After driving throughout the Norris watershed the last week or so I have noticed a couple things. It is going to be an interesting first week this year for sure. I have kicked up deer All over in there. It doesn't look like they use the same trail twice. Most of the deer are on the ridge tops. During midday. I keep googling big woods deer and get nothing. It seems as if they are ghosts of the woods.
Big woods
- Thread starter thejetman
- Start date
ghosthunter
Well-Known Member
Big woods deer are a definetely more difficult hunt. For early season find the hot white oaks. You'll know that oak when you find the leaves churned up, acorn husks, and droppings all under it. I can't stress how important scounting is. I know it's hard to not sit in a treestand when all you've got is a couple of days to hunt, but don't think you're not hunting just because you're not on stand. Patterns change so fast, especially early, so being flexible is advantageous.
Finding thick cover (if you can) bordering oaks that deer are hitting is excellent for early season. Find a good place to set up on the edge and play the wind.
Terrain features play a big role in big woods deer movement. Look for funnels such as saddles, the head of hollows, etc. Not every classic location is going to be hot which is why putting boot leather to work is important.
Finding thick cover (if you can) bordering oaks that deer are hitting is excellent for early season. Find a good place to set up on the edge and play the wind.
Terrain features play a big role in big woods deer movement. Look for funnels such as saddles, the head of hollows, etc. Not every classic location is going to be hot which is why putting boot leather to work is important.
Pursuit Hunter
Well-Known Member
I agree. Hunt the dominant trees and focus your scouting efforts for those trees around terrain features and/or cover that will concentrate the deer.ghosthunter said:
Pursuit Hunter
Well-Known Member
forget about trying to get the deer to come to you. You gotta go to them. They will tell you where they are if you take the time to look for and read the sign. There are no shortcuts that will work consistently.thejetman said:
Good time Charlie
Well-Known Member
Find a persimmon or white oak dropping ,and you will kill a deer
Simple as that.
Simple as that.
Vermin93
Well-Known Member
BSK
Well-Known Member
thejetman said:
That's because so few hunters are actually good at killing big woods deer. It can be the toughest hunting there is. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing tougher than big woods hunting is swamp hunting.
Well checked my trail cam today. No activity on creek bed. Relocated it to a ridgeline saddle with acorns in it. Made a few mock rubs and a scrape using this stuff called rub line slime. Interested to see if it brings any thing in. Next week I will check the cam and give updates. The fake rubline and scrape are more of an experiment than anything.
BSK
Well-Known Member
A few years ago, I would have told you that you were wasting your time making mock scrapes in summer. Then a few friends experimented with it and experienced amazing results, even in July and August.
Normally I don't start making mock scrapes until mid-October, but I'll probably start experimenting with them this year in early September.
Normally I don't start making mock scrapes until mid-October, but I'll probably start experimenting with them this year in early September.
I am just interested to see the results more then anything. Hunting is a life long learning experience. With new things that come out, I just want to see if they are worth other hunters' hard earned money. I am more than willing to share my knowledge, be it good, bad, or indifferent. Hopefully I can help future generations of hunters in their quest for the next buck, or doe, or whatever they may consider a trophy.
BSK
Well-Known Member
thejetman said:
Good for you! That's what's so great about this site; all the sharing of experiences and knowledge. I learn something new all the time.
TNseabee
Well-Known Member
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I had to adjust when I got stationed here in WV. The George Washington national forest is huge and the mountain can be brutal.
I focus on the heads of hollers just down from the top of a ridge and saddles where the deer cross over.Look for oaks for sure and also cover,abandoned logging trails, and creek crossings.
I focus on the heads of hollers just down from the top of a ridge and saddles where the deer cross over.Look for oaks for sure and also cover,abandoned logging trails, and creek crossings.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
BSK said:
Make sure and let us know your results! I may do the same with a camera or two
Well with all that being said, I probably should have also figured out what kind of trees I put the slime on as well. I nonchalantly meandered through the woods and hacked of bottoms and poured that stuff on it. If I stopped to think, which is hard to do because the woods is so peaceful, I would have tried to remember what kind of trees are slime covered. This could show us which trees bucks prefer to make their rubs on. But, my camera is setup overlooking a stump lick covered stump, and in the background adjacent to the stump is my mock scrape. I used thinks dripper, hacked at the tree, and slimed it. So hopefully we will see some result of it.
Heck, I grew up in Wisconsin, deer scoff at acorns until its January! I have had to sit back and rethink a lot of my hunting strategies due to the fact that not only is the environment is different, so are the deer. They act different at different intervals throughout the year. I have never heard of a second rut till I moved here and it never really gets cold to push the deer to change. The second week in November WAS the rut. That was it. One week of shear madness in the woods. You are playing with a different deck here so to speak.TNseabee said:
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
The good news is,you have all you need to make one,without buying a thing!thejetman said:
Nothing more exciting and fun than scouting and hunting big woods. It will make a hunter out of you if you stick with it. Always locate the food source first and prime is the mast, either white or red oak. Persimmons may be hot and late crab apples. Look for thick patches of greebriar and honey suckle.
Forget bedding and feeding areas, just look for the food. Then, figure out how they get to it. As a general rule, you would hunt ridgetops in the morning and bottoms in the afternoons. That, however, is not always true. It depends on where the food is.
Look for travel patterns. Deer, like water and humans will take the path of least resistance if there is sufficient cover. Look for sloping points and old logging roads.
It will take approximately three years to learn ever 500 acres well enough to be reliable. So have fun all year. Feb and March will be your prime scouting months. This year, you mostly learn what you did wrong and probably kill a doe or two and young bucks.
Forget bedding and feeding areas, just look for the food. Then, figure out how they get to it. As a general rule, you would hunt ridgetops in the morning and bottoms in the afternoons. That, however, is not always true. It depends on where the food is.
Look for travel patterns. Deer, like water and humans will take the path of least resistance if there is sufficient cover. Look for sloping points and old logging roads.
It will take approximately three years to learn ever 500 acres well enough to be reliable. So have fun all year. Feb and March will be your prime scouting months. This year, you mostly learn what you did wrong and probably kill a doe or two and young bucks.
Pursuit Hunter
Well-Known Member
I agree with all that except that I think the best time to scout is right before you hunt a spot. Find the fresh sign and hunt it ASAP.bowriter said:
