rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

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dreaming bucks
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rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby dreaming bucks » Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:00 am

Just for a little review for me, is this correct ?

As the rut really gets kicking in this week here in WI, & I hunt hill country, I want to be hunting leeward side of the hills, 1/3 of the way down from ridge, correct ???? How about right on the ridge itself ? Let's say the ridge is about 20 yards wide in most places. I have seen bucks just come cruising right down the ridge, but as a rule, would you guys hunt down the leeward side more, especially if there is active sign there ?

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Re: rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby dan » Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:07 am

Leeward side... Towards the top of the ridge, right where it drops off rapidly... The 1/3 rule is a little misleading. Usually in the top 1/4... Don't be too sign dependant. There ain't always a lot of sign in these areas... Rubs, old or new sometimes give the travel elevation away. Old rubs from years past should not discourage you... Most newbies hunt down in the valleys or up on top because there is much more sign there... But that sign is mostly made at night. The daytime activity should be stronger at the ridges...
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Re: rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby dreaming bucks » Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:14 am

Thanks Dan....
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Re: rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby Dor » Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:45 am

Hunt High where you can cover the ridge top an the leeward hill side. Wind will blow over the top if you do this right.
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Re: rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby dreaming bucks » Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:47 am

Dor wrote:Hunt High where you can cover the ridge top an the leeward hill side. Wind will blow over the top if you do this right.


Were you using this technique already on your buck Dor, or were you still hunting his bedding area ?
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Re: rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby Dor » Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:54 am

Not this time. It was a scrape line hunt on a small parcel. Grunted the buck out of the thick stuff after he worked a scrape.
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Re: rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby dreaming bucks » Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:33 am

Dor wrote:Not this time. It was a scrape line hunt on a small parcel. Grunted the buck out of the thick stuff after he worked a scrape.


Nice ! Was this a morning, evening hunt ?
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Re: rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby BigHunt » Tue Oct 25, 2011 7:05 am

Dor wrote:Hunt High where you can cover the ridge top an the leeward hill side. Wind will blow over the top if you do this right.



x2 just at the ridge or just over
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Re: rut time ? leeward side of hill ?

Unread postby bowhunter15 » Tue Oct 25, 2011 9:25 am

I have been thinking about this extensively for a spot I'm going to sit on some public. There's a patch of private I know holds big bucks from talking to the landowner. There's also a no hunting zone I know holds deer based on scouting it. Well, in between these two patches there's a narrow strip of timber on a hill. The top of the hill is all tall "pheasant" grass up to the drop off. There's a STEEP 135 foot drop as the timber starts and the trees end at the base, which is a lake shore. The horizontal width of the trees is about 70 yards, yet the actual distance is much further due to the slope. I can concur with others that most sign is on the bottom of the hill by the waters edge (the very top is just grass). I would be tempted to sit down there if I didn't know about thermal tunnels. If I set up at the top, though, and a deer showed up at the bottom, id be looking at a 70 yard shot plus 150 feet elevation change.

So here's my idea. Since it is a north facing ridge and steep, in early mornings and late evenings (when the thermals drop) it'd be better to hunt the bottom by the marsh/lakeshore but move up near the top while the sun is on the ridge with thermals rising. Thoughts? If thermals are going down, there'd be no reason for a buck to travel high because thered be no thermal tunnel and he'd feel more comfortable with the wind telling him what's on the hill and beyond and his eyes tell him what's at his level.

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