• 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

Pressured public strategies

I would agree that some deer for sure bed in locations where they can pattern hunters coming and going. I glassed up a Solid buck in Kansas one day laying in some cedars 100 yards from the only access road into an area...he watched every hunter coming in and out. One thing not mentioned is to take a morning/afternoon and scout the hunters...sometimes if you know where they are you figure out where they are stacking all the deer. Entry and exit are also critical and going the extra mile to come in the back door can pay off huge. Water is my favorite way to approach by far as it is so low impact. The ability to stay mobile is important but also not to be afraid to put in the time in a good pinch point or downwind side of doe bedding when hunting rut phase deer as long as your entry, exits, and winds are right...They will be through those places eventually. As many said mid day is the time. its like the story of the old bull and the young bull...If you don't know it, it is not PG so ill save it...The big boys will wait until the does bed down and then go cruising. Rather than wasting their energy chasing the does around all morning like the little ones they will wait until they know where they are and then go smell every doe in that bedding area from the down wind side. When it comes to mature deer it is not their first rodeo! Best of Luck!
 
I'm going to start hunting some pressured public land this fall. Havent had as much time to scout on foot as I would like but while at work I've studied the topo so much I feel like I could draw it.

Glad to hear people say mid day can be the best on public land as that's when most people get out.

My plan was to scope the parking lots around 9 am and figure most guys arent walking more than a couple hundred yards (depending on if there is a beaten path or straight woods), figure out what the wind is doing and figure out a viable slow path towards whatever my destination is. For each parking spot I have an "internal" destination point and several paths for the wind to get there. I'm sure I'll run into some thickets or road blocks somewhere that I couldnt see from satellite images but like I said I feel like I can draw the topo so should be able to change on the fly.

This will be my first year on public with a bow/saddle, so my goal is to take at least a doe and get some good scouting done. Storing up those vacation days to hunt during the week and hopefully the pressure is less than only going on the weekends.

With that said does anyone have a feeling on hunter presence weekdays vs weekends? For no reason at all I'm guessing 3 to 4 fold? Or if you've noticed it increases towards the end of the week meaning friday vs monday?

Great thread!

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
 
In general, yes weekdays are better if you can swing them. You might still have another hunter or two but not 10.

I’ve also found success hinting places that are off the beaten path ie not WMAs, as well as places that are weapons limited. A lot of places near me are archery only for deer which cuts down traffic quite a bit.
 
I hunt a public fairly pressured area (this is only my second year bow hunting), definitely seeing more deer with mobile saddle setup. I am very interested in the feedback here.
 
ThomasHemlock said:
If you stay mobile and don't hunt the same tree twice (like someone said above) then don't worry too much about jumping deer now and then. If they spooked and got away, they know they're location allowed them to escape danger... they'll be back in that area sooner than you think (often hours later). Even a slight change of your location (20yds) can pay off.
Click to expand...
This has been one of the hardest knowledge-pills to swallow hunting exclusively public land, but it’s a truth nugget that can become outright wisdom. Until a couple of seasons ago, I would freak out and give hundreds of acres time to rest if I blew out one fawn-toting doe. Think of how much venison I’d have if I set up right then in a close tree or still-hunted those trails and acorn patches?! I had to learn that the deer live there all year, and aren’t going to just move their home completely because you jumped them once or even a few times, especially on public land with tons of pressure. I started posting up when I spook deer, and have gotten more shot opportunities than ever as a result. They live in these public areas for several reasons that are critical to their survival, and they’re used to people blowing them out all the time. They do the same thing as any bowhunter should: make small adjustments in small areas and adapt for wind dynamics. It’s a game, and that’s why we refer to them as “game” animals.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
This has been one of the hardest knowledge-pills to swallow hunting exclusively public land, but it’s a truth nugget that can become outright wisdom. Until a couple of seasons ago, I would freak out and give hundreds of acres time to rest if I blew out one fawn-toting doe. Think of how much venison I’d have if I set up right then in a close tree or still-hunted those trails and acorn patches?! I had to learn that the deer live there all year, and aren’t going to just move their home completely because you jumped them once or even a few times, especially on public land with tons of pressure. I started posting up when I spook deer, and have gotten more shot opportunities than ever as a result. They live in these public areas for several reasons that are critical to their survival, and they’re used to people blowing them out all the time. They do the same thing as any bowhunter should: make small adjustments in small areas and adapt for wind dynamics. It’s a game, and that’s why we refer to them as “game” animals.
Click to expand...

