Rookie thoughts

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eweisner

eweisner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
2,871
City & State/Province
Portland, TN
So this my second year deer hunting. I've been watching the posts about food sources, hunting from the ground, tree stands, and all other sorts of great information and opinions.

With all this info bouncing around in my head I started into a WMA that was new to me. I hit the tree line and started walking on Acorns. I scouted a bit, found a bedding area, a good trail, and then stumbled on a small waterning hole. Scoured the ground found good sign and a good spot. Got still and in less than 10 minutes I had a doe at 50 yards. Watched her for the better part of 15 minutes and she meanadered off.

I waited a while and and wanted to know where she came from so I moved. Found her trail and a different spot. I never saw the second one, but the alarm blow was so close I heard th inhale aftwards. Great afternoon.

So after my litle narrative I have to ask, how many hunt watering holes?
 
Cover, food, & water. Normally can't go wrong...I found a place with all three and picked a couple of stand spots overlooking the trails between these destinations. I won't be hunting till gun season, so I went and checked trail cam at mid day...jumped 2 deer while I was there. One walked in on me as I was checking the trail cam...cool day.
 
Some years, when it is hot and dry, they can be awesome. Most years, they are average at best EXCEPT for one time. In the peak of the chasing, bucks get hot and thirsty. A water hole at MIDDAY can be quite productive especially if it is in thick cover.

But you have got to quit moving around somuch and sit still when you find a good spot. and I have a question. You said you found a bedding area. How do you know?
 
Water sources can be great spots if the conditions are right. [drought, hot weather, etc] most times deer get enough water from the food they eat though.
And yes, you need to pick a stand and stay there till you head back to the truck. One reason I usually hunt from a tree stand. If i'm on the ground I move around too much.
 
The hunt for me was as much about familiarizing myself with a new area as it was actually taking a shot. I know scouting needs to be done prior to season but on minimal income very few trips have a single purpose without becoming frivolous. I try to squeeze in a hunting trip when I'm close to an area that is available.

This was one that I had my eye on for a while but could not justify the trip until this week. So it was a combined hunt / (gasp) scouting trip rolled into one.

I've only been hunting two years but I have been in the woods my whole life. We boys had the run of over 200 acres in TN and over 300 in NC growing up. In the summer my mom worked at a summer camp with 1500 acres. I got to know these areas very well. We always had in interest in wild game and tracking. But our dad was more fisherman than hunter.

The bedding area was a nice little grassy area that looked like a hollow in a thicket. The depressions indicated doe and fawn to me. The area around it was nearly impossible to get through on most sides but did have egress in several directions. I've jumped deer in such areas as a kid and when I was a Scout in the Army.


I also wanted to see how well I could stalk. All on all in my opinion not a bad day.
 
eweisner said:
The bedding area was a nice little grassy area that looked like a hollow in a thicket. The depressions indicated doe and fawn to me. The area around it was nearly impossible to get through on most sides but did have egress in several directions. I've jumped deer in such areas as a kid and when I was a Scout in the Army.


I also wanted to see how well I could stalk. All on all in my opinion not a bad day.
Click to expand...

Not bad there for just a 2nd yr hunter. Way to be atenttive.
 

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