Questions of a failure

[DannyAttacksTheMountain]

Dude, it's only failure if you give up. And you did learn something, Beast tactics aren't working for you. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Utilize your skill and your knowledge, look at where you are and hunt it. Remember this too, the more you enjoy process the better the outcome. Now get out there and slay a giant, we're all counting on you...........jk

Sounds good man. Some of the best advice I’ve heard in awhile. Thank you


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[DannyAttacksTheMountain]

Do you ever pull an all day hunt? Mid day deer movement has been very productive for me.
If you are hunting only the last 3 hours, you may be missing some great action earlier in the day. A 3 hour sit is better than nothing but IMO, 3 hours misses a lot of activity.

I’ll give this a shot. Thank you


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[michigandrake]

Hunting mostly evenings. Hunted a couple mornings and saw nothing. Bedding areas are roughly 2-6 acres is my guess. They don’t seem to make the boundaries very precise so not sure


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The reason I ask is I have always found bed hunting to be a morning game. In the evenings it is harder to access bedding cover without alerting the deer. Doubly so for a small bedding pocket with a mature buck in it. It's always a guessing game as to how close you can get. The worst part is if you make a mistake early in the year that spot might be toast for that buck and you will never even know it. They get that big for a reason. Always a good practice to have a few spots where you are hunting different deer. Maybe add a spot or three on the way up the mountain so you have a few options.

 

[Red Beard]

The reason I ask is I have always found bed hunting to be a morning game. In the evenings it is harder to access bedding cover without alerting the deer.

How does one successfully creep up on a known bedding area in the morning? Seems many here are against going in with a headlamp.

Edit: Please don't take that the wrong way. I really am asking to learn and not to be smart. I thought that it was a no-no to go walking up on a bedding area with your headlamp on... And walking up on it just after first light seems counter-intuitive since you'd be walking in and setting up at the same time you're hoping they'll come through.

 

[michigandrake]

How does one successfully creep up on a known bedding area in the morning? Seems many here are against going in with a headlamp.

Edit: Please don't take that the wrong way. I really am asking to learn and not to be smart. I thought that it was a no-no to go walking up on a bedding area with your headlamp on... And walking up on it just after first light seems counter-intuitive since you'd be walking in and setting up at the same time you're hoping they'll come through.

No offense taken. I have been bed hunting for a long time and here is my take on it.

In the morning you have the advantage. Arrive early enough and the deer you are hunting have not bedded yet and you have the cover of darkness. As soon as a deer beds down it has the advantage. You have to be in position before then. All you have to do is figure out how to access your stand without spooking the deer and how early you need to be there. That might mean a few hundred yards down a drainage ditch a half-hour before light or a 2 mile hike two hours before light. It just depends on your situation. My deer are pressured so for me it is always early hours, long walks. and sits into the afternoon. Believe me when I tell you it is a giant PIA. It does however work and has been a successful tactic for me. There is a lot of information out there on this strategy but it is just more work than most guys are willing to put in.

 

[DannyAttacksTheMountain]

No offense taken. I have been bed hunting for a long time and here is my take on it.

In the morning you have the advantage. Arrive early enough and the deer you are hunting have not bedded yet and you have the cover of darkness. As soon as a deer beds down it has the advantage. You have to be in position before then. All you have to do is figure out how to access your stand without spooking the deer and how early you need to be there. That might mean a few hundred yards down a drainage ditch a half-hour before light or a 2 mile hike two hours before light. It just depends on your situation. My deer are pressured so for me it is always early hours, long walks. and sits into the afternoon. Believe me when I tell you it is a giant PIA. It does however work and has been a successful tactic for me. There is a lot of information out there on this strategy but it is just more work than most guys are willing to put in.

I’m willing to try this. There’s been a couple of great deer hunters on social media/YouTube that I follow that have had success with this. I also fear that I’ve heard so much about bucks using the falling thermals to their advantage if they’re coming back uphill. A lot of us are also worried(me to be one of them) that a buck not only beds well before dark but also “J hooks” and smells the wind before going in. But at this point I’m willing to try anything(besides prison stuff) to just get a shot at one.

