What is your time frame and what is the scenario for the stand setup?
-
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
4 days to kill a buck on public ground
- Thread starter BTaylor
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2019
- Messages
- 288
For any buck on unfamiliar ground, I’m picking late October/early November, mid week and hitting travel corridors around fresh sign. Map scout prior to, first day hunt scout pre marked areas till I find what I’m looking for then pick a spot based on wind and sit it. May get 3 1/2 days to hunt, may be only one. Depends on how fast I find fresh sign.
That's 1 more day then we usually get.....I'm all ears.
First hunt on the wma is my favorite and I'm walking until I see a reason to stop
First hunt on the wma is my favorite and I'm walking until I see a reason to stop
Even the beast gear guy that everybody likes said when he did the thp public land challenge, and I paraphrase cause can't remember exact words, but ...after the hunt was over and I think they managed a doe or 2, ole boy said it's borderline impossible to come onto a new property and kill a buck in 5 days.....his words not.mine
This hits on exactly why I posed the question. I'll get to that later.
Last 4 days of October & pick a place that allows trail cams. Map scout about a dozen locations. Speed scout as soon as you get there & put out 6-8 cell cams , spend your first & second day scouting plus observation. Then make your best prediction for day 3 & 4 based on all that information. I’m not saying you could go in & make a living killing hammers everywhere you went. But I think if I did it 4 years in a row new spot each time I could be 50 percent…… since they’re my self imposed hypothetical rules I’d make more than 1 trip out & capitalize on the opportunity
So I couple young guys I hunt with started doing this about 3-4 years ago. We’d divide up into 2 man teams & strategize & scout. It was pretty fun!! Btw I’m the old guy about to stroke out climbing up that mountain….. lol
Love this thread idea as I’ll probably be doing this a couple times this year.
Ideally would be last week of October and I’m setting up on trails that arnt super obvious. The “no one can see me trails but I’m still moving out and about” -the deer
(With cameras (hurts to say)) throw 5-10 cameras up on 5-10 different place that look good and hunt first day or two on gut. Then spend next day or two where the cameras tell you to be.
Ideally would be last week of October and I’m setting up on trails that arnt super obvious. The “no one can see me trails but I’m still moving out and about” -the deer
(With cameras (hurts to say)) throw 5-10 cameras up on 5-10 different place that look good and hunt first day or two on gut. Then spend next day or two where the cameras tell you to be.
Regardless of how u attack the property and how u choose to hunt it u will find the deer the last afternoon and if u had 1 more day u would have sealed the deal.....true story
Sounds like a blast. None of the guys I hunt with would even sorta entertain that.
Get new guys…… ha seriously. It’s been fun plus it’s a good contrast of styles & if 1 or 2 ppl connect it’s a win. Plus you have more hands for a packout. I was the only one with backstraps after a released arrow. ( did require a Texas heart shot with a headlamp to finish that deer off, I regret to say…..)
Been keepin an eye out but the only folks I know that would do hunts like that are all from online and in other states.
First four days of November. Find where the does are bedding and then find a piece of terrain that funnels the bucks in that area. Sit from dark to dark until you shoot one.
Since 2014, all bucks(10) I’ve killed (and at least 5 I’ve missed or wounded) not on the properties within an hours drive of my house, were killed within 5 days. Most within 4.
If I got pickier, and only shot bucks of a certain age or size, I’m sure that timeline grows.
If I’m shooting 1 out of 10 type bucks, or “any legal deer” - I’m killing 95% of the time within 4 days.
If I’m shooting 1 out of 100 type bucks for that property, I’m killing 75% of the time.
If I’m shooting 1 out of 1000, probably 50/50.
Leave me to shooting the biggest deer on the property, and they call them once in a lifetime deer for a reason.
Only other variable is deer density - and since I don’t hunt crappy places, it doesn’t apply for me.
A whole bunch of variables, given the diversity of experience, skill, and access to deer on this forum.
But what I do doesn’t change at all:
- know ahead of time that the property holds deer (30 minutes to an hour on the internet, or talking to an informed hunter or biologist).
