I found a place last Monday that had five trails that intersected in a bottom of a very tight hollow. These trails come five distinct and different locations. The first, trail comes off a small point. The second, comes off of another small point but in a very old logging road. The third one is side hilling a small rock cliff coming from a small clear cut. The fourth one is coming up the center of the hollow. The last one is coming down from were to "shelves" of a hill side meet and come down to the bottom of the hollow.
Ten yards from the junction of all these trails is a large straight sycamore tree. I could use a climber, but I have been at this to long and know that there is no such thing as a steady wind in the bottom of a tight hollow. I also do not like shooting that close from a very high tree stand.
Each trail shows heavy use and more rubs/scrapes in one location, than I have seen in total with every other location I have hunted or scouted this year. How should I approach hunting this or choosing a trail to watch, out of these five?
I have never hunted big hills/ ridges with tight valleys or hollows before. This is also in what I call big woods. Mostly large mature trees with a few small clear cuts. Unlike most of Ohio there is no agriculture or fields anywhere near this spot.
Thanks
ESP
I agree that it'll be very tough to hunt from a tree that's in the bottom of that holler....not only because of the swirling scent but also because of the fact that you're more than likely going to be walking through deer to get there. Can I hazard a guess and say that I bet the concentration of rubs and scrapes you've found is either on the trail coming from the shelves or on the trail that runs the side hill coming from the clear cut???
I've got some ideas in mind for you.....
One....If I'm right about where all the buck sign is I'd hunt the trail coming from the clear cut or I'd hunt on or near that shelf keeping in mind thermals morning and evening.
Two....set a couple trailcams up and see what deer are coming there and how what trails they are using the most to get there and what time of day. Use the information gathered from the trailcams to set stands on the approach trail up on the ridgetop or on the shelf or side hill....whatever the cams and sign dictate. The season is closing soon and now and in the next month following the season is a GREAT time for running trailcams on fresh sign.
I had a similar situation this year in the later season. I hunt the big woods too. I hunt a game land area that is 15,000 acres and I am the only one that hunts it.
I would hang cameras on the trails in the hollow first and hunt the trails higher up where you can get a consistent wind. Walk through the holler at midday when you drop the camera and take note of the prevailing wind direction from the weather service and then compare to what the wind is actually doing on the ground. I had a picture of a big buck down in a creek bottom with rhododendron, mature pines and patches of oak. He laid down a dozen rubs and two scrapes within 200 yards of each other. I had to get in there but the wind was tricky. I was able to pattern the wind and never got busted. Saw some does but the big guy never came through during day light. Check the cameras in a week and the wind direction again and you will know what to do.
At this point after two gun seasons and muzzle loader around the corner I'd be betting the deer are in the thick stuff.
I'm with you, they are buggered. Hunt the deep thickwoods and cover.
QuoteOriginally posted by Biathlonman:
At this point after two gun seasons and muzzle loader around the corner I'd be betting the deer are in the thick stuff.
Whatever you do, I would be very concerned about using the climber on that sycamore. Just my $.02!
I would trail camera the hub crossing. That will tell you two things. Is this daytime movement and if so what is the hottest trail. Once that is determined hunt the hottest trail higher on the hill to get away from the swirly winds.
I had a spot very similar to what you are describing , and as you said the wind in there was just never right , I never killed a deer there but did decide to hunt a side hill trail leading to that area.. hopin to get back there later this winter after they calm some from the gunners ........
TJ's got it - hunt above the hottest trail. You won't be able to hunt all the trails, but you'll find that there will be one or 2 that's traveled the most at certain times. It'll pro ably be one of those spots you need to keep.in your back pocket and wait for that perfect wind. Don't over hunt it because it sounds dynamite if you wait until the right wind.
Most people here wish they had your problem. Although it is challenging, at least you have lots of deer activity. I would place trail cams to determine the direction that has the most interesting activity. It might be a good idea to mount some type of wind indicator that will show up in the camera shots. Then hunt the best setup in terms of activity and wind direction. However, with the previous hunting activity in the area, the guys who say to get in the thick stuff may well have the best idea.
