How Much Human Sign is a Deal Breaker for You?

[AvidHunter88]

Recently I was hunting a WMA nowhere near a large city, hunting 1/2 mile in off a trail, close to a mile from the truck and I find a climber & trail camera on an oak flat I wanted to hunt. I ended up hunting roughly 120 yards further up, closer to bedding and had a nice 8pt come in at 7pm and start feeding around me. The buck stayed on the ridge top, nowhere near bow range of that stand or camera during daylight. There's no doubt in my mind he knew where he should and shouldn't go during daylight and so did the group of deer he met up with.

If you know where the deer are coming and going you can anticipate other hunters pressure in your favor, key is how well you scouted the winter before

This sounds similar to my situation so that makes me feel like I didn't make a mistake sitting it that night. The camera is about halfway across the island. Based on my scouting this winter, the bedding is off a point on the far side of the island which is where I set up. My tree is about 100 yds past where I saw the camera and the bedding a little further than that. I wasn't sure if that was far enough away to make a difference or if I should've just abandoned the island all together. I'll probably give it another 2 sits this year and see what happens and then do some more scouting in the off season to see if I can't find where they might be going if they are feeling too pressured.

[Waymore]

You need a portable card reader to see what's out there

[flinginairos]

If it's anything like the areas I hunt, guys will hang a stand and hunt it once, maybe twice in a season. You can generally tell when someone is hammering an area hard if you look around. I'm not afraid to hunt near another stand if I know it isn't used a bunch but when I see stands along with a camera or bait i'm out.

[AvidHunter88]

I wanted to revive this this topic but with a little twist. When I originally posted this, it was in regards to coming across someone else’s trail camera when I went to set up on an oak island last year. This year, I found what I thought was a perfect overlooked spot near the road. Went in, set up, had a shooter buck come from the direction of suspected bedding, and all in all was a good hunt minus not having a shot at the buck. As I was taking down my stand I saw another hunters headlamp leaving the woods from the general area of between where I sat and where I’m almost positive they’re bedding.

I’d hate to give up on the spot because I just had a near perfect beast style hunt but at the same time it’s clearly not as over looked as I’d hoped. I don’t know exactly where he was sitting but from the general direction he came from I got the feeling he either didn't know where they bed and if he did then wasn’t playing the wind right. Is this one of those situations where you try to figure out where he sits and use it to your advantage, is it enough pressure to you where you’re moving on from this spot in the future, or do you have a different take? It’s about a 4 or 5 acres spot if that matters.

I think if I hadn't seen the buck and then saw the other hunter my mind would be made up and I'd be moving on but that piece is what's making me think a little harder on this one. Appreciate the input guys.

[tgreeno]

I wanted to revive this this topic but with a little twist. When I originally posted this, it was in regards to coming across someone else’s trail camera when I went to set up on an oak island last year. This year, I found what I thought was a perfect overlooked spot near the road. Went in, set up, had a shooter buck come from the direction of suspected bedding, and all in all was a good hunt minus not having a shot at the buck. As I was taking down my stand I saw another hunters headlamp leaving the woods from the general area of between where I sat and where I’m almost positive they’re bedding.

I’d hate to give up on the spot because I just had a near perfect beast style hunt but at the same time it’s clearly not as over looked as I’d hoped. I don’t know exactly where he was sitting but from the general direction he came from I got the feeling he either didn't know where they bed and if he did then wasn’t playing the wind right. Is this one of those situations where you try to figure out where he sits and use it to your advantage, is it enough pressure to you where you’re moving on from this spot in the future, or do you have a different take? It’s about a 4 or 5 acres spot if that matters.

I think if I hadn't seen the buck and then saw the other hunter my mind would be made up and I'd be moving on but that piece is what's making me think a little harder on this one. Appreciate the input guys.

IMO...You saw a shooter buck coming from the suspected bedding. It sounds like a spot I would be hunting again. Soon! My guess is...The other guy might have just been sitting a random spot close to the road to be lazy, and had no idea of your encounter? Sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut :)

[Killemquietly]

Put up a well hidden camera to see how often he checks his

[headgear]

Yep you saw the buck, I would never give up on an areas like that unless it was obviously being consistently hunted by others. Really never give up on spots if you know they are good and the bucks are using them, even if other hunters hit them once in a while that doesn't rule out you making a kill there. Certainly be prepared and have backup plans but these spots could still produce even with a little extra pressure from others. Like you said, they might not know exact bedding, they might not know how to setup on it and they might have just gotten lucky.

[briar]

After years on this site it seems to me that once you have hunted a spot more than once, you are the pressure and other hunters aren't any more of a hindrance than you are to your success...that's the whole idea of being mobile. I see a lot of Hunter sign in Pennsylvania. Some has been there for years and years. If it looks that way, I just ignore it. I do know since the beast I've only had one camera have people on it in about 4 years. That makes me feel I'm at least semi doing the right things.

[oldrank]

There is no amount of human sign that would keep me from an area. If I know there is a buck in the area I am hunting it. I will maneuver around the humans.

[bowfreak8]

I'd definitely give that area another sit since you saw a shooter. I know it can be a little deflating seeing other hunters and definitely makes you think about moving on to another area.

[<DK>]

Scent wicks and pee bottles.

Should be a name of a new country song

[Hawthorne]

If there are nice bucks living there in daylight, there are overlooked spots no matter how many people

[headgear]

I'd definitely give that area another sit since you saw a shooter. I know it can be a little deflating seeing other hunters and definitely makes you think about moving on to another area.

Yep I'd be back in there asap, he might have smelled you or the other hunter and be long gone but it is worth a shot.

[Thesouthpaw]

I wouldn't worry about it too much since you saw a shooter. The Beast style is meant to bounce around other hunters and kill bucks that they don't see in the daylight.

[ZTachick]

Where is this by chance? Sounds really familiar and have my cam soaking for past month