I was at a friend's property recently and really noticed how different people's approaches can be to hunting "good spots". When we'd find a well used deer trail or lots of sign, my immediate thought was to figure out which tree I want to hunt from and get of there without disturbing anything. Next time in to that spot is to hunt and that's it. He's on the other end of the spectrum. His first thought was where does the ladder stand/camera/feeder go, when can we come back to cut a trail and shooting lanes, etc. I think there's a time and place for both and everything in between but it got me thinking about what our default settings are as hunters and how we approach things. What's your typical approach when finding a "good spot"? Thoughts?
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Attract them or leave them undisturbed?
- Thread starter brydan
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My thinking is like yours... On the little bit of private land I still hunt the neighbors operate like your friend and are quite unsuccessful, I take great satisfaction when I see trail cam pictures all over bookface of bucks they think made it and I have boiled and hanging on my wall since I tell them nothing lol.
Noonespecial
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Keep doing what you are doing.
It depends...
On my lease, we found and/or made good spots years ago. We take time to plant, bait, trim, and build to optimize those spots, and then we monitor with trail cams until the time is right to go sit that spot. We have very high success rates because we basically only hunt when we know we'll kill. I've hunted there twice this year and killed one and missed one. Very high odds.
On public land you can't control the pressure or the food, which means deer are more fickle and you have to spend more time looking for deer than anything else. When you find a spot you hit it while it's hot, and you have to not get attached because deer movement may dry up for a variety of reasons. The pressure you're applying, the pressure somebody else is applying, dried up food, etc.
On my lease, we found and/or made good spots years ago. We take time to plant, bait, trim, and build to optimize those spots, and then we monitor with trail cams until the time is right to go sit that spot. We have very high success rates because we basically only hunt when we know we'll kill. I've hunted there twice this year and killed one and missed one. Very high odds.
On public land you can't control the pressure or the food, which means deer are more fickle and you have to spend more time looking for deer than anything else. When you find a spot you hit it while it's hot, and you have to not get attached because deer movement may dry up for a variety of reasons. The pressure you're applying, the pressure somebody else is applying, dried up food, etc.
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Another thing I always forget when deer hunting tactic threads pop up is I am after mature bucks 95% of the time, my head is always thinking in those terms, everybody's goals are different, for mature animals I say keep a low profile...
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In my experience, the only way it works well to pick the tree first is if you can and will use bait or another attractant. Baiting is legal in WV on private land, and I've done it in the past but don't now (I don't hunt much private land now either).
For me, a spot has all those factors to consider (deer sign, direction of travel of deer, wind direction, access, good trees, etc) and so I hardly ever find a situation that hits the high points on all those factors. I'm usually sacrificing a little here or there. I watched a video the other day from a guy stating it is absolutely paramount to have the Sun at your back and in the deer's eyes. I was thinking "that is ideal, but towards the end of my list. if I ever find the perfect tree, I'll write you a youtube comment over it".
Without bait, the number 1 for me is being near deer in a way that won't spook them. A great tree otherwise is just a tree house location.
For me, a spot has all those factors to consider (deer sign, direction of travel of deer, wind direction, access, good trees, etc) and so I hardly ever find a situation that hits the high points on all those factors. I'm usually sacrificing a little here or there. I watched a video the other day from a guy stating it is absolutely paramount to have the Sun at your back and in the deer's eyes. I was thinking "that is ideal, but towards the end of my list. if I ever find the perfect tree, I'll write you a youtube comment over it".
Without bait, the number 1 for me is being near deer in a way that won't spook them. A great tree otherwise is just a tree house location.
lol. It's "absolutely paramount" to sit somewhere deer walk by. That's about the end of it.
Both ways can be successful if done correctly. Cut the lanes, get it set. But stay the heck out until the wind, and conditions are right. Not every Friday night or when you want to go hunting. But if that's how you enjoy hunting all the power to you. Not everyone hunts to kill the biggest buck in the woods. It can be time spent with your kids/family/friends, or just turning your phone off and enjoying nature.
But.... I do think all these TV shows have made people to believe that all you need to do is find a good spot, bait it, and wait for the big one to come in. I feel victim to that idea. It worked some of the time. But I started having more luck away from the food plots than on them. I started to look at the wind more. Conditions. Fresh sign. That has become more exciting to me than hoping one comes along. You are still doing that being mobile, but hopefully increasing your odds of connecting.
But.... I do think all these TV shows have made people to believe that all you need to do is find a good spot, bait it, and wait for the big one to come in. I feel victim to that idea. It worked some of the time. But I started having more luck away from the food plots than on them. I started to look at the wind more. Conditions. Fresh sign. That has become more exciting to me than hoping one comes along. You are still doing that being mobile, but hopefully increasing your odds of connecting.
My approach is exactly like yours. Great spot! . . . what's the best wind to hunt it? . . . where's the best setup tree I can shot to it from and still have some cover? . . . How am I going to access this with disturbing it?
Those are the questions I'm asking myself immediately. Then I mark the spot on a hunting app or try to allocate to my memory and I leave it alone until the conditions are right. I rarely clear anything short of maybe breaking a couple of small twigs within reach right after I set up. Part of my tree selection criteria is being able to shoot to at least a couple points in the area.
It's all situational. I let the nature of the area, the hunting pressure, the time of year I find the spot vs. when I plan on hunting it etc. determine how I treat a "good spot". I treat my one good spot on my 10 acre piece of private very differently than I treat good spots on public. Like @Nutterbuster mentioned, you can create good spots if you can control the pressure, food, cover etc.
When I find a spot that makes me want to set up (this is rare for me, most hunts I end up still hunting until dark) I give it a sit. If I don't see the suspected buck who I set up for, I'm back in there the next day scouting every inch of that area and figuring out exactly how the buck was using that spot, taking detailed pictures and videos of everything. Then once I have a good understanding of how he's using a certain spot, I can just check the nocturnal sign on the outskirts to see if he's still using that area in the future. Most of the time I would rather just keep scouting/still hunting, trying to catch the buck by total surprise and get an arrow in him as we're both slipping through one of these "good spots" than to bounce around sitting the good spots I've already found.
When I find a spot that makes me want to set up (this is rare for me, most hunts I end up still hunting until dark) I give it a sit. If I don't see the suspected buck who I set up for, I'm back in there the next day scouting every inch of that area and figuring out exactly how the buck was using that spot, taking detailed pictures and videos of everything. Then once I have a good understanding of how he's using a certain spot, I can just check the nocturnal sign on the outskirts to see if he's still using that area in the future. Most of the time I would rather just keep scouting/still hunting, trying to catch the buck by total surprise and get an arrow in him as we're both slipping through one of these "good spots" than to bounce around sitting the good spots I've already found.