Late season help
- Thread starter Joel
- Start date
I've been using a ground blind. I'm not sure of his exact bedding area but I think it is 2-300 yards from me. I'd love some snow so I can see exactly where he's coming from in the evening.
Get on Google earth and see if you might be able to locate some possible bedding areas. Get a climber if possible and get closer. Don't move that blind though.
Spotlight? (Not being serious.
)Patience my friend. Persistence. Extreme cold coming in to start the New Year following the snow. Hunt the perimeter. Stay out and keep observing. If you want to get more aggressive, doing it with a muzzle loader with the wind in your favor. I am far from an expert, but this is what I would do. Sometimes it works. Other times it doesn't. You are putting the time in. I give you credit there. Nothing easy about the late season. Have you tried any morning hunts? Do you have any good observation stands where you can cover some serious ground with the binoculars? I think I would get up in the air as best as possible where I had minimal intrusion and long distance views. You have been persistent thus far, but you are only seeing one view and it is on the ground. Sometimes a different perspective opens our eyes better and when we are lucky it even presents us an opportunity.
Bigslam,
Within about 1,000 yards or maybe farther, he only has 2 realistic options for bedding areas. He may be alternating between the two. I'll try to print a google map picture and draw a couple things (blind location, route into the woods etc) and post it here. I don't have a climber or any stand for that matter right now. I thought about buying one and it would be nice to have for future use but I hate to buy anything this late in the season to stick it in storage for 8 months. If I had an awesome spot to set one up I might get one, I almost bought one the other day and put it back.
hicks,
Thanks for the compliment about sticking with it. I'm not one to give up easy. The problem is, I think this deer is staying in the thickest of areas until dark. If I get in there with him I'm not going to have much visibility. Morning hunts, not much luck with those this year on this property. I was considering waiting on the ground in a narrow area I'm pretty sure he's using before the sun comes up. If I'm right, he's going to have to walk right to me and there should be a crosswind since the narrow area runs north and south. The problem with that is when/if I see him we're going to make eye contact instantly because it's so thick in there. Unless I'm ready and alert he's going to bolt. Tree stand would be ideal there because I could be up above him but no clue as to what time he's coming in there. I'd guess right at first light. If I'm wrong, I'll blow a couple hundred bucks on a stand and freeze my ass off with no results.
I need to hang my camera in that narrow area I think he might be traveling through.
Within about 1,000 yards or maybe farther, he only has 2 realistic options for bedding areas. He may be alternating between the two. I'll try to print a google map picture and draw a couple things (blind location, route into the woods etc) and post it here. I don't have a climber or any stand for that matter right now. I thought about buying one and it would be nice to have for future use but I hate to buy anything this late in the season to stick it in storage for 8 months. If I had an awesome spot to set one up I might get one, I almost bought one the other day and put it back.
hicks,
Thanks for the compliment about sticking with it. I'm not one to give up easy. The problem is, I think this deer is staying in the thickest of areas until dark. If I get in there with him I'm not going to have much visibility. Morning hunts, not much luck with those this year on this property. I was considering waiting on the ground in a narrow area I'm pretty sure he's using before the sun comes up. If I'm right, he's going to have to walk right to me and there should be a crosswind since the narrow area runs north and south. The problem with that is when/if I see him we're going to make eye contact instantly because it's so thick in there. Unless I'm ready and alert he's going to bolt. Tree stand would be ideal there because I could be up above him but no clue as to what time he's coming in there. I'd guess right at first light. If I'm wrong, I'll blow a couple hundred bucks on a stand and freeze my ass off with no results.
I need to hang my camera in that narrow area I think he might be traveling through.
Ok...
The white line is the route I take into the woods here lately. The red line is where I have seen this deer's tracks in the snow and there was a good rub line following it so I'm pretty sure that's my deer's route back to his bedding area. South of where the line stops those pines get narrow and there is a bunch of thick junk for him to hide in. I went back there during gun season and jumped two giant does, but it's loaded with deer sign and no people ever go in there. The big red question mark is his other possible bedding area. It's about 3 acres of overgrown field that sit against a corn/bean field. The blue x is where my blind is and the yellow spot is the corn pile.
