The Piled-High Club

[dalton916]

Question for the PHC that came to me driving back from the store this evening.

I passed a field owned by a wing-shooting club. This field is maybe 2 miles from a WMA I hunt. They have a feeder on the field and burn their property, and I suspect plant a corner of the field with something tasty. Long and short, the place holds deer and the field is a feeding destination. It's cold and drizzly today. There were 7 deer out feeding in broad daylight. Usually, I use that location as a "barometer" of sorts. If I see deer out there, I'll make an extra effort to hit a stand. Couldn't sit tonight, but am tempted to make a quick sit tomorrow morning on the theory that the cold, wet front has deer stirring more than they were in 80 degree weather yesterday.

Do you or have you guys ever used a scenario like that to inform you that deer are moving and it's a good day for a sit?

Sorta, but I don’t want this great thread to go off the rails so I’ll stay quiet, lol

 

[woodsdog2]

Question for the PHC that came to me driving back from the store this evening.

I passed a field owned by a wing-shooting club. This field is maybe 2 miles from a WMA I hunt. They have a feeder on the field and burn their property, and I suspect plant a corner of the field with something tasty. Long and short, the place holds deer and the field is a feeding destination. It's cold and drizzly today. There were 7 deer out feeding in broad daylight. Usually, I use that location as a "barometer" of sorts. If I see deer out there, I'll make an extra effort to hit a stand. Couldn't sit tonight, but am tempted to make a quick sit tomorrow morning on the theory that the cold, wet front has deer stirring more than they were in 80 degree weather yesterday.

Do you or have you guys ever used a scenario like that to inform you that deer are moving and it's a good day for a sit?

My Dad would always say if the cows are up and feeding, so are the deer and turkeys.

 

[Jagger0502]

Thats probably going to depend on your local area. Bedding areas here change throughout the year and with pressure and weather conditions.

You hit this on the nose. I think something most people negate is the time of the year. Deer do different things different times of the year so scouting in Aug and finding a bedding area and food source and planning to post up between the two might not be a wise choice in November.

Break it down to four specific areas of interest:

- Bedding
- Food Source
- Water
- Travel corridors

I like to break down the season and follow some simple rules to get on deer at specific times of the year.

Early Archery - Targeting travel corridors between Water, Food and Bedding - sticking closer to bedding areas when able

Pre Rut - target food sources - acorn drop, fresh cut clover fields, apple and fruit trees, in heavily browsed areas find fresh cut timber, late season greens - fresh sign to watch out for are rub lines

Early Rut - main travel corridors and focus on where doe have been traveling regularly, new sign - scraps and fresh rubs - hunt the doe, bucks will not be far behind

Rut - similar to early rut but focus on Doe movement, if you can get into a high density of doe or regular doe travel areas then it’s just a matter of time when a hot doe will draw in a buck

Late Rut - travel corridors again but any doe going back into heat or late are far and few between, these doe will hold bucks and bucks without a doe will be looking for them, pick your poison and take a chance on doe holding areas with lockdown bucks, doe travel areas, or travel corridors that will have traveling bucks putting on distance looking for those last few doe to breed

Post rut - back to bedding areas and feeding areas but these will likely be different now that there is less cover - find bedding areas where wind is usually in their favor in one direction and they can see some distance in the other, pay attention to wind direction to figure these bedding areas and their escape routes which are usually into the wind

 

[Blacksmith]

Processing isn't hard. I actually think it's pretty fun.

I agree. Just part of the hunting experience. I donate all of mine except for some jerky.

 

[ImThere]

Question for the PHC that came to me driving back from the store this evening.

I passed a field owned by a wing-shooting club. This field is maybe 2 miles from a WMA I hunt. They have a feeder on the field and burn their property, and I suspect plant a corner of the field with something tasty. Long and short, the place holds deer and the field is a feeding destination. It's cold and drizzly today. There were 7 deer out feeding in broad daylight. Usually, I use that location as a "barometer" of sorts. If I see deer out there, I'll make an extra effort to hit a stand. Couldn't sit tonight, but am tempted to make a quick sit tomorrow morning on the theory that the cold, wet front has deer stirring more than they were in 80 degree weather yesterday.

Do you or have you guys ever used a scenario like that to inform you that deer are moving and it's a good day for a sit?

Yes.
I also look at the uptick in deer/ car collisions.
Driving through Jersey last week there was a dead deer every 1/4 mile. I imagine it’s a great time to be in the woods there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Horn]

You hit this on the nose. I think something most people negate is the time of the year. Deer do different things different times of the year so scouting in Aug and finding a bedding area and food source and planning to post up between the two might not be a wise choice in November.

