New hunting area

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blizzardhunter
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New hunting area

Unread postby blizzardhunter » Fri Mar 01, 2013 10:35 am

I'm new to this forum and new to this style of hunting. I'm very interested in trying the beast style but am needing some pointers. I found my first buck bed by accident this fall and am trying to locate some more for this fall. This is a small area of interest on a roughly 180000 acres chunk of public land in western KY. Any help on where to start would be appreciated. Just wondering where some possible buck beds would be.

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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby dan » Fri Mar 01, 2013 10:51 am

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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby xpauliber » Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:45 am

How's that for service? 8-)
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby blizzardhunter » Fri Mar 01, 2013 4:44 pm

Well that helps alot and is several more places than I expected. I'm trying to get up there a week from saturday to check it out. One thing that you can't see on this map is there are about 8 old clear cuts scattered through that ridge line. They are small being around 6 or 8 acres each and probably 20 yrs old. When you walk up to them its like a solid wall.
One thing I'm confused on is the elevation differences on possible bed sites. Some areas you have them higher close to the ridge top and other places you have them marked lower on the ridge side. How do you determine about high how on the ridge side they will be? Also, I was under the impression the bucks would be bedded on the tips of points, but most of yours show them around the side. Do they tend to bed on the inside corner of the point where the air currents tend to suck up the ridge?
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby dan » Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:54 pm

The spots were picked based on where the steepness drops rapidly on turns in the contours of terrain. Some of my spots might be a little low, or a little high... What your looking for is the spot where a wind coming over the ridge would meet a thermal rising from the valley.
The spot where the 2 wind currents collide is where they bed.
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Sat Mar 02, 2013 10:43 am

I recognized that spot from my past cyber scouting of the area. There should be a hog running around there because of the nearby features just off the pic you posted. You should be behind most of the bow hunting pressure too. I'm looking forward to seeing how you do out there this year. The only negative I see down there is the seed ticks!
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby blizzardhunter » Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:57 pm

Deerslayer, last year turkey hunting down in the crop bottoms below this area we found a rub not much smaller than a telephone pole. I've seen a few bucks in years past come out of that area during the 2 day quota gun hunt. Some monsters for sure. In the last 2 seasons the KY side of LBL has produced 3 bucks over 190". I'm stoked to give it a try again and see what I can find. Just off running a couple trail cameras in areas of interest we have seen several bucks I would be stoked to shoot. I believe I will be by myself that far back in. The fa edge of the ridgeline where Dan marked possible beds is 1.73 miles from the nearest access. Where are you from?

Dan,
I've been looking at some points on maps. If I'm looking for where the terrain drops of steeper where there is a curve in the contour lines I get it. But does the terrain need to stay steep all the way to the bottom or what if it drops steep halfway down the point but the turns back into a gentle slope? About 97% of the timber is old growth hardwoods, which mean wide open woods with little ground cover. When I go in to scout, is it likely a buck would bed next to a tree or blowdown, or is he just as likely to bed 10ft from the nearest tree in the open? When he rises from his bed, will he head up the point to the ridgetop or stay on the ridge side and try to stay in the wind tunnel? I know there are many case by case factors, but just wondering if one or the other is more common. Trying to narrow this down as much as possible.
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Sat Mar 02, 2013 6:50 pm

I'm from Michigan, but I have hunted KY public land about 20-30 miles from LBL. I love going down there, but didn't make it last year because money was a bit too tight to make it. Motels are expensive and I don't like staying in them anyway. It seems to take the fun out of hunting and I have a hard time getting myself to go out. Just not my thing I guess. If I wasn't by myself down there maybe I would feel different. :confusion-shrug: I really LOVE the hill country down there, although I don't see myself making it this year either. I'm tired of motels. Maybe next year I can get a bigger truck so I can pull a camper.

Those crops are great for the deer and with all the sign around them it will keep a lot of the hunters close to those fields. I talked to the biologist for LBL a few years ago and he said they had just reduced the number of buck tags for gun hunters to increase the buck age structure so it should be even better this year.
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby dan » Sat Mar 02, 2013 11:57 pm

does the terrain need to stay steep all the way to the bottom or what if it drops steep halfway down the point but the turns back into a gentle slope?

Should not matter. They will bed above the steep area.

About 97% of the timber is old growth hardwoods, which mean wide open woods with little ground cover. When I go in to scout, is it likely a buck would bed next to a tree or blowdown, or is he just as likely to bed 10ft from the nearest tree in the open?
They are going to use a blowdown or a tree for cover in most cases.

When he rises from his bed, will he head up the point to the ridgetop or stay on the ridge side and try to stay in the wind tunnel?

They tend to go in the direction of where they want to go. They head towards food, water, or does... If there is any tendency, I see them hang up and stage along the wind tunnel a lot before dropping or rising.
but really, you need to perimeter scout and find which direction he is going.
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby Southern Man » Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:37 am

DEERSLAYER wrote:I'm from Michigan, but I have hunted KY public land about 20-30 miles from LBL.


Pennyrille?

