the opener and check it then

More importantly - Id try to locate the local Doe groups in that area and find the thickest areas for when the bucks come through during the rut. 1-2 hrs after dark while still in Velvet is hard to bank on. Hopefully at least one shifts to your side.

PS - I just checked oaks in my area and I didnt find much at all. The beans could be where its at and ours were also planted late



I think the final plan will be to check mid morning after the opener sit and if the sign/photos are there, I will be headed back toward bedding.


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