I saw a nice buck this weekend while hunting over some snow from a recent storm. I tried to call him in after I saw he wasn't coming my way but didn't have any luck.
The next day the wind wasn't right to hunt the stand but I did some scouting at mid day to see if I could tell what was going on. Unfortunately I jumped the buck up out of a tiny island of timber in a large bean field that has been harvested.
Here is a map of the area and what I saw from the tracks and sign in the snow.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/ckinslow/croppedmoppinnorris.jpg)
The green dots are deer beds. The one with the blue line coming out is the bucks bed and the line is his escape route when I walked up from the south. The yellow squares are my tree stands. I was sitting in the stand on the right hand side of the map when I saw the buck. He was walking north south just to the east of the tree stand I was sitting. Then he turned to the east and headed towards the beds in the scrubby brush area.
This might just be a random sighting but I've got nothing to lose by hunting this area some more. I've seen deer bedded in that island of timber in previous seasons. I've always seen them in there at mid day.
What would you guys do. Hunt the heaviest trail, or move the stand to where he was walking, or go for broke and try to beat him to his bed in the island of timber?
Hey Chris. I'm no whitetail hunter, let alone expert. But I would hunt that small island of timber if the wind was right. If they are ther at midday, and you have seen more than one, sounds like it might be a spot to try. Good luck, I hope to see pics of him with you grinning behind him!!
Put your time in and hope to get lucky. Unless you can pin point a pattern, you could have better chances at the lottery. Once the rut kicks in, you may never see him again. Put in some time and love every freezing minute of it!
All I can advise is to hunt hard and hunt smart then as my wife says "maybe you'll get lucky!".
You can sure give it the "ole bullrider try".
God bless,Mudd
How thick are the lighter green ares between the timber?
Like where most of the blue line is.
Chris,
Are they hitting any particular field for food? If so, you might get a shot on that big one coming for food on a cold day. Just get between the food and where he is bedding.
I think calling is not going to work this late.
Knowing one of his beds is a pretty big deal. You will have only one chance to hunt it though, if bumping him has not already gotten him to abandon it. So if you choose to hunt the bed make it count cause he'll not let you hunt him there twice.
I would also think about the strip of timber just south of the deer beds that he used to escape. My bet is he uses it to get to either his beds and or as a way to check in on what the does are doing. The hard part is to do it without the other deer busting you.
Is that a drainage with timber on the west side of the picture? Have you checked that out?
Good luck
Joshua
I think i would hunt the tree line east of your south stand they will follow the tree line east and west. plus you could hunt the trees that run north and south on the west side of the island you bumped him outa at the north end it pushes out on the west side that would be good spot to consider a stand as well
Hunt the wind no matter what.I would set up a stand where he cross the beans to the island.If you jumped the buck and his excape worked for him.He'll go back to his bedding area and and if he's been pressured any he'll uselly take the shorted route across the open field to the island of timber.Set your stand up with and your approch with the wind.Likely you'll only get one chance.If he fines out he's being hunted your odds just went way downnnnnn.
Second would be that inside corner there the 3 doted bedding area is.Again set up with the wind.Ofcourse your set up depend's on the wind direction on approach.
JMHO, but the first thing I would do is stop scouting. Don't go in except to hunt.
When you do huntgo out of your way to aproach with the wind good. Wear coon scent on your boots.
Your blue line makes two turns. The turn farthest west ...I would spend two days there inside the treeline within shooting range ,if possible, of the cut beans. That's an outside corner of the beans from one bedding area to the next. He should avoid the cut beans in daytime, but will cut that corner close if he wants to head north from his bed you jumped him from. Get what I'm sayin'?
If no luck there go to the first turn of blue line leaving his bed. Just east of that turn if possible hang a stand, but only if you can hang it when you go in to hunt. Don't go look for a tree ahead of time. too risky. I bet you have a good idea already of where to put it. Hunt that a full day if possible.
You will likely see him and be able adjust if needed just a little.
Don't over hunt him if you can help it. Give it a few days to settle down, go only when the wind is good. Watch the weather, big front on the way be out there before dawn.
Again JMHO, but those two locations really stand out. I hunt by photos like that and have good success. I really like the first loc.
Start far away and move in. If you jump him ageain it may be over.
Good luck and let us know. :pray:
Where do you park and what are your approach options?
If you are coming in from the south, and you have a north wind (judging from tonights weather temps of 5 degrees it's coming from somewhere north!) you might be able to hunt about where the first angle in the blue line is just east of the bean field tree patch but honestly, my gut says it's too close, too low percentage as you don't know that he'll be back there again. I think the west end of the blue line or maybe just north at the inside corner of the thicket patch might be better but seeing as you have your stands farther back in the timber, I'm guessing there is a reason and better sign there?
If the red lines are trails, I always like the intersections. Just always felt like two trails crossing doubles my chances.
Just changed my mind on something....
I think the spot where the blue line has an angle just west of the bean field might be a good morning spot if you can get in without spooking anything. If he's coming from the thicket to the north and going back to the little patch in the beans, it'd be a good spot. IF...
If you want to hunt him now (late season) forget about the stands you hung to hunt him early or during the rut. Find out what the deer are eating and hunt him there. Focus on any concentration of feeding deer you can find and set up on that. Letting the does/smaller bucks get past you without getting busted will be tough right now. Your best bet is that the bigger buck will either be in on the best feed in the area or that a late doe (or early doe fawn) will come in heat - either way you have to hunt the concentraion of deer and hope to not get busted.