- find the general areas deer will concentrate on the specific piece of property(an hour on a map)
- find the general areas hunters will concentrate on the specific piece of property(usually an hour or so, but done when I first arrive).
- spend the first few hours finding the areas on the property that deer concentrate and hunters don’t. (Usually a couple hours of thinking, mapping, driving, chatting, beer, food, etc)
- walk into those areas, with all my gear, until I find hot sign(deer in the flesh, or the type of sign that indicates I’m within a hundred yards of deer presently). Hunt.
- repeat until I kill deer.
If I got pickier, and only shot bucks of a certain age or size, I’m sure that timeline grows.
If I’m shooting 1 out of 10 type bucks, or “any legal deer” - I’m killing 95% of the time within 4 days.
If I’m shooting 1 out of 100 type bucks for that property, I’m killing 75% of the time.
If I’m shooting 1 out of 1000, probably 50/50.
Leave me to shooting the biggest deer on the property, and they call them once in a lifetime deer for a reason.
Only other variable is deer density - and since I don’t hunt crappy places, it doesn’t apply for me.
A whole bunch of variables, given the diversity of experience, skill, and access to deer on this forum.
But what I do doesn’t change at all:
- know ahead of time that the property holds deer (30 minutes to an hour on the internet, or talking to an informed hunter or biologist).
- find the general areas deer will concentrate on the specific piece of property(an hour on a map)
- find the general areas hunters will concentrate on the specific piece of property(usually an hour or so, but done when I first arrive).
- spend the first few hours finding the areas on the property that deer concentrate and hunters don’t. (Usually a couple hours of thinking, mapping, driving, chatting, beer, food, etc)
- walk into those areas, with all my gear, until I find hot sign(deer in the flesh, or the type of sign that indicates I’m within a hundred yards of deer presently). Hunt.
- repeat until I kill deer.
shwacker
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2018
- Messages
- 984
Timing depends on the area, but I’d be a couple days ahead of peak breeding.
I’d drive and walk for at least 1-2 days, or until I found something that impressed me.
I missed a nice one (140s) last year on a new property, on day 2, after I walked a day and a half. Saw him 2 other times the next 2 days but he juked when I jived.
Then went to another new property later in the year and killed one on the 3rd day, scouted one day, feeling rushed I sat a morning but didn’t like the spot that much. Got down early and walked more, found what I liked. Saw one that evening, moved up a little, killed one the next morning.
Setup for both was thick travel corridors right up against bedding and both had a good bit of buck sign. Both had very limited trees to get in, no hunter sign.
I give these two scenarios not to brag, it certainly doesn’t work out that well for me all the time. I’ve had good trips and busts, but that’s bow hunting.
Point is, walk till you find something really good. It probably won’t be near any other hunters. One of these was 3/4 of a mile back, the kill scenario was 200 yards from my truck. They are where they are!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’d drive and walk for at least 1-2 days, or until I found something that impressed me.
I missed a nice one (140s) last year on a new property, on day 2, after I walked a day and a half. Saw him 2 other times the next 2 days but he juked when I jived.
Then went to another new property later in the year and killed one on the 3rd day, scouted one day, feeling rushed I sat a morning but didn’t like the spot that much. Got down early and walked more, found what I liked. Saw one that evening, moved up a little, killed one the next morning.
Setup for both was thick travel corridors right up against bedding and both had a good bit of buck sign. Both had very limited trees to get in, no hunter sign.
I give these two scenarios not to brag, it certainly doesn’t work out that well for me all the time. I’ve had good trips and busts, but that’s bow hunting.
Point is, walk till you find something really good. It probably won’t be near any other hunters. One of these was 3/4 of a mile back, the kill scenario was 200 yards from my truck. They are where they are!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
BigAl
Well-Known Member
Getting opportunities but killing a decent buck are two different things.....like missing..LOL. But, terrain funnels and breakline edges are the ticket. Getting more opportunities with this approach are possible! E-scouting has changed the game for everyone.....but boots on the ground affirms suspicions on your spots. But I my experience is that 2 to 3 years hunting the new property works best for being successful.