Stand Approach

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Greg4579
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Greg4579 » Mon Jan 09, 2017 6:51 am

creepingdeth wrote:first year guy who made the decision that simple things like wind, thermals, and in/outs will make my sits more productive. i actually have seen deer and thats a victory for me personally!!! lots to soak up, thats why im here, thanks to all

This x1000! Reading this thread has made me cringe at how I enter some of the areas I hunt. As I made the decision to hunt differently in 2017, I have already noticed in the scouting trips I have taken post-season that I am paying a lot of attention to things like how I need the wind to be blowing to enter a spot, how the thermals would typically work in a spot and how I could best enter so as not to disturb the deer. Additionally, I used to get real discouraged to see deer stands in a new area, but being out in the snow yesterday let me know there is a good buck still around after the season on a new suburban area I was scouting. This buck survived despite two stands and obvious hunting pressure. The one key advantage that we have over the deer is our brains, and we need to learn to fight basic human nature and lazy approaches. Great stuff!


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Octang
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Octang » Mon Jan 09, 2017 2:51 pm

I typically enter the woods with all the tact and fervor of a college marching band, lacking only the grand finale fireworks celebration when I finally reach my stand, then spend the next four hours scratching my head wondering where all the deer are.

Keenly aware of my failings, I have made a concerted effort to be more 'ninja' and less 'halftime show' this past season, and will be taking it infinitely more seriously next year.
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Matt6506 » Thu Jan 26, 2017 4:53 pm

This is my main goal for 2017, to work on my entrances and exits. I feel at times I have the tendency to get lazy on my routes. I'm sure I would be shocked if I knew the amount of hunts in my life that were ruined before they ever began due to a poor entrance.
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby HogFan07 » Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:46 am

Not having any hunters in my family it has been a huge learning curve. I spent years just doing really dumb stuff. Between just experience/age, Dan's video's, this site and things I have read about topography. Wind and access still kick my but, but I have officially shot my first public land buck/first but with a bow.

Some places and times I have noticed it makes a difference more than others. What you can get away with on an urban type hunt with deer moving both with the wind and against the wind doesn't work on the wide open public land.

One question about access is would it be better to take a ridge top (walking into the wind) and keeping quiet or attempt taking a better route through steep ditches/ravines where deer won't go but you can't help but make a lot of noise? I tried walking up the side of the ravine but it is still very hard not to make noise.
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Bowhuntermnsd » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:17 am

HogFan07 wrote:Not having any hunters in my family it has been a huge learning curve. I spent years just doing really dumb stuff. Between just experience/age, Dan's video's, this site and things I have read about topography. Wind and access still kick my but, but I have officially shot my first public land buck/first but with a bow.

Some places and times I have noticed it makes a difference more than others. What you can get away with on an urban type hunt with deer moving both with the wind and against the wind doesn't work on the wide open public land.

One question about access is would it be better to take a ridge top (walking into the wind) and keeping quiet or attempt taking a better route through steep ditches/ravines where deer won't go but you can't help but make a lot of noise? I tried walking up the side of the ravine but it is still very hard not to make noise.



This is a good question. I guess I would tend to choose the ditches/ravines and do my best to be quiet. I remind myself that I'm not the only animal in the woods, and if I'm creating noise I try to mimic the sounds of animals moving through... rather then stomp, stomp, stomp. Obviously I'm not saying you need to become an expert on animal sounds in the woods, but to me my scent hangs around a lot longer than my noise. I also avoid being on any ridge tops because it's so easy to silhouette yourself. I figure if it's easy for me to spot movement on a ridge line, how much easier for a deer...
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:52 am

HogFan07 wrote:One question about access is would it be better to take a ridge top (walking into the wind) and keeping quiet or attempt taking a better route through steep ditches/ravines where deer won't go but you can't help but make a lot of noise? I tried walking up the side of the ravine but it is still very hard not to make noise.


