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[Blackmamba]

I would say when to set up on those depends on the situation and comes with experience. You might have a nice small thick area that has sign all around the transition but if you try to approach it at any time during the day they'll see you and all you'll see is tails going the other way. On the other hand if you hit a nice spot full of sign on a transition into a larger bedding area that they might be bedding in further or at least can't see you, then that would be a good spot to hunt in the afternoon (morning too) when you are able to get there.

Will they use a bed that has hot sign multiple times in one day or do they keep moving kind of thing? I guess what I’m saying is when I find sign that hot. I have been trying to flank or get ahead of them and cut them off.

 

[CamoMan]

Nothing will beat experience.. Ever.. And this goes for most things in life. You can always "prepare" yourself for success, but you have to go out there and learn from success and failures no matter how big or small. So my advice is keep on keeping on and learn from what you've been through. Think about how much you know now compared to the first hunt of the season. Keep hammering!! Stay hard!!

 

[Blackmamba]

Nothing will beat experience.. Ever.. And this goes for most things in life. You can always "prepare" yourself for success, but you have to go out there and learn from success and failures no matter how big or small. So my advice is keep on keeping on and learn from what you've been through. Think about how much you know now compared to the first hunt of the season. Keep hammering!! Stay hard!!

Will do thanks bro!

 

[kyler1945]

Deer eat sleep breed and try not to get eaten. That’s it. Anytime you see a deer walking or running, it’s coming from or going to do one of these things. When they are doing these things, and where, are very important. If you hunt in highly pressured areas, they won’t be doing that traveling very often in daylight or areas open enough to be seen by things trying to eat them. So how do you find out when and where deer are doing things?

Walk. Leave your tree climbing stuff at home. Put a couple sandwiches and 3/4 bottles of water in a fanny pack and go walk. Don’t map out a route with 100 waypoints to check out. Just pick an area that you can cover in a day. Bring a notebook or your phone or whatever method of remembering stuff works for you. If you find a deer trail, push leaves back and see if travel is in one direction or both. Note that. Then follow it until it either runs into a food source, or disappears into thick cover. Almost all deer trails start and end this way. The only other trails you’ll encounter in the open are buck cruising trails during rut. They typically run across all the normal trails other deer are using so they can scent check quickly. They are not obvious or easy to find sometimes. Don’t waste your time right now.

Just walk. Cover as much of the ground you plan to hunt as possible. I’ve covered a couple hundred miles so far this season. I don’t consider scouting a waste of time. I consider sitting in a tree with really low odds of a deer coming by during shooting hours a waste of time. I spend 80% of my time on hunting ground walking, and 20%, maybe, in a tree. I don’t climb a tree unless the sign makes me do it.

I recommend two resources - ‘my style of hunting’ by Mr Warren Womack - it’s a sticky in the deer hunting forum. Obviously your land and food is somewhat different. Just the concepts are what’s important. The other is whitetails by Dr bob Sheppard. Again, disregard specific details about weather or terrain. Concepts is what you’re after. You can believe Disney and that deer are like people and do all the weird things we do. Or, you can apply scientific method and math to hunting and shorten your learning curve.

I read both of these before every season.

If your goal is to only shoot large bucks, good luck. The folks who make a habit of doing that either have an abundance of one or all of three things: experience, time, and money. Until you have one of those things, cover ground, find deer in the flesh(note sign, but don’t prioritize it), figure out why you saw that deer there. If there’s not a really good chance a deer will be in the area you’re deciding to climb a tree, don’t.

 

[redsquirrel]

Will they use a bed that has hot sign multiple times in one day or do they keep moving kind of thing? I guess what I’m saying is when I find sign that hot. I have been trying to flank or get ahead of them and cut them off.

I wouldn't focus on hunting beds right now. Generally my strategy is to hunt bedding areas. I don't find tons of single beds that are used over and over in my areas. In the thicker areas I hunt like briar patches there are many spots the deer can bed that give them a similar advantage so no one dirt spot gets a ton of use.

To answer your question, think about a deers life outside the rut. Generally they come back from where they are feeding at night to where they are going to bed for the day. They may get there before dark or a few hours after dark depending on the time of year and pressure. Once they bed down, they are generally in that area for the day (with exceptions). They may get up and move around but most of the time they're staying in a pretty small area. As the sun starts to go down they're going to reverse the cycle and start to move out of the bedding area to where they feed.

