Hunt area that looks good, but no sign?

[perfectcaptain]

Hey Folks,
I hunt 1500 acres of public land in Quebec near Montreal, and it has a lot of hunting pressure, as well as daily ATV activity. The deer density is low and there is rarely any sign beyond tracks and a bedding area or two. The most promising areas, even a mile back have hunters all over them because of multiple available trails. There is one good section with some edge where there are no trails and therefore no people, but also no sign I could find on my trips in. There is a winding narrow creek at the bottom of two modest ridges that is about 2-5 feet deep with lots of draws, open hardwoods and brushy cover. I'm hoping they'll stack up there when gun season starts.

I keep hearing however that if there is no sign, move on. What do you all think? Is it worth spending time out there? The wind direction is usually good and access to the top of the ridge is from a power line cut. Very rugged getting in though, and dragging a beast out will be fun...
Thanks for any advice.

[Jhand]

Going in blind to new areas with no sign I have never had any luck. Unless there is some indication that there is a buck in the area, rub, big track, scrape near bedding I'm not going to purposely go in and hunt it. Areas like what you described would be ideal for a trail cam. My biggest thing is why hunt an area unless it's holding a mature deer?

[perfectcaptain]

When I hunted in upstate NY I would see a buck and a bunch of does almost every hunt. It's not like that in the forests of Quebec unless you're near a farm or you've got some managed land. I have a very small parcel up north and while I can get doe or two on my two trails cams every four or five days, I have never seen a buck, even in primo bedding areas where I have found fresh scat! No rubs or scrapes, but I have pics of fawns.... The density is just pretty low here, and on public land, it's worse. I am a very careful still hunter, and I spend most of my time not moving and hiding in cover, use milkweed, etc.

While I would love to find a mature buck, at this point, after a bow season where I didn't even see a single track, I just want to put some meat in the freezer.

Thanks for the reply- builds the library of knowledge!

[justdirtyfun]

I'm pretty sure some good threads are here if you dig in. I recall a big woods or tracking conversation where time was put in walking until recent activity was found then hunting it. The hunter was very happy with the tactics compared to past success.

[dan]

Only one way to really know... You need to throw a stand at it.

[perfectcaptain]

Thanks Dan, I'll be there opening day! I just have a feeling that it's going to pay off..
No matter what else happens, I always have a good time hunting, and I really do believe there's no such thing as a wasted hunt.
Thanks!

[blizzardhunter]

Only one way to really know... You need to throw a stand at it.

I agree 100%. I hunt a bigwoods area in KY that has some spots like that. Very minimal sign but several places look like a deer has never touched it. I finally threw a trail cam up. I was amazed at the deer I got on cam.

[dan]

Only one way to really know... You need to throw a stand at it.

I agree 100%. I hunt a bigwoods area in KY that has some spots like that. Very minimal sign but several places look like a deer has never touched it. I finally threw a trail cam up. I was amazed at the deer I got on cam.

I remember hunting an area for a certain buck years ago. This is not an isolated case, but just a good example. I hunted all the areas that had sign. I never laid eyes on the buck, yet shining revealed he was there somewhere with shining timeframe telling me he was within the property. And there was sign of him, just night sign.

After being frustrated, trying to figure out what I was missing, I devised a plan. The plan was to hunt the whole property till I crossed paths with him. I broke the property into 10 acre parcels and decided to hunt the best looking spot in each 10 acre section till I crossed paths with the buck. I remember when I got to one certain area that was a 10 acre mature woods with little sign. I thought no way, wasted hunt. But there is always the good voices in the other ear telling me that "hey, this might work"... I chose a spot pretty much in the center of the woodlot where all the trails crossed. An hour before dark the buck got up on a thick transition and made his way thru that open woods to me where I shot him...

That hunt really cemented a good system on killing / finding good bucks on problem properties, and has paid off many times since.

[perfectcaptain]

I think the looking until I find them parcel by parcel strategy makes sense of this region, since it is fairly linear; I'll be able to hunt a section a day until I get to the end. If it does turn out good it will be like having private land, because as I said, nobody goes there when there are so many trails elsewhere. There are enough bends and deep cuts to make it interesting so while you can't see the length of the creek, you can't be seen either, even from the top of the ridge. Another good thing about this area is I can shoot downward into the creek bottom and not have to worry about other hunters- the other, more popular sections are a bit too flat, and I keep expecting a shot to whiz by my ear... we have mostly still hunters such as myself, or guys lurking around bait piles.

I'll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks again to everyone.

[ihookem]

I am hunting a 6,000 ac. public land parcel and doing something similar. The spot does not have much at all for buck rubs or scrapes. However, it has so many trails it is hard to tell what tree to put my stand in. I walked it 6 days ago cause I had a " hunch" . Some times of the year it is so loaded with track but hardly any buck sign. I went on topocalc. and measured the area. 40 ac. on the nose. SO close to the highway I could see people in their cars, and loud too. I walked it 6 days ago , kicked up a nice doe, hunted it 3 days ago and saw 3 deer and I think one was in his bed cause all I could see was his ears and nose turning once in a while. Two days ago I walked the whole area( mistake , should have hunted it.) , kicked up a deer. I hunt it yesterday kicked up a nice doe 30 yds from a different stand and saw nothing on the stand. With all the doe, there is a buck there, has to be. I hunt it anyway cause I will shoot whatever comes through now. Sign might also be loate this year too. Not much sign where I have been hunting.