I’ve been combing over topos an Satellite images for the better half of today. I’ve found some pretty awesome spots. I love terrain. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Jumped a mature buck late yesterday morning while scouting a spot in the area I hunted pretty hard the past two seasons. There is still and abundance of sign. Large hoof prints, clumped up piles of poo the size of my fist. But no rubs in the past few years. (I read last night on the hunting beast that if there is a high doe to buck ratio or large amounts of bedding/cover, bucks will not have territorial rubs, to look for large clumped poo, and large buck hoof prints. DOH!!!) Anyways, I was looking in the bushes where I used to sit, and it looked like a deer had taken it over as bedding. I shook my head looked around at the next mountain laurel patch a few yards away, turned around, took two steps, and I hear crashing right behind me. I saw a rack and an ass running from the "next mountain laurel patch" I had just looked at. So HUMBLING!!!! I had to have been looking right at him just a few yards away. I found a beautiful natural funnel/tunnel in the mountain laurel (with overhead cover from the mountain laurel) leading from the swamp to the transition area. The funnel/tunnel is a perfect spot for a community mock scrape. I ordered some pre-orbital gland scent, and will make the mock scrape next monday. I plan on setting up an ambush spot in the mountain laurel about 25 yards away, and cut a shooting window through it. It's a great setup for a buckk to come in downwind to scent check it, and for me to not get busted. depending on how thick it is 25 yards away, I might be able to get away with brushing in a ground blind for scent reduction. I'll have to check it out! EDIT: That will be the easy part. The hard part will be creating my own access trail to my spot so i can get to it without disturbing the area. Challenge accepted!!
I am starting to get pumped! I have all new public to play on for the first time of what will be many years. Looking forward to learning it in and out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just use caution man as I am sure you already know don’t wanna tip any other hunters off to your location. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Absolutely! The crazy thing is, The 14oo Ac. piece I hunt, I haven't seen another bowhunter there in the past 3 seasons. I'm still very careful. Funny how times change. When I was first starting hunting back in the early 90's with my dad there was at least 8-10 other guys who hunted there. Mostly old timers who have since passed. I ran into a guy last year who was scouting for boomstick season. Scared the hell out of me because I'm not used to seeing anyone else out there. We got to talking and turns out, his dad was one of the guys who used to bowhunt there with us. He asked me about seeing other bowhunters, and I said, "No, I havent seen anyone, Kind of wish there was a few out here to kick up the deer." He brought up a good point that in this day and age not to many people are willing to put in the effort, they'd rather hunt small 5 acre pieces of property and put in food plots rather then work for it in the big woods. Makes sense.
The new place I'm gonna hunt is Fort Pickett. They only allow 3 days of off season scouting a year. Geez. I haven't been able to scout it at all. There is going to be a lot of in season scouting after every morning hunt of mine. Quantico allows like 3 to 4 months a year of scouting time. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Ill be hunting some NJ public land this weekend! ill keep you guys updated for those that arent in the live from the stand thread
