#2156510 - 11/09/10 07:55 PM
Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
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WMAn
6 Point
Registered: 11/05/10
Posts: 775
Loc: Williamson County
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Saturday, I had my hunting on public land cut short for various reasons, but I did take time to document what was being hunted and what was not. Then afterwards reviewed the areas that were not hunted with aerial photos. I'm hoping to do a little hunting/scouting on Thursday in a couple of the spots that went untouched on Saturday.
Anyone else on here employ a similar strategy of hunting where the hunters are not on public land?
What else do look for (other than a lack of hunters) before deciding which area to hunt?
_________________________
"I will remain what I am until I die, a hunter, and when there are no buffalo or other game I will send my children to hunt and live on prairie mice..." - Sitting Bull
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#2156551 - 11/09/10 08:04 PM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: WMAn]
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Diehard Hunter
12 Point
Registered: 08/01/08
Posts: 5212
Loc: East Tennessee
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I do the same thing. I also look for oddities in the landscape, like isolated cover or pinch points people overlook because they think they are too small. I have a spot at Oak Ridge where the strip of trees is only 30 yards wide, and right next to where everyone enters the area. I've seen as many as 30 deer in a day from that stand.
_________________________
One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Aldo Leopold
Don't argue with an idiot He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
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#2156609 - 11/09/10 08:31 PM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: Diehard Hunter]
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Poser
14 Point
Registered: 07/28/10
Posts: 8113
Loc: Tennessee
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I put this on another post today, so I'll just cut and paste since its the same subject matter:
When I scout public land, I look for signs of other hunters as thoroughly as I look for deer sign. Pruned limbs, climber scars, fire tacks are just as important signs for a public land hunters as scrapes, rubs, droppings and tracks.
Once you know where others are hunting, look for ways in which the deer are avoiding these areas, gaps in pressure and "junk" terrain that others are simply unwilling to hunt.
Once you determine where others are hunting, try to determine when they are hunting: mornings, evenings, weekends? This can also be useful information.
I did some in season scouting this weekend intending to check a unscouted area of a property. I found two semi-permanent hang on stands with semi circles cleared out around them (No TWRA numbers, either). Initially, I was disappointed, but was able to quickly figure out how the deer are avoiding these locations and scout out potential setups accordingly.
By the nature of these two stands, I would expect that these guys are hunting them frequently and at the same time. Its a team of two. They are identical setups, though different brands of equipment. They are both quite expensive setups which implies that they are used frequently (not many people leave $300 worth of gear on public land only to hunt them occasionally). They aren't far enough a part to have been placed by the same person for the purpose of having 2 stands (if they were, that person is a idiot for having 2 stands with the same wind direction over the same terrain feature). Due to the frequency these stands are likely hit both by the owners and a few others likely taking advantage of a free setup, the deer are completely avoiding this small area.
Public land hunting is a completely different mind set than hunting private land. Public land hunter = human avoider.
_________________________
It doesn't have to be fun to be fun. Wild & crazy, can't be stopped. Only the strong will survive. Keep your knife sharp and your skillet greasy. http://www.GoCarnivore.com
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#2156739 - 11/09/10 09:33 PM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: Poser]
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WMAn
6 Point
Registered: 11/05/10
Posts: 775
Loc: Williamson County
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Public land hunter = human avoider.
Couldn't agree more.
Your observation on the 2 stands reminds me of an experience I had while in MS. I lived there for 3 years and worked on a large system of public lands. Hunters were not allowed to leave stands. We caught a guy the day before the season opened. He had 12 lock-ons in an area no larger than 50 acres.
That fellow had watched one too many hunting videos.
My other favorite was a guy I caught on a four wheeler in a closed area after season. Told me he was looking to do some "Post Season Scouting", like he was reading from a magazine article stuffed in his back pocket or something.
_________________________
"I will remain what I am until I die, a hunter, and when there are no buffalo or other game I will send my children to hunt and live on prairie mice..." - Sitting Bull
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#2156932 - 11/10/10 04:42 AM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: WMAn]
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Mike Belt
TnDeer Old Timer
16 Point
Registered: 03/26/99
Posts: 16929
Loc: Lakeland, Tn.
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I'd also look for some of the nastiest stuff I could find in the way of cover. If your deer are pressured I can almost guarantee you the deer are where hunters aren't or can't get to/won't try to get to. Hunt the edges or slightly into the interior when the wind is right for the area. Your shots will probably be close range and you won't be able to see far but I'd rather see a little piece of terrain the deer are using than a whole lot of it that they aren't.
