Hunting to much?
- Jay
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Hunting to much?
After watching the Hill Country Bucks DVD, I think I have figured out that I have been hunting all of my key spots at the wrong times and probably to much. This has been the most agonizing season so far trying to stay out until everything is right. But when you look around and see all of these guys harvesting big deer I'm wondering if I have missed some opportunities. I have yet to get the first picture of a nice buck on camera during daylight. Saw a small eight point in the back yard day before yesterday about 9am and thats it. Is anyone else holding their cards right now?
- Zap
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Re: Hunting to much?
I am hunting edges and close to where human scent/activity is fairly normal.
But I like my tree time.
I would like to get in there a bit more, but its been kinda warm.
So to answer your question.. I always have a card or two up my sleeve.....
There is this 160 acre piece I have not been in at all.
But I like my tree time.
I would like to get in there a bit more, but its been kinda warm.
So to answer your question.. I always have a card or two up my sleeve.....
There is this 160 acre piece I have not been in at all.
"Forged in fire lit long ago. Stand next to me and you will never stand alone".
- headgear
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Re: Hunting to much?
Pressure is a killer, just about every set I hunt hasn't been hunted in a month or it is my first time in. More than likely it is the first time anyone has hunted that area. I usually save my best stuff for late Oct/early Nov but still try to get on bucks all fall in secondary location. I do try and hunt might best stuff right away early season but if it doesn't work out I dont' go back until the time is right.
It's odd that it can be difficult and easy at the same time to stay away, I am dying to get into my best hunting locations but at the same time I know if I wait for prime time with the right wind/moon my odds will be much better to tag a nice buck.
It's odd that it can be difficult and easy at the same time to stay away, I am dying to get into my best hunting locations but at the same time I know if I wait for prime time with the right wind/moon my odds will be much better to tag a nice buck.
- swamp-assassin
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Re: Hunting to much?
headgear wrote:Pressure is a killer, just about every set I hunt hasn't been hunted in a month or it is my first time in. More than likely it is the first time anyone has hunted that area. I usually save my best stuff for late Oct/early Nov but still try to get on bucks all fall in secondary location. I do try and hunt might best stuff right away early season but if it doesn't work out I dont' go back until the time is right.
It's odd that it can be difficult and easy at the same time to stay away, I am dying to get into my best hunting locations but at the same time I know if I wait for prime time with the right wind/moon my odds will be much better to tag a nice buck.
i do things the same way! i learned the hardway that hunting the same spots over and over is a good way to eat tag soup. all of a sudden i put two and two together and did some research and learned that overhunting a stand is a problem seems real obvious to me now but i was a beginner and didnt know anybetter. stuck my camera over my baitpile and sat over it every day! never saw a deer. on camera they show up but at 3 am...always thinking if i was there enough one would never show... after another year i learned that the very first time i sat in a paritcular location, i would see deer. then the next time i sat i may or may not see one, then after that i wouldnt see another one. so this year i have hunted a different spot every time..and seen nothing..i know that i am doing it right, its just a slow year. overhunting a stand and putting too much in season scouting into an area WILL ruin it.
"Youll take my guns when you pry them out of my cold dead hands, with the bolts locked back, the barrels smoking and a pile of empty brass and magazines at my feet."
- Zap
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Re: Hunting to much?
Alot depends on access and exit strategy/where your scent stream is going/deer movement.
I have sat a stand three days in a row and only had deer under it on the third sit.
I have shot deer out of the same stand on back to back to back days on public.
And I am talking about 3-4 year old deer.
There are no rules other than if they smell you while you are there or that you were there, the deer that smelled you know you were there.
And dead deer tell no tales....
Andrae said it on one of the DVD's.
You have to know when to lay on it and when to lay off it.
How do you know that?
I go on gut instinct.
Now a 5-6 year old or older deer is an entirely different animal.
But even that deer can be shot if he does not know you were ever there or he was not there since you have sat that spot.
I have sat a stand three days in a row and only had deer under it on the third sit.
I have shot deer out of the same stand on back to back to back days on public.
And I am talking about 3-4 year old deer.
There are no rules other than if they smell you while you are there or that you were there, the deer that smelled you know you were there.
And dead deer tell no tales....
Andrae said it on one of the DVD's.
You have to know when to lay on it and when to lay off it.
How do you know that?
I go on gut instinct.
Now a 5-6 year old or older deer is an entirely different animal.
But even that deer can be shot if he does not know you were ever there or he was not there since you have sat that spot.
"Forged in fire lit long ago. Stand next to me and you will never stand alone".
- Stanley
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Re: Hunting to much?
