newbie needs some (or lots) advice

[Jbiehn]

Hi all,
So I'm new.... new to everything- saddles, bows, and hunting in general so I'll apologize in advance if this is a ridiculous post. I don't have many folks I can chat about hunting nd since I've learned so much from this site I thought I'd air out some of the internal dialogue I've been going through. This said, I've been reading, scouting and preparing for this season for almost a year so I do have some decent knowledge... but really it's just enough to be dangerous

Anyways, here is whats on my mind today.... My season opened Monday and I started by hunting a 48 acre public land property that is very thick and jungle'ish. I found a pinch point where a creek crossing is near bedding/food sources. I setup on this pinch point Tuesday and Thursday and was seeing the deer I'm targeting each sit but the deer weren't crossing where expected so they were about 30-50 yds outside of my shooting lane. I'm hesitant to hammer one spot but since they never showed sign of noticing me or spooking I figured I try again.

Today, the wind was the same as the previous sits so I moved to a tree that would have worked for either of my first sits. I was setup and waiting about an hour before sunrise and 20 minutes before sunrise I had a doe and a spike buck cruise right to the base of my tree check things out and then casually stroll off. They came in on my weak side and rather than risk getting busted and trying to draw on them, I let them walk hoping the larger buck and doe would come by.

Well the larger buck did show up about 20 minutes later with a doe and fawn. It looked like the buck did a wind check and then crossed the creek. However, instead of crossing where I saw him cross the last few days he proceeded to cross where I had thought he'd cross the previous two days. Unfortunately that crossing put him about 15 yds. from me but downwind where he spooked off.

My thoughts are:
1. Do deer alternate their bedding areas if the winds have been the same all week? I'm wondering if one crossing is for the southern bedding area and the other is for the northern bedding area.
2. Why didn't the spike buck or doe bust me?
4. I have other public land properties to hunt but I like this one cause its close to home, how long should I let this place rest for before I attempt to go back in?

I have about a million other questions and thoughts but I'll start there. Thanks for letting me write out this rant, it's pretty therapeutic in its own regard. Happy Friday all!

Cheers,

John

 

[KYHunter]

Hey John, welcome to the forum and to hunting! Hopefully you fall in love with it. It sounds like you’re off to a great start this year. I would recommend finding another hunter locally that could show you the ropes and whatnot. It will increase your learning curve tenfold!

To answer the other questions.... “it all depends”

1) yes, deer often bed and travel differently for different winds. Their nose is one of their biggest tools and they use the wind to their advantage. This is not always a cold hard fact tho, sometimes nobody knows why deer do what they do.

2) I would imagine because they are young and don’t know any better. With time they may learn. That or your thermals shifted without you realizing, that’s where it is nice to carry some milkweed as a wind checker.

3) there were some studies by QDMA that showed it takes about a week or so for a stand to “recover”. However, I’m sure everybody has an anecdote that either supports or contradicts that. Some guys hunt the same stand a lot and others never hunt the same tree twice. I’m somewhere in the middle. It all depends how well you can access and hunt the stand without your scent spooking deer.

Good luck this year and keep asking questions!

 

[Weldabeast]

I think there are too many variables to answer #2.
I had a 3 day quota hunt on a wma and watched the same little buck take the same route 3 days in a row. Leaving in the morning and returning at last light.
He never took the exact same path but he was within 40 yds of the original path i watched him take. I was on a swamp/planted pine transition area. He used the same 4 pine rows. I could have moved on him but if he was legal it wasnt by much and i really didn't want to kill him. I can't remember wind direction.

 

[michigandrake]

#1 in my experience deer will bed within a bedding area to take advantage of the wind. The wind may influence where they bed within the bedding area but they usually will not relocate a long distance because of the wind.

#2 Guessing your scent went over the spike and was not at ground level right under the stand. Sounds like it was @15 yards. Water does funny things with scent and thermals. As advised above get a wind checker of some sort. I would bet your scent was settling down to the creek bed (assuming these are night hunts). As a general rule, you do not want your deer crossing water downwind of you in the evening. It is a sure recipe to get winded.

#3 Always a good idea not to overhunt your best spots but it is all about the hunting pressure in your area.

Good luck

 

[Bach55]

I would just say “well done”! I’d estimate that for a first time hunter you’ve educated yourself more than 99% of first timers. For me it was “sit on a field edge and see what walks by”. I think a lot people start off that way before they dive into wind directions, bedding locations, etc. Keep it up and you’ll find success!

 

[Ryanp1212]

If hes there hunt him.. its public ground and only 48 acres is small..it will get more pressure as season goes on..no point in staying out the next guy isn't going to..if your seeing him and the wind is right I'd go in and try to get him

 

[Jbiehn]

Thanks for the bode of confidence and ideas. I’m going to hunt that deer again once I get a good wind/weather. Till then I’ll scout/hunt other public land. Lots to learn but nothing teaches like experience.

Cheers

 

[hokiehunter373]

If hes there hunt him.. its public ground and only 48 acres is small..it will get more pressure as season goes on..no point in staying out the next guy isn't going to..if your seeing him and the wind is right I'd go in and try to get him

I agree with this. The past few years I didn't really scout public land once the season opened. Starting last November I said why not??? Other people are still probably hunting it every day.. might as well try and get something figured out. Same goes for hunting it. He's on a pattern and if you don't kill/bump him someone else will so get in there. Also, if you want to try to give him a break, go hang somewhere else on the property you're not familiar with. Might not help you this year but you'll learn something from that spot for future years/hunts.

Also, for #2: Friday I had 15-20 deer around me, some right under me. The fawns/young does smelt ground scent, seemed slightly nervous, but after looking around carried on. The older does smelt ground scent, moved down wind, got my wind and got all stompy like they like to do. They tried to locate me, couldn't, and eventually worked away before coming back in another direction. The younger bucks never paid a single bit of attention to anything. Not to the ground, not to the wind, not to the does stomping away. They ate and didn't care. The mature buck let every other deer feed out into the field, watched the does get pissed off, and even though they eventually calmed down, he went back the way he came. The does are always protecting their young if they have them, they pick up on the little things. Small bucks probably haven't had arrows flung at them yet and only worry about food at this point. Old bucks know that if the old does are concerned, they're safer waiting til dark to get some grub. Of course this varies by pressure the deer receive but I think it's probably a good baseline on what to expect, at least at this point of the season.

 

[Jtaylor]

I'd say you're off to a good start! Seems like you've done your research and know 99% more info than when I first started hunting. I'd agree with the guys saying get into that area and hunt, it's about the best way to learn. Be aware of wind, scent, disturbance etc. As the season progresses and more people are out hunting, use those easy public access points to an advantage. I've had guys run deer right to my stand. You're seeing deer so you're definitely doing something right. Good luck!

 

[Jbiehn]

Snuck into this area again early this morning and about 15 mins before sunrise the buck came into my shooting lane. He thrashed around a scrape for awhile and then with head down presented me with a broadside shot at 15 yds. I drew back and dang, it was just too dark for me to see through peep and take a shot I felt comfortable with.

He hung around for a few more minutes and then casually walked off.

Dang.

 

[DaWiz9578]

Id say you did good getting in close enough to have the shot without spooking the deer, so chances are hell be back (the fact that you know he is there and scraping is great). Try slightly different weather conditions, or even just another day, and it may adjust his schedule a bit presenting you with a better light scenario to get the shot. Keep at it! Also good self control not taking a questionable shot. Better to not be chasing a wounded or unrecovered deer around all day, just back out and let him live to another day.