The white line is the route I take into the woods here lately. The red line is where I have seen this deer's tracks in the snow and there was a good rub line following it so I'm pretty sure that's my deer's route back to his bedding area. South of where the line stops those pines get narrow and there is a bunch of thick junk for him to hide in. I went back there during gun season and jumped two giant does, but it's loaded with deer sign and no people ever go in there. The big red question mark is his other possible bedding area. It's about 3 acres of overgrown field that sit against a corn/bean field. The blue x is where my blind is and the yellow spot is the corn pile.
Attachments
-
default.jpg
Now is the time TOO buy a stand. Most places have them on sale now. I got a cheap hang on and three 3 foot climbing sections for $60 at menards
I'm going to get out there before the sun comes up and sit where I think he's passing through. When the sun's out and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to see him I'll do some scouting and try to find his route. If I find his route, I'll try to pick a good spot for a stand and hang my camera. If I get a picture of him passing through I'll go buy a stand and hang it for muzzleloader season.
This is really starting to sound like work. :smiley_crocodile:
This is really starting to sound like work. :smiley_crocodile:
Can u hunt that tree line to the left of the question mark bedding area? That might be a good spot for an evening stand.
Property line is at the edge of those two fields. I thought about putting one in the trees just to the south of the question mark area on the edge kind of centered, that would give a pretty good view down into that area. I have a feeling Rudolph is hanging out in there until dark and then coming out to wander around wherever he wants.
Black line marks the property line, green X might be a good place for a stand. That area with the red question mark used to be seeded and farmed, it's been growing wild for probably 5 years so it's a good 4-6' tall and pretty thick.
Black line marks the property line, green X might be a good place for a stand. That area with the red question mark used to be seeded and farmed, it's been growing wild for probably 5 years so it's a good 4-6' tall and pretty thick.
Attachments
-
default.jpg
Lundy
Member
- 1,312
- 141
Best advice in this thread in my opinion.
Just keep doing what you are doing and make sure you only hunt on a favorable wind and you will get your chance. No one ever said deer hunting was easy
3 years ago I hunted the 7 days of gun, 2 days of bonus gun and the first days of the MZ season from daylight to dark before finally having the opportunity at the buck I wanted. I had not laid eyes on him in over 2 months and only had a few pictures of him those last 2 months, after 100's of pictures the previous few months. I had just enough pictures of him to know he wasn't dead yet. I was pretty confident about where he lived, I just needed to wait and play the game by his rules, I couldn't make him play by my rules and I would risk losing the game if I tried. A lot of those long days I saw only 1 or 2 deer all day. If it had not of didn't worked and he had won that would have been OK also, it is very much part of the hunt, you don't always win.
You have a lot of weeks left to get this done.
Best advice in this thread in my opinion.
Just keep doing what you are doing and make sure you only hunt on a favorable wind and you will get your chance. No one ever said deer hunting was easy
3 years ago I hunted the 7 days of gun, 2 days of bonus gun and the first days of the MZ season from daylight to dark before finally having the opportunity at the buck I wanted. I had not laid eyes on him in over 2 months and only had a few pictures of him those last 2 months, after 100's of pictures the previous few months. I had just enough pictures of him to know he wasn't dead yet. I was pretty confident about where he lived, I just needed to wait and play the game by his rules, I couldn't make him play by my rules and I would risk losing the game if I tried. A lot of those long days I saw only 1 or 2 deer all day. If it had not of didn't worked and he had won that would have been OK also, it is very much part of the hunt, you don't always win.
You have a lot of weeks left to get this done.
Thanks, I needed that. For some reason I started to panic because it's only a couple days until ML season and originally I wanted to try to get him before that. Really it's just another opportunity at him and a chance to get him if he's anywhere from 0-100 yards. If that fails I'll just have to verify he's still there and get back to it. I'm pretty sure the other guys that hunt this property will stay out of that area and hunt the other 30 acres since I've got so much time invested in this deer. If they do that and I don't put too much pressure on him, he's probably not going anywhere IMO. Also there's a chance they may not hunt there at all, or just a couple hours on the weekend. Deep breaths. Still have a month.
I'm going to go out today and see if I can find his tracks in the snow and put a camera on his route. That might give me a better idea on where to hang a stand after muzzleloader season. For muzzleloader season I think I'll stick with the blind and put some apples and corn on the edge of the tall stuff about 100 yards away. Maybe I'll get lucky.
Also Friday is supposed to be a high of 12 degrees here. I will be out that evening for sure.
