I have permission on 4 different farms.. In Sask we can bait etc, and I am just wondering what would make more sense..? Do you spend 100% of your budget and time in 1 location, or spread your time and maybe not bait as heavy as you would in 4 different locations and hunt them half hazordly, or do you completely dedicate yourself to knowing everything about 1 location..
What size are these spots? That will dictate everything. Burning out a spot is very easy. I would run cameras and recon on all spots and find a hit list for each spot then decide your overall hit list. Once that is set pattern all at the best of your ability.
each spot is approx. 160 acres of land, majority bush and some pasture. all of these pieces connect with other heavy bush and cover.. 2 spots will be timber and river bank,
With that much land to cover you better get started. Try to get a inventory as soon as possible. If your state allows feeders or minerals I would get them out this week. Do you have help with recon Is anyone else allowed on these spots? Are you looking for management or brown and down? How many cameras are you planning on running? Just a few questions to start us off
640 acres of new hunting ground is a lot to scout this time of season. I’d look at satellite photos and topo’s of the 4 locations. Give yourself an idea based on topography where to set cameras and scout for success. Get out and hit it hard for the next month and regroup. Look at the properties for the right wind, time of season, access, morning/evening hunting and go from there. Never know, each piece of property might give you a better chance of success during different times of the season! Good luck this year, you’re one lucky man with a lot of land to hunt!!! -Simplman-
Are these going to be long term or short term? If long term then you have the leisure to slowly focus on individual sites if only short term it makes sense to actively scout each one that way you have alternatives if things happen at one site that make it less than ideal such as land owner activities or maybe one is better due to a wind direction and also it helps you to spread the pressure over the 4 sites. Good luck.
Thank you, I do feel lucky. The main spot I have going this year with mineral is where I hunted last year, and I know these 2 guys made it through the season, but im not sure if they were rut bucks or if they made it through the winter. It is very private, and not accessible by the main grid roads. However it backs a Indian Reserve who have rights to hunt day or night all year round on their own land.. the other 3 locations are busier, and all have access to them from main grid roads, in Saskatchewan during hunting season, if land isn't posted "no hunting " etc, anyone can legally shoot a deer on the land and retrieve it with their vehicle.. I have a dedicated mineral site at my main spot which has bush and cover all the way up to a major provincial forest.. I am having a hard time deciding on putting all my efforts into one basket, or spreading it out.. obviously this is an impossible question to answer until later in the summer when you have a better idea of what you have coming in, but I guess I was just looking to start more of a conversation on whether guys like to double or triple down on locations.. however in my situation, this means less bait, less mineral at each spot. or complete focus on 1 spot which would get all the mineral all the bait etc.. I cant afford to pump full effort into all 4 places. or I may end up divorced...!? any how, I also attached google photos of the locations.. the spot number 1 should be long term, unless he starts renting it out for cattle, then he plans to clear cut allot of trees which would be bad, he already has removed a good portion of the north bush.. he does move his cattle in, only about 20 head, which really shouldn't push the deer at all.. the other 2 locations will be tough to have exclusive access after the bow season, when rifle season starts, I think the guys will allow anyone out there.. the 4th location is just too far away to make sense, so I didn't include it.. anyhow, any comments please feel free, I love bull ****ing about this kind of stuff during the off season.. thanks guys,
TO give you an idea of size, the final photo (photo 5 but Spot 1 where my blind is) , the yellow circle/outline is 160 acres. photo 4 (spot 3 would be 160 acres spots, I can kind of go anywhere in that area, then photo 3 (spot 2) is approx. 80 acres along the river
I'm going to assess the quality and number of deer in all 4 as best I can. When it comes to where I spend my time hunting, it's going to be based on what I find on assessments from all 4 places, combined with how each is laid out and how that lends itself to likelyhood of actually killing one. Examples - If one has a good deer but terrible access in/out, I might focus elsewhere or only hunt it a few times knowing I'm burning it quick. If one has a great deer, great access, and a killer spot to kill that deer.........I'm going to be laser focused on it and forget the rest. If they all have similar deer, and similar layouts, I'll split my time up. I've done all of the above, but will determine which strategy I'll use based on fast assessments and camera survey results on each.
how do you determine good access? also, how where do you guys determine where to park, or how far from your blind? I personally can drive right to my blind through trailers cut in the timber.. I really think I want to focus most of my time on the one spot, learn the deer. learn where they are coming from and how they are entering the meadow/opening in the bush.. rather then gun slinging into other locations..
I can't speak to access because I am surrounded by roads within a mile of each boarder but I do not advise taking a wheeler to your blind. IMHO
