Making the connection through observation

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mainebowhunter
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Re: Making the connection through observation

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Wed Feb 14, 2018 4:01 pm

tgreeno wrote:
Babshaft wrote:Awesome man, thanks for the info. How close do think you can get to a bedding area when observing? How close for an observation stand and how close for setting/checking a camera? Particularly in large public swamps and marsh? I know it’s a tough question to answer but is there a general rule of thumb or place to start without having to do too much trial and error?

Thanks


For observation sits, far enough away to not be detected and see as much areas as possible. Might be 100 yards, might be 250 yards. Last year I had a couple remote fields, I just walked into, and sat on the opposite side of the field from the bedding exit trails. Right on the ground. I'm not going to get my cameras real close to bedding. I want to just get pics of target bucks after dark. Then you know the bucks there, and you can gauge by how late it is, how fast he's moving that distance. And I'm gonna try some summer mineral blocks for inventory.

In past years, I've been lucky to get more than a couple bucks on camera. I rarely have a target shooter on camera before the season. Typically I'm hunting strictly by sign & pre-season scouting. So I'm changing it up this season.


Yep, agree 100%. I typically have 10-15 bucks that I know are in different areas preseason. I then break down which ones I know most about and which spots I have my highest odds in. I also get a lot of this info post season. Right now, there are at 7+ bucks I know well that made the season. This really then shifts into high gear what areas I am going to pay attention to for post season scouting.


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Babshaft
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Re: Making the connection through observation

Unread postby Babshaft » Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:55 am

Mainebowhunter and Tgreeno : thank you both very much. I plan to put your advice into action as soon as possible. Lots of learning for me to do this off season coming into next season and it'll be a continual process. I think the learning is the part I'm the most excited for.

Thanks again guys.
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<DK>
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Re: Making the connection through observation

Unread postby <DK> » Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:21 am

This is a great subject to me bc I keep thinking about how we scout more than we hunt. So adding a mix of observation to it can only create better results. As some other hunters have mentioned in their tactics - scouting, glassing, then hunting has led to some quick deaths of some big bucks.
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Ack
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Re: Making the connection through observation

Unread postby Ack » Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:49 pm

burkhart wrote:My buck is a direct relation to in season scouting. I found a doe bedding area with lots of fresh buck sign and stinky scrapes so I setup and hunted it. Killed him two days later. I use post season to find the bedding area then use in season to tell me which ones are hot.

This year I found a good buck dan doe bedding area I’ll have to sit way back and observe before pouncing in. This will be my first observation of an area

I do feel if your not in season scouting g your doing yourself a disservice. If your not where they are your not on them. bedding areas dry up And deer shift... you also have to shift.


Very true. In the past I've been guilty of intentionally staying out of the woods during season thinking I'm going to jack the deer all up by walking. Did some in-season scouts last year and they paid off with sighting just like yours. In season scouting is a good thing, as long as you do it low impact and don't crowd the bedding.
Redman232
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Re: Making the connection through observation

Unread postby Redman232 » Fri Feb 23, 2018 11:54 pm

Much like Burkhart, I use postseason to find beds and areas to "Spot check" in season. I don't run cameras and with what seems like less and less time in the woods each year, I'm more and more impatient. If I didn't scout more on foot during the season than I hunt, I'd be settling for does and little bucks. Post season scouting gets me in the right locations, in season scouting gets me in the game on active/fresh sign. I used a lot of "observation sits" this past year, where I was in a position to make a kill but just far enough off of the fresh sign not to booger up areas. If you don't run cameras and don't have much time to hunt, you have to scout in season. You have information you need to obtain and you need it now. You cannot be afraid to bump a buck, because it's going to happen sooner or later. But there is a huge difference between being aggressive and being dumb about it.
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Babshaft
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Re: Making the connection through observation

Unread postby Babshaft » Sat Feb 24, 2018 12:16 am

Redman232 wrote:Much like Burkhart, I use postseason to find beds and areas to "Spot check" in season. I don't run cameras and with what seems like less and less time in the woods each year, I'm more and more impatient. If I didn't scout more on foot during the season than I hunt, I'd be settling for does and little bucks. Post season scouting gets me in the right locations, in season scouting gets me in the game on active/fresh sign. I used a lot of "observation sits" this past year, where I was in a position to make a kill but just far enough off of the fresh sign not to booger up areas. If you don't run cameras and don't have much time to hunt, you have to scout in season. You have information you need to obtain and you need it now. You cannot be afraid to bump a buck, because it's going to happen sooner or later. But there is a huge difference between being aggressive and being dumb about it.


Awesome post! Are you hill or marsh/swamp terrain? Where do you do most of your in season scouting?
Redman232
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Re: Making the connection through observation

Unread postby Redman232 » Sat Feb 24, 2018 12:32 am

I hunt farmland, hill country, marshes and a lot of CRP(hunts just like marshes). In season scouting I'll check low areas on field edges, creek crossings, saddles and the top of steep cuts(hill country). Knowing traffic areas that hold moisture is a huge advantage for finding good tracks even in dry conditions. I also don't mind getting right in a staging area, if I've found fresh tracks, to check for fresh browse and big droppings. I bump deer doing this from time to time, but I've also gotten setup and gotten arrows in a few that were bedded <50 yards. I fortunately have a lot of small private & public parcels that I hunt, so bouncing around is necessity anyways.
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Re: Making the connection through observation

Unread postby bh bowhunter » Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:41 am

Great thread, many good experiences from bowhunters from different types of woods ect. My biggest observation comes from the fact that just because you spook a buck or group of does, doesn't mean the spot is ruined. My trailcams have proved that. So for me in a bigwoods setting, I have to rely on my cams and in season scouting. I hope to kill my target buck early season using all this post season scouting I'm doing right now.

One of the bucks I'm hunting I have three years of pics and video of and I have yet to see him with my two eyes! No doubt that a simple observation of him could have upped my odds of a shot opportunity. My main goal this season is to find some of his beds and do way more in season scouting! I have already identified two observation stand sites that allow me to see a good distance.


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