Muddy

[muddy]

Good stuff right here. I can really relate as I also have a young family and have scaled back my days afield quite a bit. That being said, I feel I hunt a lot smarter now and have more confidence than I ever have before.

Do you still rely on trail cams heavily? That's the boat I'm in, as I don't have a lot of scouting time, so cams and past years hunts really give me a lot of info. I guess I'd be curious to hear some of your cam tactics. Do you do long soaks plus have cams you check frequently etc..?

On a side note, I bought a pair of wool pants from Muddy this past fall and killed a great 4 yo 10pt. So Muddy 's knowledge even trickles down into his used clothing haha.

Yeah, I still use cams quite a bit. I put a few out on my private ground, over corn, for the summer to see what locals are lurking. This also gives the kids something to help me with, they enjoy the whole process, and then we go fishing in the pound. Come September I will carry a bucket of corn into public areas and set a cam up in several locations. It gets deer coming in but come October I hang ropes or scrape drippers. There's enough doe scent there from the corn that it brings in bucks. The scent drippers keep therm coming back. I inventory for 3 weeks and I usually end up pulling cams as hunter pressure gets heavier. I then saturate my private areas so I catch as many deer moving thru as possible. I generally just hunt on 120 acres of private, but it's situated very close to the public. As hunters get heavy come November I just hunt normally as I have a few bomb proof sets, I'm very fortunate in that regard. Just keep the wind in my favor and stick around doe bedding or cruising pinch points.

[muddy]

Enjoying this post.

I really admire your patience and discipline to pass on buck in the 130-150 range.

How much time do you typically have to determine if a buck like that comes through to even decide if its a shooter for you or not. I know most of my setups, it seems like 10 seconds or less.

Some times are faster than others. Duh, obviously! I guess with my cam running I have a pretty good idea who is around and if they're a buck that will shrink, or grow, when I walk up to them. I've had a few "ohh man" moments over the years and they're always in the back of my mind. My general rule of thumb is if the buck makes me grab my binoculars first, he's probably not a shooter. If I grab my bow first then I usually trust my gut and go for the kill. That all being said many of my setups I'm able to give myself enough time to not make snap decisions that I'll regret later. Hope that helps!

[muddy]

I can also honesty say that if I ended up in a state where I was predominately hunting public ground I think I'd struggle. I simply do not have enough time to put into scouting anymore. That and my knees probably wouldn't take it. I love the steep hills of Wisconsin, NE Iowa, and the Loess hills of western Iowa, but that terrain is completely foreign to me. The thermals, winds, and deer travels are all quite different and I'm pretty happy staying in my neck of the woods. Now, if someone wanted to babysit me for a long weekend, that's an entirely different matter and one that can be reciprocated down in Iowa!

Tackling a marsh is also an enigma to me, one that I'm really wanting to try, but actually doing it is anther matter. I have a large marsh pretty close and every year I say I'm gunna do it, but I don't. Eventually I'm going to lose my properties and I'll be back to square one.

[Jackson Marsh]

I can also honesty say that if I ended up in a state where I was predominately hunting public ground I think I'd struggle.

A killer is a killer no matter where they hunt.....and you're a killer.

I seem to recall you doing well on public a few years ago.

Team up with a buddy or fellow Beast in your area on that marsh and share spots and info.....might be good for a rare/quick early season hunt.

[muddy]

I can also honesty say that if I ended up in a state where I was predominately hunting public ground I think I'd struggle.

A killer is a killer no matter where they hunt.....and you're a killer.

I seem to recall you doing well on public a few years ago.

Team up with a buddy or fellow Beast in your area on that marsh and share spots and info.....might be good for a rare/quick early season hunt.

Yeah that was a good spot until some real malletheads moved in. I Just need to find some initiative and drag my but out there, hard on sore knees.