Never Same Tree Twice. So How Far Then?

[Emrah]

So I always hear and read about never hunting the same spot or same tree twice. But how far away is the next "spot"? I understand it all depends on the area, but in general, how far away would your next sit be to consider it a "different" spot? 50 yards? 300 yards? Half mile?

Emrah

[<DK>]

In general yes that means hunting a different bed but that also goes for guys that have multiple spots and can afford to do so. Mainly it means how many times can you pressure an area before its burned? Changing trees each time into a specific area is something many like to do.

Hunting from the outside in can be effective as well, slighlty encroaching closer each set. Some spots you can walk a creek right to your tree and its a fresh sit multiple times. Some days you may morning hunt a bed, nothing shows which gives you another crack. One day you might get a rain right after you leave which gives you another fresh sit. Some deer are different than others to where you can bump them multiple times. The point is... keep it a bedding area and keep the deer guessing.

[hunter_mike]

Everyones situation is going to be different but at least for me, when i talk about hunting a different "spot" or bedding area it could be a distance of as little as 150 yards or so. But that is on a relatively high deer density area with lots of really good bedding terrain features. If you are hunting an area with much lower deer density and much more homogeneous terrain (a 1000 acre flat wooded floodplain for example) then the good bedding areas are going to be way more spread out.

One of the most valuable things i learned the first time i went to dans scouting workshop was just the scale of things like how big is a buck bedding area, how far apart are they. One of those things you have to see instead of read. There are some great examples shown in dans dvds.

[Tennhunter3]

You can hunt the same tree usually twice a season.

How far to hunt from that setups a good question I have asked this before a good answer I don't think exist.

My setups this year will be at least 300 yards apart some of them are closer to a mile apart.

[magicman54494]

how far away is the next bed you want to hunt? that is your answer.

[tgreeno]

Like others have said, the answer is different for each individual situation. And how each sit goes. It could be 100 yard or 1/2 mile.

My plan going into the season is to sit a new bedding area each sit. I have 35 new different sets I want to get intel on for this season. If I get enough sits, maybe try to hit them all twice. At least the ones that I see fresh sign in.

[Brickhouse]

It depends. I have some spots I will be hunting that are half a mile or more apart on the same piece of land and others that are 75 or 100 yards apart. It just completely depends on the area

[Boogieman1]

In general yes that means hunting a different bed but that also goes for guys that have multiple spots and can afford to do so. Mainly it means how many times can you pressure an area before its burned? Changing trees each time into a specific area is something many like to do.

Hunting from the outside in can be effective as well, slighlty encroaching closer each set. Some spots you can walk a creek right to your tree and its a fresh sit multiple times. Some days you may morning hunt a bed, nothing shows which gives you another crack. One day you might get a rain right after you leave which gives you another fresh sit. Some deer are different than others to where you can bump them multiple times. The point is... keep it a bedding area and keep the deer guessing.

X2
I say I very rarely sit the same kill site tree more than once. But I might sit the same observation stand every day for a week to give me all the intell I need to only need one set in a certain tree. Also some of our properties don't hold the bucks actual bedding area on property so we have to plan the hand we are delt. I would assume when Dan says first time in, he is refering to a well planned kill site.

[stash59]

Check out the Chasing A Dream video on The Hunting Beast YouTube channel. Lot of examples that shows this.

[elk yinzer]

I don't like using never statements. Especially in rut, If I know an area is hot and I didn't spook a bunch of deer on the first sit, I'll even go right back the same week if conditions are right. In my opinion our mountain deer tend to rotate between several beds rather haphazardly. Given that, they aren't quite as patternable so that certainly come into play also.

[<DK>]

I don't like using never statements. Especially in rut, If I know an area is hot and I didn't spook a bunch of deer on the first sit, I'll even go right back the same week if conditions are right. In my opinion our mountain deer tend to rotate between several beds rather haphazardly. Given that, they aren't quite as patternable so that certainly come into play also.

Excellent points!

[fireforeffect]

“Another big mistake is the thought of ‘overhunting’ a hot spot. I’ve seen guys leave red-hot spots that were really happening—and just let them fizzle out. I would say don’t back off and let that golden opportunity slip away you. When you find really hot sign you need to get on it and stay on it.” - Andrae D'Acquisto

Do not abandon hot sign unless it turns cold. Move when it makes sense, and stay when it makes sense. Worst case scenario; you burn that spot, but if its hot it may be your best opportunity.

[bowfreak8]

I think it all depends on the spot. I have a spot that I sit every year but you only get one crack at it. It's tucked up real close to a small bedding area and the action is always hot that first sit but after 1 sit it's dead. I almost connected on a massive 9pt in that spot but it skirted by just out of range.

The spot I shot my buck in last year was my 3rd sit in that bedding area. I kept pushing the issue and getting closer and closer until I finally connected. I was only moving about 50 yards at a time but was downwind of the bedding area and deer didn't really come or go downwind of my location. They would drop in to this bedding area from fields on top of a ridge and exit that way. This spot was good for multiple sits.

[Kraftd]

There is no rule, and I think that is an important part of figuring things out. Let your scouting, the current sign, and what you are seeing tell you the answer. If you go in with preset answers to questions like this, you are very susceptible to missing out on clues that will tell you the real answer.

If you are hunting a specific buck or bed and are trying to get to his next bed if you feel you've pushed him out of the one you're hunting, then without scouting or at least a good guess where that may be, you're stabbing in the dark. He may move 60 yards, or half a mile.

If you're hunting more travel routes or rut spots like funnels, if your access is good, you could easily get a couple of days out of a spot. In those situations, rut in particular, if I'm seeing good action, likely from a hot doe or does in the immediate area I do two things. First, never be afraid of small moves, even mid-sit. I've killed a couple of good ones making 30-100 yard moves in the middle of a sit based on mid-sit observations. If you see a hot doe go through with a buck trailing just out of range, move if you can, very likely to be another buck coming. I'm sure we've all watched a train of bucks move by at 80 yards once or twice and kicked ourself for not trying to get in the game just hoping one will wander over. Part of being mobile, is truly being mobile. Second, if I'm on good action on more travel patterns like that, I'd usually rather give it one sit too many, than leave it hot. For instance, if I'm seeing a lot of action from a hot doe for an afternoon and morning sit, more than likely I'll plan on sitting all day the second day, but at a minimum, sit the evening too. Rather know the does is done and I've exhausted that opportunity than not. All that said, small 20-50 yard moves can keep you in the game, especially if you think they are on to your tree.

I'm not nearly as experienced a bed hunter as many here, but I'd think that if you trust your access and your intel, giving a spot another sit couldn't hurt, especially if you're moving on afterwards anyways. Say you see a buck skirt you from the bed just out of range, but your access and wind were good. If you have the same wind the next day, no harm in making even a 30 yard move and taking a stab a it.

[Rich M]

I hunted a property that had not been hunted in 4 or 5 years. Was the primary guy to hunt back there and saw a bunch of deer. Took 3 days for the deer to pattern me. I still saw the ones passing thru 150/200 yards out but the close ones only lasted 3 days. Every year less big bucks were seen - they learned to stay away. The rut was diff, this is normal patterns.

It also seems like a big part of many successful hunts is being ready to do what you have to do in order to succeed. If you see a buck enter a finger of land jutting out into a swamp, you know were he is and have to move to intercept him when he leaves. If you see 2 big bucks walk near the old elm, you had better get over there kind of thing.