Am I on the right track?

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btsnhos
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:57 pm

Coalcracker wrote:You'll be hitting the woods at an opportune time. Late October will be fantastic for finding buck sign. Scout/hunt your way around the area.

If this is a long term(years) endeavor, I would break down the ridge systems into sections. Looking at your map, I found at least (5) main ridge system areas. Many different ways to break it down but I like doing outside/in. Starting with access points along the road. Drive around the entire area using the closest roads to determine the most heavily used access points. Look for back door foot trails or even quad trails (legal or not). When I start boot scouting, I again like "circling" the area around the outer most fringes looking for those hidden or not shown access trails or even logging roads not yet on maps. Doing this could eliminate some area right off the bat. Finally, I would start breaking down the sections. Terrain is great to look at on maps but I'd be looking for edges like clear cuts first. Then, 1/3 elevation and point bedding areas within each section. One section at a time. It may take a year of in depth scouting for each section. Once your done with the general scouting plus the hunts in a few years, you will have (5) main hunting areas which you are familiar. As time goes, you will learn to check specific places within each section that consistently tells you a large buck is "in there". I like to start furthest away because as I'm scouting and hunting, I'm walking through the other sections becoming more familiar and of course looking for sign of a big buck.

For shorter term endeavors, I believe scout/hunting by staying mobile looking for fresh sign would work best. Dan and THP have some really good hunting videos on short term hunts (Challenges) that pretty much spell it out for us.


This is great advice for any area, my mother in law lives in the area so i will be frequenting a lot, I am actually re watching the deer tour/challenges right now.


btsnhos
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Fri Jul 23, 2021 8:15 pm

When I am scouting these ridge systems I always end up finding rubs and a few beds on points throughout the ridge and they are all similar, sometimes I will find 6, 7, 8 etc different ridges within a 1/4 mile all with beds and rubs. How do you prioritize or narrow down these points to find out where the buck/bucks are spending the most time? I know they will be bedding on the leeward side of the ridges usually with cover to their backs but I will see that a lot of these beds have all of those features, is it a scout/scout/scout/scout/hunt mindset and shift tactics/location according to the hunt? Does this change drastically pre/post rut?
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rfickes87
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby rfickes87 » Fri Jul 23, 2021 11:57 pm

btsnhos wrote:When I am scouting these ridge systems I always end up finding rubs and a few beds on points throughout the ridge and they are all similar, sometimes I will find 6, 7, 8 etc different ridges within a 1/4 mile all with beds and rubs. How do you prioritize or narrow down these points to find out where the buck/bucks are spending the most time? I know they will be bedding on the leeward side of the ridges usually with cover to their backs but I will see that a lot of these beds have all of those features, is it a scout/scout/scout/scout/hunt mindset and shift tactics/location according to the hunt? Does this change drastically pre/post rut?


"How do you prioritize or narrow down these points to find out where the buck/bucks are spending the most time?"
-one way could be the use of a few well placed cameras. get these bucks in mid day time then you know you've greatly narrowed down there core area. perhaps a camera 1/3 to the top of a draw between two points, usually there is a nice trail there that connects two points.
-Also take a close look at the turd sizes and rub heights. I get excited when i see a fairly high rub and you see tine marks on an adjacent tree that is a foot away.
-Throw sits at different areas and just try your luck. Don't get complacent, move to another spot the next evening. Sometimes when I change up a sit and try a different area I'll be walking in to hunt a known bedding area and as I'm following a path of least resistance (or some type of transition or elevation line) I'll walk up on hot buck trail that I didn't know about prior and I'll just climb a tree right there "IF" I know its coming from bedding, big IF there. Killed a nice one and had a chance at another both in early season 2 out of the last 3 years doing that...both instances right at last light and both were first time sits. If it's just a random deer trail then no thanks.

-"Does this change drastically pre/post rut?"
-for me yes bedding changes drastically even by prerut. you get a few frosts and so much vegetation starts to lay down and die here in PA. Leaves start to fall, opening up the view in the woods. Food changes. Also pressure has pushed bucks back into tighter bedding areas. That's why to me post season scouting is so crucial. B/c If you can find bedding at that time then that to me is security that they can use all year round. Mountain laurel for instance, remains thick and green leaved thru winter....great bedding and almost always where i see the most well worn to the dirt beds . Also thick clear cuts are great.

Grassy areas/seasonal transitions for example, that hold great bedding in summer/early fall are not as good anymore by pre rut and I've been burned many times by trying to hunting these areas because usually its too late in the year and the bedding's just not there anymore.
"Pressure and Time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time..."
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Coalcracker
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby Coalcracker » Tue Jul 27, 2021 11:45 pm

btsnhos wrote:When I am scouting these ridge systems I always end up finding rubs and a few beds on points throughout the ridge and they are all similar, sometimes I will find 6, 7, 8 etc different ridges within a 1/4 mile all with beds and rubs. How do you prioritize or narrow down these points to find out where the buck/bucks are spending the most time? I know they will be bedding on the leeward side of the ridges usually with cover to their backs but I will see that a lot of these beds have all of those features, is it a scout/scout/scout/scout/hunt mindset and shift tactics/location according to the hunt? Does this change drastically pre/post rut?


What a good problem to have. Actually, I have one particular area I hunt where deer sign is so consistent on each ridge spur it blows my mind. Literally. Causes much confusion as to the preferred buck bedding, it appears all too random. There are many different approaches to this "problem". Here's what I have learned-

#1. Assume each of those bedding locations will be used any give day, any given time. Do your best to avoid bumping deer off the same general bedding areas on a consistent basis.

#2. There are (for me in this area) Two main travel routes: 1/3 elevation from top and 1/4 to 1/3 elevation from bottom. Additionally, saddles are common crossing points on top. If you can access these trails without being detected, hunt between bedding areas.

#3. Determine the better doe bedding areas as you get into the rut phases. Your hunt will start at this time, so, if you can pinpoint doe groups, you can set up on their bedding. Catch a cruising buck.

I've started using thermals to hunt this area. I can only access from the top of the mountain. I wait until mid-morning, rising thermals, to access the 1/3 from top elevation or above bedding. I've seen good buck movement late in the morning during rut stages above doe bedding. In the evenings, I hunt another property or I hunt a saddle/crossing on top. Thermals start dropping and deer cross the top from both sides.

My best evening hunts are on another piece of ground. Again, I wait for dropping thermals, access from the bottom and hunt the 1/3 from bottom elevation on a ridge point. Ridge points in my opinion are the ticket in mountain terrain. Bucks can lay on either side or on the point itself. They just move around based on the wind. When the thermals drop, they can loop the point smelling everything above. Then, continue on their way along the main ridge sidehill smelling both above and any intersecting trails they cross. The key here is access to the bottom edge undetected either by sight or smell.

Think edges when looking at these terrain features. Such as a clear cut on the flat above a ridge point of thick rhododendron that has an edge near the bottom. This would be ideal in mountain terrain with a high edge, lower edge and edges to either side. Bedding, food, cover and water all within few hundred yards of each other.

Overall, I think methodically breaking down the total area you want to hunt long term will be most beneficial. Years down the road you will have many more options available and you could never have too many in the deer woods. It only takes one other hunter finding a "secret" spot of yours to make Plan B, C and D very helpful.
Shoot Straight
btsnhos
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:06 am

thanks rfickes87 and coalcracker for the bedding advice, it will take alot of boots on the ground and hunting. I will be doing alot of post season scouting of that area since it's looking like I can only have a couple hunts this year.


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