Multiple sits at the same spot

[PK_]

This big issue is around here there is pressure from other hunters and a lot of it. While you are waiting for you perfect wind and perfect timing your spot is getting burned by another hunter. Its not an excuse its just kinda how it is.

Sounds like your hunting the wrong spots... I hunt some pretty heavy pressured public, but its rare I see another guy in one of the spots I hunt. The best spots are the best because no one goes there.

I agree, most of my spots only get better as the season goes on. Or even as multiple seasons go by without me hunting them.

[Bigb]

I hunt a piece of land that the owner prefers that we hunt of out fixed stands so we know the way everyone is taking in and not spooking deer out of certain spots. He lets me hunt there and is now a good friend so I respect his decisions. When I started hunting there a couple years back, he had 8 stands on the property. After this spring we will be up to 30. I believe this gives us some room to play the wind and not over hunt stands. I do keep a LW with me and when I can, I do use it there but its unfortunately not as often as I like. The most recent stands I have hung are in tough spots to get too so I am the only ones that hunt them, which is nice.

With having this type of hunting, I try and only sit a stand once or maybe twice a year. I feel that with a year rest, it has to help the stand. A couple of these stands I hang cameras that I don't check until I hunt that stand. I can't monitor the bucks I miss out of sight, but I still have nice mature bucks pass right by these stands. After I hunt them, it takes about a week to two weeks for any 3.5 yr or older buck to come by again, unless its the rut. When the bucks are chasing, it doesn't seem to matter too much as long as I don't cross into the pinch points/ suspected buck trails they are using. The best and most surprising camera we had this year was right by a stand that we hunted four times this year right by where we parked. We never crossed or went near the path that the camera was near and never had our scent blow across it. Since it was a new stand, we didn't check the camera in November when we hunted it. When we did check it, We had more bucks (young as well as mature) go by that camera from November 12 to 24 then we had ever had on a camera before.

I tell you what does frustrate me and make me shake my head is that there is a guy who hunts where I hunt. He has hunted there for years and he has permission to hunt one stand. He smokes in his stand, its in the bottom of a ravine (where I believe the winds swirl) and I don't think he uses type of scent control and has shot a 130 to 160 three of the last four years and missed a nice 150ish buck two days in a row this year with his crossbow (One of the shots he had a cigarette in his mouth). It makes me so upset. This guy sits here 5 to 10 times a year and always see good bucks while I work my but off switching stands and scouting. It just makes me shake my head and wonder…..

[JoeRE]

I tell you what does frustrate me and make me shake my head is that there is a guy who hunts where I hunt. He has hunted there for years and he has permission to hunt one stand. He smokes in his stand, its in the bottom of a ravine (where I believe the winds swirl) and I don't think he uses type of scent control and has shot a 130 to 160 three of the last four years and missed a nice 150ish buck two days in a row this year with his crossbow (One of the shots he had a cigarette in his mouth). It makes me so upset. This guy sits here 5 to 10 times a year and always see good bucks while I work my but off switching stands and scouting. It just makes me shake my head and wonder…..

I've seen guys pull off something like that too, they smoke a slob cruising by in the rut, I would pretty much guarantee the big buck isn't a resident buck. In fact, I think thats how most big bucks get killed with a bow anyway - outside their comfort zone. I know guys who have wall fulls of antlers and all they do is sit the same 3-4 stands in good funnels every year for a week or two strait in the seeking phase of the rut - in moderate pressure areas, where there are a decent number mature bucks around, that's one way to get it done. They are not really targeting anything, just waiting for the buck lottery. They are balancing out a low odds strategy with a high odds set-up.

I would bet money they don't kill very many resident bucks but eventually one that spends most of his time elsewhere might walk by, not really familiar with the area. I also would bet they would have even MORE success if they changed up how they hunted a bit. That and some guys just walk in the light

[justin84]

I went into a spot blind this weekend and my gut told me to sit near a creek where there was a fresh scrape, but it was about 100 yards from this other edge that looked good from an aerial. Ended up backtracking when it didn't look how I expected; no good trees

All signs point to lots of deer activity in the area, including some decent buck tracks in the mud. Little human pressure from what I can tell.

Is it worth another sit later this week?

[KLEMZ]

[quote="justin84"]I went into a spot blind this weekend and my gut told me to sit near a creek where there was a fresh scrape, but it was about 100 yards from this other edge that looked good from an aerial. Ended up backtracking when it didn't look how I expected; no good trees

All signs point to lots of deer activity in the area, including some decent buck tracks in the mud. Little human pressure from what I can tell.

Is it worth another sit later this week?

