Hunting Too Mobile?

[Jonny]

during the rut in the big woods I hunt the sign and I will sit many days in a row. This situation is much different than early season bed to feed patterns. I believe it is foolish to sit once and move on if you are positioned in a good spot. A few keys are of course, hunt the wind, be very careful of how you access the area to minimize scent and also it is extremely important not to mess up the does bedding there.
A BIG MISTAKE IS TO HUNT BEHIND THE ACTION. I made this mistake a lot until I figured out what was happening. I would find an area full of rut sign only to hunt without seeing anything. The problem was I was hunting deer that were there and now gone. If you hunt behind the sign you better have a good recipe for tag soup.

So you hunt the sign, but don’t stay behind it. So essentially you read the sign that’s put down, try to get an idea of what is going on, and what the buck is doing, and use that to get ahead of him.

[creepingdeth]

Thanks for the bump..never seen this. Hot sign is hot sign...being able to recognize that and not be behind the action is the key.

[Boogieman1]

To me this type things falls into the category of timing. Nothing good happens without proper timing. If you are hunting one specific deer I still believe your first time in gives you the highest odds, however if you are casting a large net for any buck that meets a certain criteria you can get away with a lot more. I don't get a lot of sign in my area due to hard rocky soil, so I rely heavy on historical data. Then I verify that with what I am seeing and try to put myself in a high odds situation. Any sign to me is something a deer did in the past, in a perfect world I would like to be there when he makes it the first time. Sometimes I'm to mobile other times not mobile enough, that's life from the tree stand. But I try to figure out why I was wrong or right and use that in the future. It's fun Reguardless no matter how you go about it.

[magicman54494]

during the rut in the big woods I hunt the sign and I will sit many days in a row. This situation is much different than early season bed to feed patterns. I believe it is foolish to sit once and move on if you are positioned in a good spot. A few keys are of course, hunt the wind, be very careful of how you access the area to minimize scent and also it is extremely important not to mess up the does bedding there.
A BIG MISTAKE IS TO HUNT BEHIND THE ACTION. I made this mistake a lot until I figured out what was happening. I would find an area full of rut sign only to hunt without seeing anything. The problem was I was hunting deer that were there and now gone. If you hunt behind the sign you better have a good recipe for tag soup.

So you hunt the sign, but don’t stay behind it. So essentially you read the sign that’s put down, try to get an idea of what is going on, and what the buck is doing, and use that to get ahead of him.

no, The only rut sign i hunt has to be hours old, not days. when a doe is being tended it is for about 48 hours so you better be sure the sign is hot or you will have missed out. you have to be good at aging sign. also, if I know (or guess) that there unbred does I like to stay AHEAD of the game by setting up on them ( near bedding) and waiting. Sometimes I get lucky and see bucks chasing does. That is an awesome situation to set up on.
Here is another trick: most of the time the biggest buck will come along last. I have many times watched small bucks chase does then later on a big boy will come dogging the trail. The big bucks arent in a hurry and they know they will get to breed once they catch up. there is no hurry on their part.
I like to hunt the edges that I know bucks travel in the area where there is a hot doe. I find these edges from past tracking or from old rub lines.
It is hard to explain this stuff because I lean on 40+ years of hunting to make decisions and every situation is a bit different and im wrong more than im right.

I actually made the mistake of hunting behind sign this last season. the area was hot (for big woods) but i found it late and paid the price for not recognizing it and wasted several days seeing zero deer.

[Bonecrusher101]

To me this type things falls into the category of timing. Nothing good happens without proper timing. If you are hunting one specific deer I still believe your first time in gives you the highest odds, however if you are casting a large net for any buck that meets a certain criteria you can get away with a lot more. I don't get a lot of sign in my area due to hard rocky soil, so I rely heavy on historical data. Then I verify that with what I am seeing and try to put myself in a high odds situation. Any sign to me is something a deer did in the past, in a perfect world I would like to be there when he makes it the first time. Sometimes I'm to mobile other times not mobile enough, that's life from the tree stand. But I try to figure out why I was wrong or right and use that in the future. It's fun Reguardless no matter how you go about it.

This is a great thread and I'm glad it was bumped. I think boogie nailed my style of hunting as looking for a certain criteria in a shooter buck more so than a specific buck. If I had solid proof that a bigger better buck was using an area I could pass bucks easier. Last season I killed both my bucks a doe and a coyote from the same spot. I briefly wrote about it in a scouting thread "An ace up your sleeve!"

The first sit I had soft bumped and seen 5 does and killed a coyote before I got my stand situated. Then after watching deer I relocated at lunch time to a better vantage point. Again climbing up that tree a doe walked up to investigate when I shot her. Then 4 more does showed up and I shot a buck dogging that group.

I had 2 gut piles and a dead coyote and tracked the place up fairly well. My next chance to hunt was a few days later. I thought about all the places I had to hunt and decided to go right back and setup over the gut pile. My reasoning was that I had seen so many does using the area and I had already killed a younger faster more aggressive buck and a coyote too. I thought that the does would still be using the area and be chased a little less.

Anyway, my very next sit I saw multiple does come through and saw a big bodied thick chocolate rack buck I guessed him to be at least a 3.5 yro and I killed him. As soon as he ran off another nice smaller 8 point trotted by. Anyway don't skip a hot spot because you overthink it and talk yourself into another spot that is iffy. If it's hot make sure it's exhausted before you move.

[Voz]

In theory, hunting hot sign that’s “hours” old vs days old sounds great. Can anybody objectively know how “old” the sign is? I believe it’s a lot more guess-work than people make it out to be. Thoughts?

[Ghost Hunter]

In theory, hunting hot sign that’s “hours” old vs days old sounds great. Can anybody objectively know how “old” the sign is? I believe it’s a lot more guess-work than people make it out to be. Thoughts?

There are a number of things that come to mind with me.

Tracks in waterholes that muddy water is still there, tracks over other people atv, foot tracks, scrapes with no leaves on them, scrapes that are fresh with no dry dirt, urine still steaming, urine that is still puddled in scrape. Tracks in road, scrapes, dirt that have not dried out. Sightings, fresh green rubs, pine tree rubs with now rosin on them, rubs that still have shavings on ground at base of tree, trees dropping acorns with fresh droppings around them, leaves rolled up around trees, fresh dropping near bedding areas. Fresh sign is just unlimited when you slow down an look.

[Ghost Hunter]

I walked into one of my favorite spots on Oct. 10 2009 right after a storm come through. Winds and heavy rain. I walked in there about 12:30. I checked some trees and there was fresh tracks after rain along with some fresh green rubs near by. Acorns were falling. I knew sign was not very old. Time to be in tree was now. I climbed in tree an at 4:30 just little while before dark. I put a decent buck on ground.

[magicman54494]

In theory, hunting hot sign that’s “hours” old vs days old sounds great. Can anybody objectively know how “old” the sign is? I believe it’s a lot more guess-work than people make it out to be. Thoughts?

There are a number of things that come to mind with me.

Tracks in waterholes that muddy water is still there, tracks over other people atv, foot tracks, scrapes with no leaves on them, scrapes that are fresh with no dry dirt, urine still steaming, urine that is still puddled in scrape. Tracks in road, scrapes, dirt that have not dried out. Sightings, fresh green rubs, pine tree rubs with now rosin on them, rubs that still have shavings on ground at base of tree, trees dropping acorns with fresh droppings around them, leaves rolled up around trees, fresh dropping near bedding areas. Fresh sign is just unlimited when you slow down an look.

exactly! I can even age urine by smelling it. it ages quickly so the odor changes as well. deer poop can be aged as well. I killed a dandy buck I was tracking because his poop was still warm on an 18 degree day. I knew he was right in front of me because of this. with practice you can tell hours old from days old.

[Motivated]

In theory, hunting hot sign that’s “hours” old vs days old sounds great. Can anybody objectively know how “old” the sign is? I believe it’s a lot more guess-work than people make it out to be. Thoughts?

There are a number of things that come to mind with me.

Tracks in waterholes that muddy water is still there, tracks over other people atv, foot tracks, scrapes with no leaves on them, scrapes that are fresh with no dry dirt, urine still steaming, urine that is still puddled in scrape. Tracks in road, scrapes, dirt that have not dried out. Sightings, fresh green rubs, pine tree rubs with now rosin on them, rubs that still have shavings on ground at base of tree, trees dropping acorns with fresh droppings around them, leaves rolled up around trees, fresh dropping near bedding areas. Fresh sign is just unlimited when you slow down an look.

Great list! Also: Plants stepped on which have or have not recovered. Sticks and leaves fallen over a track versus crushed by a track, and the drying of a middle Ridge of a track versus the rest of a track.

[Ghost Hunter]

I spend a lot of time paying attention to crossings on old wood roads. Make a visual picture of each crossing an check them on way back out. If you find some big tracks or even several fresh tracks few hours later. Its your job to know where those deer are headed too. You need to be there that afternoon. Close to bedding or what ever is drawing those deer in. If you are paying attention to sign leading into an area. You don't have to walk in that area. You know by activity outside that area when it is time to be there. Course all that comes along with knowing history of area an know where to hunt very well.