Good luck, killing a bigger buck in the late season is a tough challenge!
R
When the wind is not right I would spend some time hunting with a spotting scope and some work from the east and north east to see if you can see what he is doing. Could be a good way to hunt him some with no impact. See if you can spot him travelling across the field or up and down the tree line on the bean field edge.
I would think on the south of the strip of trees along the bean field and possibly right were that strip splits into two small strips running south. That is one possible travel area if you can get in there and set up undetected. Could work well with a lot of wind directions.
The next spot, and the one I want to be in even if I didn't know he was even around, would be in the pocket by the beds right in the corner. if I could get where I could see the bedding area and the south grass field that would be good. I would want to see the tree line over west of where he is on that island bed as well as those tree lines running south. I think there is a good chance he will travel one of these two areas or at least from there you can see what he is doing. I love these little woods corners on fields with tree lines running into them. I fill my freezer most years in spots just like this. There is a good chance he will cruse this tree line and corner with a north or east wind to check that brush bedding area and to move from one area to the next.
Too bad on you scouting when you bumped him you didn't back track to see what he did that morning before he got in that bed. I have seen bucks bed in a spot like that all day and only come out in the open areas at first and last light. Then head into the cover in the dark or just hang out in the fields waiting on the feeding does. That makes it hard to get at them.
Chris,
I agree with Ryan, hunt the food sources.
David
Thanks for the suggestions guys.
A couple of clarifications. The red lines are movement trails. The blue line where the buck ran off out of his island bed goes across a small strip of timber running north south and turns NW across a hay pasture. Then he turned back west a a fencerow of trees that are boarded on the north by some scrubby brushy trees that are all 10-15 years old. Its a pretty good density.
The light areas are row crops. The field the island is located in was beans and the field to the north of that island was corn.
Dave,
I usually park a fair distance away from any of this and walk in. Recently I've been coming in from the west. I could come in from the south as well.
Chris, I would try the island a couple mornings if you could hang a stand before hand or use a climber very quietly. Get in there really early and without a light. Worst thing that could happen is you spook him outta there again, and that might discourage him from bedding there and make him more accessible. I'm betting you'll see him and if nothing else take your binocs and maybe you'll see him leaving the beanfield. If that didn't work I would try the strip of timber he used as his escape route. Should be good in the evening with a north wind. Good luck:)
Hunt hard. I know no way to out think or out smart an old buck. You have him located. Now, put in the time. I would try to be unpredictable by using a tree seat and ghillie. Hunt the wind and try various spots in the timber. Good luck.
Chris,
It looks to me like you have the classic funnel scenario going on with his island bedding area.
I would try to get a stand up in the funnel where the island narrows. Big deer love these island sanctuaries. If he is using this island daily you'll bag him coming or going. His preference will be to use the cover to move majority of time. Hang a stand or two in funnel and only hunt them when wind is correct. Good luck.
I'd move that south stand further south near the edge of the field. That's assuming there's something for them to eat. What do they have for a food source?
Chris IMO I would concentrate on where I saw him last. Big bucks are holed up there for a reason. Like a big mulie they like to be able to look around from their bed. The best ambush point for me would be the north/south line where the island sticks out. Right where your line angles up. Catch a N wind and come in from the south and hang a stand for an evening hunt. With any luck you will catch him coming either from the north fencerow or out of his bed/island. Good luck!!!
Chris:
I would Set-up a ground blind at the neck or funnel portion where the land and timber are narrow before you reach the small patch of timber He is bedding. This is the path He will be using almost every time. h Here is where He is the most vulnerable......ONE SHOT...
I say very carefully ... You know the area and conditions more than anyne, so I am just thinking out loud from what you've told me...
Not in the bedding area, but his entrance/exit areas to food or bedding... I might would try his known travel/escape route... Either of those areas where your blue line segments meet as long as I had the approach and wind in my favor... But older bucks are tough for a reason and even when I get close, he wins more than I do... So take it for what it is worth...
Good Luck!!!
I agree with tryting to hang a stand on that corner on the south side of his escape route. The usual wind for me in MO is N-NW, so stay on the south side of where he is going to travel. In that situation be prepared for an all day sit.
The other idea I had was to hang an observation stand on the south side of the field where the trees bump out a little and maybe you can watch him to get a pattern
This is the way I see it,
You have seen a pattern that maybe consistant.You say w/ a certian wind this buck was jumped from his bed and went a certian direction.I would wait for the same wind direction and setup at that point where this buck enter the feild the day you jumped him and have someone walk the same line of path the day you jumped him and see if he escapes the same way.
Hunt the wind and stay in your stand as long as you can stand it. theres no telling where or when he might show up.
Do a push and put yourself in the area of the woods where he entered last time he ran. Have a buddy do a walk by and push the deer.
ChuckC
need more info or maybe pics of the edge and predominant wind direction.
like to see a elevation topo.
Imo I would ground blind (if the wind is in my favor) on the peninsula east of the3-bedding area closer to the point and if you enter from the south early hug the wood line to get to the peninsula.You should be able to see him cross to his bedding area in plenty of time and worse case if anything from the other bedding area besides to move you may end up with a shot from them.He makes a sharp turn to the west and if you are east of that turn you should be good for scent.Good Luck