Hill Country Morning Hunt

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wrusch
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Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby wrusch » Wed Sep 27, 2017 6:41 am

I was out scouting some new public hill country this weekend and went back to a spot I have been looking at for awhile. As suspected while cyber scouting, I found some nice buck bedding off the tip of the point. The beds were all well worn, some with fresher rubs in them than others. Every buck bed had a rub in it of some kind. When i got up to the top of the ridge, some does jumped off about 40 yards away, they were bedded in a tangle of fallen trees.

There was abundant doe bedding, trails, scrapes, and rubs (some fresh) as I followed the top of the ridge. There is Ag on three sides of this section and looks to be plenty of alfalfa and corn. The 1/3 elevation trail was difficult to locate and seemed to be lower than I expected. The trail i did find was well worn and had nice tracks in it.

I am planning on hunting this in the pre-rut/rut in the morning with a N/NW wind. The setup just does not seem like it would work in the evening due to the limited/thick access. After looking at the sign and where the bedding was I picked a tree closer to the top of the ridge. Now I am second thinking it. Should I be on that lower trail in the morning due to reduced thermal activity in the morning :think: . Any input would be awesome and greatly appreciated.

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Blinginpse
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby Blinginpse » Wed Sep 27, 2017 7:48 am

In my opinion if I'm seeing that right. If that buck is in his bed he will see you as you come by with that entry and by tell of the map you will be entering through a field of some sort. Wat he is bedded looking he possibly could ev n see you coming from the field a ways off
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby PK_ » Wed Sep 27, 2017 8:18 am

I would be just barely below where your red line meets your orange and blue lines.

But that is just judging from the map.
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wrusch
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby wrusch » Wed Sep 27, 2017 8:45 am

Blinginpse wrote:In my opinion if I'm seeing that right. If that buck is in his bed he will see you as you come by with that entry and by tell of the map you will be entering through a field of some sort. Wat he is bedded looking he possibly could ev n see you coming from the field a ways off


The map shows it as a field but it is swamp/raspberries, this picture will hopefully give a better idea. There was minimal sign down in the swamp. Im hoping that the buck will not be in the bed when I enter the stand in the morning and coming back to his bed during the rut, otherwise I will get busted with where I set up.

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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby Jeff25 » Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:55 am

Just curious but why do you have your entrance trail going so close to the bedding? Why not stay low in the valley then ascend straight up the ridge to your stand location?
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby Jeff G » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:07 am

in hill country you are best off entering from the top of the hill. if you walk that trail below the bed you are screwed. the buck will be there before grey light. even if you beat him back you just laid a sent trail which any deer will pick up on. if he "J" hooks that bed in the a.m. you will be busted.

preferred access in hill country is always best from the top. set up on an off wind to the beds/exit route.

its a classic hill spot you have. all comes down to access.
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby wrusch » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:31 am

Jeff G wrote:in hill country you are best off entering from the top of the hill. if you walk that trail below the bed you are screwed. the buck will be there before grey light. even if you beat him back you just laid a sent trail which any deer will pick up on. if he "J" hooks that bed in the a.m. you will be busted.

preferred access in hill country is always best from the top. set up on an off wind to the beds/exit route.

its a classic hill spot you have. all comes down to access.


The only access is from below the bedding. The top is a long ridge of private besides basically the point where the bedding is marked, I get the access would ideally be from the top of the ridge but I don't really have that option. Would I be better off hunting that lower trail or setting up on the back side of bedding hunting the trail coming out? Thanks for your input so far, its helping me a ton.

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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby Jeff G » Thu Sep 28, 2017 11:12 am

I would access on the west side and go north, stage hunt your way in. Probly 2 good hunts. First set up outside the bedding on the west nob. Next sit work my way across to the next nob. I would set up a little south of where your yellow arrows are. The buck is most likely coming out that way if you found all those rounds there. Staging. Don't get to close to the point. You can get closer with leaf cover.
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby Matt6506 » Thu Sep 28, 2017 11:55 am

I agree with Jeff G I would hunt it in the evening by getting in early like noonish accessing on the west side of the property all the way to the top and then try to get to where them rubs are. In my experience that's probably where the bucks are staging. You will probably kick up the does but don't get discouraged by getting in early hopefully things will calm down before the bucks move at last light.
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby Cuzzinfish » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:17 pm

wrusch wrote:I was out scouting some new public hill country this weekend and went back to a spot I have been looking at for awhile. As suspected while cyber scouting, I found some nice buck bedding off the tip of the point. The beds were all well worn, some with fresher rubs in them than others. Every buck bed had a rub in it of some kind. When i got up to the top of the ridge, some does jumped off about 40 yards away, they were bedded in a tangle of fallen trees.

