Public land deer stand misadventures

[NWPA22]

A few years ago during spring gobbler (May) I was scouting way back off the beaten path on some PA big woods public. This is a large tract of forestland with long uninterrupted stretches of timber. I stumbled upon a heavy creek crossing leading into a group of scrapes along a transition line from bottomland/swamp into mature timber. I was scouting so I marked it on my GPS, threw a trail cam up and moved on. I never made it back there until the late winter (April). To my delight the thing was still taking pics, I love those Lithiums and large SD cards. I pulled the camera and took it home to see what I had. There was tons of pics and almost daily daytime movement. Deer were walking along the transition, visiting the scrape, crossing the creek, bucks were cruising and chasing doe. I was back a few weeks after retrieving the cam during Spring Gobbler to hang a stand. I put the cam back up and got all the work done so I was ready for the upcoming Fall. I waited for the Rut to start and for a correct wind.

Friday November 9th was the day, it was low 30's sleeting and spitting rain and snow. I was walking back early, way before the sun would make an appearance on the horizon. I followed my trail tacks, trudged through the swamps and got to my tree. I found out on the walk in that my Right boot had a hole in the heel. I sat as long as I could, my foot was freezing. At about 9:45 I couldn't take it anymore I had not seen a deer and I kept thinking about the spare socks and boots I had in the truck. I turned to start packing up and there was a nice 8 pt walking my way. He stayed off the creek crossing and paralleled the creek 30yds away from the stand. He was on the opposite side of the creek from where my tree stand was setup to shoot to. I did not see any sign there previously and there was only one naturally occurring shooting lane. He was already starting to move through my only lane so I grabbed my bow turned around and smoothly, cleanly shot right over his back. He stood there long enough for me to nock another arrow and draw then he bounded off.

This day was going great so far. I climbed down picked up my arrow and my pride swapped my trail cam card and made the 1 mile walk out. While I was squishing and sloshing in my boot on the way out I was excited to look at the card but was wondering why the scrape was not opened up. I hunted some private the rest of the day and didn't see anything. I got home ate dinner helped get the kids to bed and I threw the card in my laptop to start going through it. I was surprised to see that there was not much activity, the camera went days without taking a pic. No good bucks, no scrape activity and only a few doe groups.

I know that areas can be good or bad depending on what crops are planted in the surrounding ag fields and I intend to make note of that this year. This day was part of what drove me to want to try saddle hunting. I had heard about saddles for years from John Eberhart, but this day and one other fun day with my climber which I may explain in a thread later really kicked me in the butt.

I have thought about this before but am wondering if anyone else has seen a similar course of events. Have you ever hung a stand and the deer seem to avoid it or adjust their movements?

 

[Silvio]

A few years ago during spring gobbler (May) I was scouting way back off the beaten path on some PA big woods public. This is a large tract of forestland with long uninterrupted stretches of timber. I stumbled upon a heavy creek crossing leading into a group of scrapes along a transition line from bottomland/swamp into mature timber. I was scouting so I marked it on my GPS, threw a trail cam up and moved on. I never made it back there until the late winter (April). To my delight the thing was still taking pics, I love those Lithiums and large SD cards. I pulled the camera and took it home to see what I had. There was tons of pics and almost daily daytime movement. Deer were walking along the transition, visiting the scrape, crossing the creek, bucks were cruising and chasing doe. I was back a few weeks after retrieving the cam during Spring Gobbler to hang a stand. I put the cam back up and got all the work done so I was ready for the upcoming Fall. I waited for the Rut to start and for a correct wind.

Friday November 9th was the day, it was low 30's sleeting and spitting rain and snow. I was walking back early, way before the sun would make an appearance on the horizon. I followed my trail tacks, trudged through the swamps and got to my tree. I found out on the walk in that my Right boot had a hole in the heel. I sat as long as I could, my foot was freezing. At about 9:45 I couldn't take it anymore I had not seen a deer and I kept thinking about the spare socks and boots I had in the truck. I turned to start packing up and there was a nice 8 pt walking my way. He stayed off the creek crossing and paralleled the creek 30yds away from the stand. He was on the opposite side of the creek from where my tree stand was setup to shoot to. I did not see any sign there previously and there was only one naturally occurring shooting lane. He was already starting to move through my only lane so I grabbed my bow turned around and smoothly, cleanly shot right over his back. He stood there long enough for me to nock another arrow and draw then he bounded off.