Justin, if I remember right you hunt northwoods Wisconsin? With the low deer density and the vast big woods terrain, you ABSOLUTELY need to find FRESH deer sign before setting up.! If you feel the sign you are seeing is fresh current deer activity, then I would hunt it again. Active pockets aren't that easy to come across in the north woods.

[justin84]

That's right, KLEMZ. I am going to give it another shot. I've been so focused on first sits maybe I'm overthinking this one.

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[Zona]

One analogy I have always remembered is, "would you notice a deer in your living room?" Pretty sure we could all tell if a deer had even passed through our living room, droppings, the lamp shade is crooked, the smell of rut instead of Yankee candle's fall harvest scent. Point being WE know our surroundings intimately, magnify our senses by 1000 and that is what we are dealing with concerning our setups.

[Bucky]

In rut funnels you can.... most of my kills were first sets in NEW trees

But I have had a few spots produce yr after yr (usually 1st or 2nd sit)

[whitetailassasin]

This year for me has been right on point with this thread topic. I had a couple shooters in the area I have choose to concentrate my efforts on this season. Pre scouting had several beds in the area, but I sat back and observed from a safe distance and started finding there patterns. I also was paying attention to the sign and how different aspects where contributing to why the deer were moving and what time of day and also what changes had pushed them to different areas..examples pressure, food, water. Once I located steady movement patterns I choose to go in for the kill. My first sit produced two shooters but just out of bow range. Second sit produced two shooters just out of bow range again. But because I was close to there beds, I was able to establish a pattern of where I could intercept them. Third sit resulted in a kill. Now even though none of these trees where the exact same tree, they were all within 150 yds slight changes. Now had I not really thought hard on my entry and exit I think my scent would have likely driven them deeper. But because I used creeks, and drainages to sneak in a set up I believe it helped. Waited a couple days after I shot my buck and set up in a tree close to where I shot my buck in the same area and just missed an opportunity on another one of my shooters. I never hunt with the wrong wind. And I'm over anal about how I approach my kill trees. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you can sit the same area, but making slight adjustments to an area you know is hot from sign, sightings, is a good aggressive move. If you set back and wait the window will close. And if you move in too quickly you lose your window before it could open. Knowing your area and the timing of when to move in and when to stay back is key. If sign is hot now, hunt it now(when winds and conditions are right).

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Zona]

This year for me has been right on point with this thread topic. I had a couple shooters in the area I have choose to concentrate my efforts on this season. Pre scouting had several beds in the area, but I sat back and observed from a safe distance and started finding there patterns. I also was paying attention to the sign and how different aspects where contributing to why the deer were moving and what time of day and also what changes had pushed them to different areas..examples pressure, food, water. Once I located steady movement patterns I choose to go in for the kill. My first sit produced two shooters but just out of bow range. Second sit produced two shooters just out of bow range again. But because I was close to there beds, I was able to establish a pattern of where I could intercept them. Third sit resulted in a kill. Now even though none of these trees where the exact same tree, they were all within 150 yds slight changes. Now had I not really thought hard on my entry and exit I think my scent would have likely driven them deeper. But because I used creeks, and drainages to sneak in a set up I believe it helped. Waited a couple days after I shot my buck and set up in a tree close to where I shot my buck in the same area and just missed an opportunity on another one of my shooters. I never hunt with the wrong wind. And I'm over anal about how I approach my kill trees. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you can sit the same area, but making slight adjustments to an area you know is hot from sign, sightings, is a good aggressive move. If you set back and wait the window will close. And if you move in too quickly you lose your window before it could open. Knowing your area and the timing of when to move in and when to stay back is key. If sign is hot now, hunt it now(when winds and conditions are right).

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Any suggestions on how to observe in hill country where visibility is limited?

[PK_]

Drone

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[BassBoysLLP]

B&W aerials if you don't have a drone

[ Post made via Android ]

[hunter_mike]

Great thread, had to subscribe.

I too think before this season i was in a similar boat as justin, a bit too focused on first sits only. I realize that it is good to be mobile and to rotate spots but i see that you can actually be too mobile, spread your efforts too thin and never really figure any places out.

My buck I shot recently was on a second morning sit. I sat the spot the first morning and observed good deer movement nearby including a buck right nearby on the same transition I was on about 70 yds away. I couldnt hunt that afternoon but since I had a smart access route, I decided to hunt it again the next morning. That time a buck walked the transition closer to me and came to the scrape right under me and I was able to kill him. Not a mature buck but a good 2.5 yr old and I learned a valuable lesson to hunt a hot spot to its full potential when the time is right.

[Zona]

Drone

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Don't think I havn't thought about that....hahahaha

[mheichelbech]

How much damage does just walking through an area checking sign cause?

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