Break it down to four specific areas of interest:

- Bedding
- Food Source
- Water
- Travel corridors

I like to break down the season and follow some simple rules to get on deer at specific times of the year.

Early Archery - Targeting travel corridors between Water, Food and Bedding - sticking closer to bedding areas when able

Pre Rut - target food sources - acorn drop, fresh cut clover fields, apple and fruit trees, in heavily browsed areas find fresh cut timber, late season greens - fresh sign to watch out for are rub lines

Early Rut - main travel corridors and focus on where doe have been traveling regularly, new sign - scraps and fresh rubs - hunt the doe, bucks will not be far behind

Rut - similar to early rut but focus on Doe movement, if you can get into a high density of doe or regular doe travel areas then it’s just a matter of time when a hot doe will draw in a buck

Late Rut - travel corridors again but any doe going back into heat or late are far and few between, these doe will hold bucks and bucks without a doe will be looking for them, pick your poison and take a chance on doe holding areas with lockdown bucks, doe travel areas, or travel corridors that will have traveling bucks putting on distance looking for those last few doe to breed

Post rut - back to bedding areas and feeding areas but these will likely be different now that there is less cover - find bedding areas where wind is usually in their favor in one direction and they can see some distance in the other, pay attention to wind direction to figure these bedding areas and their escape routes which are usually into the wind

Thank you very much! This is like a treasure map for an inexperienced hunter like myself, pure gold.

 

[kyler1945]

So using the logic discussed in the last couple exchanges... the hottest sign for a hunter who got off work a little early and hit the woods at 1400 -but doesn't have an opportunity to hunt tomorrow or the rest of the week- might be a still wet-ish, but definitely not uber-fresh steaming pile of poop? Reason being deer will likely not return to the steaming fresh area for a given amount of time.

And I want to reiterate that I really appreciate yall weighing in on this topic as I think I've put a lot of faith in the "walk till the sign screams you have to climb a tree" mentality. And I've always taken that "hottest sign" as being you're-right-on-their-heels poop.

As a person who advocates for the above, one slight tweak: one fresh pile of poop doesn’t get me excited. 20 fresh piles of poop under a single feed tree or 50 yard stretch of browse, etc, gets me excited. Quantity and quality!

 

[Nosaj]

As a person who advocates for the above, one slight tweak: one fresh pile of poop doesn’t get me excited. 20 fresh piles of poop under a single feed tree or 50 yard stretch of browse, etc, gets me excited. Quantity and quality!

or out side a bedding area

 

[BTaylor]

Yes.
I also look at the uptick in deer/ car collisions.
Driving through Jersey last week there was a dead deer every 1/4 mile. I imagine it’s a great time to be in the woods there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I do this as well as there arent any spots around me like @Nutterbuster described. I watch for road kills but also watch for deer feeding on the sides of the highway on the way to work. I come in before daylight so if I am seeing a good many deer feeding pre-dawn there are decent odds if the weather is good that there will be late morning-midday movement in or close to bedding cover.

 

[bowhunthard88]

@bowhunthard88 , can you tell me a little more about "rooting " seems self explanatory but this is the first I've heard of it. It sure does seem to fit with some sign I've seen, and just earlier today actually

Usually visible as disturbance of the leaf litter as they're looking for acorns or forbes/bulbs/etc. Typically deer don't "root" like hogs with their noses, but they do push loose stuff around to clear around the food they're looking for. You do need to verify that it's not squirrels or skunks or something. Turkey sign is pretty obvious compared to deer...

 

[bowhunthard88]

This thread has taken a topical turn as I am on a hell of a deer sighting drought, as fresher droppings coupled with other sign in an given area led me to choose a “higher probability” set up ( in a tree or on the ground.)
A . where there is condensed sign when would you back track to hunt it that day vs marking it for a future hunt with a favorable wind?
B. in wetter soil / swamp edges how are you aging tracks , with other sign as the whole picture, as the wet ground can make it look like a deer highway?
C. when post season scouting finds favorable sign for next year , how are you picking / timing your hunts or moving elsewhere after not seeing fresh enough sign to hunt it .
D.) first hunt best hunt and move on or revisit it ASAP and why

really great stuff . I love this site . good job @Red Beard nerding out on the poops.

Always strive to answer the question as to WHY the sign is WHERE you see it. Based off of the WHY, make an educated guess as to WHEN (time of season AND time of day). These answers differ in many situations, so that's a fairly broad question... I don't run cameras like some other people, but I do run a few selectively in different locations each year in areas that may need questions answered (typically March through November), and historical/interpretative data matters.

I do hunt a lot of swamps and a lot of hardwood/blueberry brush ridges/draws, and even though the deer density is the same, the sign is much more visible along the swamps (of course).

