I have been reading and looking a past seasons on deer movment in my area, I am pretty convince our deer have a "set" mini-migration pattern. I am pretty sure young bucks have no "Home" range, they just kind of wonder around. I am also pretty sure the mature bucks have multiple core bedding areas spread through the river bottoms I hunt. I have been focusing on these bedding area that past few years, but this year I am taking a differnet approach. I am only going to hunt open weekend in the morning, After that I will hunt evenings and no boat until end of Oct. With my muddy I am going to focus on the entry and exits into the CRP and Cornfield. IMO This is where I will have my best chance, hunting a different point each sit. Along the two strips I have marked in red there are 8 trails that enter and exit the CRP to Corn or Corn to CRP. Comment if you like, but just sharing, in 2007 I saw MR. Mass use these trails mutiple times.
Are you guys staying away from AM hunts because of the bucks reaching their bedding area before daylight?
I've never really thought about it that way. I did take my biggest buck ever in the morning but it was November 4th.
Until the rut starts, LOL The first 3 weeks of the season I will not hunt the mornings. After that I hunt when I can.
Why ? I used to think that way, too, until I learned what I was doing. Some of the best buck hunting is early season AM hunts. I do agree, though, that early season PM hunts over say a bean field are generally loaded with bachelor groups. However, an AM ambush(usually near water on a trail back to bedding) is a very good tactic for early season buck kills. In fact, thats the plan for my brother on 2 seperate properties, should he be able to hunt this early season.
Double D it depends on pressure IMO. Opening morning I have seen some great bucks, but after opening morning until the rut I get blanked until around Oct 21st. If I hunted a low pressure area, I would hunt when I can,
Well, if thats what happens where you hunt, than naturally, there would be no reason to hunt for a shooter buck, in the morning, prior to Oct 20th. Every area is different.... Dont get all hostile, I wasn't implying that you dont know what you're doing- in fact, I'm rather certain that you do. I'm simply stating my experiences and observations of the habits of the deer in which I hunt, where I hunt them, which obviously differs from those where you hunt. So, I'm curious...Are these bucks you're hunting mostly nocturnal during the early season ? Late night field glassing the only time you see them on their feet ?
