I’ve been Run and Gun style of hunting for the last few years and have been fairly successful at it so I thought I would share some techniques that I have used. This kind of hunting is not for everyone or every situation but I enjoy doing it when I can. This situation is from this last weekend, my daughter had something she wanted me to do on Saturday so I couldn’t go up to my place to hunt but I still wanted to go hunting somewhere on Sunday. I pulled up google maps and looked for some state land to hunt. After a little searching I found a spot that looked promising, the spot had fields to the east surrounded by pine rows that bordered deep hardwoods ravine to the west. At 2 p.m. I packed all my gear up and headed out to get a look at it firsthand. Sunday was hot and humid so I pack a backpack with my camo, scent spray and a thermacell. I grabbed my bow and my Lone Wolf Alfa with the climbing sticks and I was off down a horse trail. This horse trail dived the pine woods and was a perfect entrance point to find where the deer where crossing to go to the field. Within 200 yards of my truck I crossed 3 different trails where the deer were crossing, knowing the acorns are falling I worked my way towards the oak ridges. Where the pines and the oaks meet I could see the deer were pounding the acorns along the transition area. I walked along this transition area until I found where the biggest concentration of tracks coming out of the ravine. With a south east wind I set up just north of where the main trail where I thought they would come up. The time was now 3:30 I set up my Lone Wolf and was settled in by 3:45. Practicing setting up your stand is crucial with this type of hunting because you never know how close they are bedding to you, lots of clanging around is never good. I sat and waited, it wasn’t until about 6:30 before I saw my first deer. A doe and a fawn crossed in front of me and headed down a steep ravine, within a minute of them passing through another deer pops out and feed right for me. This young buck fed for 45 minutes while under 10 yards from me. It was getting dark fast when I caught movement from the direction the does went off to, both the doe and the fawn were coming up the trail feeding on acorns. It took forever for her to clear the underbrush but by the time she did she was at 6 yards. I drew my bow and passed an arrow right through her, she ran off and dropped just out of sight. I know it wasn’t a monster buck but it’s just as fun to go out onto public land and have an encounter with deer on your first sit. The downside to hunting like this is no shooting lanes, you have to pick a spot where you think they’ll be standing when you hang your stand. I do take a saw with me but I try to make as little noise as possible. Also you never know when someone else has been in the area, maybe they already bumped the deer you’re hunting. Regardless this type of hunting is challenging and can be frustrating but it is rewarding when it comes together. Sorry no pictures it was late and hot when I got her out.
Congrats on the doe. If the wind is wrong for our good spots... we will hunt other areas that didn't produce much in summer scouting just to see if we missed anything. A little different from your type of hunting as we are familiar with the area and where to set up with minimal scouting going in. We also don't have to carrying climbers in !! :P None the less you are still going in blind as to what you might see and then setup in the right spot to kill a good buck if one does show up. Britney almost got a shoot at a pretty nice buck in one of these types of hunts this year. Buck needed to go another 10 yards or so to hit her shooting lane when I another buck popped out of a clover patch. The buck turned and walked over to him and then they took off the wrong way. While I tend to like hunt for a known bucks and concentrate on that... these types of hunts can be pretty fun going in blind for a change of pace. Tim
Congrats on the kill. I love the run and gun style. In the past I haven't done it as much since I had stands set up on our property. But this year I will be doing a lot of it on public land. Testing everything out this past weekend. Got set up in 20 minutes but was going very slow to cut down on noise.
I like to do this, too. I have found that a sling-style treestand (like the old Trophyline tree saddle, guidos web or new tribe aero hunter) makes this even easier. Lighter, easier to set up, quieter and faster than a lock on stand. I have also done it from the ground with a leafy suit - easier to get winded or spotted with that method, though... It's all fun (when you see deer!)... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In the last 3 years I've transitioned from only hunting prehung stands to hunting run-and-gun style about 80% of the time. I still have some prehung stands in a few spots but I don't see the need for them anymore. With run-and-gun style every sit is a virgin sit and I can really push the envelope on buck bedding. I'm seeing a lot more bucks these days.
I have found some of my best spots by running and gunning. I typically won't hang a stand on a new property the first year. Being mobile allows me to have a better understanding of the deer pattern and the terrain. Year two I will hang stands at the major traffic areas. I will only sit in those stands every so often. Mostly when I have a limited amount of time. Like after work on a weekday.
I have really only done it once. Hoping to get a couple chances this year. I do 99% of my hunting on my 40 acres, and I have most of the stand locations dialed in. I need to step outside my comfort zone and explore the public land less than 4 miles from me. How do you handle morning hunts?
When I think "run and gun"......the way I turkey hunt comes to mind, constantly moving and taking it to the turkeys. I've killed alot of deer and a couple nice buck's on blind hunts....pick a spot out on the map, walk in hang and hunt. Love it. Congrats on the successful hunt!!!
Good question. I have everything I need to do it (LW Alpha and 4 sticks) but my current "run and gun" style is moving that setup 3-4 times per year whereas the other lock-ons stay put all season long. I'm not good enough to get up and down each time and have always wondered about morning hunts. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have done a couple of morning hunts but I have been in the area before scouting or hunting it in the afternoon before. If I have scouted it before and know a general area where I want to be I'll go there and pick a tree in the morning a couple hours before daylight this is usually within 50 yards of where I believe a buck to be bedding. Of course the general wind direction has to be right but morning thermals help with scent control. If I hunt an afternoon and I know I'm going to hunt the next morning, I see something during that afternoon hunt I'll tear down my stand in the dark and set it back up before I leave the woods. I did this the last 2 years with great success on seeing a buck I want to shoot. I did this last year on a farm I was hunting and I got video of of a 140 and 130 at 9 yards unfortunately my buck tag was full but it was a great encounter and I learned I needed to be mobile to get close to these deer.
Bought a Lone Wolf setup towards the end of last season. Plan on doing a lot more run and gun this year. Great tips. Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Hunt it the night before, leave the set at dark and then go back and hunt it again the next morning. This practice offers the leaset disruption during prime times.
This. Also, nobody said you can't take the stand down and move it. If the spot you picked in the morning is 70 yards from all the activity, move closer.
I don't hunt mornings until Halloween and stop as soon as the rut is over. But in that short time I'll usually be setting up in spots that I have scouted in spring or have already hunting during the early season, and usually have a specific tree in mind. If I do want to go into a spot completely blind, I'll usually find a tree and setup during grey light.
I've seen alot of deer doing this after daylight on public land. Ill usually get setup around 9:00 or so on a trail or travel corridor and wait for other hunters to leave around lunchtime. I usually get deer run to me this way.
