I somewhat disagree with your statement duke, Someone who has never hunted a big chunk of woods would have some trouble i think. I grew up hunting around agricultural fields and later got access to a 200 acre chunk of woods. It's difficult and I still don't understand that woods completely. From what I've learned is that is all about the time of year you hunt it and whats in there for food. If there lots of oaks and they are dropping I will see 30+ deer a night but if i go in there when there not dropping ill see maybe 3 or 4 deer, which is discuraging. And yeah a good hunter is a good hunter but i think it takes time to figure out a big woods and understand it.
huntwi88.. you just proved that my statement was accurate. The highlighted line is timing.. and it exists on ALL properties whether they be 10 or 200 acres in size. You only have access to 200 acres.. those are your boundaries and NOT the deer.. a deer is more like 1,000 lets say (1 deers average home range) or more acres... but still has no boundaries. Again.. YOU only hunt 200 acres.. either the deer are there or they are not.. because FOOD was this 200 acre woods only drawing power.. NO FOOD equals NO DEER. Simple enough. So.. now the lord gives you 1,000 acres to hunt. This gives you greater access to the deers home range.. it will include bedding areas.. feeding areas.. winter bedding areas.. feeding areas.. ETC ETC ETC. So now.. are you more impaired with 1,000 acres in which you can follow the deer.. or on your 200 acre boundary where you have to wait for the deer to come to you?
yes you are 100% correct on that part about boundries and where the deer are but what i guess what i trying to get at was big woods are hard to understand and read the sign. I think someone that never hunted a woods would have a little trouble. You cant just go walk around in there without spooking deer or glass from a distant hill to see where the deer are feeding at night. Deer use the woods I hunt at all times of the day. Over the years we've hunted in there, we've took a bunch of large deer in the daytime(10-2). So my point is that its hard to figure out how the deer use whatever size woods you got.
I know where you are coming from. I have 250 acres between my neighbor and I and most of it is big woods. The deer move,bed, browse where ever they want. They may have some kind of pattern but the only way to scout it is to get in there and see what is going on by either sitting in a stand or with camera's. It seems as soon as you get something figured out it changes.It's my opinion that big woods mature whitetail hunting is the hardest animal to hunt,followed by urban whitetail hunting.
I always hunt the geographical topography...but I'm guessing that the area in question is flat... So that shoots my theory right in the ass. I've never hunted a flat place, so to be honest, I have no clue. In all honesty, NOTHING would throw my current hunting techniques for a major loop like taking me out of my hills and mountains, and sticking me in the middle of a big, flat pooltable. Every technique I know would go right out the window.
I don't believe that. The difference between 200 acres and 1,000 acres is solely in your head. The sign is still the same.. just now.. you can go all over and go to them instead of waiting for them to come to you. Get rid of that mindset where your stand HAS to stay in THAT tree... it (the treestand) can go anywhere you want it to. The sign is different? How so? A funnel is still a funnel.. a scrape is still a scrape. I think most guys are intimidated solely because they are not willing to do the extra leg-work.. that's all. Intimidated because there's more room to roam.. instead of taking advantage of the situation they allow the situation to take advantage of them. You say you have deer moving at all times of the day.. so your likley in some sort of travel corridor for a larger picture.. so hunt it accordingly.. but don't say its harder to hunt than a guy hunting a 10 acre piece that is only hot 2 weeks of the year and he/she has to wait patiently.. It's all in a hunters head. Stop looking at it in such a small scale and look at it as a greater part of greater picture and you'll see better results. Your 200 is just 20% of a likely home range.. look at it this way.. not my 200 is 100% of the deers home range. And Quick.. you would figure out a flat piece of ground quickly.. and you know you would too.:d
Yeah you are absolutely right that a 1000 acres would be easier to hunt than 100 or 200 because of your ability to go where they are. I was never disagreeing with that part of your statement. Second of all the ground I hunt is far from being flat. It mainly is ridges bordered by swamps. When i hunt this woods i do a good amount of moving. I use a climber because i know that putting a hang on is a waste because it won't be good for very long. So I do not sit in one tree night after night. All that will get you is a eaten tag. All I'm trying to say is that a piece of ground that deer use for a couple weeks out of the year is hard to hunt. I don't even hunt that woods until the acorns are dropping because there's simply very few deer in there. YEAH if you got the whole deal Bedding Areas, Tarvel Corridors and Feeding Areas for them, that's great. But that's not my situation. But when you go into an area and you say there's always sign and its so easy to read, well how much sign do you think your gonna find if there no deer using that area at the time. You will probably find some old deer turds and a couple rubs from last year, sure. But that don't help you this year. Deer don't do exactly the same thing each year. I do my fair sure of scouting and am always looking for a better spot to increase my chances. I just think your making it seem all too easy. :d
huntwi.. I don't understand. You are agreeing with me.. then not agreeing with me. I never said your 200 acres was easy.. I said it would be easier if you had access to more acres.. like 1,000. You keep agreeing with me.. then disagreeing with me on this.. I don't get it. I never said there is always sign.. I said sign always stays the same.. like scrapes are a scrape and funnels are a funnel despite whatever size land you hunt. Maybe I'm not clear enough for you.. the fact that you HAVE ONLY 200 ACRES IMPAIRS YOU.. if YOU HAD 1,000 YOU WOULD BE BETTER OFF. I'm telling you in the easiest way I can.. that you are agreeing with me.. IF YOU had 1,000 acres you would be better off than just with the 200 acres YOU HAVE now. As far as making it seem all to easy.. hunting isn't always easy.. but it isn't always complicated either... I'm agreeing with you. I don't understand the communication break-down here. We're both on the same page.. if you gots more land it would be easier for you.. or any hunter.
