So basically, I have 7k acres to roam. It's all timber company with 3k acres that has no oaks..all pine plantation and 0-19 year old cutovers. all edges everywhere. the other 35oo Ac is old pine plantation with undergrowth managed with sparse oak flats and little islands of 4-4 oak trees in a vast see of wide open tall pines with swamps and creek bottom. they can and do bed anywhere they want
some, but not many and they aren't really hills, more like speed bumps.. very flat terrain for the most part. I have had most success just hunting the small round ponds in the pines where they couldn't cut because of wetland protection and also newer 0-3 year old cutover edges
Damn, yeah that is a crapshoot. How big are the swamps? Are they thick or impenetrable? how deep is the water? Are there any dry spots/small islands in the swamps?
In addition to the advice on terrain features and edge transitions I would add that water should also play a factor. No matter the time of year, deer always have to drink, especially during the rut. A buck may ignore regular eating but he cannot avoid drinking. Any time you can find a terrain feature, edge transition, and water all within a couple hundred yards of each other and it is in a spot that is hard to reach, or, overlooked to do close proximity to a road, you are probably going to be in a good spot. Add a close by food source, and the spot is that much better.
A few are pretty long. some are wide and short. water is deep enough to cause a problem. You could hunt the edges. and there are some high spots in them but getting to them is difficult. I try to hunt the edges of them. Most of the bowhunting is in creek slashes where they couldn't timber and left tall trees. so image longish strips of creek beds in the middle of thick cutovers or standing tall pines. the tall pines are bare until the tops so no cover there. The cutovers, the older ones still ar not tall enough to get in a tree. and they are still thick as hell. so that leaves the tall timber changes/edges. you could /can bow hunt the entire bow season and only see a few deer and think there very few there. however, in my part of the state and in my club we have hound season for deer and we killed 140 deer on average like most clubs down here...you think to yourself, where in the hell were they in bow season? you just have to be at the right section of edge at the right time to catch them walking..I have seen them come out of the cut overs, walk 30-40 yards and then go back in and reappear 100 yds away on the edge again,
Hunt clubs = pressured deer. Sounds like you need to invest in new opportunities or some private ground. Hard hunted deer are smart deer!
Well I think all this information has officially made me catch the bug for mobile hunting, currently working on adjustments for my set up, sticking with the XOP stand for this year to try the mobile hunting out, got the brackets for the XOP stand that the sticks click into so I can climb the tree and set everything up then just pull my bow up all in one motion, also working on some amsteel rope mods for my climbing sticks to cut a little weight and noise, got quiet a few places mapped to start scouting for mobile set ups Adam Elite Kure 29.5/70lb CBE Engage Hybrid 3pin Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Kit 8/6in Goldtip Kinetic Kaos 340 Spine 29in TAC driver 275 100gr NAP Killzone 455gr/276fps
Very good! Those brackets will be a HUGE help! I always hated using paracord and having sticks dangle while climbing. They would get caught up in everything. The mobile hunting bug will keep you constantly trying to refine your system and shaving weight. The stand isn't bad for walking in, but when you are scouting for a few hours before you hunt with it on your back, it get's tiring, and that's when your brain will lie to you and tell you you've scouted enough to just hunt here. If you don't have it already, you NEED the XOP TTS. It will make the few hours of scouting with a stand on your back doable, so you can get on the right sign and setup in the right spot!
I only hunt public land with my bow, sometimes im close to the road sometimes im deep but no matter what i dont scout i use terrain to my advantage and find deer trails intersecting next to a food or water source. I love a climber for that fact just for the mobility of it. Ive always hated public land hunting theres always a couple guys who will ***** about stand placement etc.. plus on public land my success is strictly all on me Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
This has proven to be the best way to hunt the public land that I hunt. I've got walkers, joggers, hikers, horseback riders, and other hunters on my hunting land. The trick is simply to get away from the trails and other easy access areas. I have a spot I've been hunting for years, where I almost never see another hunter. It's a 40 min hike in from the closest parking area, which includes one fairly steep incline section. Degree of difficulty usually dictates the amount of pressure an area gets. Also, don't leave tell tale sign of your presence when you do find a good spot.
I've been thinking the same thing lately. I want to be able to focus on getting into the right position to kill a mature buck, rather than just sitting a stand hoping for the best. And I've had success doing so, but it just seems less efficient. Next season I'm looking to get a mobile set up, possibly climbing sticks and saddle or hanger. If your looking for advice on this definitely check out The Hunting Public on YT. Almost all of there kills are using saddles or ground hunting, and they have a lot of videos talking about there setups and tactics for locating bucks. They truly live by this tactic - just looking for good sign, thinking through deer movement patterns and doing whatever it takes to get into the right position.
that quest begins tomorrow...logging over the winter completely changed my area. I will be on the move a lot. Gonna be by myself for 4 days before anyone else shows up to camp so nothing holding me back or down.