So if you are finding a bed with hot sign, you're probably too late and the deer is gone. What you need to do is find spots where you can catch them in between their feeding areas and bedding areas. In the mornings I will get in the thick stuff and hunt in the bedding areas, but that is based off of previous scouting. Generally hunting the edges of these areas is a good strategy. The time of the year plays into it as well. There are certain areas I can sneak into much closer in September and October with all the foliage that if I try to do that with no leaves I'll get spotted. In December and January if I'm trying to sneak into a slightly frozen over swamp that I can't walk on the ice without breaking it I will end up letting everything in earshot know something is coming.

 

[Holt]

For me when I first started hunting the biggest factor for just getting a deer, was just observation. It started with just setting up in a area that deer are at that time of year. I watch them. Then once located, I would move in right on top of them the next day. The hardest part is getting past your mind that your burning a sit just with observation, but it will speed up your learning curve. Thing to note before you move in for the kill is why are the deer there? Where are they going? What wind are they using during there travel. Try setting up with same conditions, but don't wait to long, they can change areas for many reasons. Its like the old saying, strike while the iron is hot! Next thing that I'm a firm believer when first starting out is shoot the first deer you see on every sit, no matter what it is. You need the experience of just shooting deer. I did this for my first 10 years of hunting and this is where I learned all my core principles of hunting from. Make this process fun and don't take it too serious. The Internet can be a bad thing also. You see all these people shooting big bucks and make everyone think they can do it too. Hunting big mature bucks is a frustrating and lonely road. Sometimes it's just fun shooting deer.

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[redhawk]

There is a lot of great advice within this thread, my question is how much land are most of you guys hunting?

I hunt in S. Georgia and most parcels of public land that are not 1.5 hrs from me are about 400 acres tops. I find great sign, mark it, and follow trails , but I am not seeing any deer yet. I am sure these will be better early season spots, when pressure is not so great.

I have hunted a 19,500 acre tract of public, which was easier for me to get better opportunities with more places to evade hunters and find good sign. I spent the day scouting and noticed most hunters in the big acreage tracts hunt close to the roads and will not venture out deeper in the woods. I assume for fear of getting lost, or just do not want to haul heavy stands in the brush.

Most are just edge hunters or clear cut sitters. I like to be near the creeks for two reasons. 1 deer need water and a creek/ river will give you an automatic funnel and a transitional edge line that deer will follow. 2 water is usually a deterrent for other hunters and near water it is usually going to be thick cover areas for bedding or hiding. What are your thoughts on my analysis? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Holt]

There is a lot of great advice within this thread, my question is how much land are most of you guys hunting?

I hunt in S. Georgia and most parcels of public land that are not 1.5 hrs from me are about 400 acres tops. I find great sign, mark it, and follow trails , but I am not seeing any deer yet. I am sure these will be better early season spots, when pressure is not so great.

I have hunted a 19,500 acre tract of public, which was easier for me to get better opportunities with more places to evade hunters and find good sign. I spent the day scouting and noticed most hunters in the big acreage tracts hunt close to the roads and will not venture out deeper in the woods. I assume for fear of getting lost, or just do not want to haul heavy stands in the brush.

Most are just edge hunters or clear cut sitters. I like to be near the creeks for two reasons. 1 deer need water and a creek/ river will give you an automatic funnel and a transitional edge line that deer will follow. 2 water is usually a deterrent for other hunters and near water it is usually going to be thick cover areas for bedding or hiding. What are your thoughts on my analysis? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

For me the public that I hunt, I find the deer in tiny little pockets. Usually these pockets have a reason to keep 99% of the hunters out. You just got to push thru and hunt it and be the 1% that's a little crazy to go to this spot. For long distance from parking lots, you get your trophy buck hunters. They don't mind the long walk but only will shoot a big buck because of the distance from the truck. These places I find hold all kinds of deer, does, small buck and big bucks if the habitat is right. I find alot of deer are right by parking lots also. Just has to be a place were no one feels comfortable to walk thru. If you find that, you will find deer. I don't worry about other hunters. It's rare to find a place that somebody hasn't hunted ever. Deer get use to pressure and adjust accordingly.

Yes creeks can be described as a transition, but I don't believe deer use them for the reason you think. I love hunting around water, one of my favorite areas. Be marsh or creek, especially if there is moving water. I believe deer are around the water is for scent reasons. Its the lowest elevation and coldest temperature of surrounding area. So it pulls all the thermals in the area to it in the evenings and mornings before sun is out. So deer can travel along the edge and scent check an entire woods, field, ridge, or what ever area they are heading. Also flowing water will pull thermals. It's a great tool that you can use against deer. Almost ever big buck I have shot is around water and they are using it for scent checking or cover.

