Public Bigwoods Challenge
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 779
- Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:17 pm
- Location: Oklahoma
- Status: Offline
Public Bigwoods Challenge
First I'd like to thank Dan and the rest of you guys for all the wisdom you share. As I read I try to take in all the great comments in their hunting context and figure out if/how they apply to my hunting situation. With that in mind, for those who'd like to answer I have a challenge I'd like to present to not only learn new things, but also to help clear up some context.
You are going to get dropped off in some big woods that include: mixed pine/hardwoods; elevation/terrain change from wet river bottoms to windy rocky mountain tops; pine tree farms of all ages; and plenty of creeks. You get one week to hunt. You can choose the dates you would like for your challenge but not the weather. You did get to scout and find some beds, rubs, etc but you do not have extensive knowledge.
What would you do?
You are going to get dropped off in some big woods that include: mixed pine/hardwoods; elevation/terrain change from wet river bottoms to windy rocky mountain tops; pine tree farms of all ages; and plenty of creeks. You get one week to hunt. You can choose the dates you would like for your challenge but not the weather. You did get to scout and find some beds, rubs, etc but you do not have extensive knowledge.
What would you do?
- Hodag Hunter
- 500 Club
- Posts: 3837
- Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 5:14 pm
- Location: Northern WI
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
Wait for snow.
[ Post made via Android ]
[ Post made via Android ]
- Florida
- 500 Club
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:20 am
- Facebook: facebook.com/huntinggeardeals
- Location: I'll give you 1 guess.
- Contact:
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
Hodag Hunter wrote:Wait for snow.
[ Post made via Android ]
Hodag, you broke the only stipulation! Maybe you could wait until late December and play the odds. My bed hunting skills are pretty non-existant, so I'll choose the week before the rut and hunt funnels at or near the river.
[ Post made via Android ]
http://www.huntinggeardeals.com
Co-Host Down South Hunting Podcast
Co-Host Down South Hunting Podcast
- stash59
- Moderator
- Posts: 10078
- Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:22 am
- Location: S Central Wi.
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
Hunting dates: October 28- November 3.
Use the first couple days to do some speed scouting. Then sit in the areas that look good for cruising bucks. Near doe bedding.
Use the first couple days to do some speed scouting. Then sit in the areas that look good for cruising bucks. Near doe bedding.
- PK_
- 500 Club
- Posts: 6898
- Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:10 am
- Location: Just Off
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
Thanksgiving. I am still-hunting, stalking, tracking the tops or the bottoms. I am not in between unless I am on a track.
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
- headgear
- 500 Club
- Posts: 11623
- Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:21 am
- Location: Northern Minnesota
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
Stand on back working the river bottoms and setting up on any fresh sign or some spots I might have pinpointed for bedding. If that doesn't work I might try and go deep and setup up high on some hill bedding, again scouting my way in. If that doesn't work I start crossing rivers and other hard to access spots to find some fresh sets and hopefully fresh sign.
- headgear
- 500 Club
- Posts: 11623
- Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:21 am
- Location: Northern Minnesota
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
Florida wrote:Hodag, you broke the only stipulation! Maybe you could wait until late December and play the odds. My bed hunting skills are pretty non-existant, so I'll choose the week before the rut and hunt funnels at or near the river.
Whoops missed this, then yes look for river crossings or those leeward ridges for cruising bucks. However I will say in my bigwoods experience cruising bucks are pretty rare outside a handful of peak days, they just don't want or have to move. If you can I would try some bed hunting or even just setting up on fresh sign.
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 779
- Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:17 pm
- Location: Oklahoma
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
PK_ wrote:Thanksgiving. I am still-hunting, stalking, tracking the tops or the bottoms. I am not in between unless I am on a track.
May I ask why you wouldn't be in between?
headgear wrote:Stand on back working the river bottoms and setting up on any fresh sign or some spots I might have pinpointed for bedding. If that doesn't work I might try and go deep and setup up high on some hill bedding, again scouting my way in. If that doesn't work I start crossing rivers and other hard to access spots to find some fresh sets and hopefully fresh sign.
When you say, "if that doesn't work," does that mean if you don't find fresh sign? or if you set up on fresh sign and don't see your buck?
- headgear
- 500 Club
- Posts: 11623
- Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:21 am
- Location: Northern Minnesota
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
BigCedarJack wrote:When you say, "if that doesn't work," does that mean if you don't find fresh sign? or if you set up on fresh sign and don't see your buck?
