Observation Stands On Public Land

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ozzz
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Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby ozzz » Sat Jul 19, 2014 5:31 am

Does anyone use observation stands on public land at all? or private for that matter i guess, I just assume people generally know their private hunting spots a little better and may not need as much observation time.

I am thinking they could be helpful in some situations, build confidence in a spot or narrow down where you really need to move in and make the kill.

I can think of areas I ahve scouted that seem "good" but I seem to have a harder time narrowing down the exact spot sometimes.

For instance in a marsh/swamp setting, set up in the good area in a good spot but also where maybe you can see and glass a further distance from elevation where you may be able to see something moving someplace else. The alternative might be going into that area not knowing exactly where he is and taking your best shot instead of setting back, watching and moving.

You may still be in THE spot but it also gives you an opportunity to observe if you need to move.

Thoughts?


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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby Redman232 » Sat Jul 19, 2014 6:32 am

I use an observation stand on almost all of my a.m. setups. If I can only hunt lets say til noon, I'm not going to wait until 8 or 9 to walk into a spot I want to hunt. If I set up a little ways off, in an area with a good vantage point to where I really want to be you can observe movement at first light or the first hour of daylight to see what is passing thru that you could have potentially spooked had you tried to set up right at or before daylight. Then when I'm confident nothing is on its' feet, I'll move in closer to where the observed movement took place. This is my preferred tactic for rut hunting doe bedding areas. You can hunt a known doe bedding area, but if you don't observe does bedding in it that day you could be wasting a hunt. My last 3 bucks have all come after observing doe or buck movement and then relocating. I personally feel like observation stands when hunting farmland are invaluable.
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby headgear » Sat Jul 19, 2014 7:01 am

When I go in blind if I don't find any sign that says "hunt here" I often end up in observations stands or in sets that put me reasonably close to multiple bedding areas to see if I don't catch a glimpse of something. The area I hunt really isn't ideal for observations stands, bigwoods and swamps don't really lend themselves lots of sight lines. However I do see it as a valuable tool and eventually it could pay off for me.
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby dan » Sat Jul 19, 2014 9:42 am

Looking back at my biggest bucks, a lot of them were taken by moving in after observing... This is not limited to public or private, and really, it don't matter how much you know the land... I know my areas well. Its more about not stinking up an area till you have the right buck moving in daylight where you can kill him. often thats a short window, and if your off by a few days you stink up the area and spook it for the year or at least a long while.

Ever meet the guy who really ain't very hard core, don't know much about hunting but often kills a giant buck ? A lot of the time that is because they only go out for a couple days in the rut, or a couple days in gun season while others ruin there land by pounding it all season... Bucks go where they don't smell humans... Give them the area. Let them get comfortable without constantly smelling humans, then move in for the kill.
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby ozzz » Sun Jul 20, 2014 12:56 am

So where is the fine line of getting out there and hunting/observing conservatively enough so you know when that short window is and can really move in and going too far too soon or the wrong time in general and stinking it all up?

That seems like the hardest part, especially on public land where you dont know who has been in there or done what.
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby dan » Sun Jul 20, 2014 1:35 am

Thats a hard question to answer... If other hunters may or may not get into the area I am hunting its not worth watching. I very rarely shoot big bucks in spots where others go on public. They are usually in spots where people rarely go and I can trust that most likely no one has been there.

There are a lot of spots I go into and just hunt, mostly cause of layout or known facts about the area. But there are spots where I can watch multiple buck bedding / staging areas from an observation point, or one that occasionally holds a big buck. It don't always work. I have observed a big buck on more than a few occasions then moved in for the kill and he is not there the next day... However, this is still one of my better tactics. It don't have to be a tree either, a lot of my observing is done from a covert car spending quality time out for a ride with the wife. I can check many spots in the last hour of daylight with a car. The best ones you have to stop in the exact right position to see, cause if everyone could see them it wouldn't be good.

I think the big bucks can smell our presence much longer than most realize. I think scent can stay on the ground in excess of 10 days. Bucks would be more tolerable of seeing you, than smelling you. This is hard for people to understand cause they are vision orientated. Deer are smell orientated.

They could come thru at midnight doing there rounds and smell you were there 3 days ago and that can be the deciding factor of if they move to the nearby bedding area your hunting. So really, if your just stand bouncing an area you might be stopping the big bucks from ever moving in.

Other guys do a similar tactic of just not hunting early season then moving in at a time that historically has big bucks in that area. However, its hard to kill deer not hunting them. I would personally rather be in a tree hoping to get a sighting than on the sofa waiting for a certain week to hunt out of a 2 month season.

A lot of guys go in for there 1st hunt of the year and there set up s just a little off cause the trails change a little or a certain big buck has his own trail, or bedded just a little different. The next day they move, but during the night, or when the guy got down he was detected. Sitting back and watching before making a move will help you hit the right spot, the 1st time you sit.

Another big factor is you might go in and a real nice 8 pointer that you would be ok with taking shows up and you shoot him... Happy happy right? Well, if you would of observed the spot 1st you may have noticed that about 10 minutes after the 8 pointer a giant world class buck will show up...