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[Blackmamba]

Deer eat sleep breed and try not to get eaten. That’s it. Anytime you see a deer walking or running, it’s coming from or going to do one of these things. When they are doing these things, and where, are very important. If you hunt in highly pressured areas, they won’t be doing that traveling very often in daylight or areas open enough to be seen by things trying to eat them. So how do you find out when and where deer are doing things?

Walk. Leave your tree climbing stuff at home. Put a couple sandwiches and 3/4 bottles of water in a fanny pack and go walk. Don’t map out a route with 100 waypoints to check out. Just pick an area that you can cover in a day. Bring a notebook or your phone or whatever method of remembering stuff works for you. If you find a deer trail, push leaves back and see if travel is in one direction or both. Note that. Then follow it until it either runs into a food source, or disappears into thick cover. Almost all deer trails start and end this way. The only other trails you’ll encounter in the open are buck cruising trails during rut. They typically run across all the normal trails other deer are using so they can scent check quickly. They are not obvious or easy to find sometimes. Don’t waste your time right now.

Just walk. Cover as much of the ground you plan to hunt as possible. I’ve covered a couple hundred miles so far this season. I don’t consider scouting a waste of time. I consider sitting in a tree with really low odds of a deer coming by during shooting hours a waste of time. I spend 80% of my time on hunting ground walking, and 20%, maybe, in a tree. I don’t climb a tree unless the sign makes me do it.

I recommend two resources - ‘my style of hunting’ by Mr Warren Womack - it’s a sticky in the deer hunting forum. Obviously your land and food is somewhat different. Just the concepts are what’s important. The other is whitetails by Dr bob Sheppard. Again, disregard specific details about weather or terrain. Concepts is what you’re after. You can believe Disney and that deer are like people and do all the weird things we do. Or, you can apply scientific method and math to hunting and shorten your learning curve.

I read both of these before every season.

If your goal is to only shoot large bucks, good luck. The folks who make a habit of doing that either have an abundance of one or all of three things: experience, time, and money. Until you have one of those things, cover ground, find deer in the flesh(note sign, but don’t prioritize it), figure out why you saw that deer there. If there’s not a really good chance a deer will be in the area you’re deciding to climb a tree, don’t.

Pushing the leaves back on trails to see direction of travel. That’s pretty slick.... didn’t think of that. Writing that one down! And will check those resources and read up as well. Thanks for posting.

 

[Blackmamba]

For me when I first started hunting the biggest factor for just getting a deer, was just observation. It started with just setting up in a area that deer are at that time of year. I watch them. Then once located, I would move in right on top of them the next day. The hardest part is getting past your mind that your burning a sit just with observation, but it will speed up your learning curve. Thing to note before you move in for the kill is why are the deer there? Where are they going? What wind are they using during there travel. Try setting up with same conditions, but don't wait to long, they can change areas for many reasons. Its like the old saying, strike while the iron is hot! Next thing that I'm a firm believer when first starting out is shoot the first deer you see on every sit, no matter what it is. You need the experience of just shooting deer. I did this for my first 10 years of hunting and this is where I learned all my core principles of hunting from. Make this process fun and don't take it too serious. The Internet can be a bad thing also. You see all these people shooting big bucks and make everyone think they can do it too. Hunting big mature bucks is a frustrating and lonely road. Sometimes it's just fun shooting deer.

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Right. We don’t have 180+ inch deer where I live. At least I don’t think so. Every blue moon you will bear about a monster or 2. That is fun to watch on you tube and dream of for a bucket list item. We just don’t have the kind of habitat and resources here to grow those monsters. I’m not out to trophy hunt by any means. That’s why I’m going to switch hunting locations so if a six point does walk out I can legally take him.

 

[Blackmamba]

There is a lot of great advice within this thread, my question is how much land are most of you guys hunting?

I hunt in S. Georgia and most parcels of public land that are not 1.5 hrs from me are about 400 acres tops. I find great sign, mark it, and follow trails , but I am not seeing any deer yet. I am sure these will be better early season spots, when pressure is not so great.

I have hunted a 19,500 acre tract of public, which was easier for me to get better opportunities with more places to evade hunters and find good sign. I spent the day scouting and noticed most hunters in the big acreage tracts hunt close to the roads and will not venture out deeper in the woods. I assume for fear of getting lost, or just do not want to haul heavy stands in the brush.

Most are just edge hunters or clear cut sitters. I like to be near the creeks for two reasons. 1 deer need water and a creek/ river will give you an automatic funnel and a transitional edge line that deer will follow. 2 water is usually a deterrent for other hunters and near water it is usually going to be thick cover areas for bedding or hiding. What are your thoughts on my analysis? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Well South Carolina has 1.1 million acres of WMA land. Sumter national forest is vast and and is broken up but is 370k acres spread from upstate to mid lower state. Clemson University has 11k I think mostly bow only.

