FLYIN_HAYN
Well-Known Member
Not sure if this is the right spot to put this but here it goes.....
I need some constructive criticism to boost my confidence that i am somewhat doing this right.. I have made the decision to commit to only focusing on hunting kauai blacktail. This spot i am going to focus a bit on this year is public land but it is somewhat overlooked and right off a well used 4x4 access road. I am trying to learn how best to set up for this area. I plan on hunting this area a few times at the end of October and the beginning of November on week days when the weather is right. Wind direction for this time of year is normally East to North East (tradewinds) but can be North for long stretches.
On the topo map i have marked buck bedding area with yellow x, well used game trail in green, my access in white, my stand spots are the pink x's, truck parking is the red x. The buck is bedding on this lil nubby hill inside a bowl pretty much surrounded by water and some what high cliffs except for his access which crosses a mellow elevation change and stream and continues up the beginning of the ridge line i'm focusing on. The access road is well traveled and passes over a bridge crossing the stream mouth into the bowl where the buck is. The road continues up to the next ridge where it splits to a heavily hunted trail leading through doe bedding and overnight feed zone (boggy clearing with some browse) onto a different area i'm not really interested in to much yet because there is lots of hunters and hikers that use that trail daily (most deer sign found is night time sign). There is daily hunting of all kinds as well as hiking allowed through out the entire area including the roads. Most hunters are pig hunters running dogs (legal day hunting and night poaching) or guys walking the road with a gun but you also got a few guys that still hunt up there or sit in stands/blinds in their secret spots, and most guys hunting deer dont know how to hunt deer (cant really say i know how to either). Most hunting and hiking activity is definitely along main hunter access routes which is the road and that well used trail on adjacent ridge. The ridge line i am interested in connects to the doe bedding and feed zone through a saddle way up a ways (i also have a stand location there but that's for another discussion later) and the game trail heads up that way so im pretty sure the bucks are cruising that way.
I park my truck far enough away and walk to my access spot so i dont blow it out getting ready and have others pick up on my access point. My access trail goes up this connecting ridge (which forms the bowl the buck bedding is down in) and sidelines the game trail a bit to my 2 stand locations. My first stand location i chose was this spot that was edging along the start of this drainage that heads down into the bowl. My thought being that my scent would be pulling away dropping down that drainage in the morning when the buck might be cruising back down the ridge to bedding along that game trail. My second stand location is edging another drainage higher up that doesnt connect into the bowl where the buck is bedding. My thoughts for this location is to move here for the evening when the thermals are dropping again pulling my scent down the different drainage.
Is my idea somewhat right? 1st stand in the morning as thermals are dropping down drainage closest to bedding as buck is headed back down with primary wind at back. 2nd stand for evening as thermals dropping down different drainage as buck is coming up ridge and smelling wind....idea
Yall got any other ideas?
I need some constructive criticism to boost my confidence that i am somewhat doing this right.. I have made the decision to commit to only focusing on hunting kauai blacktail. This spot i am going to focus a bit on this year is public land but it is somewhat overlooked and right off a well used 4x4 access road. I am trying to learn how best to set up for this area. I plan on hunting this area a few times at the end of October and the beginning of November on week days when the weather is right. Wind direction for this time of year is normally East to North East (tradewinds) but can be North for long stretches.
On the topo map i have marked buck bedding area with yellow x, well used game trail in green, my access in white, my stand spots are the pink x's, truck parking is the red x. The buck is bedding on this lil nubby hill inside a bowl pretty much surrounded by water and some what high cliffs except for his access which crosses a mellow elevation change and stream and continues up the beginning of the ridge line i'm focusing on. The access road is well traveled and passes over a bridge crossing the stream mouth into the bowl where the buck is. The road continues up to the next ridge where it splits to a heavily hunted trail leading through doe bedding and overnight feed zone (boggy clearing with some browse) onto a different area i'm not really interested in to much yet because there is lots of hunters and hikers that use that trail daily (most deer sign found is night time sign). There is daily hunting of all kinds as well as hiking allowed through out the entire area including the roads. Most hunters are pig hunters running dogs (legal day hunting and night poaching) or guys walking the road with a gun but you also got a few guys that still hunt up there or sit in stands/blinds in their secret spots, and most guys hunting deer dont know how to hunt deer (cant really say i know how to either). Most hunting and hiking activity is definitely along main hunter access routes which is the road and that well used trail on adjacent ridge. The ridge line i am interested in connects to the doe bedding and feed zone through a saddle way up a ways (i also have a stand location there but that's for another discussion later) and the game trail heads up that way so im pretty sure the bucks are cruising that way.
I park my truck far enough away and walk to my access spot so i dont blow it out getting ready and have others pick up on my access point. My access trail goes up this connecting ridge (which forms the bowl the buck bedding is down in) and sidelines the game trail a bit to my 2 stand locations. My first stand location i chose was this spot that was edging along the start of this drainage that heads down into the bowl. My thought being that my scent would be pulling away dropping down that drainage in the morning when the buck might be cruising back down the ridge to bedding along that game trail. My second stand location is edging another drainage higher up that doesnt connect into the bowl where the buck is bedding. My thoughts for this location is to move here for the evening when the thermals are dropping again pulling my scent down the different drainage.
Is my idea somewhat right? 1st stand in the morning as thermals are dropping down drainage closest to bedding as buck is headed back down with primary wind at back. 2nd stand for evening as thermals dropping down different drainage as buck is coming up ridge and smelling wind....idea
Yall got any other ideas?
