Going in blind and Minimal disturbance

[mhill]

When you go in blind looking to setup on the freshest sign how do you avoid disturbing the area badly especially when you looking in the thickets or going from thicket to thicket with thinner patches between.

I have walked through some tight stuff before thinking man im making so much noise is this worth it. I usually virtually scout area before but you cant always see the areas that will be noisy and the areas easiest access route so what do you do in situations that you feel like your pushing everything out of the area but walking through there. Do you just continue your hunt or do you disturb the area learn as much as you can so the next time you have a quieter access? Do you still hang and hunt the same day or move on?

How do you avoid making a huge disturbance while going into an unknown spot.

[fishlips]

I know I struggle with this as well, but usually if I look back at my #1 mistake in a situation like this is moving way too quickly. If you haven't been there on foot, it just ups the chances for mistake as well as makes it more difficult to have an idea of where you may find the fresh sign. Just slow down and think about your path. Reading that it sounds very easy, but I know I struggle mightily with that.

[hunter_mike]

definitely been there. The spots look like decent walking on a map but then you get out there and you are just getting snagged on everything and getting stuck and making a ton of noise and going nowhere fast. The problem is amplified when its dark out, walking into a new area.

When this happens, and I hate when it happens, I consider the hunt kind of a bust. But I will not just up and leave for the day. I might just back out a ways and try to get in a tree for the rest of the hunt and just sit and listen (having a couple destinations in mind ahead of time helps) or I will just spend the time walking elsewhere figuring out the terrain better for next time.

[Bowhunting Brian]

stay out of the thick stuff and walk the transition edges.

[Stanley]

If I get into a jam where my movement would ruin the hunt I put the stand up in the nearest best tree so I can see what is going on if anything. Just like morning hunting if you can't find a tree I just wait for some light before moving on. If you can gain some intel it is never a wasted hunt.

I remember about 30 years ago I was going in early morning dark. I had my route I was going to take and used trees to find my way. I got to a spot and couldn't find the tree I had planned on getting into. I was bone dark so I waited for first light and discovered my tree had blown over in the wind. I had to laugh at that one.

I found the next best tree and passed two bucks that morning. Never give up, never give in.

[headgear]

Just slow down, if you are crashing through the woods you will scare everything so take it easy. If the sign isn't there and you want to keep moving just keep on moving through it or loop around it is you have to. Even if you are making some noise and going slow the deer won't know what you are, I have gotten to within 40 yards of deer and mature bucks several times going in blind this way. Now I'm not going slow the whole way, I might have a plan in place where I walk faster to get to a general area, take a break and then slowly work my way in.

[cdeam]

I went in blind to a spot a couple years ago. The area I wanted to be in was just too thick to shoot more than 10 feet. After struggling through 100 yards of all kinds of nastiness I finally made it to a way too skinny poplar with a couple nice shooting lanes. By the time I got set up I had made so much noise and gotten so sweaty I though it was going to be a bust for sure. It wasnt. I connected just before dark after watching the buck rub a tree for twenty minutes. So I wouldn't let it stop me

[ Post made via Android ]

[dirt nap giver]

When going in blind I always leave myself with plenty of time. One thing I learned last year was to stop 100-150 yards out, set up my sticks high enough to get a better over view of what I'm getting into. Doesn't help every time, but when it works, I'm glad I've taken the time to do it.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[mhill]

My personal preference is to waste the morning moving through the brush finding the area to set up in for the prep of the late morning and evening hunts.

Last year was the first time i virtually scouted a spot and my dad and I got to the area around 9 AM we slowly and as quietly as we could walked to find an area, the saddle i had marked was logged some time after the areal map i viewed so it was a over grown briar patch. We hit the edge of it and backed out to where we had many trails on the fresh snow. With in 30 minutes of hunting that morning we saw some doe pass through and as we were getting down to move and take lunch a 6 point crashed through my dads spot rutting pretty good.

We plan to hunt this area we went in blind last season again this season in late october early november. Its a great rutting area, its surrounded by thickets where does can be bedding and we are right on the transition from hard woods and bushy brush under growth to thick brush.

anytime doing in season scouting im looking for areas usually for the next day or that evening. Once i walk through and area trying to be as quiet as i can but nearly impossible to not make noise I dont have high expectations immediately after but i look forward to the evening movement.

[mhill]

My personal preference is to waste the morning moving through the brush finding the area to set up in for the prep of the late morning and evening hunts.

Last year was the first time i virtually scouted a spot and my dad and I got to the area around 9 AM we slowly and as quietly as we could walked to find an area, the saddle i had marked was logged some time after the areal map i viewed so it was a over grown briar patch. We hit the edge of it and backed out to where we had many trails on the fresh snow. With in 30 minutes of hunting that morning we saw some doe pass through and as we were getting down to move and take lunch a 6 point crashed through my dads spot rutting pretty good.

We plan to hunt this area we went in blind last season again this season in late october early november. Its a great rutting area, its surrounded by thickets where does can be bedding and we are right on the transition from hard woods and bushy brush under growth to thick brush.

anytime doing in season scouting im looking for areas usually for the next day or that evening. Once i walk through and area trying to be as quiet as i can but nearly impossible to not make noise I dont have high expectations immediately after but i look forward to the evening movement.

[DaveT1963]

I hunted blind a lot last year. I even went in early morning and set up in total darkness a few times (I think it is easier using a tree saddle like I do). What I do is study the heck out of aerial photographs and try to determine in advance where I think the deer will be coming from to the suspected bedding. I then will walk the transition edges (more open) coming in from downwind or a t least crosswind, of where I suspect the deer will come from. Most of the time though I hunt a preselected spot in the am, then I scout my way to the truck. If I find hot sign I will set up right there. If not, I usually eat at the truck and then drive to a new area and scout until I find an active funnel or hot sign and set up. I always try to do my scouting into the wind and down wind of where I suspect bucks to be bedding. I rely a lot on my smart phone and google maps when scouting blind (I usually have done a lot of computer time in advance and already picked out areas to go in blind - but not always). If I cannot find any hot sign or a good creek crossing or funnel, I will then sacrifice the evening and find a good observation stand that allows me to see an area I feel bucks are bedding in. I usually do not go in blind into suspected bedding areas - I would rather do an observation stand from several 100 yards out and in an area I don't feel the bucks will venture into and then make a move the next morning. I have tried the bump and dump - but down here on public land there is just too many bedding areas and bucks seldom return the same day or the next day from what I can tell. In Ohio it is relatively easy to find buck beds - down here they just have bedding areas and very seldom do you find heavily used beds..... just consistent bedding areas. The number one lesson I have learned over the years is that when I find hot sign (tracks, new rubs, scrapes,etc.) I set up right then and there. Especially if it just rained as I have taken a lot of decent bucks around 1000- 1100 AM re-opening scrapes and hitting rub lines after snow/rain fall.