In lieu of surveillance cameras, you could also just do some observation hunts. Sit back with binoculars and see what happens during hunting hours. Walk it in from there.
This is a lot like where I hunt.I also agree with getting in the thick stuff. I hunt cover all of the time just because you have more day light Big buck travel within. Maybe you can get on the cover fringe Where you can see the other trails. I don't like hunting the hollows either because of fickle winds. On the bright side daylight movement is pretty much confined to early and late now, and the thermals are pretty predictable at those times. If you were ever gonna hunt that sycamore now is the time. It is the 4th quarter and the clock is ticking. just my .02. Good luck!
Thanks for all the advice. I will put up a trail camera after muzzle season. I am also going to try and see which trail I can get to with out causing much disturbance. After the season I had I was ecstatic about finding a place like this.
Probably a strong doe presence and if your rut is still in the bucks should find you. Hunt the wind and all day and let us know when you stick one.
Sounds like a fun place to figure out. Wind first, then traffic.
I agree with John Scifres, sit back and observe.
Personally, I would sit the trail I think would be best and allow for a good wind but also where I could watch the bottom.
If you notice any sort of pattern, then make a move if necessary.
Also, get in there with some milkweed fluff or something where you can watch what the wind currents are doing. It may help you figure out why the deer choose one trail over another.
If you have snow, Go in after a week of snow cover and see where the deer prefer to travel.
If I had a dollar for all the great spots in draws/hollows/creek bottoms I've found that are non-huntable because of swirling wind.....
1. There is a reason the deer traffic concentrates thru those kinds of places... and it generally has to do with safety and advantageous wind patterns for the deer
2. You can try it (like I often do), get busted, and figure out to stay out
3. Old, old trick - slip in there after season, but before the leaves come back on the trees during 2 or 3 predominant wind patterns with those little round smoke bombs and set them off -see what the wind tells you
Chances are you'll have to choose one of the travel routes coming into the situation to key on.... figure out the big picture - not why they are traveling in the vicinity, but what influences overall deer travel in the bigger area - 1-2 square miles maybe - this would dictate which trail would be the primary one bucks use.... or you could depend on a camera to help tell you . I don't like trusting camera info, though, without a firm understanding of the big picture, you can get fooled too easily. Big picture info comes from lots of sources, and boots on the ground are only one of those.
I'd treat this as learning where to be next year... the rut sign from this year tells you where to be next year, but obviously doesn't mean squat about deer in January.
R
Lots of good information on this thread keep her coming
Ryan I will try that smoke bomb trick. I will not be out there for another week.
Hard to tell without seeing it but it sounds very similar to a situation I had. What I would try to do is setup a stand where all 5 trails converge. Try to setup above the lip of the ravine to prevent the swirling down below. If this isn't possible or if it is too high of a stand then I would re-rout all of the trails so that they meander up the hill where you can be setup with less swirling winds. Make it obvious for the deer. Hinge-cut some trees to route them where you want. If you cannot hinge cut trees then use brush piles to your advantage. I would do this in the offseason in preparation for next season. After you have done all of this then you can monitor it with a trail camera to ensure the deer are moving through where you want them too.
Oh. And everything Ryan just said too! Lol!
I concur with what's been said above, including being very wary about hanging a stand on a sycamore tree. The other experience Ive had with such locations is that the deer coming of the ridges are at eye-level with your stand set up in the bottom so if the wind doesn't get you, any movement will. Especially for morning hunting ,I like to pick spots above the side-hill trails leading to such a location, especially a trail crossing a south-facing slope.
There is alot of good information presented. It sometimes amazes me the wealth of knowledge on this site. Thanks all.
Really enjoy these kinds of threads and the wealth of knowledge that is readily shared. All the advice given is EXCELLENT and the only thing I can add is to use this advice to fuel your desire to figure out a way to hunt this sign...whether that be hunting directly on the sign, or using the sign to lead you to an area where the wind is easier to manage....as Ryan stated, "Big Picture."