Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

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Mario
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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Mario » Sun Apr 10, 2016 3:30 pm

I like the oxbows with heavier cover.

but the narrow peninsula of woods you are enter on looks promising too

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Lockdown » Sun Apr 10, 2016 4:02 pm

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East Bedding. I didn't mark any deer trails because I was starting to run short on time and had a good chunk of scouting to do. So I never walked the trails out or picked a stand location. I like to mull things over and go in a second time anyway.

Next to the big yellow mark (location of biggest rub) I marked buck bed next to it but didn't on the other map. I went through my GPS log again and noticed I marked "multiple beds" here. (I cuss out technology a lot but it sure is nice to be able to review a 3+ hour scout :shifty: ) None of these beds were well used at all... a couple had hair in them. It didn't have a classic buck bed feel to it to me. When I go back and prep kill trees at the other two locations I'll definitely run through this finger of trees a second time. Maybe something will jump out at me that I overlooked before? :think: I honestly feel I learn as much or more the second time in. The great thing about this finger of trees is I can observe from the row of pines to the South. If something pops out in the field on either side then bingo.





Here are the river buck bed pics again:
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The rubs 50-60 yards from bedding right on the edge of the field drainage:
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Of course the other bowhunters' ladder stand is uncomfortably close to the buck bedding again. :roll: They had a trophy rock 15 yards in front of it. I'm not sure if this was the first year they had it out or not, but the deer hadn't eaten much of the dirt around it. I'm sure that's partially because deer density is average at best here. I climbed up in the ladder stand which was not exactly quiet ;) the poles that slid together would flex and squeak quite a bit. Here is a pic of the oxbow that many of us thought would be golden, and another toward the box stand:
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The oxbow is too open. There were a couple big trees out there so I had to go look. Nothing.
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Regarding the two oxbows in this aerial and the one just out of frame, all of the good bedding was found in the "clumpy" thicker areas. The two pics I'm going to post are actually from the oxbow that is out of frame:



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Here I'm standing in a couple clumps (Looking West... you can see the bigger trees at the field edge) that I had marked on my aerial as 1st choice bedding. For 60-80 yards the cover is the same. No need to scout it. There will be beds in there, but they aren't likely to be buck beds. In this particular spot behind me, there were a couple small rubs, and beds with a LITTLE more wear than most places. Here's the pic when I turn around. It's the thicker cover and "something different" that they're drawn to:
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It's maybe 30 yards in diameter. The increase in number of beds and wear in each one was very noticeable.
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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby JoeRE » Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:04 am

Lockdown wrote: I honestly feel I learn as much or more the second time in.


Funny you bring that up - I tend to think that too. When I find a new spot with a lot of potential in the spring I will go in there two or three or four times, and not start picking trees or prepping spots until the last trip. I think the second time in is where I really start connecting the dots.
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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby wickedbruiser » Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:19 am

JoeRE wrote:
Lockdown wrote: I honestly feel I learn as much or more the second time in.


Funny you bring that up - I tend to think that too. When I find a new spot with a lot of potential in the spring I will go in there two or three or four times, and not start picking trees or prepping spots until the last trip. I think the second time in is where I really start connecting the dots.


X2. Absolutely. Typically, I'm not finding the spots I want to hunt right off the bat of my scouting trip. And once I do, I'm not 100% mentally put together. A second trip....fresh mind, right to the area, connect the dots and make decisions. I'll also get surprised with intel I missed the 1st about.

Lockdown, awesome thread. Nice work.

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Mibowfreak » Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:28 am

wickedbruiser wrote:
JoeRE wrote:
Lockdown wrote: I honestly feel I learn as much or more the second time in.


Funny you bring that up - I tend to think that too. When I find a new spot with a lot of potential in the spring I will go in there two or three or four times, and not start picking trees or prepping spots until the last trip. I think the second time in is where I really start connecting the dots.


X2. Absolutely. Typically, I'm not finding the spots I want to hunt right off the bat of my scouting trip. And once I do, I'm not 100% mentally put together. A second trip....fresh mind, right to the area, connect the dots and make decisions. I'll also get surprised with intel I missed the 1st about.

Lockdown, awesome thread. Nice work.

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X3!!!!! I am right there with you guys. Those second and third trips really allow me to finalize knowing every part of that area. Even when I make the trip in to prep trees, I am also making a quick sweep of the area just to confirm my thoughts again one last time.


So what ya thinking Lockdown, going to give the property a shot? Have you been able to talk to the other guys that hunt it?

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:43 am

Good thread lockdown.... I'm really looking forward to your session with your dad.... Something tells me you both are going to knock down a couple toads.

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Apr 11, 2016 3:08 am

Mibowfreak I haven't had a chance to talk to the other guys. I'm hoping they don't hit this spot hard right off the bat. Or run trail camera in the bedding areas. I feel my (or dad's) success here is going to be directly correlated to how these guys hunt and how often they're messing around in there. Early season could be a pretty good bet to stick one. Finding anything 3.5+ here will probably be tough. I'll definitely put some time in observing, shining, and hanging cams.


Dave, with all the effort I've put in this year I would think it will pay off. I'm holding out for a 3.5 or better, And I'm pretty confident my Dad would rather be stoned to death than let a 2.5 year old go. Me putting him on a buck would be a successful season in itself. It's been a while since he punched a bow tag.

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Mibowfreak » Mon Apr 11, 2016 3:58 am

Lockdown wrote:Mibowfreak I haven't had a chance to talk to the other guys. I'm hoping they don't hit this spot hard right off the bat. Or run trail camera in the bedding areas. I feel my (or dad's) success here is going to be directly correlated to how these guys hunt and how often they're messing around in there. Early season could be a pretty good bet to stick one. Finding anything 3.5+ here will probably be tough. I'll definitely put some time in observing, shining, and hanging cams.


Dave, with all the effort I've put in this year I would think it will pay off. I'm holding out for a 3.5 or better, And I'm pretty confident my Dad would rather be stoned to death than let a 2.5 year old go. Me putting him on a buck would be a successful season in itself. It's been a while since he punched a bow tag.

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I agree, the other hunters could play a big role in whether you guys have success or not. Its to bad it's not untouched out there. I could see that being great early season and a great rut crusing spot. Cant wait to see how you and your dad do out there this fall. Keep us updated.

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby stash59 » Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:01 am

8-) :clap: :clap:
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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Bubbles » Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:25 am

Are these multiple scouting trips you guys are talking about all in the same season? Like hitting a property 3 or 4 times in the same spring? Or spread over multiple years?

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Mibowfreak » Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:40 am

Bubbles wrote:Are these multiple scouting trips you guys are talking about all in the same season? Like hitting a property 3 or 4 times in the same spring? Or spread over multiple years?

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Same season for me. I usually scout these areas with snow on the ground, then once all the snow melts. If there is any second quesses or questions, then I will head right back in there to get my answer. I dont like second guessing myself. Once I feel complete about the area, then I take a day and go in there and prep trees along with other areas that I have scouted that are on the same properties.

Also, I have started to cut down on my trips in, after I started really slowing down once I got into the main area I wanted to be.

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Lockdown » Tue Apr 12, 2016 3:30 am

Bubbles wrote:Are these multiple scouting trips you guys are talking about all in the same season? Like hitting a property 3 or 4 times in the same spring? Or spread over multiple years?

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Yes, same season.

I like to cyber scout then go in for a speed scout. I do spend a fair amount of time in areas I feel deserve it. But I rarely set any stands the first time in. If things are strait forward I'll move on fairly quick then cyber scout it again to verify that my quick assumptions are correct.

I'll go in a 2nd time with the LW and look at it again in person. Maybe a couple questions arose since I was there last? I try to leave no stone unturned if I feel it is bedding that is worth my time. Hopefully by then I'll have a game plan I'm confident in regarding kill tree (or blind) location, which trails are normally used for exit/entry, which winds the bedding is used with, etc.

I have had a couple locations where I've needed to go in 3 different times. Once this year I brought the LW in on my 2nd trip in but never prepped a set because I wasn't positive I was reading the sign exactly right. After cyber scouting and boots on the ground 3 times each, I felt I had a good idea of how they were using that bedding area.

Finding the bedding is far easier than setting up on it. Keep going back until it makes sense to you. Even if you aren't quite accurate on your assessment, the in season encounters (or trail cams) will teach you from there.

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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Tue Apr 12, 2016 3:52 am

I use what Barry W. and John E. have been saying. First time I go in it is fast and I am trying to get an overall feel for a property and confirming what I saw on an aerial. A lot of times I am walking perimeters and noting sign. The second time I slow down and really dissect it, I break it down into grids and I try to cover everything in detail from the notes I made in the first trip. If the area is small enough (less then 100-200 acres) you might can get done in same day - usually I make 2-3 initial trips and I don't prep trees until my last couple visits in most cases.

I am from the school that it is better to cover ground completely until you thoroughly understand it.... if that takes repeated trips even into the summer that's what I do. I can't stand to sit in a stand I am not confident in - I seldom can make it past 3 hours unless I honestly believe I am in one of the best spots. Only way I know to do this is to scout it - a lot.
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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby hunter_mike » Tue Apr 12, 2016 6:09 am

Great work Lockdown. 8-)
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Re: Where is the buck 3 (Riverbottom)

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:24 pm

So I received a phone call a few hours ago. Turns out the landowner's wife thinks this land should only be hunted by family so I lost permission.

:cry:


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