[tgreeno]

I spend a lot of time paying attention to crossings on old wood roads. Make a visual picture of each crossing an check them on way back out. If you find some big tracks or even several fresh tracks few hours later. Its your job to know where those deer are headed too. You need to be there that afternoon. Close to bedding or what ever is drawing those deer in. If you are paying attention to sign leading into an area. You don't have to walk in that area. You know by activity outside that area when it is time to be there. Course all that comes along with knowing history of area an know where to hunt very well.

This is of course the ideal scenario. I have many of new areas. So, I'm always looking for that field edge, creek crossing or muddy trail that I'll be able to find those fresh tracks, without actually going into the bedding. Carefully observing everything, is a key between finding that key piece of info, or walking right by it.

[Bigb]

I'll admit with young kids and and living 3 hours from where I hunt, the rut is about the only time I can get away. I'm lucky enough to have a wife that knows the rut is a national holiday for me!

Im lucky enough to hunt 200 acres of hill country and I was big into not hunting the same spot twice (or at least a week apart). What I did though is try to study my cameras by a few stands that I've always thought were great rut stands. After the season I would check to see when the next daytime mature buck was back within shooting range of my stand. Most of the times, my price rut stands would have a mature buck back within a couple days if I had a good entrance/exit. I have a few great spots though that are only hunt able once because the entry does give me away for any further hunts. The last two years, I have a couple solid stands that seem to be hot during the rut. In 2016 the third time I hunted one stand in a week it was like a buck parade, 12 different bucks in a AM sit including a miss that still hurts where I hit a small branch at 22 yards then getting down at 11:30 I was halfway down my sticks and had a 155" 10 point 20 yards away (shot by a neighbor in 2017 at 168"). Then this year, same stand, I hunted it twice and third time I arrowed my buck out of it Nov. 11 at 41 yards in a cut bean field going after a doe.

This year I have another spot I'm looking forward to. Its a pinch point between two ag fields. Usually a good area no matter what but a storm went through last fall and knocked a lot of the neighbors dead trees down. Now its pretty much impassable until this funnel area. I've already prepared the area and put brush all around the base of the tree the stand it in so deer can't walk within 10 yards of it and I go no where near where the main pinch trail is going to be. Last year I sat in a stand about 30 yards of this trail and saw 5 mature bucks in two sits using this path or right near it. Got lucky and had a camera about 30 yards away that caught many deer coming out of this area after this storm and realized that now it force them to use this one spot. Really just tried to prep the area so I have a clean entrance/exit into this spot rather so I can hunt it multiple times when the rut comes. I just think it will be one of those spots the could be good multiple sits.

[Brokenarrow1980]

I say hunt till decrease in sign or deer sightings. If your on deer stay on them till you kill or they catch on. That's what being mobile is about, finding where the deer are. Once ya find them hunt it till it goes cold. Hunting a spot and putting a ladder up and cutting massive lanes are 2 different things. 2 or 3 sits to try to capitalize on current deer movements will only alter their pattern which is gonna alter anyway several times that time of year. They will return . This is why a clean entry and exit are of utmost importance in any hunt. The most important part of deer hunting is the entry and exit. The hunter who is the best at being quiet, watches the wind, avoids key areas when possible and really thinks and maps out his attack plan on entry and exit will ultimately kill more deer and be a better hunter.

[JonNc]

I will add that a few years ago I had a spot I had been saving all year for November. I had a camera set up over a perennial scrape that I expected to get hot around mid November. The camera was set up months in advance. I hunted it once, passed a small buck and checked the camera. The camera showed multiple bucks hitting that scrape in the last week and mostly in daylight. Two were shooters.

So I hunted that exact tree the next two mornings. The second morning I heard chasing very close to me but all I could see was a glimpse and on that third morning I shot my biggest buck up to that point, a nice 3 yr old 8 pt.

If I would have moved around I wouldn’t have shot that buck. The sign and pictures told me to stick it out.

This past year I expected similar results there. I saved it all year for that time. Hunted it once, checked the camera. Zero bucks over 1 yr old, sign not the same so I didn’t even waste one more hunt there. I moved on and found a better spot. (More hunting pressure around me)

So my advice/experience is if it is super hot, I’m ok with giving it a couple sits. If not, move on.

I can think of more times in the past that I moved on even though the sign was incredible bc I had hunted it. After checking cameras I realized if I had hunted another day or two I had a couple bruisers on camera at the spot I hunted the day before.