Parallel buck trails(example of).

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dan
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby dan » Mon Aug 25, 2014 9:02 am

what do you guys make of the trail that almost always borders agricultural fields just inside the timber (15 to 25 yards or so)? I always figured this trail was used by deer to visually scan a field before entering. Any thoughts?

That is a parallel trail... Bucks use it to cross the doe trails and smell if the does feeding there are coming into heat.


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Stanley
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby Stanley » Mon Aug 25, 2014 9:42 am

dan wrote:
what do you guys make of the trail that almost always borders agricultural fields just inside the timber (15 to 25 yards or so)? I always figured this trail was used by deer to visually scan a field before entering. Any thoughts?

That is a parallel trail... Bucks use it to cross the doe trails and smell if the does feeding there are coming into heat.


Yes I have seen many bucks use those trails when still in velvet. So I would not hesitate to sit on them in a surveillance stand.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby Bowhunter4life » Mon Aug 25, 2014 11:04 am

Stanley wrote:
dan wrote:
what do you guys make of the trail that almost always borders agricultural fields just inside the timber (15 to 25 yards or so)? I always figured this trail was used by deer to visually scan a field before entering. Any thoughts?

That is a parallel trail... Bucks use it to cross the doe trails and smell if the does feeding there are coming into heat.


Yes I have seen many bucks use those trails when still in velvet. So I would not hesitate to sit on them in a surveillance stand.


That is what I was going to ask is how often do you see bucks using these in early season? Great thread

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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby mheichelbech » Tue Aug 26, 2014 12:13 am

whitetail4ever wrote:
dan wrote:This is a spot I hunted in S.W. Iowa... There were a lot of does feeding in the cut corn field every evening and some small bucks. I saw a big buck shining the field and one evening glassing. So I walked the southern edge of the cornfield and the big bucks tracks were all over chasing does apparently. So I picked the trail that had the most of the big bucks tracks and followed it in about 50 to 75 yards till I hit a faint cross trail... this spot was marked with a large rub and a scrape. To the untrained eye, it would appear to be on the heavy doe trail heading to the field, but looking up and down the faint trail I could see a rub at almost each doe trail intersection...
My set up was done poorly, mainly because of what I had for available trees that would support both me and my camera man...
Does came in and went to the field from the woods 1st. Then the really big buck showed up, on the parallel trail heading from West to East... I made a horrible shot and missed him at the base of my tree... Unfortunately, my expartners from BBO have the footage and refuse to give it back. I do have my bow cam footage though, and this hunt will show up in the next video.
Image

But Dan, would the bucks be using that parallel trail with that wind? I thought they use that trail to skirt around and scent check the food source and for does out in the field. So, wouldn't a north wind be the wind to set up in this spot? If not, why? Just curious...

Dan, it looks like in the illustration you provided that your stand is on the south side of the trail with a south wind??? It looks like the stand should have been on the other side of the trail for the described wind??? Can you explain that or did I miss something in prior posts?
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby dan » Tue Aug 26, 2014 5:27 am

You are correct... That illustration is of an actual hunt spot. The tree I needed to be in was on the other side of the trail, and to close to the trail... When you go in and set up blind, sometimes this is how it ends up... I really don't have a problem with crossing the trail or having my wind blow over it if I am close enough. But would rather not.
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby mheichelbech » Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:18 am

That helps my confidence in a spot I'm on. It's either face away from the deer on the down wind side or face the deer on the upwind side (with a strictly west wind). Would you sacrifice that in order to face the deer or face away in favor of better wind set up?

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"One of the chief attractions of the life of the wilderness is its rugged and stalwart democracy; there every man stands for what he actually is and can show himself to be." — Theodore Roosevelt, 1893
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby jonsimoneau » Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:44 am

Thank you for the illustrations and clarifications Stan and Dan. Good stuff!

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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby dan » Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:45 am

mheichelbech wrote:That helps my confidence in a spot I'm on. It's either face away from the deer on the down wind side or face the deer on the upwind side (with a strictly west wind). Would you sacrifice that in order to face the deer or face away in favor of better wind set up?

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i WOULD RATHER FACE THE DEER... But, I would not want the buck to get my wind before I have a shot.... And, if I am crossing the buck trail, I want to do so where I can shoot to. Often deer hang up on your scent where you crossed the trail.
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby GloryDaysDesign » Mon Dec 08, 2014 4:21 pm

I am not quite sure what you mean by "face the deer" or "face away"?

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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby dan » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:15 am

GloryDaysDesign wrote:I am not quite sure what you mean by "face the deer" or "face away"?

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I like the stand to point in the direction the deer are coming from so I can stare in that direction watching for movement, and then prepare myself for the shot when I see it.
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby GloryDaysDesign » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:38 am

Do you put the tree between you and the deer dan? I have been trying to do this as much as I can....
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:44 am

[quote="GloryDaysDesign"]Do you put the tree between you and the deer dan? I have been trying to do this as much as I can....[/quote]

Just my opinion, I think this is a mistake. You just decrease your shot options by doing this. Plus if you are looking in the direction the deer are coming from the tree is blocking your vision. Lot of guys like to do it, I just won't do it unless there are no other ways to hunt.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby dan » Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:54 am

GloryDaysDesign wrote:Do you put the tree between you and the deer dan? I have been trying to do this as much as I can....

No... I agree with Stan. I think there is not much difference in deer vision which side of the tree your on, either way it blocks your silhouette.
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby Bigburner » Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:09 am

I'm guessing the parrelell trails would once again really heat up say late season where you would of had a cut bean field that was planted in winter wheat and the deer shifted to that as a primary food source?
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Re: Parallel buck trails(example of).

Unread postby dan » Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:51 am

Bigburner wrote:I'm guessing the parrelell trails would once again really heat up say late season where you would of had a cut bean field that was planted in winter wheat and the deer shifted to that as a primary food source?

Get used? Yea, probably... But really heat up? I doubt that. Parralel trails main use is to check cross trails for does in estrous in the rut... Peak use should be at peak rutting periods.


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