This day was going great so far. I climbed down picked up my arrow and my pride swapped my trail cam card and made the 1 mile walk out. While I was squishing and sloshing in my boot on the way out I was excited to look at the card but was wondering why the scrape was not opened up. I hunted some private the rest of the day and didn't see anything. I got home ate dinner helped get the kids to bed and I threw the card in my laptop to start going through it. I was surprised to see that there was not much activity, the camera went days without taking a pic. No good bucks, no scrape activity and only a few doe groups.

I know that areas can be good or bad depending on what crops are planted in the surrounding ag fields and I intend to make note of that this year. This day was part of what drove me to want to try saddle hunting. I had heard about saddles for years from John Eberhart, but this day and one other fun day with my climber which I may explain in a thread later really kicked me in the butt.

I have thought about this before but am wondering if anyone else has seen a similar course of events. Have you ever hung a stand and the deer seem to avoid it or adjust their movements?

Placing a tree stand in any spot can alert a deer of your presence, but as they get use to it remember if they see you in it or most importantly smell your track...you've put those bucks on alert. During many of my seminars I would always say a buck will tolerate noise before he will tolerate your smell. Again it's a exit entry strategy plan that makes you or breaks you. Work on that, and results might be different

 

[elk yinzer]

If you hung it and turkey season and didn't come back until November, well first of all that's illegal on DCNR and PGC lands, you can hang two weeks prior to the season but I'll forgive you like the other 10,000 illegal treestand squatters in Pennsyltucky.

The stand would not have affected deer patterns hung that far in advance.

Likely some other factor occurred. In the big woods deer shift around a lot based on food sources and other seemingly random seasonal variation. Another hunter could have keyed in on the area and blown it up. Logging or some other human factor influences things. Who knows. The scraping activity I see most often is driving by proximity to doe patterns and their bedding. Good chance the local ladies are on a different pattern, just have to scout and adapt. Just another reason to stay mobile. Sure, I have honey holes that produce just about every year but those are rare to come by.

 

[ImThere]

Were you hunting it a year later during the same time frame? I would say food sources or pressure moved them off


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[MathewsShooter7]

Its probably more in line with what Silvio said in that they shift their patterns due to awareness to hunter presence in the area ie scent and not the stand itself...but if they see you in that stand. No bueno. Sometimes their movements just shift due to other factors and its just a matter finding where and making that adjustment. For example I had a spot in Ohio that was just a honey hole for 3-4 years and then some beavers damned up a spot in a stream below me and it completely shifted the deer movement to nil through the area. A quick scout and 100 yard shift and I stuck a good buck the next sit in. In your example above it does not sound like you pressured the area much...that said its pretty likely you were just making the mistake of hunting last years sign and that same activity was going on somewhere near by. I've been there done that and it usually just takes a small adjustment to get back on them. Then again we also hunt PA where the deer walk around looking up in the trees so who knows haha

 

[SaddleUpPartner!]

I read about John Eberhart about a year and a half ago and thought, "that's amazing what he does but I think I could just do his tactics but with tree stands, not that goofy saddle thing." YEAH. RIGHT. My breaking point was in my ladder stand in my favorite spot. I had a 9 point chasing a 4 point and I was set up overlooking a clearing in a brier patch. They came crashing into the briers and thorns, the four point went by my shooting lane first and I was waiting for the 9 point to walk 2 ft into my lane. I shifted my feet to get a good shot and it made my tree stand make a rattle sound and they both spooked and took off. Looking back, if I had a saddle I could have peaked around the tree and made my shot AND been up higher than I was in a ladder stand. Bought one this past winter and can't wait to try it out. The fact that you can swing around the tree is enough for me to make the switch. I get picked constantly.

 

[Silvio]

Its probably more in line with what Silvio said in that they shift their patterns due to awareness to hunter presence in the area ie scent and not the stand itself...but if they see you in that stand. No bueno. Sometimes their movements just shift due to other factors and its just a matter finding where and making that adjustment. For example I had a spot in Ohio that was just a honey hole for 3-4 years and then some beavers damned up a spot in a stream below me and it completely shifted the deer movement to nil through the area. A quick scout and 100 yard shift and I stuck a good buck the next sit in. In your example above it does not sound like you pressured the area much...that said its pretty likely you were just making the mistake of hunting last years sign and that same activity was going on somewhere near by. I've been there done that and it usually just takes a small adjustment to get back on them. Then again we also hunt PA where the deer walk around looking up in the trees so who knows haha

Ok good points being made...the big picture here is HUNT THE SIGN...when its hot... not a week later...get on it when the wind is favorable...now if your going to wait until nxt season scout hard and remember to be flexable...most likely you'll find other scrapes in the general area if those bucks are still present. I will say older bucks tend to remain in there home range their entire lives unless the habitat is destroy from urban sproul..in this case they adapt and move on

 

[NWPA22]

Were you hunting it a year later during the same time frame? I would say food sources or pressure moved them off


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Yes, the camera ran from May to April originally. I hunted that stand in November the following year. It is so far back though, I have never seen anyone back there. No other stands, and my cam never had people on it. It is a mile walk back through swamps with standing water.

