Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

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Leibinger
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Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Leibinger » Thu Aug 05, 2021 7:13 am

Hey guys, this is my first post on the forum, though I am not new to the Beast content.

I’m curious to hear thoughts and/or testimonials on trying an alternate strategy for the bow opener (in this case pressured Michigan public land, which lands on a Friday).

In the past I’ve applied Beast-esque tactics, gathering as much intel as possible from a combination of cyber-scouting, off-season scouting, glassing, pre-season scouting, pressure knowledge, etc and then formulating a game plan based on where I feel the most opportunistic. While I’ve had some early season success doing this, I’ve also encountered disappointment during busy times, partly due to what I believe is an increase in THP, DIY, Beast style hunting. Now more than ever it surprises me to see others hitting the same “overlooked” or what I thought were “untouched” areas when I’m walking in with my saddle.

Given that the opener falls on a weekend, has anyone ever tried hunting the people in that scenario? I swear I’m not typing this from prison, but metaphorically speaking, has anyone ever decided to abandon being in the woods, and instead drive around all day and check as many meaningful access areas as possible??

My thought is this strategy will not only give me an indication of which areas to somewhat cross off, it will also paint a picture to which parcels weren’t touched (and possibly even hold more potential now that pressure may have pushed deer there).

Has anyone ever tried or considered using this tactic? If not, I’d like to hear your thoughts and or the best way to apply this strategy.. With a newborn on the way, I know my scouting will be limited anyways, and I don’t have a “target buck” that I’m after.

Also, let me add that my plan would be to begin hunting either Sunday or Monday for a week.. and by checking access areas I’m also referring to spots on the side of the road that tip me off to where that person is hunting. Thanks!


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Jrdeerhuntr
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Jrdeerhuntr » Thu Aug 05, 2021 7:42 am

There is book out there by guy from Michigan named Tony Hansen, he was recently on the Wired to hunt Podcast, that discusses this strategy. He said he drives around for the first two weeks of the season doing what you described before jumping.

Me personally, I might do a hybrid of this. Opening weekend (our opener is mid September) I plan to hunt but from there I am going try and scout people a little more. I started doing this last year in Mid October and it led me to some over looked areas that held some nice bucks.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Leibinger » Thu Aug 05, 2021 7:49 am

Thanks for the reply! I listened to a pod with Tony on there. I’ll try and find the one you are describing.
mipubbucks24
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby mipubbucks24 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 8:34 am

Driving around does not tell you where the people hunted just where they parked. I’m not saying it won’t work, but if it’s like most areas there will be several parking spots for a couple thousand acres. Well no guarantee the deer will get pushed around by those guys. In my experience the deer already know where most guys hunt and are avoiding it. Also it only gives you a window into the one or two time periods when you drive by, people may have been in there you just missed it.

If I did not hunt public in Southern Michigan based on if I saw cars parked in the parking lot, it would not leave much to hunt. In my opinion you need to assume that people have been in there and if your feet on the ground say different then you know, but that can change the very next day when guys run coon dogs on the property, or a group comes and duck hunts a marsh m, which I have seen several times in Michigan.

Scout your way in to the destination you think you want to hunt, and if you come across the right kind of sign, set up. If you don’t then you have learned where the deer are not at, and you can cross it off. Reading the topography, reading the sign, rubs, scrapes, feed, browse lines, that’s going to tell you where to hunt.

Seems like a lot of guys separate scouting and hunting. Well to me they are one in the same if you can carry a weapon. If it’s open season I am scouting everywhere I go, and if the sign is not there I’m not setting up. Something has to tell me that a big buck is in the area, or I’m not going to set up, but that does not mean I was not hunting the entire time I was out, in fact it’s a really good way to find the actual deer.

In order to really grasp what is happening on public land you have to hit the areas all times of seasons, and that takes years. Go to an area early season no deer, have to go back pre rut, rut and late seasons. The deer are constantly changing and you won’t know until you hunt those areas during the right time of year. Bedding is the same way, some bedding is early season, pre rut, rut, late. Some is all season, it’s hard to know until you put the boots on the ground.

Just my 2 cents, there’s more then one way to kill a deer.
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greenhorndave
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby greenhorndave » Thu Aug 05, 2021 8:36 am

Part of my scouting last year was to pattern where other people were hunting and adjust accordingly. I expected them to be near easy access trails and I was right. I got on a buck because of it.
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Leibinger
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Leibinger » Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:00 am

I agree with you in the sense that it takes years and sitting in all seasons to really understand certain bedding areas (which is why you see more and more set it and forget it Trail cameras). Certainly scouting your way into a waypoint and hunting fresh sign is the gold standard for beast hunting, but the strategy I mentioned is sort of a curve ball to that method. I know Dan talks about stacking deer. Essentially let the rest of the herd stack deer into certain areas.

You mentioned that seeing vehicles doesn’t tell you where they hunted. While in many cases (designated parking structures) that’s partially true, a lot of area I hunt you can pull off the side of the road, etc. and you can be all but certain to where they went. My approach would be to primarily focus on the areas where you know people have to park in certain locations like the side of the road to hunt specific bedding areas - and then if let’s say I didn’t see anyone parked in X number of locations. I mark those down and when the pressure dies down starting Sunday afternoon or Monday, I can scout my way in and hunt if I like what I see.

I think you could apply this both microscopically and globally i.e. identifying pressure to individual bedding areas but also getting a general macroscopic overview. For instance, noticing the only parking structure on the north end of a piece was by chance completely vacant for the first couple days would tell you that’s probably a spot to check out.

This is obviously for high pressured areas. Weekdays where I hunt are much less hit.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:22 am

Never hunt best areas on weekends.
As far as people yes I do drive and check out where others park. Since our roads are so close together I have a fairly good idea where the parked individual is hunting based on my scouting of the areas.

If its only one or two partaking lots for thousands of acres I wouldn't really care if others parked.

My opening weekend always plays out like this.
I hunt am until about 9 then drive around public. Then go scout until 11. Head to lunch. Take a nap then go back to hunt the afternoon.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Primetime41 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 12:47 pm

This seems like a waste of time and effort in most situations. A lot of public land hunters are still pretty novice and aren't hitting the best spots, so I usually don't worry about where they're hunting. You'd be better off spending that time scouting or hunting. In areas where it's obvious where a guy is hunting based on where he's parked, unless that access is extremely difficult, it's probably not a great spot to begin with.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 1:37 pm

Primetime41 wrote:This seems like a waste of time and effort in most situations. A lot of public land hunters are still pretty novice and aren't hitting the best spots, so I usually don't worry about where they're hunting. You'd be better off spending that time scouting or hunting. In areas where it's obvious where a guy is hunting based on where he's parked, unless that access is extremely difficult, it's probably not a great spot to begin with.



But they are more reckless because they don't know what they are doing. They walk all over the areas and leave scent everywhere. Don't know where the bedding is but let their wind blow hundreds of yards into the bedding areas. Which may prevent bucks from moving that a beast may be their hunting.

Why hunt a good planned spot if someone a few hundred yards upwind is ruining the bedding.

Other hunters can turn a high percentage sit into a low percentage sit.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Leibinger » Thu Aug 05, 2021 2:10 pm

Tennhunter3 wrote:
Primetime41 wrote:This seems like a waste of time and effort in most situations. A lot of public land hunters are still pretty novice and aren't hitting the best spots, so I usually don't worry about where they're hunting. You'd be better off spending that time scouting or hunting. In areas where it's obvious where a guy is hunting based on where he's parked, unless that access is extremely difficult, it's probably not a great spot to begin with.



But they are more reckless because they don't know what they are doing. They walk all over the areas and leave scent everywhere. Don't know where the bedding is but let their wind blow hundreds of yards into the bedding areas. Which may prevent bucks from moving that a beast may be their hunting.

Why hunt a good planned spot if someone a few hundred yards upwind is ruining the bedding.

Other hunters can turn a high percentage sit into a low percentage sit.


This. I don’t care if they are using beast tactics or not. If they are mucking up an area it still affects me.

“In areas where it's obvious where a guy is hunting based on where he's parked, unless that access is extremely difficult, it's probably not a great spot to begin with.”
-Oak islands, isolated timber, marshes, etc just off the road I’ve found to be excellent spots when unpressured. The key word is unpressured. Near me there’s plenty of those areas. Unless it rains at the right time and I can see foot tracks, it’s tough to know if those areas received intrusion if I’m also in the woods. Only way to know is by keeping an eye on them in my vehicle.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Primetime41 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 3:11 pm

Tennhunter3 wrote:
Primetime41 wrote:This seems like a waste of time and effort in most situations. A lot of public land hunters are still pretty novice and aren't hitting the best spots, so I usually don't worry about where they're hunting. You'd be better off spending that time scouting or hunting. In areas where it's obvious where a guy is hunting based on where he's parked, unless that access is extremely difficult, it's probably not a great spot to begin with.



But they are more reckless because they don't know what they are doing. They walk all over the areas and leave scent everywhere. Don't know where the bedding is but let their wind blow hundreds of yards into the bedding areas. Which may prevent bucks from moving that a beast may be their hunting.

Why hunt a good planned spot if someone a few hundred yards upwind is ruining the bedding.

Other hunters can turn a high percentage sit into a low percentage sit.


Good point. I’m not saying pressure doesn’t matter. I’ve seen a huge increase in pressure the last 2 or 3 years, and it certainly makes a difference. Sometimes those guys are ruining good spots. Other times they’re stacking them. Lots of variables here.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Primetime41 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 3:19 pm

Leibinger wrote:
Tennhunter3 wrote:
Primetime41 wrote:This seems like a waste of time and effort in most situations. A lot of public land hunters are still pretty novice and aren't hitting the best spots, so I usually don't worry about where they're hunting. You'd be better off spending that time scouting or hunting. In areas where it's obvious where a guy is hunting based on where he's parked, unless that access is extremely difficult, it's probably not a great spot to begin with.



But they are more reckless because they don't know what they are doing. They walk all over the areas and leave scent everywhere. Don't know where the bedding is but let their wind blow hundreds of yards into the bedding areas. Which may prevent bucks from moving that a beast may be their hunting.

Why hunt a good planned spot if someone a few hundred yards upwind is ruining the bedding.

Other hunters can turn a high percentage sit into a low percentage sit.


This. I don’t care if they are using beast tactics or not. If they are mucking up an area it still affects me.

“In areas where it's obvious where a guy is hunting based on where he's parked, unless that access is extremely difficult, it's probably not a great spot to begin with.”
-Oak islands, isolated timber, marshes, etc just off the road I’ve found to be excellent spots when unpressured. The key word is unpressured. Near me there’s plenty of those areas. Unless it rains at the right time and I can see foot tracks, it’s tough to know if those areas received intrusion if I’m also in the woods. Only way to know is by keeping an eye on them in my vehicle.


You asked a question and it seems like you don’t like my answer. I don’t know your area, but in my area if I drove around waiting to find a parking lot without cars I’d never get to hunt. And I have done this a few times. An example would be if I have a spot in mind for an opening day evening hunt, I might check that parking lot in the AM. Each situation is unique. Figuring it out is the fun part. Good luck!
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby RatMe » Thu Aug 05, 2021 4:36 pm

I think taking note on where cars are is not a bad approach, but I do not have that patience or time frankly. If I’m headed to or from work I would definitely note such things.

I will say, and I don’t think this is the norm, but I almost never park where I hunt. This is especially true if I’m in a suburban environment.

Last year I parked at a car dealership after dropping off my gear and walked a mile to the entrance. I shot a buck one year and had parked my truck at a gas station. Got some looks when I walked back bloody to my truck. Lastly, I often park at one busy hunting location to give the appearance of pressure, but I’m really hunting in a small location across the road. I come out without a headlamp and only pop out of the woods when all cars are gone.

Again, car intel is good, but I can’t imagine I’m the only psychopath about parking my vehicle.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Drich » Fri Aug 06, 2021 1:02 am

Hunting large tracts of public land with interior dirt roads and parking spots.......If hunting is slow for me in the morning, especially two mornings in a row, I may cut out early, say 9:00 am Sunday, and drive the roads to see where other hunters are hunting. That info can become useful later mid-week. It gives me places to start to avoid to find the unhunted areas. If I start seeing piles of deer, or later piles of deer trails in the snow leading to a very specific spot, near where another hunter was, I take it as a place to find illegal bait, and the deer activity that comes with that.

If someone would do it for me I would have them drive the roads at opening shooting and mark on a map where all the hunters are parked.
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Re: Crazy Opening Weekend Strategy?

Unread postby Huntress13 » Fri Aug 06, 2021 1:25 am

My thought was, if they truly are hunting Beast style, or motivated by THP, then they could be a couple of miles in, and you wouldn't know based on where they parked. Alternately, if they aren't hunting that style, they are setting up on the first thing they find. Either way, it's your job to find out where the deer are, and parking areas aren't always going to tell the story. How many times do you see Dan or THP getting on deer that are in position to watch the parking lot or trails?
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