HorizontalHunter
NES Member
Good luck to all heading out tomorrow.
Bob
Bob
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS May Giveaway ***Canik METE SFX***
My old man would get pissed when I would leave the door open and heat the field this time of year
Im really excited to field the karen calls for the Cape. "Theres people shooting in the woods send everyone!!!"
I try to stay away from the WMA's on Saturdays but good luck! My cameras have slowed right down since Monday.Anybody headed out Saturday?
I will be out somewhere in zn 7 or maybe head up to Sterling zn 9 .
Cameras have slowed down and all movement seems to be at night now.
Zn 5. I'll probably be out Saturday behind my house, close to the houses, hoping something got pushed in there from the week off of state land.Anybody headed out Saturday?
I will be out somewhere in zn 7 or maybe head up to Sterling zn 9 .
Cameras have slowed down and all movement seems to be at night now.
+2000 ac wma outside our back door for them to roam in. Bigassbuck bedded less than 200' from our door. He's even got a scrape going on. I've seen him twice, after shooting light. He was following does early this week, and showed up to another scrape two hours after I left him a note on it. Cams are quiet again, other than a pair of coyotes that I haven't seen in ages.Zn 5. I'll probably be out Saturday behind my house, close to the houses, hoping something got pushed in there from the week off of state land.
I have a cam out there but haven't had time to check it, wasn't shit back there early in the season for pics or sign.
After that I have a area of bunches of small swamps and oak ridges, that tends to hold a few bedded deer. I'll try that for an afternoon still hunt/sit.
Fxcking deer will be as noctournal as shit by now if they've seen pressure.
Got out there early, situated for some movement. A bit after sunrise, the Orange Army made its presence known with a 5-round volley to begin the day. It was miles away though, as were the other few rounds I heard. Nothing in my neck of the woods, so I got up to move. No action but many scrapes, with little sign of other deer activity.I'm trying to decide on an ambush spot for Saturday AM, and go for a long sit while other hunters move in. A lot of terrain with very low hunting pressure makes it a a tough call. Odds are good that I'll be out in Monday's rain.
They are so nocturnal as I’ve found out.Zn 5. I'll probably be out Saturday behind my house, close to the houses, hoping something got pushed in there from the week off of state land.
I have a cam out there but haven't had time to check it, wasn't shit back there early in the season for pics or sign.
After that I have a area of bunches of small swamps and oak ridges, that tends to hold a few bedded deer. I'll try that for an afternoon still hunt/sit.
Fxcking deer will be as noctournal as shit by now if they've seen pressure.
Yeah.....as SG season goes on the worse it gets usually.......Muzzleloader season my cams are usually showing 100% noctournal.They are so nocturnal as I’ve found out.
Dammit! I knew I dropped an OnX pin on Sparkey's stand.Not much action in zone 7 where I was today spooked some Turkeys out of roost going in this am while it was dark. They mulled around my stand and got back together and wandered off. Had to leave at 11 to do some errands for my parents saw a nice 8pt on some posted land on my into town. Back into the woods at 1pm still hunted till dark saw on idiot crashing around looking down at the ground on his phone not sure if he was lost or what he wandered off and never saw me even though I was about 70 yards away. Didn’t see anything else.
This guy could have had a buck right in front of him and he would have had no clue always amazes me the things I see during shotgun season. At least he had Orange on. Last year we had all that snow first week I see a kid no orange and he had sneakers on blue jeans and a hoodie WTF.Dammit! I knew I dropped an OnX pin on Sparkey's stand.
Where the Fxck is he???
Laurel. Find the laurel. That shit sucks to move through. Absolute hell. When they go nocturnal they head for laurel patches to bed during rhe day. Wind in your face.....head into the laurel. You can even find little deer highways through the laurel this time of year. You'll bump em. Use buckshot. That's how my uncles nailed bug bucks back in the 70s when there were hardly any deer....qnd it's how we get to them now.I'm getting on deer. They're out there and they're moving....
Get into the THICK shit. That's where they go when shotgun hits. How thick you ask? Can you see 20 yards in front of you... If so... then that's not thick enough. Right about now you've got about 80% of the deer stacked up in 20% of the woods. When you find them, you'll be on them for sure.
