I'll start off by saying this past season was my first on the beast, but by applying things I learned on here along with other podcasts, I was able to have my best overall season yet. Here are some things I learned this year.
1) Historical sign is a great place to start: For the past 2 turkey seasons I had kept seeing a huge scrape on top of a ridge where several fingers came together. This deer season was my first with permission to deer hunt this spot. This scrape was still visible during the spring so I knew it had to be good. I placed a camera on it and waited for it to get hot. I guessed it would get hot a couple weeks before peak rut and sure enough the big guys started showing up 2 weeks before peak rut. In 2 and a half weeks, I had 3-4 shooters and probably 8 smaller bucks visiting this scrape with a lot of daytime activity. I timed my card pull so that it would be non-invasive and it paid off. I got my best buck to date hunting this scrape about 10 days prior to "peak rut dates" in my area.
2) Community scrapes are worth sitting when the time is right: See above. For reference, this scrape was at the top of a ridge with potential bedding and confirmed doe bedding within 100 yards. Every single deer I saw in this area visited this scrape area, does, small bucks, and even the big ones.
3) Get high in the tree when possible: During Nov/Dec with less cover on the trees, I got higher in the tree than I have in the past and I observed such relaxed movement. I never once had a deer spot me or smell me. When you can, it pays to get high 22-25 ft (wearing safety harness). I was hunting with a rifle during the rut so angle wasn't as much of an issue)
4) Stay out: I did not hunt the scrape area until the time was right. My hunting area was only 25 acres and I didn't pressure that spot at all and it showed. The deer were completely relaxed.
5) Be sure of your shot. I would rather pass up a huge buck then take risky shot: I had my best season, but I also had one of my most disheartening. I shot a very big buck on an out of state hunt, but the lighting was not great and the angle was tough. It resulted in not finding my deer. No worse feeling.
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I know these are nothing new to many hunters, but just saying some things I took from this season. I would love to hear from other guys who may have learned something this year, or something that paid off.
Observations this year that led to success
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- Stanley
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Re: Observations this year that led to success
Nice points.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
- SouthpawSwitchback
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Re: Observations this year that led to success
Congrats on your first Beast season! Glad to hear it was a success, resulting in a kill as well as a learning experience. This season was my first year attempting beast tactics. I say attempting because I didn't feel like I did the Beast style justice
I did set a goal at the beginning of the season to take away something new every hunt. This made every hunt a success for me, which was a confidence booster.
One of the biggest takeaways from a hunt this year was to not let your bow down before shooting light ends! I was in a hurry to get my setup all tore down and get out of there, and as soon as I lowered my bow down I heard a deer walking my way. It was a just a spike, so I wouldn't of shot anyway, but it could of very easily been a shooter.
Although I was very mobile this season, I didn't have the scouting information to keep me on top of the deer. That's another key thing I learned this fall.
This first season trying these new tactics has been very fruitful from a knowledge standpoint for me. I learned more about what I'm capable of as hunter than what I learned about deer, and I'm fine with that.
I did set a goal at the beginning of the season to take away something new every hunt. This made every hunt a success for me, which was a confidence booster.
One of the biggest takeaways from a hunt this year was to not let your bow down before shooting light ends! I was in a hurry to get my setup all tore down and get out of there, and as soon as I lowered my bow down I heard a deer walking my way. It was a just a spike, so I wouldn't of shot anyway, but it could of very easily been a shooter.
Although I was very mobile this season, I didn't have the scouting information to keep me on top of the deer. That's another key thing I learned this fall.
This first season trying these new tactics has been very fruitful from a knowledge standpoint for me. I learned more about what I'm capable of as hunter than what I learned about deer, and I'm fine with that.
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