The truth in this comment it amazing how many bucks on cam never show up when we are in the stand. I have a well used community scrape 1/2 mile from any road (no human pressure) and for the past 3 years I have been running a camera on it. Crazy big bucks, piles of activity. I've hunted it multiple times to have little scrappers come by. No big boys. I play the wind closely but I think b/c it's so far in, I disturb too much getting there. I'm working on new access to minimize the disturbance and have decided to only hunt it 1-2 times during the seeking phase. I'm thinking all day sit. Sent from my XT1710-02 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Yea it’s amazing how many people don’t realize the importance of undetected access. Access and thermals are the primary things on my mind when picking a spot and especially if I’m “setting myself up” to hunt around a food source. Of course hunting in the deep woods on a specific travel pattern limits how much of that is in your control but it still has to be the first thing you think about. There’s no telling how many times I’ve found killer looking spots but then immediately I say to myself “Yea but how am I going to get here?” Absent any reasonable answer to that question many of those spots were simply left alone. Because of the quality of hunting that I am blessed with I can make those kinds of decisions but I know many folks cannot and they have to figure out a way to get there. It’s those challenges that make it so maddening and so much fun at the same time.
13 days until i'm sitting in a tree stand!! Sorry I have no trail cam pictures, I haven't hung a trail camera in years. Living so far away from my hunting properties I don't get the opportunity to check them. Thankfully after personally seeing some monster bucks and having friends/family see and shoot some on our leases, I am hopeful for this season! I decided to switch to shooting left handed bows this year because I am left eye dominant, been shooting every chance I get and it has been going pretty well, the transition has been better than I expected! Recently purchased a Mathews Z7xtreme, my first year with a Mathews after having two years of Bowtech limb failures in a row. Hoping for some reliability this year, and to cure some target panic! After seeing the deer activity and the crazy rutting I witnessed last year, my interest in self filming my hunts has hit an all time high! I can't afford a set-up this year but will be looking to buy one next year. Anyone on this team film their hunts?
I, too, am left eye dominant and right handed, but I don’t think I could switch. Bowtech went through a rough patch with there limbs for a few years, but I think they have it lined out with the 2017 and 2018 bows.
I definitely suggest switching, I was surprised how easily I adjusted to switching over. I had a 2014 Bowtech rpm360 and both years I was sitting in the tree stand and the limb delaminated sitting on my lap, even after having my limbs replaced
Well, I hung another cam on the edge of my plot. I bought a cheap tasco cam to put on public land, but I’m not going to make it out there for a week or two so I thought I’d throw it up where my clover meets the sorghum/beans/lab lab. This isn’t very far from my back yard and not far from another camera so I went ahead and checked it. I set the cheap on up, went and checked my other cheap one, came back to check it and make sure it was facing in the correct direction. I looked down and saw hundreds of seed ticks on my knee and ankle. I took off running to the house, wiped down with alcohol, jumped in the shower, scrubbed off, wiped down with alcohol again, and have been setting here in my underwear picking the left overs off. Nasty little creatures. Anyway, here’s the tall 10 again and a shed from last year, which roughly measures around 63”, so I’d say he’ll be good for 140+ this year. Like I said before, I’ve had pics of him for going on 3 years now. Boonerville needs to get 5k likes on Instagram so I can win that radix camera and not have blurry pics!
I am actually starting to plan an Idaho Trip next September. Never been there, but I really want to try a few more otc elk places before I draw a premium unit somewhere. No idea where im gonna go yet but that’s why im starting now Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
he’s grown up so much. I bought this house in Feb of 2016. That summer I put some corn out and threw a camera up on the satellite dish in the back yard. I only own an acre, so I had a camera and put it in the back yard for fun. I believe this is the same buck in 2016.
I'm also getting points and making plans to hunt Iowa in the future. Would love to pick your brain at some point on a few options we are working on. Sent from my XT1710-02 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Same here... I already have 4 preference points so I think that makes me a shoe in for whenever I’m ready and wherever I want to go. One of my hunting buddies has some cousins or something out there somewhere but I don’t have any idea where their farm is or any details about it. I know they found some 200” sheds year before last. I’m not even sure if I’d be able to hunt on their land it’s just been mentioned as an option. I’ll more than likely wind up hunting public so any inside scoops left over from Big Dan and I’d take em.
Thanks a bunch. Anybody want to come to PA to shoot little ones, let me know;-) seriously, some of the best steelhead run in the country comes off the lake about 10 miles away. Sent from my XT1710-02 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
There's alot of area to be covered here. Probably the best part is you can get over the counter tags for elk deer and bear. It's expensive. But I'm more than willing to help if I can. Headed up to set stands and pull cards here in just a few. Thursday morning is opening day. Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
So I just read the rules again, looks like we have to wait a few more days for Bcowg to check to request an alternate but I am on it.