Find the thickest nastiest highest stem count piece of woods.... That's where they are. Don't just hunt the parameter either, you got to get up in there.... All the open areas where you can walk around, hang and get to your cams, etc... You'll probably only see deer there at midnight.
Find the water. Little streams, brooks, rivers.... They often have thick thick cover along the edges... Find the low areas in the swamps and where they start to meet the higher ground. The cover will be thicker there... Places like that... If you have areas with clear cuts from a few years ago, land that was timbered, etc, check that out too. The land should be super thick after a few years.
It may sound crazy, but this time of year I ditch mornings and go entirely evenings. In fact the late AM when people are coming out, that's when I'm headed in. Passed 2 fellas on my way in today actually. Asked them if they say anything, heard any shots... Nope, quiet morning.. The Parking lot had 7 trucks in it.
Meanwhile, I had to shoo deer away from my tree when it was closing time... It's not a big secret really. I go in late AM. Sometime around 10:00 to 11:00. I have a general idea of where I'm headed. Sometimes I make it there. Sometimes not. I'm scouting my way in and I let the sign tell me where to go. But I'm always looking for cover... I then scout for sign around known areas of heavy/thick cover. If I find it I know the deer are in there and I hunt it. If not... no tracks... no scat... I move on...
Forget the food... IMHO, during gun season cover is king..
This is all true. And why i generally don't hunt SG season all that seriously. I don't put enough effort to really be successful.I'm getting on deer. They're out there and they're moving....
Get into the THICK shit. That's where they go when shotgun hits. How thick you ask? Can you see 20 yards in front of you... If so... then that's not thick enough. Right about now you've got about 80% of the deer stacked up in 20% of the woods. When you find them, you'll be on them for sure.
Find the thickest nastiest highest stem count piece of woods.... That's where they are. Don't just hunt the parameter either, you got to get up in there.... All the open areas where you can walk around, hang and get to your cams, etc... You'll probably only see deer there at midnight.
Find the water. Little streams, brooks, rivers.... They often have thick thick cover along the edges... Find the low areas in the swamps and where they start to meet the higher ground. The cover will be thicker there... Places like that... If you have areas with clear cuts from a few years ago, land that was timbered, etc, check that out too. The land should be super thick after a few years.
It may sound crazy, but this time of year I ditch mornings and go entirely evenings. In fact the late AM when people are coming out, that's when I'm headed in. Passed 2 fellas on my way in today actually. Asked them if they say anything, heard any shots... Nope, quiet morning.. The Parking lot had 7 trucks in it.
Meanwhile, I had to shoo deer away from my tree when it was closing time... It's not a big secret really. I go in late AM. Sometime around 10:00 to 11:00. I have a general idea of where I'm headed. Sometimes I make it there. Sometimes not. I'm scouting my way in and I let the sign tell me where to go. But I'm always looking for cover... I then scout for sign around known areas of heavy/thick cover. If I find it I know the deer are in there and I hunt it. If not... no tracks... no scat... I move on...
Forget the food... IMHO, during gun season cover is king..
High winds and somewhat rainy....great day for a sneak. Except deer are spooky spooky!I did the massive head-high mountain laurel brush busting thing for my PM hunt (hike?), and bumped one that was too far away to be more than just a noise. The very light wind wasn't helping, as the frozen leaves on the ground were surely telegraphing my position well in advance.
Sunday, I'm dragging out the climber to a choke point that looks like it's getting some traffic. I'll try to get some PM sits in there.
I've got one more bedding area to visit on Monday, and it's all head high laurel and tough to get to. I'm hoping for rain, as it makes excellent cover.
This season is such a wash for me. No time at all to get out.High winds and somewhat rainy....great day for a sneak. Except deer are spooky spooky!
Good luck and don't let any trees fall on your head!
Sux Bro......I've got very little time left either. Didn't even get to hunt your place this year.This season is such a wash for me. No time at all to get out.
Sux Bro......I've got very little time left either. Didn't even get to hunt your place this year. Ive got some meat if you want.....not a lot...but I can share a few steaks if you want them.