0 Stands Hung, No Boots Since May

[James]

...and I feel ready for the season! I'm seeing a lot of activity here regarding hanging stands, checking trail cameras, checking on food plots, etc. I'd like to spur some discussion in regards to doing the opposite. I haven't stepped foot on any of my properties since May (Turkey season) and scouting was complete by the end of April. I'll set out trail cameras as I hunt locations and not check them until I hunt that spot again. I've had to deal with a new property as well which was obtained in late August. I've stuck to aerial photography and some glassing from the road and cattle pastures to scope it out a little. I won't hang a stand or explore hunt-able areas until I'm ready to hunt it and I'll progressively learn through hunting.

I'm not naive enough to believe that these farms have 0 pressure and I'm sure the neighbors have been hanging stands and walking through the woods, but I think it all adds up and it's better to maintain minimal activity rather than risk it, especially when it comes to mature bucks. I'll hunt extremely aggressive right from opening day and hunt right where I believe there to be a big buck bedding. I want to have the confidence that the buck is not expecting me to be there; I am a complete surprise to his otherwise normal routines.

[Stanley]

How big is your hunting property?

[headgear]

What's a pre-set? Just having some fun, I haven't been out either and I will be hunting mobile as usual. However I do plan on doing some scouting this week to find some early season bucks. I only have a few places to shine deer so after that I like to hit the bigwoods logging roads and trails to help locate a nice sized buck. Once I find some activity I will go back to my scouting notes and find the nearest bedding area or just take my best guess at bedding in a new area if need some more options. I scouted out a couple of public areas just this weekend, didn't have time to hit them in the spring so I just went for a drive and found some big tracks so he will be an option for me if I don't find anything good this week. It's low impact scouting, never really getting off the road. I also try and monitor and see if other hunters have been in the area, if they are it might be a good idea to hunt somewhere else if they have been running around the woods messing things up.

[Zap]

Whatever works for you.

Wish you luck this season.

[BackWoodsHunter]

That's hardcore James I bet you will have some SWEET virgin sits on some of those spots!

My tactics are scattered all over the place I'm somewhere in between being a complete beast mobile hunter and being the TV hunters a guy sees with pre-sets and atvs and the whole crap. I have 3 different methods all in 3 different parts of the state.

-In the northwoods I hunt with grandpa on the family farm. We love to play hobby farmer a couple days a yr and we maintain the property for family uses beyond hunting. We spend probably 4 days a month from spring through summer in the woods. We cut downed trees off trails, mow trails and "the big field" and dabble in food plots. I took down most of my pre-sets or left them and will hunt around them. We placed a few pop up blinds in the woods for grandpa so he can be as mobile as a 74yr old can be. (Hes getting a knee replacement today actually and has made claims to "kick some azz" in october referring to bowhunting )

-In the central part of the state where I am at school I tore apart some pieces of public in april and am good to go. I did not scout everything however and did some scouting of likely rut spots along with a lot of shining. In these areas it does not matter if I go in there busting around or not because it is likely someone else has already. The only difference is using maps I chose likely spots that I will stay out of unless I am hunting mobile. Most of the guys I have run into on public here don't have the drive or knowledge of the beast to check those spots. To me those are the untouched spots I will hunt when the wind is right and I have a whole day to devote to scouting and hanging.

-In the southern part of the state i have access to some quality farm land. Stands were hung in March out there. Then after a change in crops being planted and a decision to take filming seriously this fall we moved a few sets and got things prepared so that if need be we can add a LW and a camera man to each set for some filming. I am hopeful for this property we found 2 bedding areas in spring that should produce.

[cornfedkiller]

I like your tactics James! I wish I could do the same, and if I wouldve been able to get my spring scouting done and lived closer to the land I hunt (so I could glass and shine), I would do almost exactly the same as you!

The only thing that I would do differently is I would still be running cameras over food sources to see what Im not seeing with binoculars and a spotlight..