While I love the first sit, never burn that spot on the first sit, especially in lower deer density areas. I will hunt the same area multiple times if there is a good reason to, and I'm always paying attention to entrances and exits (and as many variables as I can function with).

 

[BTaylor]

You hit this on the nose. I think something most people negate is the time of the year. Deer do different things different times of the year so scouting in Aug and finding a bedding area and food source and planning to post up between the two might not be a wise choice in November.

Break it down to four specific areas of interest:

- Bedding
- Food Source
- Water
- Travel corridors

I like to break down the season and follow some simple rules to get on deer at specific times of the year.

Early Archery - Targeting travel corridors between Water, Food and Bedding - sticking closer to bedding areas when able

Pre Rut - target food sources - acorn drop, fresh cut clover fields, apple and fruit trees, in heavily browsed areas find fresh cut timber, late season greens - fresh sign to watch out for are rub lines

Early Rut - main travel corridors and focus on where doe have been traveling regularly, new sign - scraps and fresh rubs - hunt the doe, bucks will not be far behind

Rut - similar to early rut but focus on Doe movement, if you can get into a high density of doe or regular doe travel areas then it’s just a matter of time when a hot doe will draw in a buck

Late Rut - travel corridors again but any doe going back into heat or late are far and few between, these doe will hold bucks and bucks without a doe will be looking for them, pick your poison and take a chance on doe holding areas with lockdown bucks, doe travel areas, or travel corridors that will have traveling bucks putting on distance looking for those last few doe to breed

Post rut - back to bedding areas and feeding areas but these will likely be different now that there is less cover - find bedding areas where wind is usually in their favor in one direction and they can see some distance in the other, pay attention to wind direction to figure these bedding areas and their escape routes which are usually into the wind

That thought process is why I posted the thread about having a opportunity to kill a buck in 4 days on new ground.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

I have probably shot over 150 deer in the last 50 yrs. Over 50 for this yr alone. I'm no professional but I would say new hunters need to shoot whatever they can as others have stated. Holding out for a big un will only lead to disappointment and stress. It's supposed to be fun. Shoot anything you can and practice getting close to critters. Practice tracking, still hunting, Gutting, and hauling out. It's all part of the enjoyment for me. JM2CTS worth.

How on earth do you live in OH and get opportunities at more than 6 deer?
I need to know your ways. More than just the Mohican Sneak.

Seriously, there’s a deeper question here:
I’m living on the land I hunt and manage in the same state as you. I can only take 3 deer in this county and 6 statewide. In DE we could reload doe tags all season until we ran out of ammo or $10 bills or both. If I was a better hunter with more time I could have shot double digits every year. Now I try to “tag out” with just three tags in my pocket all year and I’m stoked when I even get one. I can’t even ”renew” doe tags on the land I live on for management purposes. You are in the same state but have killed 50+ deer just this year. What am I missing? How does someone like me who would never imagine I’d have enough years on earth to get enough opportunities to shoot 100+ deer in my lifetime in my current situation, get to find similar opportunities to what you have? I’m just a simple man trynna see and shoot deer because I love venison and I love being in the woods. 3 deer unit is really…limiting…when I DON’T take shots because I only have so many tags. I don’t want my hunting to be over too early. But I could have already tagged out this year and would love to be able to shoot critters all season long without the anxiety of whether that doe is worth shooting over that doe or this week over two weeks from now or whatever, and get all that practice of tracking, processing, etc. And I don’t have funds to hunt out of state atm, nor is there any public land within an hour of my house, though I understand those are probably built into the answer. Let’s just say within a state such as OH that may have phenomenal hunting and boatloads of deer, but tight limits and regs?
Am I making sense?

PS @Blacksmith i am just a PM away if you ever wanna take a young dog out and teach him how to point .

 

[Blacksmith]

How on earth do you live in OH and get opportunities at more than 6 deer?
I need to know your ways. More than just the Mohican Sneak.

Seriously, there’s a deeper question here:
I’m living on the land I hunt and manage in the same state as you. I can only take 3 deer in this county and 6 statewide. In DE we could reload doe tags all season until we ran out of ammo or $10 bills or both. If I was a better hunter with more time I could have shot double digits every year. Now I try to “tag out” with just three tags in my pocket all year and I’m stoked when I even get one. I can’t even ”renew” doe tags on the land I live on for management purposes. You are in the same state but have killed 50+ deer just this year. What am I missing? How does someone like me who would never imagine I’d have enough years on earth to get enough opportunities to shoot 100+ deer in my lifetime in my current situation, get to find similar opportunities to what you have? I’m just a simple man trynna see and shoot deer because I love venison and I love being in the woods. 3 deer unit is really…limiting…when I DON’T take shots because I only have so many tags. I don’t want my hunting to be over too early. But I could have already tagged out this year and would love to be able to shoot critters all season long without the anxiety of whether that doe is worth shooting over that doe or this week over two weeks from now or whatever, and get all that practice of tracking, processing, etc. And I don’t have funds to hunt out of state atm, nor is there any public land within an hour of my house, though I understand those are probably built into the answer. Let’s just say within a state such as OH that may have phenomenal hunting and boatloads of deer, but tight limits and regs?
Am I making sense?

