• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Team 10

First year hunting public?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I explored some last year in December. Been trying to open up my options. As rut closes in I will probably be back on private early November. So new to the saddle, new to Public. I haven't set my expectations for October high. Was just hoping to see some deer on public. 27 years on the same private.
Tonight I was over looking some marshy area. Hoping to see some movement. Try to key in on some areas. I think the rain didn't help. Definitely need to do more scouting late/post season. Get more familiar with the terrian.
 
I explored some last year in December. Been trying to open up my options. As rut closes in I will probably be back on private early November. So new to the saddle, new to Public. I haven't set my expectations for October high. Was just hoping to see some deer on public. 27 years on the same private.
Tonight I was over looking some marshy area. Hoping to see some movement. Try to key in on some areas. I think the rain didn't help. Definitely need to do more scouting late/post season. Get more familiar with the terrian.
Got ya. Diving in is hard and I certainly can't speak for Michigan. Scouting is certainly the key and realizing you can use people to your advantage just as much as knowing how the deer move. You familiar with topo maps/google earth? I spend way too much time on the two. Usually you can find some well used trails on google earth. Compare that to topo maps to see what terrain features the deer in your area seem to like. Or maybe you can see what edge features they're preferring.
 
I'm headed west for a 5 day hunt on some public ground I scouted a few months ago starting tomorrow. I'll have the following week off to hunt around home. Cell service is sparse and I'm honestly just thinking of shutting it off for a few days while I'm out there. Good luck guys!
 
I'm headed west for a 5 day hunt on some public ground I scouted a few months ago starting tomorrow. I'll have the following week off to hunt around home. Cell service is sparse and I'm honestly just thinking of shutting it off for a few days while I'm out there. Good luck guys!
Good luck! It's the perfect time to drop off the grid for some quiet time!
 
Trying to figure out what to do this weekend. It's my daughter's birthday on Sunday so I got all day Saturday to hunt.

Option 1
There is a junk of public that isn't hunted to hard. There is a spot where I can observe and potentially call in a buck if I see one. I know does hang out in this area. I can observe for the morning then scout a well known area for sign for the evening hunt.

My father in law decided to go deep in there today just to walk around. Walked by this tree I got preset and all over bedding. Said he blew up the area, got busted a bunch and didn't see a ton of tracks (we just got fresh snow). I'm not to worried of the lack of tracks because I know there's does there and if they start to come into heat I can hunt the does bedding in hopes of catching a buck cruising.

My only hold up is did him going in all over today screw it up for Saturday? There are wolves in the area so maybe they are used to getting pushed around?

Option 2
A big junk of public that seems some pressure, but also has good deer numbers on it. I think I can get in deep enough to get away from folks, but it would be completely blind. Just E-scouting. Maybe try to setup early and observe the morning and scout from there.

Give me your 2 cents guy. What do you think I should do?
 
Trying to figure out what to do this weekend. It's my daughter's birthday on Sunday so I got all day Saturday to hunt.

Option 1
There is a junk of public that isn't hunted to hard. There is a spot where I can observe and potentially call in a buck if I see one. I know does hang out in this area. I can observe for the morning then scout a well known area for sign for the evening hunt.

My father in law decided to go deep in there today just to walk around. Walked by this tree I got preset and all over bedding. Said he blew up the area, got busted a bunch and didn't see a ton of tracks (we just got fresh snow). I'm not to worried of the lack of tracks because I know there's does there and if they start to come into heat I can hunt the does bedding in hopes of catching a buck cruising.

My only hold up is did him going in all over today screw it up for Saturday? There are wolves in the area so maybe they are used to getting pushed around?

Option 2
A big junk of public that seems some pressure, but also has good deer numbers on it. I think I can get in deep enough to get away from folks, but it would be completely blind. Just E-scouting. Maybe try to setup early and observe the morning and scout from there.

Give me your 2 cents guy. What do you think I should do?
I'd probably go option 2. Or, how far away are these two options? Maybe option 1 am, if it doesn't seem good, head in to option 2 during daylight and scout your way in til you set up
 
I'd probably go option 2. Or, how far away are these two options? Maybe option 1 am, if it doesn't seem good, head in to option 2 during daylight and scout your way in til you set up

That sounds like what I would do. Get back far enough and early enough that the deer get pushed to you when the other hunter are walking in for the PM hunt
 
I'd probably go option 2. Or, how far away are these two options? Maybe option 1 am, if it doesn't seem good, head in to option 2 during daylight and scout your way in til you set up
Option 1 is an hour and a half away from my house. 20 minutes from the inlaws so I stay there when I hunt.

Option 2 is 40 minutes from my house.
 