Managing your hunting spots is very hard to do. More stands, less hunting those stands are the equation for better success.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
- Rutnstrut
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Re: Hunting to much?
I haven't been on my land since August, I have 12 days until my three week vacation starts. Then I will be hitting it hard, I have found just staying out until late Oct to be best for me. Hard to do, but best;)
- RaisedByWolves
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Re: Hunting to much?
Rutnstrut wrote: I have found just staying out until late Oct to be best for me. Hard to do, but best;)
X2, I generally only hunt public until late october. Unless I have one well patterned on my private
When better is possible, good is never good enough
- Brandon
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Re: Hunting to much?
Rutnstrut wrote:I haven't been on my land since August, I have 12 days until my three week vacation starts. Then I will be hitting it hard, I have found just staying out until late Oct to be best for me. Hard to do, but best;)
I agree 100%
I hit public beds early, but my honey holes dont get hunted until rut time... I have 200 acres with 4 of us that hasnt been touched, and a real good 40 acres that turns into a pre rut stagging area for all the deer in the urban zone.
You can't kill em on the couch
- rudy78
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Re: Hunting to much?
I'm the same way as you guys, I lay off my spots, especially the good ones this time of year waiting for the 'better' time. The places i hunt in MI are pretty small so they can't take much pressure at all, so it isn't even hardly worth going out. Plus I say my 'grace' with the wife for when the deer are moving more.
My problem with this is that my dad also hunts a couple of these places with me and he hunts just about every night. I have tried to tell him how much damage he is doing & the long term effects of what he is doing, but he just doesn't seem to get it, oh well. It's just funny when he goes a few days without seeing deer he gets frustrated and tries 'harder' then by the end of Oct there aren't any deer left bedding on these pieces. So he hunts different stands and moves them & walks around to find where he thinks they may have moved to. The worst possible thing happened the other night, he hadn't one of the farms for over a week, then went there and saw a really good buck. So now he will be in that area hard for the next week or so & that buck will be nocturnal & living the next county over, LOL> He took off the afternoon the next day, went & hung a stand by where he saw the buck come from and then scouted the area farther down.
I'm just glad I have one piece that I hunt by myself so he can't go in there and ruin it for me, I just stay out of there til later & if I ever get out again here it will be in one of the places my dad is blowing up. Gotta love the MI mentality to hunting.
My problem with this is that my dad also hunts a couple of these places with me and he hunts just about every night. I have tried to tell him how much damage he is doing & the long term effects of what he is doing, but he just doesn't seem to get it, oh well. It's just funny when he goes a few days without seeing deer he gets frustrated and tries 'harder' then by the end of Oct there aren't any deer left bedding on these pieces. So he hunts different stands and moves them & walks around to find where he thinks they may have moved to. The worst possible thing happened the other night, he hadn't one of the farms for over a week, then went there and saw a really good buck. So now he will be in that area hard for the next week or so & that buck will be nocturnal & living the next county over, LOL> He took off the afternoon the next day, went & hung a stand by where he saw the buck come from and then scouted the area farther down.
I'm just glad I have one piece that I hunt by myself so he can't go in there and ruin it for me, I just stay out of there til later & if I ever get out again here it will be in one of the places my dad is blowing up. Gotta love the MI mentality to hunting.
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- Buckfever
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Re: Hunting to much?
I start 11/3.
- Edcyclopedia
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Re: Hunting to much?
I like to call it stinking up your spot.
The more your there - the more you stink it up.
The quicker the deer will pattern you...
The more your there - the more you stink it up.
The quicker the deer will pattern you...
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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Re: Hunting to much?
There is no such thing as hunting to much... You can hunt a spot to much, or at the wrong time. But there is plenty of public land out there, and plenty of "spots"
Your not going to shoot a big buck sitting on your couch watching the Simpsons...
Your not going to shoot a big buck sitting on your couch watching the Simpsons...
- Zap
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Re: Hunting to much?
dan wrote:There is no such thing as hunting to much... You can hunt a spot to much, or at the wrong time. But there is plenty of public land out there, and plenty of "spots"
Your not going to shoot a big buck sitting on your couch watching the Simpsons...
"Forged in fire lit long ago. Stand next to me and you will never stand alone".
- headgear
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Re: Hunting to much?
Edcyclopedia wrote:I like to call it stinking up your spot.
The more your there - the more you stink it up.
The quicker the deer will pattern you...
This reminds me of a guy I use to hunt with, smoked like a chimney and would hunt the same stand day after day regaurdless of wind. Saw tons of deer opening day but they were all gone by the time day 3 or 4 rolls around. I would explain to him he was stinking up the area and to move to another stand, he just gave me a blank look and kept asking himself where all the deer went.
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