Flatlander
Junior Member
This time of year hunt the food source, food source, food source! If you can find his bedding area and intercept him on his route to the food in the evening, you will kill him. They are in survival mode and will only travel to eat unless bumped.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Exactly. Which is why I think he might be hitting that cut corn field next to the question mark bedding area.
I'm almost positive he is. I just can't see him going out there before it's completely dark, which hopefully gives me a chance at him in the woods just before dark.
This area of the county is probably 75% corn and bean fields with little patches of woods here and there. I would bet these fields is where the local deer get 90% of their food.
I think this is his bedroom. I hung a camera off a trail into it so we'll see.
Attachments
-
image.jpg
This is the hard part: Do NOT go in there to check that camera every 3 days. If it is his bedroom, you want it to remain HIS bedroom. Late season presence will not be tolerated much.
Small wood lots and ag fields? What is the field on the eastern edge of the property? If you look at the north end of that field there are two inside corners. The north edge of this field is in line with your blind, corn, and the E/W fence row you were thinking of placing a stand. Deer like edges. Not saying they won't or don't wander. Not saying they only follow straight lines either. They seem to find security closer to the edges around here though. Overgrown fields previously planted in crops are great bedding areas around here. Look at these fields closely. Look for a low spot, depression, slight dip in the land. If there is open ground, you "might" find a travel corridor in one of the low spots in the open fields. They can be hard to pick up in flat country. Some of the most subtle depressions in a field can be where they enter/exit these open areas.
Next suggestion: After the season (whether you connect or not) cover this property with a fine toothed comb. Do it a day or two or three after snow. Look for the most heavily used trails and traffic areas. With the leaves off and snow on the ground, this is an excellent time to scout. Not saying the rub line you found isn't going to be beneficial now, but rutting activity should be mostly done by now. There are always rare exceptions of late breeding or early breeding, but rub lines might not be "fresh sign" right now. Those notes should be stored away for late October into November of 2014 and beyond.
Not to be a pessimist as you have pictures of him recently, but 30acres is not his entire home range. Could be, but I highly doubt it. You might be in an area he is frequenting regularly and is comfortable. Try to keep it that way. Step back from your section and look on the aerial maps for a mile any direction. See if there is any other food source which could be attracting him and try to figure out how he may be using the larger area.
Good luck Joel!
I don't plan on checking the camera until maybe a couple days after muzzleloader season. I tried to slip in the narrow area I mentioned earlier in this thread, hang the camera and get out. There was a big fresh pile of poop next to the trail and I've been convinced since before gun season that a big buck uses this area. The camera was just hung to see if I can confirm where I think he's hiding so I can maybe hang a stand after muzzleloader season and try to catch him on his way in or out depending on what the camera tells me. The field is just grass. You can see a creek on that map too which I think they travel through a lot, it's sort of in a valley. I was sitting in a chair on the south side of the creek when I shot the doe on opening day of gun season.
I completely agree on the edge thing in this type of area. There's a lot of edges on this property though so it's hard to pick one. The blind location was picked because of all the deer sign earlier in the season and the brush that's behind the blind to hide it along with some fallen trees that sort of force the deer to walk in front of the blind if coming from the other side of the creek. I sort of imagined deer walking from the overgrown field to the corn pile or possibly the "ghost buck" that was rubbing all the trees in that area and leaving tracks everywhere but nobody spotted him. I would set it up slightly differently if I had it to do over but it's there now and the deer are used to it. I know at this point the rubs are old but it tells me he was using this area during the rut and the pictures tells me he's staying here for now.
I'm learning a ton about deer behavior and how they act on this particular property this season. This forum has been great too.
To be perfectly honest, if I hadn't hung the camera and saw "Rudolph" I would have shot a small 6 or 8 pointer and maybe a doe from this blind by now and hung it up for the season. Seeing those big antlers has me on a mission that is a bit frustrating but I'm having a blast with it. I've never bow hunted before this season. The crossbow I have arrived from Cabelas about halfway through gun season and I wasn't originally planning on hunting with it this year. Never shot one before this one showed up in the mail and I read the instructions. One thing led to another and here I am...having the time of my life in the woods this year whether I get this deer or not. If I do get this deer, he will absolutely be hanging on the wall in my living room. I've already warned the wife lol. He's not a monster but he'd be the biggest one I've gotten by far and it's been quite the adventure.
Thanks for the help!