DEERSLAYER wrote: Motels are expensive and I don't like staying in them anyway. It seems to take the fun out of hunting and I have a hard time getting myself to go out. Just not my thing I guess. If I wasn't by myself down there maybe I would feel different. :confusion-shrug: I really LOVE the hill country down there, although I don't see myself making it this year either. I'm tired of motels. Maybe next year I can get a bigger truck so I can pull a camper.


We put together a mean camp :mrgreen: We like to backcountry camp (meaning no campground). We like to find spots out away from everyone. If you need company, give us a shout. It's really hard to find people willing to put in the effort to hunt there. Another idea is Wranglers Camp in LBL. They cater to horseback riding but do have cabins available if you make reservations ahead of time. Wranglers is centrally located in LBL if you don't mind bein around horses.

DEERSLAYER wrote:Those crops are great for the deer and with all the sign around them it will keep a lot of the hunters close to those fields. I talked to the biologist for LBL a few years ago and he said they had just reduced the number of buck tags for gun hunters to increase the buck age structure so it should be even better this year.


Most of the hunters are around the fields bigtime, especially during quota hunts (Rifle). During bowseason, it's really underhunted. Alot of areas won't see a hunter all season.

DEERSLAYER wrote:The only negative I see down there is the seed ticks!


Not a problem. We have a solution for those.....
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby blizzardhunter » Sun Mar 03, 2013 12:12 pm

I see my dad beat me to telling you about the cabins at wranglers, and our camping excursions. The cabins at wranglers are pretty rustic and cheap, great for running a hunting camp out of. If you are interested in gun hunting LBL you could put in for the drawing with us. It's a $5 fee to apply, and you can apply online during the month of July. The drawing results come out around the second week of September. The hunt is always right at peak rut time. They did reduce the number of buck tags, and instead of having to 2- 2day quota hunts they only have one 2 day hunt. It is really impressive up there how well the age structure is managed since they have very little to work with. You said earlier that their should be a hog running around because some features just off the pic I posted. Are you talking about all the crop fields, and green fields?
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:26 pm

Southern Man wrote:Pennyrille?

:shhh: ;) Actually, Pennyrille is not as good as it used to be. I think LBL is better.

Southern Man wrote:We put together a mean camp :mrgreen: We like to backcountry camp (meaning no campground).

Are you talking tents?

Southern Man wrote:Not a problem. We have a solution for those.....

pyrethrin?
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:21 pm

blizzardhunter wrote:I see my dad beat me to telling you about the cabins at wranglers, and our camping excursions. The cabins at wranglers are pretty rustic and cheap, great for running a hunting camp out of.

I would rather share a camp, but I would like to hunt near wranglers because there is no gun hunting & I think a lot of hunters may shy away from the area because of the horses walking by.

blizzardhunter wrote:If you are interested in gun hunting LBL you could put in for the drawing with us. It's a $5 fee to apply, and you can apply online during the month of July. The drawing results come out around the second week of September.

I might just do that depending on how the system works. If it is a point system that goes by the person with the least points then I could hurt your chances.

blizzardhunter wrote:The hunt is always right at peak rut time.

Second weekend of November?

blizzardhunter wrote:They did reduce the number of buck tags, and instead of having to 2- 2day quota hunts they only have one 2 day hunt. It is really impressive up there how well the age structure is managed since they have very little to work with.

That sounds familiar. I think he either told me that or said they were thinking about doing it.

blizzardhunter wrote:You said earlier that their should be a hog running around because some features just off the pic I posted. Are you talking about all the crop fields, and green fields?

Yes, when I said that I was thinking about those fields, but I was also thinking there was a wildlife refuge next to it. However, I just double checked and it looks like the only refuge is a waterfowl refuge out on the water. Those crop fields are still a huge plus though and there should always be at least one hog in the area.
You cannot invade mainland America. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.
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blizzardhunter
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby blizzardhunter » Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:19 am

We are talking tents, sort of. We use a tent or two and then use a frame to tarp it all it. I'll see if I still have some pictures. Back in the day it was something to behold, but weve down sized lately. It's nice because you have your tent areas for your gear and sleeping but still have a big common area thats tarped in so you can cook out of the weather or if its cold heat everything with a kerosene heater.

If you don't get drawn for the quota hunt you do get a preference point, but we don't have any, we were drawn last. We get drawn most years, regardless of preference points.

We actually duck hunt right around that waterfowl refuge some. Not much area to benefit deer, but if you look in area 7 behind Energy Lake, that refuge extends a couple hundred yards into a swamp.

I have hunted close to wranglers some, but it is a pain with all the horseback riders. There are a lot of deer in that area, and just north of wranglers is a huge chunk of unbroken timber with the only access being horse trails. 3 years ago a man killed a buck that scored 196" in there.

If your interested we'll remind you when the application time gets here, it is a blast.
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Re: New hunting area

Unread postby xpauliber » Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:32 am

blizzardhunter wrote:I see my dad


I didn't realize Southern Man was your Dad. I must have missed your introduction post. Glad to have such great company here. 8-)


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