Going in blind?

[bcartervol98]

Finally opening my season tomorrow after a health scare had me in waiting rooms instead of my blind. Several of you I have talked with know this is my first year hunting East Tennessee as well as hunting public land.

We have one spot (area) scouted during Bow Season loaded with scrapes, trails and rubs and we are heading straight there but I have not had time to scout any further. I am hunting Big South Fork and if someone is already in the spot I found before I get there I am wondering what is the best plan?

In the area I am hunting there are trails used by hikers and horses. Would you head in on one of those and find a ridge to head down? Would you want to set up high on a ridge or at the bottom looking up both sides?

Basically I am wondering how you would approach hunting in the mountains-plateau on public land like BSF assuming you haven't been able to scout the area? I would hate to completely waste a hunting day if we have to concede our spot.

With that said, someone will have to get there awful early to beat me to it haha.

 

[lpo1981]

If it were me for a back up plan id look at a topo map an find a saddle or bench in that kind of terrain and hunt it if your primary spot is already taken... Can't go wrong with hunting terrain features especially this time of year.

 

[BUCKTOOF]

A topo map can be helpful. Find a funnel or saddle near by the area you are familiar with. Should be able to muddle your way to or close to area you find on the topo. For me, a topo map is my first source of scouting. Hope this helps some.

 

[bcartervol98]

Definitely does! I do not have a topo map BUT I just realized Google Earth shows elevation at the bottom (Ok Im old lol) and have marked 3 additional spots as backups that are what I understand Benches to be. If you said slough, cypress swamp, grudge ditch or corn field I would be all over it but benches and saddles are foreign to me.

The backup spots I am finding are fairly level elevation tops of ridges that are wide on one end and narrow on the other with drop-offs of 100-200 feet of elevation on the sides and at the narrow end.

I now realize why I saw all the signs in the area we marked because it is a textbook bench with a saddle connecting it to another ridge behind it where the elevation drops slightly then goes back up after a very thick and dense thicket that dips down then comes back up. My primary blind spot I have marked is covered with tracks, scrapes and some big rubs too.

I have a lot to learn about mountain hunting but I look forward to the challenge!

 

[Buckbuster03]

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