Kind of both, you might not find fresh sign and are running out of time so you might take a guess and setup. Other times you might find the sign and setup and nothing shows. Either way you may have burned that area out and need to move on to something new, in his situation it might depend on how many hunts you have and how big of an area you have to hunt.
-
- Posts: 1790
- Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2011 3:52 am
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/mobilehuntinggear/
- Location: S Lousiana
- Contact:
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
I copied my post from PK's thread about opening week on public land because I'd do the same thing for your challenge. The only difference is glassing/shinning would be less utilized due to less open areas. I would hit the big woods early & hope to catch some acorn drop or other mast dropping.
"Game plan is kill a mature buck & quick like because I only have one week. Priority one hit the maps because I don't have time for enough boots on the ground. Aggressive, I have nothing to loses only here a week.
Terrain - anything that is likely to hold a mature buck & unlikely to attract hunters, but I'm focus evening blind hunts in the hills.
I'm going to look at maps & have at least 10-20 areas of interest before leaving the house. First day I'm riding all roads, glassing, spot checking for tracks, getting an idea of how hunters are going to access & how I can access, just trying to get a feel for the place. I'm getting as close to my areas of interest as possible without doing any real boots on the ground.
Opening morning I'll be up & riding early noting what parking areas are full. Then come grey light I'll start hitting my flat land spots, river bottoms, swamps, & any flat crp. Walking as many transitions as I can. I'll scout with my stand incase I hit something hot. I'll due this until mid-day or shortly after. Then the afternoon I'll head to a blind hill spot hopefully setting up close to a bedding point on dropping acorns.
Now after the first 2 days I'm totally burnt, but I'm slam some 5 hr energy & keep pressing on!!!! I'll try to continue this routine all week scouting grey til midday with stand & then move to what I've found for the evening hunts. After hrs I'll do some shinning if legal"
"Game plan is kill a mature buck & quick like because I only have one week. Priority one hit the maps because I don't have time for enough boots on the ground. Aggressive, I have nothing to loses only here a week.
Terrain - anything that is likely to hold a mature buck & unlikely to attract hunters, but I'm focus evening blind hunts in the hills.
I'm going to look at maps & have at least 10-20 areas of interest before leaving the house. First day I'm riding all roads, glassing, spot checking for tracks, getting an idea of how hunters are going to access & how I can access, just trying to get a feel for the place. I'm getting as close to my areas of interest as possible without doing any real boots on the ground.
Opening morning I'll be up & riding early noting what parking areas are full. Then come grey light I'll start hitting my flat land spots, river bottoms, swamps, & any flat crp. Walking as many transitions as I can. I'll scout with my stand incase I hit something hot. I'll due this until mid-day or shortly after. Then the afternoon I'll head to a blind hill spot hopefully setting up close to a bedding point on dropping acorns.
Now after the first 2 days I'm totally burnt, but I'm slam some 5 hr energy & keep pressing on!!!! I'll try to continue this routine all week scouting grey til midday with stand & then move to what I've found for the evening hunts. After hrs I'll do some shinning if legal"
- kenn1320
- 500 Club
- Posts: 3474
- Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:19 am
- Location: Shooting my bow (MI)
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
If just dropped off, head for the water source and back track the sign from there.
"Its about taking the right shot at the right time with good equipment." Dan Infalt
- PK_
- 500 Club
- Posts: 6898
- Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2012 5:10 am
- Location: Just Off
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
BigCedarJack wrote:PK_ wrote:Thanksgiving. I am still-hunting, stalking, tracking the tops or the bottoms. I am not in between unless I am on a track.
May I ask why you wouldn't be in between?
I am not blessed to have done a lot of big woods mountain hunting but most every successful big woods guy I have followed or talked to has said that the big mature bucks will be way up near the tops of the tallest peaks, or down in the thick nasty bottoms. Which makes sense, since those areas would likely have the least hunting pressure.
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
- Jphunter
- 500 Club
- Posts: 771
- Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2014 5:04 am
- Location: East Texas
- Status: Offline
Re: Public Bigwoods Challenge
I would look towards the top of leeward ridges.. Just above deep ravines..
[ Post made via iPhone ]
[ Post made via iPhone ]
-
- Advertisement
Return to “Public Land Hunting”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests