Went scouting this week, any ideas?

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Matt3
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Went scouting this week, any ideas?

Unread postby Matt3 » Mon Apr 24, 2017 4:22 am

Finally had a chance to hit the woods for about 5 hours this week. This is local public ground and it does get hunted pretty hard. Most hunters I have seen have been in the low ground. I passed up a buck here last year that was following a doe. I had no idea where beds were last year but I was very successful this week. I located 10 beds and saw a bachelor group of 5 bucks headed to one of the bedding spots I found (3 close together). They ended up coming right back out towards me once they realized I had been sitting in their beds.

I am hoping to get some help with how to hunt this area early season. It is surrounded by agricultural fields and water. The huntable area was scouted and shows what I could find. There were a lot of rubs and trails with most beds having a big tree on the downhill side. Hair was found in each of the beds with most of them having rubs within a few feet.

Thanks for any help.
Matt

also showing a pic with all the weather information I could find.
The small arrows are where the bucks came from, crossed and went to the beds, then how they left. Have video as well from each bed with thoughts.

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dan
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Re: Went scouting this week, any ideas?

Unread postby dan » Mon Apr 24, 2017 5:36 am

The spot where the bucks bedded looks like a perfect spot for bucks to bed... It would also be very hard to hunt, cause bucks likely drop from the beds to the food. Could be a good candidate for the old thermal drop and run tactic... Set up a tree or 2 now near the road (as long as its low traffic?) and hunt it by coming in from the road below after thermal drop. Easy one to monitor too. Just walk the road, where deer will tolerate humans and check for crossing tracks in the mud and sand along the road.
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Re: Went scouting this week, any ideas?

Unread postby Matt3 » Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:01 am

Awesome Dan thanks. There is not a crazy amount of traffic. How far from the road should I be looking to sit? I'll try and head out later this week and pick out a few spots down from all of the beds. Strictly night time spot? Most action I have seen there has been in the morning. But nothing was shootable (age/size) and mostly during rut time frame. One of my friends shot a nice buck last year also in the morning on the ridge to the east of the triple beds.
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Re: Went scouting this week, any ideas?

Unread postby dan » Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:15 am

Matt3 wrote:Awesome Dan thanks. There is not a crazy amount of traffic. How far from the road should I be looking to sit? I'll try and head out later this week and pick out a few spots down from all of the beds. Strictly night time spot? Most action I have seen there has been in the morning. But nothing was shootable (age/size) and mostly during rut time frame. One of my friends shot a nice buck last year also in the morning on the ridge to the east of the triple beds.

If I hunted it in the am, I would probably hunt am the second 1/2 of october into the 1st week and 1/2 of november. But once rut started really picking up I would be on the side hill 1/3 down on the east side of the bedding. Morning below could work mid october. As far as how close to the road? that would depend on how close to the beds you can get without getting busted in the evening by either site, or thermal rise. Both evening and morning I would expect skittish deer crossing the road, so for daylight movement, the closer to the beds the better.
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Re: Went scouting this week, any ideas?

Unread postby <DK> » Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:57 am

Cool looking area Matt3 & its awesome to hear you got onto a pile of bucks!
This place looks like a great spot to learn stacking as well, knowing where the pressure is this might work out for you. The best part I like about this spot is you can set yourself up in a position to hunt multiple bucks in one sit, thats my kind of hunting! Things look pretty tight though as far as bumping bedded deer or getting winded when going to higher elevations, possibly a reason pressure is at lower elevations? For evening hunts you will have some deer watching you so review your footage to decide which beds you think are "lesser" bucks to pass up and get an idea for your access routes. As Dan stated closer to the beds the better, though that looks to be easier said than done in this area... I think you can in a few spots but you can get even closer in the right conditions also knowing how that wind is flowing on the back side of the ridges/up wind of the beds you could cheat. If you are confident in your climbing and setup that will really help in that situation.
Dan talked about monitoring the crops around the area - if corn is one of them maybe consider the first days after its cut to morning hunt a bed as well. I hate to focus in on such an obvious terrain feature but between the F - E at the end of Wildlife just looks awesome plus w the 2 ravines coming from the roads E & W meeting there could be used for access, if its walk able.

Did you find doe bedding or food source at higher elevations?


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