Please help, hill country scouting

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JohnnieU
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Please help, hill country scouting

Unread postby JohnnieU » Thu Jun 12, 2014 2:37 pm

I am planning on scouting a piece of hill country I just gained access to. I have hunted the piece several years ago and know the general lay of the land, but that was "pre-BEAST".

I am looking for advice on how to Beast scout with summer foliage and decide on an overall hunting strategy. My goal is to get out scouting as quickly as possible so the property cools down before fall. The tough part of the piece is the fields are only in the bottoms and the ridge tops are narrow with steep side hillsides. I am sure the bedding will be on the points, but if I find beds in June are they relevant to hunting season?

Should my overall strategy be to find bedding points and plan set ups assuming they will be used by bucks this fall? I am sure this will lead to a lot of doe and small buck sightings, but should work when I hit the right bedding points?

With the fields in the bottoms do I need to assume the deer will bed on downwind points and move down the steep hillsides to feed in the crops fields at dark? Or is it possible that deer will bed on the downwind side of the ridge and possibly be feeding in the valley on the windward side of the ridge? In the second situation would I want to set up on the ridge top between the bed and the windward side of the ridge (Off wind set of course)?

Last, does 1/3 leeward hillside rule still apply for catching bucks cruising during the rut?

Sorry for long post and all the questions, but any tips would be appreciated!


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backstraps
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Re: Please help, hill country scouting

Unread postby backstraps » Fri Jun 13, 2014 9:51 am

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Bowhunter4life
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Re: Please help, hill country scouting

Unread postby Bowhunter4life » Fri Jun 13, 2014 11:43 am

If you locate the buck beds on the points during the summer months and there is a food source that will still be available come bow season then yes those beds would still be likely to hold a buck come fall. This is of course if there is no intrusion before then or come bow season. Most beds on points will be used year around from what I have seen here in the hills I hunt. That is only if he is not pressured on that particular point. I would search for a water source up in this hills. Early season that has brought me some good hunts when the weather is still warm. If you can set up above a cut or ravine just back from the point the buck is bedding on when the wind puts him there and get in between a water source or a good group of oaks you have a likely chance of finding yourself in business. That 1/3 leeward side for cruising activity absolutely applies during the rut. I have seen it time and time again in the hills. Going into a new property during the summer months in the hills I would definitely locate the bedding points and see what you can find up in the hills that the buck may get up and go to during the evening... water, oak trees or some other food source... personally I haven't had the greatest of luck (on a mature buck) trying to hunt below the point the buck is bedding and catch him going to a food source in the valley. Hope this helps.

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JoeRE
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Re: Please help, hill country scouting

Unread postby JoeRE » Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:03 am

Right now I think deer are bedding a lot more right off field edges in hill and farm country than back in the woods on points and such. The woods are so thick they only need to go a few feet to find cover and keep good visibility from the field side - so yes you might find fresh bedding on the points but more often than not I think bedding this time of year will be different than the fall. The woods is probably grown up 3'+ with garlic mustard and timber nettles, looks a lot different than it will in Sept/Oct. What I would do is scout potential bedding sites but look more for old sign from last fall than fresh. Old rubs, old scrapes should be visible. You might be able to see old beds but that will probably be a judgement call if they are not frequently used now. The good thing is you have been on the property before so spend some time thinking about your encounters then - where did the bucks come from? Where did they go? Where was the other hunting pressure if any? Thats what I would do anyway.

Food down low is a tricky situation, obviously its hard to find a huntable/consistent wind as you drop down off the ridge tops. You can try using terrain features to channel your scent like a big ditch or such, or try more morning hunts meaning get above the bucks (be aware that the thermals might be dropping then) before they get to bedding. Keep in mind though when the acorns drop deer will be all over them and then maybe more huntable than just dropping down into the bottoms every night for the cropland.

I actually like hunting areas with crops down low just because I often have the ridges to myself for the most part, no one else goes up there.
JohnnieU
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Re: Please help, hill country scouting

Unread postby JohnnieU » Sat Jun 14, 2014 1:40 pm

It didn't occur to me to setup between the bedding points and oaks dropping acorns and now that it has been pointed out again I remember Dan explaining how to set up at the scouting workshop. There are no water sources on the ridgetops, but the oaks seem to dominate the ridgetops and south slopes of the bluffs. The prevailing southwest winds will have the bucks bedding on the north face and the north slopes don't seem to have many oaks, maybe oaks on the ridgetops dropping acorns could be a good early season set up. I remember Dan saying if the oaks are dropping acorns on bedding points the bucks will not be in shooting range before dark so I'll have to find the bedding points without oaks on them, but still near oaks.

Good point about lack of pressure on the ridgetops. The property gets hunted hard, but most of the pressure is along the field edges in the valleys. I'll look for ruts sets in the same areas as the other hill county areas I've hunted. I just wasn't sure if the bucks would cruise farther down the hill near the crop fields.

I also haven't had much luck setting up below bedding points, seems like I usually get busted or am not close enough..but I'll give it have to give it a try on this piece.

Thanks for the ideas.


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