Wildlife Management Areas - South Carolina Hunting

WMA Program Through the cooperative effort of private landowners, the U. S. Forest Service and the SCDNR, Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are provided for the enjoyment of all wildlife enthusiasts. Funds generated from the sale of WMA permits en...

www.eregulations.com

I wish I could answer the second and third. I’m sure one of these guys will chime in.

 

[Blackmamba]

Long read ahead....

Sooo today was my last day to get it done out there. No hunting for me tomorrow. And today was the MOST rewarding experience I’ve had in a long time. The story went like this. First I’d like to thank all you guys who don’t know me from atom who took the time out to shoot words of encouragement and advise as well. The one that I remember the most is if you ain’t seeing deer.... you can’t kill a deer.
The last 2 times out. I’ve seen more deer from the saddle and ground actually hunting and Not bumping them, and the kicker is I wasn’t even 100 yards if that from where I parked. Humbling. Last Saturday went like this...... I was being ever so careful. I knew I had limited time and didn’t want to bugger anything up so when I was walking in, if I thought i was going slow I slowed it down 2 more gears. So much so I started at dark and noticed I couldnt quite see my red light as well...what the heck is this thing dying already .... no. The Sun Was Coming Over The Horizon. Crap. I was really going that slow. I gotta get to my tree. I made my way across the creek to the opposite ridge keeping an eye out for sign, but I knew where I was going.... Until I caught movement out the corner of my eye. 10 yards or less from the tree I was headed for. And I was still easy 80 yards or so from it. (Although I could pretty much see the truck the entire time. I made it a point to walk down the road a ways get the wind in my face and off of any of trails they may be using. A fish hook essentially) I did kind of sigh, but I still smiled. I’m in it now! Instead of being over aggressive and pushing the position I wanted I set up what looked like some funnels and pinch points and i said if anything I can observe. I did just that made notes of times I would see deer. No bucks spotted, but a lot of deer on their feet. Hunter pressure has died down a good bit of course and non hunting pressure seems to be picking up.
I watched a group of does for over 2 hrs bedding, browsing, and something spooked them. I never saw what It was but I gave them time once they were out of sight, I broke my set down and got out of there coming up with a plan knowing my days are running out.
This morning this is it no pressure right?! I made a similar but different route to my spot today, was able to scope out a way I could move a little quicker and stay out of sight while I was observing Sat morning. I get to my tree. The one that deer were practically walking under. I’m pumped I got my new to me beast sticks I put together a few hrs earlier (just bought them on here) while under the tree I realized I had forgotten to tie Paracord to the steps so I can attach them to my saddle. No worries...quick thinking I rigged slip knots in the straps clip them into my carabiners and prob solved. Up my selected tree I go And My Straps Will Not Go All The Way Around. That’s cool I knew this tree was a bign and that’s why I selected 3 other trees........ so after none of those work and I’m hoping no one or deer saw my little circus act. I’m packed back up and now I’m free styling. That’s ok I’m still calm and collected. Look like I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I can pick a good tree no problem right? ..........30 mins later I’m still on the ground. I’m second guessing myself. And now I’m getting this gut feeling I’ve got to get in the air, or hunt from the ground. Then I spot something. Maybe not quite 40 yards ahead and I froze. I froze solid and wouldn’t make a move until I knew it was wind or.....I see her ears flick...... I see her chewing. Her ears are down. She’s relaxed. 100% relaxed and doing her thing at her own pace. I look up only with my eyes at the tall brush and the wind is still in my favor and would stay that way. SLOWLY I crouched down behind some brush so I could knock an arrow. I clipped in and waited.
Thinking ahead I KNEW which direction she was headed. Because I had to scout hunt my way in so many times I actually know what the forage is. I scan ahead I see only 2 possible shots. I can’t go for my rangefinder that would get me busted. She snaps her head up and looks! Not at me over her shoulder and immediately back to grazing. I thought. There is another deer with her. Doe number 2 makes her way down and begins grazing with her both at a snails pace. Instead of being frustrated or shook. I took the time to again. OBSERVE. I wanted to know what grazing actually sounds like. How fast they move. How much they look up. What sounds alarm them. They both now keep looking away at what I assume are more deer moving back where doe number 2 came from. I made my mind up right then unless bulweinkle himself pops out I’m focused on doe number 1 with my other eye on doe number 2. She seemed to be on watch duty looking up more frequently but with no rhyme or reason whatsoever. Just then she catches movement. I raised my bow, but the bushes behind and around me are blowing in the wind. I freeze ever so gracefully and squint my eyes thinking if she doesn’t see my eyes I’m good. She does the head bob. But she doesn’t see me. Nothing on me is without camo other than the bridge of my nose and my eyes. She relaxes and I hold this pose in the most ninja way possible. How long has this gone on? I’m a ROOKIE. And they have no idea I’m right there right on top of them so close I can make out their features and different behaviors Doe number 2 wasn’t on edge but was checking her surroundings. Doe number 1 grazed care free on different leaves. Acorns and briars working her way to some bean pods I’d seen on the ground previously.
The first shot I could take didn’t work out as they went behind an oak I picked not in front of it. Shot number 2 the window would close quickly as they grazed the direction I thought they would. I just needed them to come to the creek for a prime shot. Now they are both quartering away. Doe number one is in the back. My heart rate is normal.....I draw back on that RX-1 ultra and she’s smooth as butter...... I center my peep....center my dot.....level my bubble....... and I let it go!!!! My knock lit up and I watched sail through the brush over and between tiny limbs. I said oh man that’s money!!! The knock angled up I lost visual of it. No string jump. 1 and 2 still unaware they are in my radar and how close they are. She jumps..... I HIT HER!!!! But high. Way high. Much too high. Hmmm. No anger, no swearing, I smiled. A peaceful smile. Ahhh I told myself 30 mins ago to hold low. Hold low because if I slide my sight that would be too much movement. I knew I could do it. I’ve practiced this. I just forgot to do it. I held my pin on what would normally be point of impact. But yes they were closer. Closer than 40. I watch my arrow graze her back and angle down sharply. 1&2 only ran maybe 30 feet and stopped behind a holy. Out of my sight but I know they were there. I still stayed still and enjoyed the moment. I ALMOST HAD YOU. But not yet. Not yet ol girl. This season hadn’t by any means been easy. Why am I smiling. I failed execution on the shot. Yes I muffed it. But what had I just accomplished? Holy cow did that just happen? I’m still smiling. This wasn’t a 8 point or even a buck. A beautiful doe. 2 of them. Thanks for the chase girl! I learned. A lot. I wrote down the conditions. Wind. Time. Food. How they grazed. The color or their coats a grayish white which I thought was odd yet still if I didn’t stare them down I’d lose them. But I LEARNED. It felt like I made the shot. I now think I know what the guys I watch feel. What you guys have felt. What it means to grow in this sport. I think. Baby steps. I’m not Cameron Hanes yet, much work to get done. I really hoped I could show you guys pictures. The best I could do is describe what I call my success in words. This story was all over the place as I went from my thoughts, to how it happened forgive me, to light narration of my story, but this is how things pour out of my head when I write. If you took the time to read I appreciate it. And again thanks everyone for the help. Happy New Years to everyone.
Till next season Ol Girl. Mindset is Everything !