Depends how much you like your in laws.
Haha I get along ok with em. Just don't really understand why he decided to traipse around back there. I've been staying out of there since July. And when I go back there access is everything.

Am I making to big a deal of that or do you guys think that the area will hunt just fine?
 
Is your rut on and deer movement high? Go for it. Things still kinda slow. Let it settle is my vote. Date the fat chick as Dan Infalt would say. Go by the parking lot in the AM and catch all the deer everyone is pushing around going in. Move back after they all come out.
 
Headed to my favorite WMA in the panhandle on Friday for the weekend archery opener. Just a little 6 hr drive, but plan to hunt Sat through the middle of next week. Weather/winds not great but consistent, so should find a way to get the team some points! Tomorrow evening will be packing the truck and will try to arrive by noon Friday at the latest for a good 7 hours of scouting. Super excited!!!
 
Trying to figure out what to do this weekend. It's my daughter's birthday on Sunday so I got all day Saturday to hunt.

Option 1
There is a junk of public that isn't hunted to hard. There is a spot where I can observe and potentially call in a buck if I see one. I know does hang out in this area. I can observe for the morning then scout a well known area for sign for the evening hunt.

My father in law decided to go deep in there today just to walk around. Walked by this tree I got preset and all over bedding. Said he blew up the area, got busted a bunch and didn't see a ton of tracks (we just got fresh snow). I'm not to worried of the lack of tracks because I know there's does there and if they start to come into heat I can hunt the does bedding in hopes of catching a buck cruising.

My only hold up is did him going in all over today screw it up for Saturday? There are wolves in the area so maybe they are used to getting pushed around?

Option 2
A big junk of public that seems some pressure, but also has good deer numbers on it. I think I can get in deep enough to get away from folks, but it would be completely blind. Just E-scouting. Maybe try to setup early and observe the morning and scout from there.

Give me your 2 cents guy. What do you think I should do?
I'd choose option 2. Don't overlook up close also, depending on terrain. I used to hunt a 100 acre public parcel that backed up to a river. Nobody would hunt deep, or close to the road. Most would go around half way back where it switched from hardwoods to cedars and open lower swails. I found a small thicker travel corridor close up where deer would come from across the road and funnel through. Shot a lot of deer and some nice bucks while watching cars go by and guys pulling down into the parking area to make their way back to their spots.
 
Haha I get along ok with em. Just don't really understand why he decided to traipse around back there. I've been staying out of there since July. And when I go back there access is everything.

Am I making to big a deal of that or do you guys think that the area will hunt just fine?
I mean I wouldn't let him know but I'd be pissed. I work my butt off trying to figure out where the deer are and how they're moving, private and public. Scout, hang cams, pay attention to the wind. My dad never did any of that growing up, and didn't pay attention to the wind at all until a year or two ago. He does now but I don't think it factors much in where he hunts. Just a week or two ago he told me he was gonna hunt one morning and then pull a bunch of stands down. I was like "*** are you doing man that's what the offseason is for?!" lol. That was on a tiny little piece of private we have to hunt where the hunt alone is intrusion enough to make it need a week long rest, let alone walking through the entire woods getting down old stands. Luckily I talked him out of it and that's where I killed my buck this past weekend.

It all depends on your spots though, what the deer are used to, and if you have other spots to go to. Trust your gut. If you think he ruined it, sounds like a good chance to go explore a new area.
 
I'd choose option 2. Don't overlook up close also, depending on terrain. I used to hunt a 100 acre public parcel that backed up to a river. Nobody would hunt deep, or close to the road. Most would go around half way back where it switched from hardwoods to cedars and open lower swails. I found a small thicker travel corridor close up where deer would come from across the road and funnel through. Shot a lot of deer and some nice bucks while watching cars go by and guys pulling down into the parking area to make their way back to their spots.
One of the best spots one of my buddies found is like this. It's not a very big piece to start with, but everyone goes about halfway back. They walk right past this secluded section of pines that gets pounded with scrapes and rubs every year starting in mid October. The spot is like 50-100 yards from parking and you're guaranteed to see some antler. My buddy told me to check this spot out a couple years ago. I had shot a buck on 11/3 but had days off to do some more hunting. We got some snow on the ground on 11/16 I think it was and so I spent the day just slowly checking a bunch of new spots, his being one. I got there around 1pm and was just walking in. Kicked a doe up, found the biggest rubs of my life on some pine trees, and started walking a little deeper after I put all that in my phone. I look up and the biggest buck I've ever seen is walking right to me. I got an arrow on, swung around and drew in one motion and made a noise to make him stop. I hadn't settled into him yet and he saw me and bolted. 5 yards on the ground. 140-150". I'll never forget it and it drove the point home not to overlook stuff.
 
Back
Top