Velvet hunt strategy...

[AT Hiker]

....for those without a green food source. I'm talking big hardwoods, with zero open ground nearby to hunt. Some of these deer will be on a Summer pattern that either travel or stay near these green food sources but what are your plans to hunt the resident deer in your property?

A long while ago when I ran cameras over minerals I captured some daylight bucks but I still headed them off in travel routes to food. I'm curious to hear from those that have big hardwood properties that do not provide a green food source, nor is one within reasonable distance (maybe 1/2 or more of any).


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[PickettSFHunter]

....for those without a green food source. I'm talking big hardwoods, with zero open ground nearby to hunt. Some of these deer will be on a Summer pattern that either travel or stay near these green food sources but what are your plans to hunt the resident deer in your property?

A long while ago when I ran cameras over minerals I captured some daylight bucks but I still headed them off in travel routes to food. I'm curious to hear from those that have big hardwood properties that do not provide a green food source, nor is one within reasonable distance (maybe 1/2 or more of any).


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That's my situation and I have no idea what my plans are. I've never seen mature bucks be on a regular pattern at that time of year in big hardwoods environments, not without a corn pile. May just sit out on this one unless some magic happens.


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[Aquaholic]

I'm out ... no reason to fight ticks,chiggars,snakes,mosquitos and heat stroke ... I can't even hunt in October much less August...

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[AT Hiker]

That's my situation and I have no idea what my plans are. I've never seen mature bucks be on a regular pattern at that time of year in big hardwoods environments, not without a corn pile. May just sit out on this one unless some magic happens.


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You were one person that came to mind when I was thinking of this.
I also hate to say it but some of those corn piles might be hunted this year.

I wonder if using the buck bed strategy would be effective?


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[double browtine]

I am thinking about trying some Anger Grow spray on native green browse. But I am also going to plant a logging road with a bag of secret spot in another area on my property.
Then I will place my cams on both spots to see if I can pattern a shooter. If not, I probably won't even climb into a stand in late august.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

Well if I could hunt the early 3 day hunt, Id have a deer I would want to kill located by glassing crop fields leading up to the hunt. Note some factors of when I had seen the deer and basically move in day one and kill the deer. They will be together, they will be stupid. However, its private land only so that counts me out.

 

[MUP]

All woods where I hunt as well, with the exception of a 4 yr old clear cut on the adjacent property now. I have no plans to hunt the velvet hunt either, unless a little cool weather magically comes down for that weekend that is. The deer are still on minerals so they're likely still there, but I just don't like the heat, and I really don't want to mess up my area with scent before regular season and spook a potential nice buck out. The hotter it is, the more I sweat.

 

[AT Hiker]

Well if I could hunt the early 3 day hunt, Id have a deer I would want to kill located by glassing crop fields leading up to the hunt. Note some factors of when I had seen the deer and basically move in day one and kill the deer. They will be together, they will be stupid. However, its private land only so that counts me out.

But what about Big hardwoods with zero open fields?


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[TN Whitetail Freak]

But what about Big hardwoods with zero open fields?
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Wasting your time. IMO doing more harm than good. If the only block of woods I had was all timber it had had to have a bean field I could intercept deer heading too and even then they are going to be bedded within 150 yards of the field edges. Past 4 years I've really noticed a trend of deer bedding withing 50 yards of bean fields and those are 3rd Saturday of September observations.

 

[Andy S.]

Wasting your time. IMO doing more harm than good.

My thoughts exactly. I've witnessed and documented unique bucks in bean fields during summer months MILES away from their home range of hardwoods where they live during the fall months. If you made me hunt big hardwoods during the early hunt, it would have to be near an established salt lick, and my expectations would not be very much even with that.

 

[megalomaniac]

No way I'd hunt that weekend unless I had a predictable pattern from feed to bed or vice versa (or water source if crazy dry). It would be a total waste of time, IMO.

As it is, I'm planning on setting up on a funnel between bedding area and big bean fields. Closer to the bean fields in the eve and closer to the bedding thickets in the morning.

If it's crazy dry, pop up blinds on the dams of my wildlife ponds.

I don't have great expectations, but I DO think there is a chance at a mature buck in daylight that weekend hunting those spots.

 

[huntintn]

Water.

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[hunter0925]

I will likely be hunting minerals in a funnel. The spot is set up adjacent to a field and near bedding and is a natural funnel in a saddle. It is the only spot I'm consistently getting buck pictures.

 

[knightrider]

Throw out the golden call and grab grandpappys 30-06 yeye :bash:

 

[double browtine]

Water.

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Water source would be a great place during late August!

 

[lungpuncher1]

Bed hunting.

If you don't have either a great food source as in beans or know with high confidence where he's bedding with what wind you're wasting your time.

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[tree_ghost]

I cant imagine that bed hunting would be very effective at this time of year if your hunting big hardwoods. The reason I say that is that most bucks will be bedded within 100 yards of their food source. Typically that is an ag field within a couple miles of their fall ranges. If there is no ag within that perimeter of the buck I would think that honeysuckle may be a good food source however Im NO EXPERT. The biggest challenge in my mind would be finding a buck that you would like to hunt in the timber without alerting him to your intentions of sticking him with an arrow...if your able to locate him I would set up 3-4 mineral sites in different directions and based on terrain features to see which one he favors. That might be a winning ticket IMO

 

[knightrider]

minerals will be the best ticket and if you can find the very first white oak to drop you would be golden, which could happen if there is a good wind event the week of the hunt

 

[Mike Belt]

Agreed that the most patternable bucks will probably be on a bean field. Timber hunting will probably amount to pure luck. Cameras already placed may have the biggest payoff of any time of the year.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

If you know of a kudzu patch that's in an opening in the timber or along a field edge it can be golden

 

[CAW]

I aint that mad at em. I'll be at the lake.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

If you know of a kudzu patch that's in an opening in the timber or along a field edge it can be golden

I Actually found a buck bed on the south side of a kudzu patch about 4 weeks ago. in the middle of swamp timber. bed was full of water so could not tell if he had been laying there recently

 

[UTGrad]

Throw out the golden call and grab grandpappys 30-06 yeye :bash:

Wooo doggies


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[FARMTOFIELD]

If you know of a kudzu patch that's in an opening in the timber or along a field edge it can be golden

I Actually found a buck bed on the south side of a kudzu patch about 4 weeks ago. in the middle of swamp timber. bed was full of water so could not tell if he had been laying there recently

One of the biggest bucks I've ever seen in the wild, was frequenting a 100ft x 5 ft kudzu patch that was in the corner of a big grown up gulley, small patch of woods and a corn field. He was 160"+ and always had a 130" 8 pt with him. If you can find a patch that's tucked in right like that, it will draw some old deer.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Our property is predominantly hills and holler hardwoods, though we do have a few small fields (which rules my strategy out for you ). I plan on placing some cams in these fields and hope there is a pattern and a buck old enough worth shooting. I will only hunt probably the last 1.5 hours of light, unless the cams tell me otherwise. One thing is for sure, I will have a short walk and I will be really high up!

 

[StrungOutOutdoors]

....for those without a green food source. I'm talking big hardwoods, with zero open ground nearby to hunt. Some of these deer will be on a Summer pattern that either travel or stay near these green food sources but what are your plans to hunt the resident deer in your property?

A long while ago when I ran cameras over minerals I captured some daylight bucks but I still headed them off in travel routes to food. I'm curious to hear from those that have big hardwood properties that do not provide a green food source, nor is one within reasonable distance (maybe 1/2 or more of any).


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Stay out of the thick stuff. Their antlers are tender while in velvet and they risk damage. Water sources, cooler areas, etc