 

[kobudo]

Great!! I felt alongside you with your story telling!

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[huntin_addict]

Good story man. That's how it happens sometimes. This season was definitely a learning experience for you, hopefully it lit a fire in you.

 

[philsanchez76]

Great read! I have an alpha doe I’ve seen multiple times this season and it seems like she has a tracking device on me! She always knows when I’m around and blows and leads her fellow deer around me. She used to piss me off, but like you, now at the end of season, I realize how much she’s taught me about deer behavior. Until next year old girl indeed!

 

[Blackmamba]

Good story man. That's how it happens sometimes. This season was definitely a learning experience for you, hopefully it lit a fire in you.

Unfortunately it already has I’m afraid. I will take some time off then start scouting soon and try to shoot arrows at least 5 days a week.

 

[Blackmamba]

Great read! I have an alpha doe I’ve seen multiple times this season and it seems like she has a tracking device on me! She always knows when I’m around and blows and leads her fellow deer around me. She used to piss me off, but like you, now at the end of season, I realize how much she’s taught me about deer behavior. Until next year old girl indeed!

That’s right. If I only had just a stool, camera, and a note book to take notes as it was happening. It was so cool man. God is awesome that’s all I can say.

 

[Blackmamba]

To give a better idea the 1st pic you can just see my knock and arrow in the ground. D1= doe 1, D2= doe 2. The second pic is where I was on my knees. You can see the hole I had to shoot through. This was my second and last shot option. You can’t really see the creek maybe the ditches. It doesn’t look like I had a chance, but I didn’t see any branches moving after the shot. Just forgot to hold low on my pin.