 

[MathewsShooter7]

Ok good points being made...the big picture here is HUNT THE SIGN...when its hot... not a week later...get on it when the wind is favorable...now if your going to wait until nxt season scout hard and remember to be flexable...most likely you'll find other scrapes in the general area if those bucks are still present. I will say older bucks tend to remain in there home range their entire lives unless the habitat is destroy from urban sproul..in this case they adapt and move on

One thing to add is that we as hunters often times give whitetail to much credit, in terms that they think cognitively as we do and they don't. That leads us to overthinking things sometimes...That said they have amazing instincts and understanding how they use them will open up doors for you.

 

[NWPA22]

If you hung it and turkey season and didn't come back until November, well first of all that's illegal on DCNR and PGC lands, you can hang two weeks prior to the season but I'll forgive you like the other 10,000 illegal treestand squatters in Pennsyltucky.

The stand would not have affected deer patterns hung that far in advance.

Likely some other factor occurred. In the big woods deer shift around a lot based on food sources and other seemingly random seasonal variation. Another hunter could have keyed in on the area and blown it up. Logging or some other human factor influences things. Who knows. The scraping activity I see most often is driving by proximity to doe patterns and their bedding. Good chance the local ladies are on a different pattern, just have to scout and adapt. Just another reason to stay mobile. Sure, I have honey holes that produce just about every year but those are rare to come by.

HAHA ya I used to follow that 2 week rule until I saw all the treestands still up in the spring. Another great reason to use a saddle I guess! Thats a good point though, I certainly did not have the amount of doe pics I did the previous year. I have been trying recently to really key in on and find bedding areas.

 

[NWPA22]

Ok good points being made...the big picture here is HUNT THE SIGN...when its hot... not a week later...get on it when the wind is favorable...now if your going to wait until nxt season scout hard and remember to be flexable...most likely you'll find other scrapes in the general area if those bucks are still present. I will say older bucks tend to remain in there home range their entire lives unless the habitat is destroy from urban sproul..in this case they adapt and move on

That is another reason I am excited about hunting from a saddle. I can hunt hot sign, I am not tied down to a spot for the year. I can scout last years sign but if it isn't there this year I can go anywhere else! In that spot I think my access was pretty good. The creek and transition line run North/South the creek crossing comes from the SW and my access was from the WNW.

 

[NWPA22]

Its probably more in line with what Silvio said in that they shift their patterns due to awareness to hunter presence in the area ie scent and not the stand itself...but if they see you in that stand. No bueno. Sometimes their movements just shift due to other factors and its just a matter finding where and making that adjustment. For example I had a spot in Ohio that was just a honey hole for 3-4 years and then some beavers damned up a spot in a stream below me and it completely shifted the deer movement to nil through the area. A quick scout and 100 yard shift and I stuck a good buck the next sit in. In your example above it does not sound like you pressured the area much...that said its pretty likely you were just making the mistake of hunting last years sign and that same activity was going on somewhere near by. I've been there done that and it usually just takes a small adjustment to get back on them. Then again we also hunt PA where the deer walk around looking up in the trees so who knows haha

I hear Dan Infalt say all the time that he will often not make it all the way back to the spot he wanted to hunt because he sees hot sign and hangs near that. This is probably the thing I am most excited about hunting from a saddle.

 

[MathewsShooter7]

I hear Dan Infalt say all the time that he will often not make it all the way back to the spot he wanted to hunt because he sees hot sign and hangs near that. This is probably the thing I am most excited about hunting from a saddle.

Same here...it does not change my tactics so much as makes them much easier to implement!

 

[NWPA22]

@elk yinzer I actually had a conversation about that with a Deputy Game warden a couple years ago. He is a volunteer I believe, but anyway I told him we should get at least 2 months before season to hang a stand. You find a good spot then go back into it 2 weeks before the season opens to make all that ruckus hanging a stand. Defeats the purpose for archery hunters. He said they do not want guys leaving stands up all year and "claiming a spot" then if someone else comes to hunt that area the original stand hunter gets upset and says my stand was here first. I told him I come across stands all the time in the off season, some guys try to get around it by leaving their sticks up and taking the stand out because the law says tree stands. in not as many words he said that they do not have the resources to actively police the issue. Not saying it makes it right for anyone but he was cool to talk to me fairly openly about it.