I’m in FL & was bumping does as I scouted by walking fire cuts with stand on my back during a Central FL early Feb rut hunt

Finally a doe and small yearling spike stood and watched me walk by at 10yds so I kept walking without making eye contact and watched them sneak off

Wind was quartering enough that I could barely get away with hunting the spot

I hung my stand about 25 yds from the beds at about 40ft high & they came back & bedded back down as I pulled up my backpack

About 30min later a trophy FL buck chased a doe right to the bedded deer and he’s on my wall now

It was a modified version of bump & dump tactic that worked great


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Tapeworm said:
I’m in FL & was bumping does as I scouted by walking fire cuts with stand on my back during a Central FL early Feb rut hunt

Finally a doe and small yearling spike stood and watched me walk by at 10yds so I kept walking without making eye contact and watched them sneak off

Wind was quartering enough that I could barely get away with hunting the spot

I hung my stand about 25 yds from the beds at about 40ft high & they came back & bedded back down as I pulled up my backpack

About 30min later a trophy FL buck chased a doe right to the bedded deer and he’s on my wall now

It was a modified version of bump & dump tactic that worked great


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

40ft?! Daggum


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
illmakeufamous said:
40ft?! Daggum


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Huuuuge pine tree

I have to hang my summit viper climber at shoulder height to start since tree is so wide and do acrobatics to get in it

But it allows me to watch & kill deer moving in palmettos & dog fennel that I wouldn’t see from lower heights

But cannot be a windy day or get some serious pucker factor


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Are you familiar with Dan Infalt and https://www.thehuntingbeast.com

Public land expert. Hunting Beast podcast is great. Videos on YouTube are informative.

He regularly talks about doing 2 things. Either going in deeper than anyone else, usually through water where nobody else wants to go, or finding overlooked out of the way places usually very close to the roads and parking areas where big bucks sit and watch Hunters enter.

He also rarely hunts in the same place twice.

This is the main reason I got into saddle hunting last year. To move. Even on a relatively small piece of private ground I hunt , I can see the advantage of not sitting in the same tree every weekend!

Especially older deer have keen instincts. I wouldn't say they're smart, but you don't grow to be 5 and 6 years old especially in pressured areas and not have well-developed instincts!

They know where and when most hunters are there!
 
ztrumble said:
Are you familiar with Dan Infalt and https://www.thehuntingbeast.com

Public land expert. Hunting Beast podcast is great. Videos on YouTube are informative.

He regularly talks about doing 2 things. Either going in deeper than anyone else, usually through water where nobody else wants to go, or finding overlooked out of the way places usually very close to the roads and parking areas where big bucks sit and watch Hunters enter.

He also rarely hunts in the same place twice.

This is the main reason I got into saddle hunting last year. To move. Even on a relatively small piece of private ground I hunt , I can see the advantage of not sitting in the same tree every weekend!

Especially older deer have keen instincts. I wouldn't say they're smart, but you don't grow to be 5 and 6 years old especially in pressured areas and not have well-developed instincts!

They know where and when most hunters are there!
Click to expand...

