Grade my plan of attack. South Western PA
In late July i saw my target buck in person. He may be right at P&Y. It was about 300 yards from my fathers stand. I told him to put out some corn and i guranteed the buck would show up on the camera. Well the very first day in comes the old buck. I know this area is the bucks home range and scouted it heavy last rifle season and shed time. I found a lot of rubs and scrapes left over from the rut. Also in shed season i found very large beds and tracks throughout this area. It is pretty thick and off of a field. I have been targeting deer trails with my camera because i feel putting food out only messes up your spot but only came up with one picture of him and it was around 4 am.
So lets try and narrow my trail cam locations. First one i set up was on the trail that i had first seen the buck. I got him but it was around 4. I have just moved another camere to trail that is coming off of a thicket and to a field with clover. I think the buck may be using this when going back to his bedding area. I feel that his bedding area is off of the first trail about 150-200 yards due to the late season and shed hunting scouting. I don't want to get in there and educate him before the season. I have been getting a decent number of does at the new camera locations.
I am very hesitant about encroaching on his core area to look for a dominant food source for daytime movement. He is smart, too smart. If i get in there and walk all through his home range i may shoot myself in the foot. If no one gets him this year i will be looking more into tree identification without leaves and find the food sources in rifle and late season and note it for next year.
Here is my plan of attack for trying to hunt this guy. Now remember i do not climb and plan on hanging a ladder stand very soon. Given this dilema here is my plan: Find the main travle route for the does coming from the field to the thicket. Set the stand on these girls and dont hunt it at all until the rut or pre rut or rut where scents, and calling can be effective. I contemplated setting up a mock scrape off of one of these travle routes. I think if i choose the field trail location i may be able to draw him out of the thicket come rut time with some scents and a decoy mixed with some calling. I know that i need to pass any does i see to help aid with getting the big guy. I want all face cards in my hand. I feel that this would be the best way to get this guy. I know that early season can work but i know the odds are stacked against me.
Here is my dilema. This area has decent pressure in archery. I know other guys hunt around the location of the buck and bait their cam locations so they know he is there. Am i messing up by waiting until mid october to start hunting this guy. I contemplated setting up early on in the season and do some light sparring ratlling over a mock scrape to try to trigger his early territor instints but i am worried this might just let him know exactly where i am. I am working hard to try and locate him for the first day. Any insight on narrowing down this big guys home range. I have another spot that produced some big buck activity in the rut i plan on hunting until I go all in at the other spots.
Am i being to conservative in not going into his core and finding a food source to hang a stand. I think if i find the food source it shall give me the best shot at harvesting him in the first two week. If i set up on the main travle rout for the does i have a chance at taking him in the rut.
Give me some opinions.
Thanks in advance,
Mike
So lets try and narrow my trail cam locations. First one i set up was on the trail that i had first seen the buck. I got him but it was around 4. I have just moved another camere to trail that is coming off of a thicket and to a field with clover. I think the buck may be using this when going back to his bedding area. I feel that his bedding area is off of the first trail about 150-200 yards due to the late season and shed hunting scouting. I don't want to get in there and educate him before the season. I have been getting a decent number of does at the new camera locations.
I am very hesitant about encroaching on his core area to look for a dominant food source for daytime movement. He is smart, too smart. If i get in there and walk all through his home range i may shoot myself in the foot. If no one gets him this year i will be looking more into tree identification without leaves and find the food sources in rifle and late season and note it for next year.
Here is my plan of attack for trying to hunt this guy. Now remember i do not climb and plan on hanging a ladder stand very soon. Given this dilema here is my plan: Find the main travle route for the does coming from the field to the thicket. Set the stand on these girls and dont hunt it at all until the rut or pre rut or rut where scents, and calling can be effective. I contemplated setting up a mock scrape off of one of these travle routes. I think if i choose the field trail location i may be able to draw him out of the thicket come rut time with some scents and a decoy mixed with some calling. I know that i need to pass any does i see to help aid with getting the big guy. I want all face cards in my hand. I feel that this would be the best way to get this guy. I know that early season can work but i know the odds are stacked against me.
Here is my dilema. This area has decent pressure in archery. I know other guys hunt around the location of the buck and bait their cam locations so they know he is there. Am i messing up by waiting until mid october to start hunting this guy. I contemplated setting up early on in the season and do some light sparring ratlling over a mock scrape to try to trigger his early territor instints but i am worried this might just let him know exactly where i am. I am working hard to try and locate him for the first day. Any insight on narrowing down this big guys home range. I have another spot that produced some big buck activity in the rut i plan on hunting until I go all in at the other spots.
Am i being to conservative in not going into his core and finding a food source to hang a stand. I think if i find the food source it shall give me the best shot at harvesting him in the first two week. If i set up on the main travle rout for the does i have a chance at taking him in the rut.
Give me some opinions.
Thanks in advance,
Mike
Comments
Ryan Kulinski
Mike I am no pro by any means but if you have others in the area hunting this old guy, he is probably already alert about folks in the woods.. my thoughts would be try and get him on the first few days of the season and then slack of and wait till pre runt comes in.. I seem to do really well the first few days if I was able to scout out a particular deer. Also if you are concerned about going to his home area and you know were it is and have a idea about his food source I would take my climber into or as close as I can get to and climb up. I have taken most of larger deer on my first sit in that particular spot.. I hope this helps a little, just my .02$Ron Moore
I AGREEwith what Ryan says .....but to me it sounds like ur so afraid of not seeing him again ur not doing the one thing u must do to snag this guy............COVER SENT COVER SENT...trust in what the timber provides you too use forget about all that stuff in the bottles and such nothing out there can reproduce the ol evergreen and a nice misty day......
get out there into the timber rub down from hat to boots as many times as you thank ur have too ...depending on the weather conditions i may just carry a branch with me stuck in a day pack and rub down every 15 20 mins or every hour on the hour...second of all take ur time ...look at everything ...search out every short cut you can find in or around this or that and ifen u do all that u say ur doing with this in mind you should be able to get in to his house and het him withen the first week of season.
my hunting partner and i usually walk between .5 and 1.5 miles to our stands and we are usually togather with one or both of his daughters...wear el cheepo lite weight cloths while heading into the timber rubbing down several times befor making out finale stand decisions for that day be it morning or evening...and when we get there to out stand we quickly change into our fancy dancies and rub down all over again....and get in there in the cover of darkness...to answer ur question that in ur head right now...yes we have jumped deer heading in and out who hasnt??? but we know this when u hear that unforgetable sound as we all have member stop dont talk just simple neel down tell all has quieted back down and then move on and trust me ifen u have two lil girls with u ages of 7 and 10 thats never easy...but like i said the cents of the evergreen is natural and geting into the stand 1 or even 2 hours early when i am chasing horns i prefer 2 hours minimum cause he is in there he and his girls are going to bust out at some time or another but know this thats there house and there going to come back and the more ya can keep them girls in there with u he will not ever be very far away.....
dont be afraid to put corn apples and peers out there ...trust me 2 months befor season starts ill dump 50lbs of corn as many apples and peers as i can get there befor i am just too whooped to make another trip... i do this all in the rain to keep my sent way down and my walking very stealthy ...then i dont go back for 2 weeks and i anly take one bag and i dont just put it into the same pile .. this bag i open a small hole in it and take of walking in circles and lines zig sags and evrything else i can thank of all withen 30 yrds of my stand for i am for the most part a bow hunter ...then i dont put out any more corn tell i head out to the stand opening morning...all i take is a 1lb coffee can filled to the rim with lid on tight...when i reach mys stand and get changed into my other cloths and back my others away and get all rubed down..i take that can of corn and just toss it out of the can like i was tossing oh say bird seed at ur buddys weden lol ....then i pack all my stuff and a fresh branch of the old evergreen i climb up and well u know the rest.....but its always paid off even in the worst of wind conditions...iv had the wind at my back and the deer come in from the front // iv had the wind in my face and the deer come from behind me and the only times i have ever been busted was due to me not seeing or hearing that doe or smaller buck that was behind me as i started to come to full draw and have gotten as we call blown outta there ....heck no i didnt pack it up i stayed put i wasnt winded the rest didnt blow and go they just ran cause he did..trust me they will be back befor u know it.........
WELL I HOPE MY HUNTING METHODS AND OR WAYS MIGHT HELP U IN WACKING ONE U HAVE UR EYES SET ON ...GOOD LUCK BE SAFE AND USE THE WOODS THATS WHAT THERE THERE FOR