PS @Blacksmith i am just a PM away if you ever wanna take a young dog out and teach him how to point .

I've been very fortunate to have farmers who apply for nuisance tags. I currently have six farms w/tags over two counties. You are correct w/the 6 deer Ohio limit. The nuisance tags are given in groups of 5 ea. One farm that has been completely devastated by the critters had 24 tags given by the DNR. Most farms are given more tags as soon as I fill them. Early in the summer the landowner has to show the CO considerable damage to his income, crops. Some farmers are claiming thousands in damage. Those tags have to be used before the Sept bow season, so as not to interfere w/ hunters. I'm a bowhunter by birth and trust me, this is not hunting but merely thinning the herd. I understand some folks don't have the herds we do. I've hunted places that I couldn't kill a deer to save me. None of the deer mentioned are wasted. I simply wont do that. All are given to folks that use the meat. I bone out in the field and carry out. The next person on the list picks it up @ my house. The Mohican Sneak works, even w/a rifle. I understand the 3 tags and am somewhat stingy w/mine also during bow season.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

I've been very fortunate to have farmers who apply for nuisance tags. I currently have six farms w/tags over two counties. You are correct w/the 6 deer Ohio limit. The nuisance tags are given in groups of 5 ea. One farm that has been completely devastated by the critters had 24 tags given by the DNR. Most farms are given more tags as soon as I fill them. Early in the summer the landowner has to show the CO considerable damage to his income, crops. Some farmers are claiming thousands in damage. Those tags have to be used before the Sept bow season, so as not to interfere w/ hunters. I'm a bowhunter by birth and trust me, this is not hunting but merely thinning the herd. I understand some folks don't have the herds we do. I've hunted places that I couldn't kill a deer to save me. None of the deer mentioned are wasted. I simply wont do that. All are given to folks that use the meat. I bone out in the field and carry out. The next person on the list picks it up @ my house. The Mohican Sneak works, even w/a rifle. I understand the 3 tags and am somewhat stingy w/mine also during bow season.

I hadn’t thought about the crop damage permits. Something to look into. I did apply for the controlled hunts but didn’t get drawn. I guess that’s another way to get more XP downloaded.
I appreciate the response!

 

[SNIPERBBB]

I've been very fortunate to have farmers who apply for nuisance tags. I currently have six farms w/tags over two counties. You are correct w/the 6 deer Ohio limit. The nuisance tags are given in groups of 5 ea. One farm that has been completely devastated by the critters had 24 tags given by the DNR. Most farms are given more tags as soon as I fill them. Early in the summer the landowner has to show the CO considerable damage to his income, crops. Some farmers are claiming thousands in damage. Those tags have to be used before the Sept bow season, so as not to interfere w/ hunters. I'm a bowhunter by birth and trust me, this is not hunting but merely thinning the herd. I understand some folks don't have the herds we do. I've hunted places that I couldn't kill a deer to save me. None of the deer mentioned are wasted. I simply wont do that. All are given to folks that use the meat. I bone out in the field and carry out. The next person on the list picks it up @ my house. The Mohican Sneak works, even w/a rifle. I understand the 3 tags and am somewhat stingy w/mine also during bow season.

Didn't think there could be that many deer up around Bucryus unless the just sleep in the corn and bean fields.

Gotta couple farmers wanting me to do some nuisance calls next year.

 

[Blacksmith]

Didn't think there could be that many deer up around Bucryus unless the just sleep in the corn and bean fields.

Gotta couple farmers wanting me to do some nuisance calls next year.

They stay in the corn until now when it is coming off...

 

[Micneador]

They stay in the corn until now when it is coming off...

I've heard the same story from a multiple farmers in SE kansas while.i was upe there turkey hunting. Several 1k acre fields that haven't gotten a successful crop of beans or corn in 3 years. They're killing em at night with thermal scopes like hogs.

 

[Blacksmith]

I've heard the same story from a multiple farmers in SE kansas while.i was upe there turkey hunting. Several 1k acre fields that haven't gotten a successful crop of beans or corn in 3 years. They're killing em at night with thermal scopes like hogs.

My permits say I can shoot up until midnight, but I don't go after dark. Some engineer must have come up w/that.

 

[BTaylor]

Anyone pay particular attention to historical rubs in a particular area and monitor for an increase in rub size season over season?