Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
- SidewayZ
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Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
Having been a beast member for less than a year, reading the forums regularly and having watched all the videos (Hill, Farm, Swamp and Marsh), this is how I would prioritize the sequence of events it takes (in order of importance) to successfully harvest a mature whitetail.
1. First become a beast member and educate yourself in all of the beast hunting ways
2. Cyber scout potential properties that you have access to
3. Find and/or confirm the land actually holds a mature whitetail (this I think is most difficult part of the process, confirming a mature deer exists on the property, not all properties do)
4. Pattern the beast (examine how, when and why the beast beds where he does, exit and entry points, staging, food sources, etc.)
5. Develop a game plan to hut the beast
6. Hunt the beast
7. If number 6 is successful, share you success and smile big for camera lol
8. If not successful revert to number 5, revise and repeat.
While I know there is no cookie cutter method, this is how I can characterize / prioritize what I have learned here(In general, the steps to be successful). Interested in how others would break it down.
Also I think I would include something about the amount of hunting pressure exists, just not sure where I would put it in order of importance to be successful.
1. First become a beast member and educate yourself in all of the beast hunting ways
2. Cyber scout potential properties that you have access to
3. Find and/or confirm the land actually holds a mature whitetail (this I think is most difficult part of the process, confirming a mature deer exists on the property, not all properties do)
4. Pattern the beast (examine how, when and why the beast beds where he does, exit and entry points, staging, food sources, etc.)
5. Develop a game plan to hut the beast
6. Hunt the beast
7. If number 6 is successful, share you success and smile big for camera lol
8. If not successful revert to number 5, revise and repeat.
While I know there is no cookie cutter method, this is how I can characterize / prioritize what I have learned here(In general, the steps to be successful). Interested in how others would break it down.
Also I think I would include something about the amount of hunting pressure exists, just not sure where I would put it in order of importance to be successful.
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-SidewayZ-
I'm not scared to fail, I just fear regret!
-SidewayZ-
I'm not scared to fail, I just fear regret!
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
Entering my third year of bowhunting and also my third year of being here on the beast. Seems to me hunting pressure trumps all and should be considered when making that plan to kill the big one. Maybe number 2 behind confirming a mature buck exists on the given property you intend to hunt. I am constantly applying what I have been learning here with the ultimate goal of confirming or even denying what I think is going on in the woods.
In my inexperienced oppinion, being aggressive and failing is just as important of a learning tool as being successful. Perhaps more so when your just starting out.
Chad
In my inexperienced oppinion, being aggressive and failing is just as important of a learning tool as being successful. Perhaps more so when your just starting out.
Chad
- headgear
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
I would probably flip 3 and 4, confirming a buck on the property is pretty easy these days. You have tracks, rubs and other sign, glassing, cameras - so at least from my perspective it is fairly easy. Now the hard part is patterning them and hunting the right bed at the right time. Can't tell you how many times I find fresh sign only to have no one be home or the buck moved on from the area.
- Uncle Lou
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
Great list. Good luck
- Lockdown
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
headgear wrote:I would probably flip 3 and 4, confirming a buck on the property is pretty easy these days. You have tracks, rubs and other sign, glassing, cameras - so at least from my perspective it is fairly easy. Now the hard part is patterning them and hunting the right bed at the right time. Can't tell you how many times I find fresh sign only to have no one be home or the buck moved on from the area.
THIS
- PK_
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
Location, location, location.
Be in the right spot.
That is all it really boils down to. Some will argue timing, yes timing is important to understand but if you are in a good spot at the wrong time(wrong day, wrong wind, wrong weather, whatever)then it is not the right spot.
Keep in mind that the right spot is not just where you can encounter a buck, but where you can kill him.
These two places can be one in the same or two completely different scenarios. They can also be the same spot, but under different circumstances (timing/conditions).
Or you may be in the wrong spot, but the right spot is just 10 yards away in that tree that is twisted, gnarly and uncomfortable. But that tree would have kept the thermals from sucking your stench to the buck as he exited his bed.
Be in the right spot.
That is all it really boils down to. Some will argue timing, yes timing is important to understand but if you are in a good spot at the wrong time(wrong day, wrong wind, wrong weather, whatever)then it is not the right spot.
