Another map to scout.

This forum section is for the select few who believe in hard work and refuse to “Buy” success.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Wed Dec 25, 2013 4:37 am

Here is a nice big chunk of public that is within a mile from my house. I have hunted it in yrs past a little but never put the time into it as I do the other chunk of public I hunt. I did kill my second biggest buck off the river and had a buddy of mine hunt the same stand and he took a ten point and a seven point outta the same area. I have marked a few spots with red xs on the sat image of where I think would be hot spots according to some of the info I hope I am learning. I keyed more off the river points and marshes. Am I getting in the ball park? Where else should I focus my scouting attention. This is heavily hunted public.


Image





Image

I also put red xs on the top also of the points I would guess might get bedding. My question is should I key off the 850' elevation line or will the bucks also bed off the points of the 800' elevation.


dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41590
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby dan » Thu Dec 26, 2013 6:17 am

I color coded the beds to match the winds bucks would prefer to bed there.
RED = SOUTH
YELLOW = WEST
PINK = EAST
BLUE = NORTH

Image

There was one of your x's I did not mark. There could be bedding there, it has the elevation drop needed, but appears to lack the structure associated with big buck beds. I would also walk the swamp edges and look for bedding or trails leading in to bedding. .
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Thu Dec 26, 2013 2:45 pm

dan wrote:I color coded the beds to match the winds bucks would prefer to bed there.
RED = SOUTH
YELLOW = WEST
PINK = EAST
BLUE = NORTH

Image

There was one of your x's I did not mark. There could be bedding there, it has the elevation drop needed, but appears to lack the structure associated with big buck beds. I would also walk the swamp edges and look for bedding or trails leading in to bedding. .



Ok I am seeing how it is working now. The bucks are using the thermals in their face and wind at his back to plot the beds. I think I am starting to get the hang a little here of what im watching for on these topos. Very interesting. I am just gonna have to be a lot more disciplined when it comes to how I select my stands depending on the wind. When you are hunting stand with this style of hunting how do you play the evening thermals ? Would you consider these stands morning to midday stands ? It would seems as that would be the case then I would switch to the marsh style hunting in the evening setting up on the beds coming out of the cattails. Dan, what r you looking at to know that it lacks structure ? or what do you mean by structure ? Is that because it is a long washed out slope with no sharp contrast to the point anywhere that would attract a buck ? Sorry bout all the questions but I have been habitually addicted to deer hunting for many years and it justs gets me going soaking up all this info !!!!
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41590
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby dan » Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:45 pm

Rank, if you have a chance order my DVD in the BEAST store "Hunting hill country bucks" it goes into great detail about how to do this... Not trying to make a sale, just saying that it will advance you a lot faster than questions and answers here.
As far as "prefered" bedding in hill terrain it will be on long pointed points that point in the direction the primary winds blow. They prefer points that cover almost every wind, and have a short distance move to a spot that covers the remaining odd wind.
My set ups for evening generally cover both thermals. I try to hunt high, and at the top of draws. and/ or on a just off wind. On some spots where the bucks drop rather than following the elevation or rising. I have a pre-set stand or go in on the ground or run in and do a rapid set up after thermal switch below. This is very difficult to pull off though cause bucks are alert at that time frame, can see a long way down hill, you only have a very short time to pull it off, and sometimes the buck is already moving when the thermal switch occurs.
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:22 am

Thanks for the response Dan, I do already have the DVD.. I ordered it a couple weeks ago. I have watched it but will watch it a few more times to soak it all in. I will be picking up the Marsh Bucks video though cause I lost my old copy.
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41590
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby dan » Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:24 am

oldrank wrote:Thanks for the response Dan, I do already have the DVD.. I ordered it a couple weeks ago. I have watched it but will watch it a few more times to soak it all in. I will be picking up the Marsh Bucks video though cause I lost my old copy.

Ah... Ok, based on the questions I thought you didn't have it.
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:34 am

Yeah.. its great video.. Before i had it I never looked at a topo... Always scouted with the sat image. So the topos are a little confusing but I am loving them. I am from Michigan. No offense to anyone but the way I learned to hunt was dump out a bag of carrots n sit. After a few yrs of that I kinda got off the beaten path and started hunting trails n runs... Never put to much thought into beast hunting and breaking it down like you do so it is very interesting to me. I feel it is the last step i need to take to kill mature bucks constistantly. Most of the public land I have already spent yrs and yrs on but its looking like I was in the wrong spots. A few I stumbled on from trial and error and now they are starting to make scence to me as why they were such good spots. Others I would have never even scouted.
DaHunter
Posts: 265
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 3:16 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby DaHunter » Fri Dec 27, 2013 3:41 pm

What part of MI are you from? I'm in SW lower. A good mix of habitat but it's still tough hunting on public.

[ Post made via Android ] Image
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Sat Dec 28, 2013 12:37 am

South Eastern side.
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Sat Dec 28, 2013 2:40 pm

I am going out in the morning with a compass camera note pad n my bow n scouting this area.. anything else i should pack in? Ill post pics of what i find.

[ Post made via Android ] Image
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:11 am

Got out this morning and scouted out the first marsh up by the rd. Travel was horrible due to snow and ice . Found 3 baitpiles. All deer tracks were around the bait piles. Cut my way into the marsh and found zero buck rubs. The marsh was incapsulated in ice and snow so scouting was very difficult. I blazed a trail through it. I found a few spots where the deer had come up to the marsh and tried to enter then turned around and came out. I did find to bed on the top third of a ridge over looking one of the bait piles. I also found a couple new runs crossing the road and scating the edge of the marsh on that side. All in all it felt good to get out but was pretty unproductive. I did think the deer turning around instead of heading into the ice layered marsh was interesting cause it told me they are most likely using ridges to bed during heavy snowfall conditions. So in the future winters I will key more onto ridges if the condition present itself. The 2 beds were also just as Dans states. Wind coming over top of ridge and deer looking down towards bottom swamp area. Got some pics but heading out for an evening hunt right now. I did find one buck rub on another point off a ridge but it was very very close to a parking area. Will keep it in mind to further break it down.
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41590
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby dan » Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:16 am

Thanks for the feed back! 8-)
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Sun Dec 29, 2013 1:42 pm

Image

The frozen over marsh.


Image

These tracks went in about 20 yrds until they hit the frozen wall then turned around and came back out.

Image

Same with these. In and out.

Image

one of three baitpile we found on the edge of the marsh.

Image

a nice little hidden rd trail the snow gave up. Will scout this out a little more n see where it leads.
Last edited by oldrank on Sun Dec 29, 2013 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Sun Dec 29, 2013 1:46 pm

Image

We found a lot of possible bedding but snow and ice hid most evidence. Didn't see any rubs though.

Image

The two beds we found by the bait. You can see the blind to the right. He walked right in between them.
User avatar
oldrank
Posts: 6158
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:32 am
Location: USA
Status: Offline

Re: Another map to scout.

Unread postby oldrank » Sun Dec 29, 2013 1:52 pm

Image

The one buck rub we did find on a high point behind a parking area over looking the marsh. It wasn't very big but it was scarred over where it had been hit for a couple years. I measured it from ground to middle of rub and it was 30 inches. The larger tree had some small knicks on it also but it was tought to get good picks with the ice on everything.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Public Land Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests