Ridgerunner7

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Matt3
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby Matt3 » Sun Jul 29, 2012 3:24 am

Outstanding read. Thanks for the contributions. I really enjoy seeing the setups and how they are hunted. I have been hunting a long time but have had very little successs. I have enjoyed my time in the woods but I look forward to using the information like you have shared and turn that into making me more successful. I am changing the way I think because of hunters like you.

Thank you

Matt

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kurt
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby kurt » Sun Jul 29, 2012 3:27 am

good read and awesome job alot of nice bucks.
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby jonsimoneau » Sun Jul 29, 2012 8:57 am

I am beyond impressed. I live in Illinois and am about your age and have not killed as many big ones as you have. I was wondering...if you have time...if you could go into your scouting a little more? How much scouting do you do outside of season? How about in season? Could you explain a little how you scout? What you are looking for? Sorry for all the questions, but I am really inspired by all of this.
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kenn1320
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby kenn1320 » Sun Jul 29, 2012 5:09 pm

jonsimoneau wrote:I am beyond impressed. I live in Illinois and am about your age and have not killed as many big ones as you have. [glow=red]I was wondering...if you have time...if you could go into your scouting a little more? How much scouting do you do outside of season? How about in season? Could you explain a little how you scout? What you are looking for?[/glow] Sorry for all the questions, but I am really inspired by all of this.


X2 8-)
"Its about taking the right shot at the right time with good equipment." Dan Infalt
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Ridgerunner7
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby Ridgerunner7 » Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:17 am

Hmm…I don’t really think I do anything out of the ordinary or different than most guys on here. I have been able to shoot some of the bucks I’ve shot in Michigan because I utilize many different areas. I’d venture a guess that I knock on 25-60 doors per year. I usually pick up 1 or 2 spots a year by committing this amount of time. I choose properties that I know have good potential or if I see a good buck I ask the landowner and surrounding landowners. When I do secure permission I do the best I can to show my appreciativeness. Cards, fresh fish, venison, offer work, show up after a snow storm and shovel their drive, stop by when I’m in the area to chat. These things go along way with landowners and make yourself stand out.

Up until now I’ve never had to pay to hunt anywhere as far as leasing…just knock on door permission or public. I do this because I don’t want to have to depend on 1-2 properties to hunt. If you do that you’re limited to what those two properties have to offer on any given year. In southern Michigan that could be a 90” 2.5 year old buck. It also keeps you from over hunting your properties. I always recommend trying to get new ground because it expands your options. There have been several years where I am unable to find a buck that scores higher than 120" even with all the scouting mentioned above...just to give you an idea of my area.

My main hunting is pretty much anything within a 80 mile radius. There are 3 counties I hunt in Michigan and 3 in NW Ohio that are my main core area. Then later in November I’ll travel to such states as Southern Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana (big buck states). Then in December I’ll likely go back to a state that I have not tagged out in.
You have to devote a lot of time to be successful. At least I do. I would not be nearly successful spending 5-10 days a year scouting 1-3 farms. A lot of guys don’t have this time but it’s all about sacrifice. I skip out on golf league with my buddies for scoutint, poker night with my buddies for scouting, excessive fishing for scouting, and other hobbies I enjoy. It just seems anymore if I have a free minute I’d rather use it scouting. I love to golf…went twice this year. I love to walleye fish…went once this year. About the only thing I won’t sacrifice for hunting is family time which I try very hard to balance.

SCOUTING:
I spend a lot of time scouting. I’d guess in January through May I average 2-3 days per week, sometimes more. This time consists of year I’m scouting last year’s rut sign, finding beds, shed hunting, prepping spots for the following season, trimming lanes/trails, modifying setups. I’ll scout before work, on my lunch, after work, just depends. In the spring I help a buddy to habitat work on his farm in return for hunting privileges. In the summer months I would say I scout 2-3 days per week but it’s less intrusive scouting like glassing, checking trail cameras, and trying to secure last minute ground.

While I’m scouting in the winter just after the season I’m looking for well used trails in the snow, bedding areas during snow fall and relate them to the available food sources. I right all this down. I’ll intentionally bump deer sometimes on larger properties just to see where they go and maybe use that again during similar timing in a future year. I’m looking for setups to be used in future late season hunts and possibly boost my December success!
Once the snow melts I immediately hit all my spots again. Now I can see last year’s rut sign very well. Beds, rubs, scrapes, intersecting trails are all very visible. The ground is usually soggy and I’ll mark every large set of tracks I find and follow them if possible. I’m always on the lookout for sheds obviously too. I do 80% of my prepping new spots, trimming existing spots, maintaining access trails, modifying setups, during this time. Many of these spots I won’t return again until the actual day I hunt it. With any luck they get 7 months of very limited pressure..at least in that specific area. I’ve had very good luck killing the first time in stands and this is the main reason why I believe.

Summer is the time to identify bucks I’d like to pursue. Glassing, trail cams, shinning are all great tools. I’ll spend at least some amount of time on every property seeing what may be around. All the bucks I find won’t all stick on my properties but some will. New ones will move in as well, but it gives me a starting point and an idea of what properties I’ll be focusing on, what beds I’ll be hunting in that area, what funnels I’ll be sitting in during the rut, and what doe bedding I’ll be hunting near etc.
Every property is not made the same obviously so if I get 2000 pictures of all does and fawns in late September…I don’t get frustrated…I get excited. I know I have a property that I will be hunting in November and can completely stay out during October. I won’t hunt what’s not there and always hunt with a purpose. I’m either in a tree stand to observe or gain information (observation stand) or I’m in a kill stand with a calculated move to shoot a certain buck or two in the area (kill stand). On some properties where you can manipulate habitat, access routes, food plots, bedding etc you can get away with hunting more because you can alter movement and bedding somewhat as well as accessing stands close to the action while manipulating habitat to make sure you can enter and exit without detection. I have one farm that my buddy owns that we have done a ton of habitat work. We will hunt this farm several times a year with good success because of the setup.

I don’t need a visual of a buck to hunt it. I did it for years before I ever used trail cams. It’s all relative to the property, time of year, and setup but I’d say that generally in the farmlands and urban areas of southern Michigan I look for this type of sign and combinations of:
Buck Beds, doe bedding areas, funnels between doe bedding areas, funnels between bedding and feeding, water(holes, crossings, for access, etc), large rubs, 7”+tracks, fruit bearing trees, other hunters stand locations, primary scrapes in thick cover, intersecting trails in or near thick cover. Pretty much the basics that most hunters look for I’d guess.
One of the keys with being successful is being able to visualize where to set up when you find this information. Most hunters find great spots but they set up a stand on top of it will little regard to wind or how they’ll get in and out without spooking deer. I think very thoroughly on how I’ll access this spot with close regard to noise, being seen, being scented, etc. Sometimes that may mean setting up 50-100-200 yards from the sign but that may be what I have to do. Many wouldn’t feel confident setting up that far away from such hot sign feeling they weren’t in the game…when in reality they just put themselves in it by backing of a bit. I’ve called friends over to a bed just to have them sit in it and see if they can see me or hear me as I access my nearby stand.

Oh and you asked about in season scouting. I'm always scouting..always adjusting. I have two mobile setups always ready to go on a seconds notice and use them often.

I don’t know..this is a brief explanation of my style for the area I hunt I guess.
Last edited by Ridgerunner7 on Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ozzz
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby ozzz » Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:38 am

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, great stuff.
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:43 am

Another fine read and proof that there is nothing short of hard work to accomplish mature bucks.

Impressive commitment!
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby gjs4 » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:21 am

Great thread, read and efforts Ridge!!!
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby BCam » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:39 am

No doubt, u definitely have earned your success man. Great info, great bucks and great read.

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kenn1320
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby kenn1320 » Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:06 am

Wow, I am envious to say the least. That is a ton of time you get to spend each year. I like that you dont "pay to hunt", Im the same way. So how many propertys and acres do you have access to each year? Do they all have what you consider a shooter buck and you bounce around, or do you find a buck or two and really focus your efforts on that ground? You mentioned a 7" track, and we have seen Dan mention 3 finger track, could you explain or show a pic of a 7" track? You posted a lot of great bucks, how many of them are from Mi? Also curious you hunt several states and several areas of some of those states(Ohio for example). All the scouting hours you mentioned in the recent post, Im assuming your talking mainly about MI? Do you put that amount of effort into each state you hunt? Before reading this recent post I thought it would be cool to meet you, as I dont really know people in MI that are successful on a regular basis. However I can now see meeting you would likely put me in divorce court. :shock: Just kidding, but on a serious note, Eberhart told me hunting cost him his marriage, and now reading Bill Vales book, he says hunting cost him in his life as well. I dont get out a quarter of the time you do and I can see its a strain on my wife/kids. Again Im envious, and thanks for sharing your strategys with us. 8-)
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Ridgerunner7
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby Ridgerunner7 » Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:07 am

I hear ya Ken. It can be straining on any relationship. I’ve been in a relationship for some time now and she understands the dedication required to be successful like I want to be. I also have a daughter. I try to incorporate them as much as possible. My daughter will go glassing with me, tracking, and was even with me on a kill.
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I worked very hard and gaining access to properties around my home, work, and where I travel so they are very convenient. In fact I can hunt most evenings that I want.

I realize once I get married that I won’t be able to devote as much time and I’m ok with that. I have spots that I know so well that they should produce periodically for years to come. I started getting into good bucks in Michigan when I was 20 and haven’t looked back so I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time in the woods learning compared to others at my age. I don't every want my family to feel like they've taken a back seat to hunting. I will gladly sacrafice some time in the woods for them...and hope to share some great memories in the woods with my daughter. I also try to do a lot of my scouting at times that won't interfere like before work, lunch, right after work. I get out at 3:00...much earlier than most. I also run a lot of trail cams and let them do a lot of the work for me and that frees up a ton of time. I make sure I fit in a lot of special family things during the summer months as well.

To answer your other questions…In Michigan I have roughly 12-15 properties ranging from 5-80 acres. I just got permission this year on some larger parcels that are shared with many other hunters.

All the properties in my core area (80 mile) radius I scout very thoroughly like I described above. The other states like Illinois, southern Ohio, Iowa I will devote 3-4 days of scouting in the early spring and prep everything then. These are rut hunts so Im only interested in rut sign. I won’t return to those areas until the day I hunt.

On my original post with pictures I think I mentioned which ones were out of state (not many). All the rest are Michigan bucks including my two biggest.

As I get older and more experience it’s become very evident it’s not how much time I can spend in the woods, it’s putting in the time at the right time. In other words…I try to hunt smarter instead of harder. Even so, it will take a special person to understand the devotion to this sport that we have and be understanding and supportive.
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Ridgerunner7
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby Ridgerunner7 » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:35 am

I had always looked at track length. 7" seemed to be the bigger ones I found in my area and my gauge. Dan got me following the 3 finger rule.

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jonsimoneau
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby jonsimoneau » Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:25 am

This is all very good stuff Ridgerunner. You also are very good at explaining it in a way that is easy to understand without being to vague.
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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby Rhino Hunter » Wed Dec 26, 2012 1:50 pm

Ridgerunner7,

Your effort is very impressive, as well as your never ending desire to continuously improve.

Many people want to be like you and experience your success, but few actually can/want to put that much work into it. Your commitment, and results, are incredible!!! You're an inspration to many of us. :clap: :clap: :clap:

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Re: Ridgerunner7

Unread postby Basinboy » Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:42 am

Very impressive for anyone, more impressive in 34 short years. Keep doing what your doing. It's working!
Congrats to ya

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