_________________________
BONE HEAD HUNTER
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#2157069 - 11/10/10 06:31 AM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: Mike Belt]
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DOC1187
16 Point
Registered: 06/14/08
Posts: 10374
Loc: east tn
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yep thickets
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#2157222 - 11/10/10 08:09 AM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: WMAn]
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Poser
14 Point
Registered: 07/28/10
Posts: 8113
Loc: Tennessee
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Public land hunter = human avoider. Couldn't agree more. Your observation on the 2 stands reminds me of an experience I had while in MS. I lived there for 3 years and worked on a large system of public lands. Hunters were not allowed to leave stands. We caught a guy the day before the season opened. He had 12 lock-ons in an area no larger than 50 acres. That fellow had watched one too many hunting videos. My other favorite was a guy I caught on a four wheeler in a closed area after season. Told me he was looking to do some "Post Season Scouting", like he was reading from a magazine article stuffed in his back pocket or something.
Man, I hunt in MS a good bit. As far as I can tell, you must have been the only person enforcing the regulations:)
_________________________
It doesn't have to be fun to be fun. Wild & crazy, can't be stopped. Only the strong will survive. Keep your knife sharp and your skillet greasy. http://www.GoCarnivore.com
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#2157293 - 11/10/10 08:36 AM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: Mike Belt]
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Poser
14 Point
Registered: 07/28/10
Posts: 8113
Loc: Tennessee
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I'd also look for some of the nastiest stuff I could find in the way of cover. If your deer are pressured I can almost guarantee you the deer are where hunters aren't or can't get to/won't try to get to. Hunt the edges or slightly into the interior when the wind is right for the area. Your shots will probably be close range and you won't be able to see far but I'd rather see a little piece of terrain the deer are using than a whole lot of it that they aren't.
This is true. Again, TV may be partially to blame since hunters see Midwesterners hunting highly managed and exclusively accessed deer from field edges and open spaces. Furthermore, many hunters equate seeing deer with successful hunting. Thus, if they can see for 40, 50, 60 yards in the woods, then they have a better chance. On my most recent WMA buck kill, I didn't even know the bucks were there until they were 15 yards away.
I'll deal with not seeing deer and having a opportunity rather than seeing deer and having no opportunity.
Another very useful approach on public land is to evaluate other's setups. Whether that is a fixed lock-on or a climber set up. You can learn a lot from other's set ups, both good and bad.
On that note, and this is just my opinion, 90% of the hunter set ups I see on public lands range from terrible to average. Average set ups will produce average results. I'm not exactly sure how to quantify "average" results on public lands, but I would think, at a minimum, the odds are stacked against you.
I read some public lands info from the Holly Springs Nt'l Forrest in Mississippi. They have hunters keep records of their hunts there, deer sightings and kills. According to this info, I seem to recall that the average success rate was 25 "man days" (man day being define as a man going hunting for a day -whether it be morning, evening or all day). Granted, those are the most highly pressured deer I have ever seen, but if it takes a "average hunter" 25 hunts there on average to make a kill and the "average hunter" only hunts 14 times per season, that seems to imply that this same "average hunter" (on public lands)has about a 35% success rate for the season.
Judging from my time spent in WMA parking lots, I find this number around being believable, if not even slightly inflated.
Of course, if the success rate were 100%, we would have serious problems on our hands, so disregard everything I just said. Hunt in the open and definitely on field edges. The closer to your vehicle, the better. Wind is overrated, so don't worry about that either. In fact, don't even bother going hunting -TV Hunting is way more exciting!
_________________________
It doesn't have to be fun to be fun. Wild & crazy, can't be stopped. Only the strong will survive. Keep your knife sharp and your skillet greasy. http://www.GoCarnivore.com
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#2158164 - 11/10/10 03:42 PM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: Poser]
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WMAn
6 Point
Registered: 11/05/10
Posts: 775
Loc: Williamson County
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Man, I hunt in MS a good bit. As far as I can tell, you must have been the only person enforcing the regulations:)
LOL! I can see where someone might get that impression. I didn't enforce the law just worked on the land. Someplaces though it seemed that the level of "enforcement" depended on who you knew or didn't know. Overall though, most of the officers I met were really good.
_________________________
"I will remain what I am until I die, a hunter, and when there are no buffalo or other game I will send my children to hunt and live on prairie mice..." - Sitting Bull
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#2158171 - 11/10/10 03:45 PM
Re: Hunting Where The Hunters Aren't
[Re: WMAn]
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WMAn
6 Point
Registered: 11/05/10
Posts: 775
Loc: Williamson County
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Poser, Mikwe Belt, and Doc1187,
I'm with you on the thick cover. My only concern is that the deer will get so close that they're bound to bust me before the shot. I am definately going to try hunting before the season is over though. To date, most of my public land hunting has focused on terrain/cover funnels in areas ignored by hunters.
_________________________
"I will remain what I am until I die, a hunter, and when there are no buffalo or other game I will send my children to hunt and live on prairie mice..." - Sitting Bull
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