Sometimes it sucks...Most of the time the easiest & quietest routes are not the "best" routes. If that ridge top makes you visible to all the deer on both sides of it as you enter, I would say no. I think you would be better walking the military crest or thru the ravine. To keep your visibility to a minimum. If possible, clear a bit of a path. Even if you can't legally cut a path, you can clear it to make your walk stealthier.
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Jonny » Wed Mar 08, 2017 12:53 pm

Just don't sound like a human
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Killemquietly » Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:49 am

Anybody here insist on leaving a different way than you came in? I.e. making a large loop instead of backtracking the way you came in?
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby basspro05 » Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:44 am

Bump...great tactics on stand approach!
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Jonny » Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:47 am

Killemquietly wrote:Anybody here insist on leaving a different way than you came in? I.e. making a large loop instead of backtracking the way you came in?


I would think it would be better to leave exactly the same way you came in. Only one ground scent trail then right? Although for me I am typically moving to another spot the next hunt so I like to take a large loop to just see what is around for sign and find out if the area is as bad as I thought it was, or was I just off the spot I should be in.

Hunted an area a couple times last year. Just sucked in general. Took a large loop back along a transition from swamp to hardwoods. Answered my question, just no deer around. Although I did come close to sticking a doe 50' from 3 trucks and 2 guys talking
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Killemquietly
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Killemquietly » Thu Aug 17, 2017 5:09 am

Jonny wrote:
Killemquietly wrote:Anybody here insist on leaving a different way than you came in? I.e. making a large loop instead of backtracking the way you came in?


I would think it would be better to leave exactly the same way you came in. Only one ground scent trail then right? Although for me I am typically moving to another spot the next hunt so I like to take a large loop to just see what is around for sign and find out if the area is as bad as I thought it was, or was I just off the spot I should be in.

Hunted an area a couple times last year. Just sucked in general. Took a large loop back along a transition from swamp to hardwoods. Answered my question, just no deer around. Although I did come close to sticking a doe 50' from 3 trucks and 2 guys talking


I think the one trail of ground scent makes sense unless you plan to attack the area several times and different ways. I specifically had in mind an oak island located in the middle of a marsh of sawgrass. We hunt that island several times a season, but i think if we (me and 1 buddy) go in an leave the same trail everytime, they'll pattern us quickly. Kinda like to keep em guessing, as they're not going to move far from those acorns, and like you said to see what's going on for sign around it. Up until last year, we've never been to the back side of that island, guess where we found the beds? yup right along that backside, even though the predominant wind is a cross wind to their beds. I'm thinking they feel safe as no one ever comes through the sawgrass from the back side. It's a 600 yard walk of mush and swamp, but i'm going to hip boot it this year. I just bought a spotting scope, I'd like to go do an observation sit about 200 yards from it before the season opens. Good luck this season.
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby Bonehead » Sat Dec 02, 2017 2:26 am

I usually walk in with no light or a red light (when I need it). Do you guys use flashlights to navigate through the dark or set up your stands?
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby csoult » Sat Dec 02, 2017 2:42 am

Entrance is everything, exit however depends obviously on how many times you plan to hunt the area. Exit seems to be a much harder thing for me because the areas I hunt have acorns everywhere so there are no true deer destinations to avoid.
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Fri Jan 05, 2018 5:07 am

up in the mountains I like to hunt long narrow benches with cliff drop offs where bucks bed. I boarder line rock climb up the faces and set my saddle hang right on the cliff. I'm about thirty foot high over the bench and a 100 foot off the cliff side on military crest. not for faint of heart but it works and does not burn the spot out fast.
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Re: Stand Approach

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Fri Jan 05, 2018 5:18 am

anybody ever see how they make a crop circle with a plank. you can do this out too a island in cattails and make an undetectable path. the first fifty yards in from hardwoods I don't disturb a thing then I plank walk to where I want to go and get in a tree that is in the cattails off the island. then I hang my socks on my entry point. sounds crazy but its been working.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL A HUNTER HAS IS BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS


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