Many of us combine Dan’s Hunting Beast strategies with saddle hunting





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don't think time of day matters half as much as the time of year....pre-rut, rut, second rut... Know your buck and his patterns of movement and why he is doing what he is doing. Most mature high pressured public land bucks are only concerned about the big 3- security, food, sex- all of these things change relative to the time of year....Don't get me wrong I love when the local gang of 10 guys make deer drives- I know exactly where to be...and so do the deer ....they have done these same drives for years I would imagine. That's why parking lots, access trails etc. are great places for deer to watch the coming and goings learning all the time the safe places that no-one goes. The 'hunt it once' theory is because no mature deer who has been hunted 3-4 seasons is ever going to feel secure in a spot you bumped him from or left your stink repeatedly unless a really hot doe has him in a place he normally would not be.
 
DaWiz9578 said:
I'm going to start hunting some pressured public land this fall. Havent had as much time to scout on foot as I would like but while at work I've studied the topo so much I feel like I could draw it.

Glad to hear people say mid day can be the best on public land as that's when most people get out.

My plan was to scope the parking lots around 9 am and figure most guys arent walking more than a couple hundred yards (depending on if there is a beaten path or straight woods), figure out what the wind is doing and figure out a viable slow path towards whatever my destination is. For each parking spot I have an "internal" destination point and several paths for the wind to get there. I'm sure I'll run into some thickets or road blocks somewhere that I couldnt see from satellite images but like I said I feel like I can draw the topo so should be able to change on the fly.

This will be my first year on public with a bow/saddle, so my goal is to take at least a doe and get some good scouting done. Storing up those vacation days to hunt during the week and hopefully the pressure is less than only going on the weekends.

With that said does anyone have a feeling on hunter presence weekdays vs weekends? For no reason at all I'm guessing 3 to 4 fold? Or if you've noticed it increases towards the end of the week meaning friday vs monday?

Great thread!

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I've been hunting primarily public land for the last 28 years. Your thought about pressure being lighter on week days is true. I have the ability with my job to get time off during the week to hunt. I would say my success increases mon.-thurs. Fridays are slightly better but I find that guys start extending their weekends during the rut. It's been an extremely effective tactic for me to hunt off the trail heads fairly close to the road. I find when most guys get here in the morning they push in 2-3 hundred yards. Also the edge near the roads are thicker so the deer hug to the cover there. I can post up my 150' off the road and intercept deer as they parallel the road looking to cross to the posted off limits wooded area on the other side. It's also a good idea to have an idea where the other guys are hunting. I often talk to the guys who come to hunt the WMA across the street from my house, and ask them where they hunted and if they've seen anything. I know I have to take some of this info with a grain of salt, but I've seen enough over a long period of time to get a pretty good picture of where people are setting up. I'd say I have nearly as much hunter info stored up across the street as I do deer info.
 
Bourdeau said:
I don't think time of day matters half as much as the time of year....pre-rut, rut, second rut... Know your buck and his patterns of movement and why he is doing what he is doing. Most mature high pressured public land bucks are only concerned about the big 3- security, food, sex- all of these things change relative to the time of year....Don't get me wrong I love when the local gang of 10 guys make deer drives- I know exactly where to be...and so do the deer ....they have done these same drives for years I would imagine. That's why parking lots, access trails etc. are great places for deer to watch the coming and goings learning all the time the safe places that no-one goes. The 'hunt it once' theory is because no mature deer who has been hunted 3-4 seasons is ever going to feel secure in a spot you bumped him from or left your stink repeatedly unless a really hot doe has him in a place he normally would not be.
Click to expand...
I have nothing against deer drives, but I hope while on public land I get to see one, seems like it would be a fun thing to watch. Watching the hunting public and infalt, I think they even did a collaboration deer drives, crack me up.

My neighbor, who's the most righteous hunter walking (just ask him), I asked him once jokingly if he wanted me to walk a powerline and push some deer towards him as he sat in his blind behind his tool shed looking over our backyards. He said "that's not hunting" hahahaha.

Everyone has their own style. Part of the spice I'm looking forward to on public land is what I see and who I run into.

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top