Hey guys, I haven't been on in a while. Between hunting and being out of my office for some building automation training I haven't had much time. The hunting part of things isn't going well this year. Last year I got on a new lease. Its 1200 acres of mostly hardwood forest and 350 acres or clear cut with 75 acres of standing pine thicket. Finding deer in these woods is not something I'm very good at. I know they are there, and in good numbers. This is much tougher than the first 4 years of my bowhunting career. I started bowhunting cattle country, lots of pasture and woodlots. It wasn't hard to spot deer movement in the open pastures and set up on them. The small, (75-150 acre), woodlots were also much easier to hunt than the big woods I'm in now. The property I'm on contects to thousands more acres of east Texas forest land. Finding deer sign isn't hard at all. Its everywhere. Finding deer on the other hand well, thats another story. Well, for me it is. I have seen one deer from stand in the 22 hunts I have hade. A total of about 120 hours on stand. That deer was a 1 1/2 yo spike that I shot with my longbow. I made a bad shot. I hit his shoulder, got very little penetration and never saw him or my arrow again. despite looking for a day I never found a drop of blood or my arrow. I found 2 feathers and the nock going in a line away from my stand. The nock was about 75 yards from the stand. Thats it. Only deer I've seen from stand. So, I'm getting frustrated. I have been studying topos and satellite photos, reading " Mapping Trophy Bucks", I've been burning shoe leather. I'm seeing scrapes, rubs, and tracks everywhere. I'm just not seeing deer. I have sat on benches, saddles, and creek crossings, I've hung stands at inside corners of clear cuts. I've sat oak groves with acorns falling and sign everywhere. I'm ready to quit and take up golf. But I'll be back out there this weekend and try again. I KNOW they are there. If I don't do better as the season goes on I'm going to look for a farm/cattle land lease again for next year. Thats a lot easier hunting. For me. OK rant, (sissy boy whining), over.
Tx---is it flatland? Hills? Maybe you could post up a topo and aerial map and we could all put some eyes on it for you. Best of luck and keep at it. I hadn't seen a deer in 6 sits prior to Saturday, so I get what you are saying. Brett
Game camera? May want to give it a shot to see if the deer aren't moving until after dark. Do you still have access to the place out west? If so you may want to look into going out there for a weekend just to get you out of East Texas for a while. Change of scenery might be just what you need. Keep after 'em. Your time will come soon enough
Here is the topo. The circle is my main area. It consists of about 125 acres. I have my stands marked in yellow. Orange is places I plan on going in with a climber after scouting some yesterday. outside of there I start infringing on other members hunting areas. The clear cut is not on this map. I have 2 other stands by the clear cut and can be mobile with my climber. And Jim, yes I do have access to the place north of Abilene. I'm hunting another place for the 1st time this coming weekend. Its in Smithvale. 158 acres of private land.
I would check how your getting to your stands, sounds like you might be tipping your hand on the way in. Try a different way in next time and see what happens.
OK, with the weather we've been having winds have been all over the place. However south winds prevail. I have been careful about entry routes. My thinking was maybe I'm tipping my hand with my 4 wheeler. I usually drive to within 1/4 mile and then walk. Its 2 1/2 miles from camp to my main area. I have to get there on a trail in that creek bottom though and that brings me much closer. I'm going to try riding my bike in and see if that helps. I'll take the ATV about 1/2 way and then go with pedal power. I have also been very concious of my scent routine. I am not alone. No one on my lease is seeing much. All movement has been nocturnal.
Night vision:p maybe that's it, how is the rest of the group walking in? Might try using them to your advantage.
They all go tho thier stands on 4-wheelers, park 100 yds away and go climb into the ladder stand and watch the feeder. I have not resorted to hunting over a feeder YET. Finding travel routes and natural food sources, (acorns), is what I've focused on. I will try sitting all day. I hunt until 11-12ish and then go back at 4 or so. Just like everyone else out there. So maybe I can use them. When the other guys head in I'll sit it out and make an all day deal. Maybe they will push something my way when they go in or come out for the evening.
You might have to Greg, specially If everyone else Is doing It. That's exactly what I do during the gun season here In Mn. When people are getting out of their stands and heading back for there breakfast or whatever I can always tell being the deer sightings usually go crazy for a good 2 hours around this time.
Here are three spots marked in red dots that stand out to me for a south wind. Just the thought that a buck would be bedded up in those cuts with the wind to their back and looking down over the terrain below. They can travel with the south wind at their back while having the warming thermals rising from below to scent check as well. At night when the temps drop they may even drop down further toward the creek as the day cools and thermals fall. Just some thoughts and anyone feel free to correct me. I have a lot to learn.
I would be infringing on another guy's area if I went down there. I can't fairly do that. I'll ssk him and if he gives the OK I'll take a look at those area.
Well best of luck to you Tx--I am off to head in on a blind hunt this afternoon. Maybe the deer are just getting ready to burst into the pre-rut and their movement is just tightened down to very specific moves just prior to dark. Keep at it, you are going to surprise yourself with a nice deer or two!
I hate trying to tell people how to scout but... 1) set up near the creek. Particularly if there's some good cover around it. 2) try not going so far back in. 3) set up in/close to the thickest stuff you can find. That's what I would try. Honestly tho', if nobody is seeing much... you're probably not doing anything wrong. They should start doing more daytime movement soon.