If you think thats far fetched, my biggest whitetail (at least in the way I score them) was taken by observing, and while observing I noticed several other bucks including a nice 140's class ten pointer. When I moved in for the kill the 140's buck was the 1st to arrive and I passed a short easy shot at him that I would of probably taken had I not observed the 400 pound beast buck that showed and was shot within a short time of passing the 10 pointer.

It is not an easy task to talk a new hunter or one with lower experience to sit back and watch. The reason is that they have not had much success and think its a wasted hunt, and a lot of people think deer movement is random. If it is, I have to be the worlds luckiest hunter...
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby ozzz » Sun Jul 20, 2014 2:01 am

Excellent post.

Experience is a huge factor and cannot be taught.

Hypothetically if there is a small piece of public land say 200 acres or less I am kind of assuming there will generally be hunters all over it. Good cover, good sign, good surrounding food and everything but just not that big. So from scouting you think it holds good deer, big beds, big tracks and you want to strike while the iron is hot before others screw it up but you also dont want to screw it up yourself. Kind of a conondrum.
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby Dewey » Sun Jul 20, 2014 2:29 am

Dan didn't you kill that 160's buck a few years back in a public spot that was being hunted very hard by others? Thought I remember you saying you walked by a few other hunters on your way to set up and based the hunt on observed movement as the buck was bedding on private across the road before.

That is a great example of observing and moving in for the kill.

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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby dan » Sun Jul 20, 2014 5:00 am

ozzz wrote:Excellent post.

Experience is a huge factor and cannot be taught.

Hypothetically if there is a small piece of public land say 200 acres or less I am kind of assuming there will generally be hunters all over it. Good cover, good sign, good surrounding food and everything but just not that big. So from scouting you think it holds good deer, big beds, big tracks and you want to strike while the iron is hot before others screw it up but you also dont want to screw it up yourself. Kind of a conondrum.

If there are big bucks on that 200, there are spots hunters don't go often. I can think of a spot like this near your house ;) I have gotten on nice buck at this location by figuring out where those spots are within that 200... An observation stand or spot does not have to be a mile away, nor does it have to be in a spot where you can't kill anything.
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby dan » Sun Jul 20, 2014 5:02 am

Dewey wrote:Dan didn't you kill that 160's buck a few years back in a public spot that was being hunted very hard by others? Thought I remember you saying you walked by a few other hunters on your way to set up and based the hunt on observed movement as the buck was bedding on private across the road before.

That is a great example of observing and moving in for the kill.

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image

200 Yards can be like two miles to a deer... Some of the little places they hide are surrounded by pressure. But the spot they are at is over looked.
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby ozzz » Sun Jul 20, 2014 5:06 am

dan wrote:
ozzz wrote:Excellent post.

Experience is a huge factor and cannot be taught.

Hypothetically if there is a small piece of public land say 200 acres or less I am kind of assuming there will generally be hunters all over it. Good cover, good sign, good surrounding food and everything but just not that big. So from scouting you think it holds good deer, big beds, big tracks and you want to strike while the iron is hot before others screw it up but you also dont want to screw it up yourself. Kind of a conondrum.

If there are big bucks on that 200, there are spots hunters don't go often. I can think of a spot like this near your house ;) I have gotten on nice buck at this location by figuring out where those spots are within that 200... An observation stand or spot does not have to be a mile away, nor does it have to be in a spot where you can't kill anything.



Nice

This is how I am thinking of observation stands. Still in the ball game, more safe as far as entrance/wind, can maybe get above some thick stuff and see into it and pinpoint exactly what is going on, you arent at as high of a risk of blowing it by jumping full in when you arent super sure.

The difference may only be a few hundred yards or less. Making sense?
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby dan » Sun Jul 20, 2014 5:12 am

Nice

This is how I am thinking of observation stands. Still in the ball game, more safe as far as entrance/wind, can maybe get above some thick stuff and see into it and pinpoint exactly what is going on, you arent at as high of a risk of blowing it by jumping full in when you arent super sure.

The difference may only be a few hundred yards or less. Making sense?

Yep... 8-)
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby headgear » Sun Jul 20, 2014 7:50 am

dan wrote:[ Post made via iPhone ] Image

200 Yards can be like two miles to a deer... Some of the little places they hide are surrounded by pressure. But the spot they are at is over looked.[/quote]


This really sums up a lot of my spots, small little areas no one hunts but pressure and stand surrounding them. The bucks do not step a foot on the high ground during shoot light, many times even during the rut, if they do they are dead.
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby KLEMZ » Sun Jul 20, 2014 12:04 pm

Great thread! Lots of real good input from everybody. In season scouting (including observation stands) is a concept that I have had a hard time implementing. A combination of limited time to hunt, and having a lot of good spots to hunt (5 years of Beast spring scouting) leaves me feeling like I have to be HUNTING every time I have an opportunity to be in the woods. That is an impulse that I think I am finally ready to overcome! I will definately be sitting in some trees with optics this hunting season. I will definately be spending time walking field edges this hunting season. I even have a friend who is a pilot, and I will definately be flying over some cattail beds and nearby field edges some evenings this hunting season!
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Re: Observation Stands On Public Land

Unread postby hunter_mike » Sun Jul 20, 2014 3:53 pm

Thanks for this thread, i have tried observation stands before and failed mostly due to lack of visibility because of foliage but this is getting me thinkin.

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