How would you hunt it?

[Bowhunter68]

New to beast style hunting so I figured I’d run this by everyone here. Been seeing a set of tracks crossing on of the roads on my lease. Had a stand in that area last year and had several mature bucks on camera but never saw them in person. On both sides of the hardwoods you see it’s 5-6 year old clear cut so it’s too thick for me to walk through, but the deer get through it just fine. All the orange marks are rubs I found today. There were so many rubs as well as big tracks that I’m assuming one or more bucks are bedding on the edge of the creek but I didn’t see any sign of beds. This clear it is extremely close to the main camp so it’s overlooked by everyone, which I’m assuming that’s why the deer are there. Prevailing wind direction is shown in one of the pictures.

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How would y’all go about hunting this?

[Mountain man 89]

Unfortunately I cannot help you but can you please tell me what app or whatever it is you use to mark waypoints like that? Thanks

[Bowhunter68]

HuntStand

[Cchez]

Im assuming the creek runs along the narrow strip of trees where all the rubs are? Did you scout the edge of where the hardwoods meets the cut for possible enrance/exit rubs/trails?

[Mountain man 89]

HuntStand

Thanks a lot.

[jzehr]

I dont see prevailing wind, but I think you need to get cameras on the rub line, and or scout and physically find the beds. My guess is bedding is going to be in the thick vegetation inside the clear cut. Obviously your best stands will be as close as possible to bedding on exit trails. But without knowing trails or what time the bucks are at the rub line its a shot in the dark.

[Bowhunter68]

Im assuming the creek runs along the narrow strip of trees where all the rubs are? Did you scout the edge of where the hardwoods meets the cut for possible enrance/exit rubs/trails?

Yes the creek zigzags through the hardwoods you see. I scoured both sides of the hardwoods where it meets the clear it and couldn’t find any trails going into the clear cut, just trails following the edge

[Bowhunter68]

I dont see prevailing wind, but I think you need to get cameras on the rub line, and or scout and physically find the beds. My guess is bedding is going to be in the thick vegetation inside the clear cut. Obviously your best stands will be as close as possible to bedding on exit trails. But without knowing trails or what time the bucks are at the rub line its a shot in the dark.

I had a camera on the little point going into the clear cut on the right last year all summer and into September, but the batteries died before season started. There were 4 mature bucks using the area, all of the pictures were between 11AM and 6PM. Never pinpointed a particular direction they were coming from though

[jzehr]

I dont see prevailing wind, but I think you need to get cameras on the rub line, and or scout and physically find the beds. My guess is bedding is going to be in the thick vegetation inside the clear cut. Obviously your best stands will be as close as possible to bedding on exit trails. But without knowing trails or what time the bucks are at the rub line its a shot in the dark.

I had a camera on the little point going into the clear cut on the right last year all summer and into September, but the batteries died before season started. There were 4 mature bucks using the area, all of the pictures were between 11AM and 6PM. Never pinpointed a particular direction they were coming from though

Well in that case if they were daylight pictures its likely bedding was right there somewhere.

[Quest1001]

When does your season open and did you hunt it early season?

Is there a lot of leaf drop, they could have moved out by Oct.

[Mgaspari]

On your second picture where it icon says “3D”, that point would be what I check out if I could before season. With SW wind blowing into, assuming top of pic in North, That should be bedding. I would be just off wind in hardwoods as close as I could get without busting them out.

[dan]

If its to thick on the surrounding cover for you to walk thru, its likely to thick for a big buck to walk thru... I see a lot of people make the mistake of believing the biggest bucks live in the thickest cover... Truth be told, some cover is to thick for big bucks to get there racks thru. My bet is he is either living on that finger,(perhaps on the little point sticking out) or traveling it during rut during daylight looking fort does living in the thick. Im betting both... Most likely there is at the least, rut bedding along that finger somewhere monitoring doe crossings. Putting cameras in there, or hunting it, walking it, scouting it, to often will kill activity quick. One good scout, some positions to hunt set up, and get out till kill time. The only camera I would put in there would be a cell cam with a good battery life just before hunting season and leave for the entire season.

[Bowhunter68]

If its to thick on the surrounding cover for you to walk thru, its likely to thick for a big buck to walk thru... I see a lot of people make the mistake of believing the biggest bucks live in the thickest cover... Truth be told, some cover is to thick for big bucks to get there racks thru. My bet is he is either living on that finger,(perhaps on the little point sticking out) or traveling it during rut during daylight looking fort does living in the thick. Im betting both... Most likely there is at the least, rut bedding along that finger somewhere monitoring doe crossings. Putting cameras in there, or hunting it, walking it, scouting it, to often will kill activity quick. One good scout, some positions to hunt set up, and get out till kill time. The only camera I would put in there would be a cell cam with a good battery life just before hunting season and leave for the entire season.

I’m about 95% sure he’s bedding on that point as well. The only thing making me second guess that is the lack of sign on that point compared to the rest of the finger. I know at least a couple bucks do bed somewhere along this finger year round, I find their tracks going out of that thicket to a large food plot across the gravel road bordering the thicket every few days. If you could make a guess based on the info I told you, what would you think would be the best way to access the area to hunt?

[dan]

If its to thick on the surrounding cover for you to walk thru, its likely to thick for a big buck to walk thru... I see a lot of people make the mistake of believing the biggest bucks live in the thickest cover... Truth be told, some cover is to thick for big bucks to get there racks thru. My bet is he is either living on that finger,(perhaps on the little point sticking out) or traveling it during rut during daylight looking fort does living in the thick. Im betting both... Most likely there is at the least, rut bedding along that finger somewhere monitoring doe crossings. Putting cameras in there, or hunting it, walking it, scouting it, to often will kill activity quick. One good scout, some positions to hunt set up, and get out till kill time. The only camera I would put in there would be a cell cam with a good battery life just before hunting season and leave for the entire season.

I’m about 95% sure he’s bedding on that point as well. The only thing making me second guess that is the lack of sign on that point compared to the rest of the finger. I know at least a couple bucks do bed somewhere along this finger year round, I find their tracks going out of that thicket to a large food plot across the gravel road bordering the thicket every few days. If you could make a guess based on the info I told you, what would you think would be the best way to access the area to hunt?

I would use a cell cam to tell me when big bucks are coming up the finger in daylight without accessing and then move in for the kill based on sell cam activity. If thats not your thing, I would have a set up as far down the finger as you can go with out spooking and only hunt it 3 times a year at most.

[jnwalsh]

Do you have anyway to view the property from the north/northeast? Possibly observing the hardwoods/point from a distance on an afternoon to confirm any activity prior to moving in? That might give you enough intel to know which tree you need to be in in order to get a chance at him during shooting hours.