Shooter sighting.. Now how do you put together the pieces?

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Debo03
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Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:18 am
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Shooter sighting.. Now how do you put together the pieces?

Unread postby Debo03 » Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:02 am

So I ran across a scenario the other day and have been running different scenarios of how to approach hunting this buck I saw the other day.

I was driving to my land to check a few cameras after work last Friday. I was riding a public road that is surrounded by federal land that is not huntable and my land backs up to it about 150 yards off the road. This road runs along the top of a ridge through this stretch with long fingers jutting off in either direction. I came around a turn and an incredible buck crossed the road 20 yards in front of the truck at around 4pm (hour before dark). A main frame 8 point that was pushing 150", I don't want to exaggerate and say he was larger than 150 because I know what it takes for an 8 to break 150 but I truly wouldn't be surprised if he surpassed that mark. His G2s were every bit of 15" inches long with towering G3s as well and well outside the ears. :L:

This buck was crossing the road in somewhat of a saddle, not really a saddle as the elevation didn't drop but the ends of two long hollers end on either side of the ridge which would create a saddle if the elevation dropped. It came from my land and was headed across the road toward some ag fields 300 yards or so off the other side. I noticed a rub at the tree line there, sappling destroyed. I decided to park the car and walk into the woods toward my property and see what it looked like. I could see what appeared to be a rub line running both directions in and out of that bottom at least for the first 70 yards headed down off the road. I didn't go much further than that as I was trying to beat the dark to check cameras.

That leads me to my question. I'm sure some of you have had similar encounters. If you see a target buck coming from land that you have permission to hunt, where do you start to begin putting together the pieces to hunt that deer. Also keep in mind that its now Dec 12, encounter was Dec 8th and you only have 3 more weeks to hunt. Likely just 2-3 sits.

In my scenario I'm thinking it will be hard to hunt this buck in the afternoon as my approach is severely limited as he is likely bedded pretty close to the federal land and appears to be feeding off my property. So I'm thinking my chances of catching him coming back from feeding to bed, or late morning supplemental feeding close to bedding is my best bet.

It's hill country but it's similar to what Dan describes on the scouting trip to KY where the hills are more rolling and very little ag or cover up top so narrowing down bedding locations becomes tough. My first sit is to pick the closest drainage to the road on leeward side and hunt the top of it hoping he passes at the top headed to bed on a point. If I should be hunting low then I don't even know where to begin, maybe only hunt low on light to no wind days?



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