Keep in mind that the right spot is not just where you can encounter a buck, but where you can kill him.
These two places can be one in the same or two completely different scenarios. They can also be the same spot, but under different circumstances (timing/conditions).
Or you may be in the wrong spot, but the right spot is just 10 yards away in that tree that is twisted, gnarly and uncomfortable. But that tree would have kept the thermals from sucking your stench to the buck as he exited his bed.
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
- Jhand
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
After finding a buck on the property I spend a lot of time trying to figure out when is the best time to hunt him. In some cases I may not know exactly where he is bedded but just know it's in a certain area so that makes it a little harder to plan. One of the hardest thing's for me to do is to plan everything out, I want everything to be perfect so I spend a lot of time figuring out my entrence route and waiting for the best wind to give me a shot at him. Also tree selection is very critical, that's why I went from using a climber to a hang on with sticks. When I get to the area I want to hunt I drop some milkweed and see how the wind is moving through the area. Also try to plan on how the thermals are going to effect your scent once the sun starts to go down. There have been a few times when I setup drop milkweed in the stand and don't like how where is going so I move. I would rather spend some time and risk making a little more noise when I first get setup then wait and find out when the buck moves and winds me that I should have moved.
- SidewayZ
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
I think after some more thought and the replies I would definitely add pressure near the top of the list for a mature buck. I absolutely agree with timing as well, but I am including that in the game plan.
I have a lot of confidence going right now, because I am seeing the work and knowledge I have gained here come together so far this year.
I think the reason I have put some weight into finding a mature buck is because while I think I am looking in the right areas / spots, I just haven't found a 4.5 or older dear yet aside from a hopeful circuit 10 pointer I was on during last falls rut.
For me maybe one of the challenges is just deciphering between a 1.5/3.5 year old and an actual mature 4.5 plus deer whether it is through sign, tracks, beds etc. Or maybe I just haven't found him yet for whatever reason.
I actually have found what I believe will be a nice 6 or 8 point buck, approx. 2.5 years old in one of my spots, its on public land, its in a hill country setting and I think I have him 75% figured out. Part of me wants to let him try to make it one more year, but mostly I am thinking of going at him just to increase my confidence. I figure even if he is a a year or two shy if I can harvest this one, within 5 years or so I should be doing rather well.
I have a lot of confidence going right now, because I am seeing the work and knowledge I have gained here come together so far this year.
I think the reason I have put some weight into finding a mature buck is because while I think I am looking in the right areas / spots, I just haven't found a 4.5 or older dear yet aside from a hopeful circuit 10 pointer I was on during last falls rut.
For me maybe one of the challenges is just deciphering between a 1.5/3.5 year old and an actual mature 4.5 plus deer whether it is through sign, tracks, beds etc. Or maybe I just haven't found him yet for whatever reason.
I actually have found what I believe will be a nice 6 or 8 point buck, approx. 2.5 years old in one of my spots, its on public land, its in a hill country setting and I think I have him 75% figured out. Part of me wants to let him try to make it one more year, but mostly I am thinking of going at him just to increase my confidence. I figure even if he is a a year or two shy if I can harvest this one, within 5 years or so I should be doing rather well.
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-SidewayZ-
I'm not scared to fail, I just fear regret!
-SidewayZ-
I'm not scared to fail, I just fear regret!
- Tufrthnails
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
SidewayZ wrote: I actually have found what I believe will be a nice 6 or 8 point buck, approx. 2.5 years old in one of my spots, its on public land, its in a hill country setting and I think I have him 75% figured out. Part of me wants to let him try to make it one more year, but mostly I am thinking of going at him just to increase my confidence. I figure even if he is a a year or two shy if I can harvest this one, within 5 years or so I should be doing rather well.
Some may have a different view on this, but I think your working in the right direction. I'm in the same boat sorta. I have two extremely different hunting places. I hunt only public in Fl and a mix of public/private in KY. Simply do to terrain, density, and lack of pressure KY has been a lot less of a learning curve. Fl has been a struggle not necessarily in finding the 3.5+ bucks and their beds, but actually killing them. While whitetail in KY are still skittish due to the lower human pressure they aren't as bad as the FL Bucks and make a few more mistakes even if it is just getting up to move that 15 min earlier in the evening. Also like I was talking about in another thread the swamp thermal still has me running in circles where the hill country and farm country thermals in KY seem at least to me to be more honest and defined.
