This is meant for the treestand hounds like myself........stalking is a different story. When exactly do you feel like you are REALLY "hunting" the deer??........I know the easy answer is when you are sitting in your tree with bow in hand but think about it.......it's a pretty passive activity, you are really just sitting there waiting/hoping some deer will walk by. Some days they do and some days they don't......us being in that tree has little or nothing to do with it. I guess blind calling or rattling/grunting/can tipping at a deer we see is about as much input as we could hope for at that point. The more I think about it lately the more I feel like the "hunting" part of stand hunting depends more heavily on the scouting and placement of said stands then anything else........after all, if the stand is in a lousy spot you could sit in it all year and be the best caller and shooter on earth and it wouldn't help you if the deer are nowhere near you. Also, you could put anyone in a "great" stand you have knowledge of and all they have to do is wait and shoot. Say you have property with a permanent stand that just piles deer up year after year.......no matter who is in it......obvioulsy the common denominator is the stand and not who is in it right??........so the scouting and placement of that particular stand is what puts the deer on the ground more then anything don't ya think?? I had a conversation with my dad's friend the other night. By FAR the best hunter I know of anywhere. I have learned a lot from him over the years and when I brought this topic up to him and his answer was simple......he said "99% of my hunting is done with no weapon, that is simply the last step". He goes into the woods not wondering what might happen.......but KNOWING what WILL happen and just wondering when. Sure there are always surprises but I am starting to realize the scouting and pre season work I do is when I am actually actively "hunting".........sitting in a tree waiting to shoot something that walks by is a very passive activity in comparison..........seriously, anyone can sit in a stand and drill a deer that walks by.....the hard part is really figuring out when and where to be sitting right?? Another way to look at the location debate I guess
Of all the times I've been out hunting this year, I've only hunted in the same tree two or three times. Otherwise, I'm always changing locations. It depends a little on the wind but a lot on what the other hunters (and park users) are doing. So my most active hunting is at 5am, in the dark, when I'm trying to find a climbable tree in the general area that I want to hunt.
I tend to agree with this although there are times when I am in a stand and half the reason I am in that particular spot is observational. What I mean by that is: I have checked the maps, scouted and decided on this spot as a maybe. Maybe it will be a good ambush spot but if not it may be a good spot to do some in-season "scouting". I may see deer close but I may see movement through another area 50-100 yds away. I guess that would mean that some of my hunting is done while I am waiting to shoot. I had one spot this year that was a good ambush spot and a good hunting spot.
I would really tend to agree with the statement bruce quoted "if" you are talking about private land. Public land can be scouted all summer and when the other hunters arrive a push the deer somewhere else... Once in the tree, it is more waiting and watching than "hunting".
It's all pretty much hunting. Scouting, Sitting, and Shooting are all pieces of the puzzle that have to come together in order to close the deal. I totally agree with everyone that the preparation work is the most important and to me the most rewarding aspect of the hunt!
I always feel like I am hunting the deer.. not just waiting. The only time I feel like I am waiting.. is when I hunt with a buddy.. and I have to sit one of their stands. The rest of my season.. I hunt. I agree with your buddy Atlas on the scouting part. I easily put in 3 or 4 or even 5 hours on foot for every 1 hour in the tree. When I'm in the tree.. I'm waiting.. but with all my hunting previously done. And although most of my own scouting is done from December through April the previous year.. I fully believe in in-season scouting as well. Just have to be more secretive about it. Heck.. I already started scouting for next year. Need to find them before I can take them.
I think that the "hunting" is the result of all the hrs or prep we do to that final moment of glory when we can post a pic here & take pride in what we have accomplished.
I see your point and used to have the same outlook........but aren't you just bouncing to places your knowledge of the area and/or scouting have told you the deer will be due to whatever outside influence or pressure you observe?......or were you just saying you blindly just try to find a deer to climb where you have peace and quiet and hope for the best.....kind of like scouting while hunting.
This guy does a GREAT deal of observational work before the season......now that he is retired, he practically lives in the woods. I don't think there is a such a thing as a "maybe" to him. Anything can happen and he will move if he has to.....he just usually doesn't have to. I have told him a bunch of times pretty much exactly what you describe above and he calls that "chasing or following" the deer........to which he adds he would rather be one step ahead then chase or follow and why would I want to observe deer during the season......watch them before and go kill them during. Easier said then done......for me anyways. I watch them before and then go to kill them and they all disappear
Last 3 bucks I killed had EVERYTHING to do with scouting and stand placement and almost NOTHING to do with what I did in the stand those days. I did grunt the one buck in but that's about it. My scouting and stand placement put those deer down.....when I think back on taking those deer the shots are far down the list of what I believe was the most vital to my success.
Those 2 statements are a contradiction........unless I am reading them wrong. Today was the last day of our ML season.......which is a pure joke in NY so I just walk around and scout for next year.
It may very well be chasing or following but it worked out real well for me this year. I was in a spot and made some observations. I went back about a week later, moved about 40 yards to the southeast of that spot and shot a very nics buck. I would not have had the chamnce on him if I had been in the original spot. I look at it as: I do the scouting and the prep and then I setup where I think the best spot is. Call that spot my best "knowledgeable guess". After setting up there, if I happen to increase my knowledge due to more recent observations then it becomes less guess and more knowledge and the spot may change, be adjusted. This is not every spot but just my "maybe" spots. I hunt 95% public land so there are times when the "unknown" comes into play either via other hunters, hikers, etc. The "unknowns" will cause different behavior than expected at times.
Good Post!!! I consider myself hunting whenever I'm mentally engaged...I could be at home reading, or at work plotting and planning..... When I'm in the tree that is just a continuation of a long process...."hunting" SB
I am most days, I begin right after the season ends, by scouting and then shed hunting. Then food plots while turkey hunting. Followed by getting trail cams back out and maintaining food plots and water holes if necessary. Then preseason scouting. Followed by actual hunting. So I am always hunting.......