Thanks much


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[Allegheny Tom]

I’m willing to try this. There’s been a couple of great deer hunters on social media/YouTube that I follow that have had success with this. I also fear that I’ve heard so much about bucks using the falling thermals to their advantage if they’re coming back uphill. A lot of us are also worried(me to be one of them) that a buck not only beds well before dark but also “J hooks” and smells the wind before going in. But at this point I’m willing to try anything(besides prison stuff) to just get a shot at one.

Thanks much


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Look at a "J"...its got a bend in it, right?
I absolutely love when I can identify a bend in a deer pattern. That is often the weakest link in a bucks defense when it comes to monitoring odor. I like to find some sort of terrain structure that funnels deer movement in a bend pattern. Set up on the outside of the bend and you can get away with a lot more variation in wind direction.
Setting up on the inside of bend is super critical for stable wind, but the outside of the bend allows for a lot more wind variability.

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[BigAl]

My take......as little as I know about big deer LOL. If you understand bedding very well then hunting downwind sides of "doe" bedding is better for late October and November. Had a chance at fine buck hunting doe bedding travel corridor. My fault on the miss...but that's another story. If you haven't read Mapping Trophy Whitetails by Brad Herndon then you might enjoy it. Really, really got me started in the right direction on stand sites and the wind. Dan's perspective is spot on where he hunts but I learned that I have to mix his strategies with terrain and doe bedding. Then again I'm just Tn hillbilly and not a polished hunter. I just know that I see better deer now than before. That's my 2 cents.......probably all it's worth.....LOL

 

[michigandrake]

I’m willing to try this. There’s been a couple of great deer hunters on social media/YouTube that I follow that have had success with this. I also fear that I’ve heard so much about bucks using the falling thermals to their advantage if they’re coming back uphill. A lot of us are also worried(me to be one of them) that a buck not only beds well before dark but also “J hooks” and smells the wind before going in. But at this point I’m willing to try anything(besides prison stuff) to just get a shot at one.

Thanks much


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If you give it a go I highly recommend a tree you know is comfortable. When a nice buck beds down close you are stuck there until he moves. Bring a doe call ...... big bucks are a sucker for a social doe bleat when they are comfortable with their security.

 

[Gusarch]

I know nothing of the beast tactics your discussing, but the mention of in season or after season scouting has proven huge for me. I have no huge trophies to my name, but using the sign from the time of year I get to hunt has put more adult deer in sight than anything else. John Eberharts kind of scouting logic. It fits my life style also, I can spend far more time scouting over the winter months than any other.. I hunt on public mountains in PA, so can attest to low density as well. Do what you can to get into deer, and and eventually good things start to happen, but it does take time. Good luck

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[DannyAttacksTheMountain]

I know nothing of the beast tactics your discussing, but the mention of in season or after season scouting has proven huge for me. I have no huge trophies to my name, but using the sign from the time of year I get to hunt has put more adult deer in sight than anything else. John Eberharts kind of scouting logic. It fits my life style also, I can spend far more time scouting over the winter months than any other.. I hunt on public mountains in PA, so can attest to low density as well. Do what you can to get into deer, and and eventually good things start to happen, but it does take time. Good luck

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Very well said. Thanks much. I’ve reasons of his books as well. Very good info


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[Kyle Hey]

I know nothing of the beast tactics your discussing, but the mention of in season or after season scouting has proven huge for me. I have no huge trophies to my name, but using the sign from the time of year I get to hunt has put more adult deer in sight than anything else. John Eberharts kind of scouting logic. It fits my life style also, I can spend far more time scouting over the winter months than any other.. I hunt on public mountains in PA, so can attest to low density as well. Do what you can to get into deer, and and eventually good things start to happen, but it does take time. Good luck

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Following this thread b/c I always need some help on Mountian Bucks.
Also, @Gusarch I hunt PA mts. too and live not too far from you if your profile info is correct. Let me know if you want to try to scout some public in South Central/ Central PA sometime.