Tuf- The below average hunting beast
- Wlog
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
SidewayZ wrote:I think after some more thought and the replies I would definitely add pressure near the top of the list for a mature buck. I absolutely agree with timing as well, but I am including that in the game plan.
I have a lot of confidence going right now, because I am seeing the work and knowledge I have gained here come together so far this year.
I think the reason I have put some weight into finding a mature buck is because while I think I am looking in the right areas / spots, I just haven't found a 4.5 or older dear yet aside from a hopeful circuit 10 pointer I was on during last falls rut.
For me maybe one of the challenges is just deciphering between a 1.5/3.5 year old and an actual mature 4.5 plus deer whether it is through sign, tracks, beds etc. Or maybe I just haven't found him yet for whatever reason.
I actually have found what I believe will be a nice 6 or 8 point buck, approx. 2.5 years old in one of my spots, its on public land, its in a hill country setting and I think I have him 75% figured out. Part of me wants to let him try to make it one more year, but mostly I am thinking of going at him just to increase my confidence. I figure even if he is a a year or two shy if I can harvest this one, within 5 years or so I should be doing rather well.
It all comes in time. Every year you learn more through what you observe scouting and hunting. There's nothing wrong with a 2.5 year old buck. As long as you're happy with him that's all that matters.
The more years you spend scouting and looking at deer sign it will get easier to distinguish between what is mature buck sign and what's not. It's not always the obvious waist or chest high rub.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
- Wlog
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
- tgreeno
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
This being my first season strictly bed hunting, my only priorities have been scout and prep ALOT! My thought is, if your scouting is solid, then everything else should fall into place. Only time will tell for me.
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
You have to be willing to fail. You have to be willing to get that "are you crazy" look from people when you tell them what you're doing to kill a deer. You have to work way harder than anyone else that's hunting that property.
Going after a fully mature deer right away is a tall order. I started shooting darn near any deer that walked by me. You gotta know how to kill. With a bow. How to move in close quarters with deer both when you're on the ground getting to the stand and in the tree. These are skills that you can't learn on a forum- even this one. But I'm not gonna tell anyone to compromise their goals.
Going after a fully mature deer right away is a tall order. I started shooting darn near any deer that walked by me. You gotta know how to kill. With a bow. How to move in close quarters with deer both when you're on the ground getting to the stand and in the tree. These are skills that you can't learn on a forum- even this one. But I'm not gonna tell anyone to compromise their goals.
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
^^^ive been using beast strategies in my hunts since I found Dan on the old bbo forums. I would have to say that right now....I'm not too accomplished. My success is limited. But I've had success. So it's a learning curve. Some 10 ten or so years later and I'm still making tweaks to how I do things.
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Re: Prioritizing Beast Style Hunting
My angle would be line up many good looking spots that hold whatever is a good buck for your area and be aggressive with each one.
I often see younger/newer hunters after 1 deer or just one area. That makes a person hang back and end up on the sidelines more worried about screwing up than succeeding. Even for very experienced hunters going after 1 deer is emotionally exhausting.
Pack as many screw ups into your first few seasons as possible! If you hang back you are just spreading out those screw ups over more seasons. Trust me they will still probably happen! Take your best guess and go with it. If it doesn't work out Area B is ready to go. When I realized that, my success level went up and my stress level went way down.
The nice thing about bow hunting is its a solitary sport, usually don't have people in the stands laughing at you like they would if you drop that pop fly or miss that free throw. No one is watching!
I often see younger/newer hunters after 1 deer or just one area. That makes a person hang back and end up on the sidelines more worried about screwing up than succeeding. Even for very experienced hunters going after 1 deer is emotionally exhausting.
Pack as many screw ups into your first few seasons as possible! If you hang back you are just spreading out those screw ups over more seasons. Trust me they will still probably happen! Take your best guess and go with it. If it doesn't work out Area B is ready to go. When I realized that, my success level went up and my stress level went way down.
The nice thing about bow hunting is its a solitary sport, usually don't have people in the stands laughing at you like they would if you drop that pop fly or miss that free throw. No one is watching!
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