There was abundant doe bedding, trails, scrapes, and rubs (some fresh) as I followed the top of the ridge. There is Ag on three sides of this section and looks to be plenty of alfalfa and corn. The 1/3 elevation trail was difficult to locate and seemed to be lower than I expected. The trail i did find was well worn and had nice tracks in it.

I am planning on hunting this in the pre-rut/rut in the morning with a N/NW wind. The setup just does not seem like it would work in the evening due to the limited/thick access. After looking at the sign and where the bedding was I picked a tree closer to the top of the ridge. Now I am second thinking it. Should I be on that lower trail in the morning due to reduced thermal activity in the morning :think: . Any input would be awesome and greatly appreciated.

Image


Are you walking on an established trail? Is that why your entry is marked that way?
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wrusch
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby wrusch » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:31 pm

Cuzzinfish wrote:
wrusch wrote:I was out scouting some new public hill country this weekend and went back to a spot I have been looking at for awhile. As suspected while cyber scouting, I found some nice buck bedding off the tip of the point. The beds were all well worn, some with fresher rubs in them than others. Every buck bed had a rub in it of some kind. When i got up to the top of the ridge, some does jumped off about 40 yards away, they were bedded in a tangle of fallen trees.

There was abundant doe bedding, trails, scrapes, and rubs (some fresh) as I followed the top of the ridge. There is Ag on three sides of this section and looks to be plenty of alfalfa and corn. The 1/3 elevation trail was difficult to locate and seemed to be lower than I expected. The trail i did find was well worn and had nice tracks in it.

I am planning on hunting this in the pre-rut/rut in the morning with a N/NW wind. The setup just does not seem like it would work in the evening due to the limited/thick access. After looking at the sign and where the bedding was I picked a tree closer to the top of the ridge. Now I am second thinking it. Should I be on that lower trail in the morning due to reduced thermal activity in the morning :think: . Any input would be awesome and greatly appreciated.

Image


Are you walking on an established trail? Is that why your entry is marked that way?


No trails, I just tracked my path with the GPS which is what you see on the map. I walk the swamp/creek bottom up until I can get to high ground that is somewhat passable (a lot of buckthorn, honeysuckle, and raspberries). Its a mile back to the bedding and takes a little over an hour in the daylight to get back there. Its not ideal access by any means but I'm hoping the spot will stay relatively unpressured. The private land landowners who own the fields have much easier access.
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby Cuzzinfish » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:35 pm

Is there any reason why you can't hug the left side of that secondary point on the way up with a wind that would lend the buck's to bed on the leeward side to the right? You'd be pushing the envelope a bit, but you could use a rain or windy day to get to that lower trail.

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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby wrusch » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:37 pm

Matt6506 wrote:I agree with Jeff G I would hunt it in the evening by getting in early like noonish accessing on the west side of the property all the way to the top and then try to get to where them rubs are. In my experience that's probably where the bucks are staging. You will probably kick up the does but don't get discouraged by getting in early hopefully things will calm down before the bucks move at last light.


I don't have access from the west due to the private land. I wish I did because that hunt would set up very nice in the evening. I may ask the landowner in the spring if I could possibly enter from his field to hunt the public. In the mean time, I think I will set up in the morning where Jeff G said, hoping that the bucks may be a tad late getting back to their beds or bucks cruising through the doe bedding. I plan to hunt the spot on a NW or N wind.
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wrusch
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby wrusch » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:41 pm

Cuzzinfish wrote:Is there any reason why you can't hug the left side of that secondary point on the way up with a wind that would lend the buck's to bed on the leeward side to the right? You'd be pushing the envelope a bit, but you could use a rain or windy day to get to that lower trail.

Image


The draw to walk up is thick, but I think it could work. Hopefully I can learn from the first sit and alter my future sits accordingly. Do you think Jeff G cruising will be on that lower trail earlier in the morning?
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Re: Hill Country Morning Hunt

Unread postby Jeff G » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:44 pm

We're gonna do a spring workshop in hill country at my farm in se mn. We will be talking about set ups which are very similar to what you are dealing with.


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