Opinions, thanks in advance... Myself and a hunting buddy, been hunting the same public area for several years. National Forest public land, lots of it, unbroken thick timber, no Ag or CRP, mix of hardwoods and pines, big elevation changes. Often not too crowded, I rarely see other hunters/stands in the general area, and when I do it is during a short gun season. When acorns drop, they are everywhere. We have taken some good bucks, and always see healthy deer numbers on trail cams. We set up on well used travel corridors, some proven spots and some new ones on fresh sign. We find the same bucks pop up on trail cams a mile or 2 apart. It is not uncommon for us to go 2-3 days without seeing a deer. Given the habitat, would you change something up, change stand locations, etc...or just accept the fact that with it being big thick woods, you aren't going to see deer as much as you might in Ag country, or a more open area? Anyone have another strategy in big woods that has worked for them?
I hunt similar and have the same kind of encounters...few and far in between. In fact it is very tough to see a buck until the rut. The absolute best deer movement, other than the rut, is after a pretty big storm. The kind of storm I mean is when it rains for 2 or 3 days in a row and stays cloudy at night through this time. The day that the weather breaks you definitely want to be out there. Other than that I have no other advice. Subscribed.