[swamp-assassin]

i didnt get out and do spring scouting this year as i was not enlightened to the ways of the beast! but so far i have not stepped foot into the areas i plan on hunting, even though they are public so someone else may have, but i have not. i will be going in each afternoon with the lone wolf on my back and doing exactly what you described, progressively learning the area through hunting ...ill be sitting virgin stands each night..ive done ALOT of scouting on google earth...i spend so much time on google earth its not even funny...sometimes i see ariael views in my spleep. ive formulated alot of plans in my head with google earth and i havent stepped in any of these areas at all. I feel pretty confident as long as i can get away from other hunters. my plan is to hunt evenings and leave around noon, sneak along the transition line where it turns from trees to brush, and find hot sign and set up..if that dont work ill go farther the next day

[PLB]

i didnt get out and do spring scouting this year as i was not enlightened to the ways of the beast! but so far i have not stepped foot into the areas i plan on hunting, even though they are public so someone else may have, but i have not. i will be going in each afternoon with the lone wolf on my back and doing exactly what you described, progressively learning the area through hunting ...ill be sitting virgin stands each night..ive done ALOT of scouting on google earth...i spend so much time on google earth its not even funny...sometimes i see ariael views in my spleep. ive formulated alot of plans in my head with google earth and i havent stepped in any of these areas at all. I feel pretty confident as long as i can get away from other hunters. my plan is to hunt evenings and leave around noon, sneak along the transition line where it turns from trees to brush, and find hot sign and set up..if that dont work ill go farther the next day

Sounds like a great plan!!

[lynchpin]

Good plan James... excited for you to see what happens.

I have some private land that I haven't walked on yet and will go by my scouting in the spring... and some other property private that I have scouted and put camera's on to gather information during the season... I am curious to see the difference. I believe the farmer checks the fence lines on occasion with the 4 wheeler... so that may be the only footprints since planting season.

good fortune!

[Wrinkleneck]

I thought I was the only one that didn't have my exact tree picked out for every spot I plan on hunting. I don't have any presets to even hang anymore. I'm 100% mobile. I really like to leave the woods alone until I am there hunting for fresh sign to setup on. I know the areas I hunt hold good bucks, so I want to keep them there until the conditions are right to hunt them. This time of the year I do alot of glassing and shining to figure out where things are moving to and from. Cameras help if you can keep them from crapping out on you when you need them most. I also depend on a good friend of mine who buys and sells cattle thru out my area, he let's me know what he see's and what time of the day he is seeing movement. He is a great tool to have in the bag GOOD LUCK to all!!!

[Stanley]

Some great tactics. I like the low profile approach James.

[fredhill]

James, i'm in the same situation. on purpose. any new public land i hunt is scouted in Feb.- April. the private land spots i've hunted for long enough to know what's up.

[BigHunt]

good luck my man

[KLEMZ]

I'll set out trail cameras as I hunt locations and not check them until I hunt that spot again.

Interesting usage of trail cameras. I'm assuming you only hunt a spot a couple times per year, so you are basically gaining intel on the buck that you will use for next year? Where are you setting the cams? I'm guessing it is close to the buck bed/ hunting spot if you hunt public land or else you wouldn't feel safe leaving it out for that long (camera thieves).
By the way, you are one of the Beasts that I always click on the thread when i see you posted something.

[James]

I like your tactics James! I wish I could do the same, and if I wouldve been able to get my spring scouting done and lived closer to the land I hunt (so I could glass and shine), I would do almost exactly the same as you!

Most of the land I hunt is actually fairly far away (2 hours+). I think that actually makes it easier for me not to poke around before the season starts. If I had a farm on the way home from work every day it would take a lot more will power to stay out of there.

the private land spots i've hunted for long enough to know what's up.

Right on! I'm in the same position on some properties. If you're mobile and use glassing + aerial photography I think a guy can figure out even larger parcels in a handful of hunts.

Great points in your post Wrinkleneck.

i spend so much time on google earth its not even funny

I think that is a great thing, you can learn a lot just from reading what you see there. Try combining the map sources between Google/Bing/Yahoo, etc. - some of them give you different age and seasons of aerial photography.

Interesting usage of trail cameras. I'm assuming you only hunt a spot a couple times per year, so you are basically gaining intel on the buck that you will use for next year? Where are you setting the cams?

To clarify, I'll hang them in higher traffic areas that are en route to my stand, so I'll check them the next time I float by that spot on a hunt. Like most I'm curious about buck inventory on a property, but they are less of a tool for me and more of a novelty. I've had cameras stolen on private and public (see my MN bear post). I think Dan's tactics of putting them high up with climbing sticks is probably the best preventative measure I've come across.