Scouting

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Marcus.smith620
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Scouting

Unread postby Marcus.smith620 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:50 am

I recently scouted a spot that kind of goes against most of what is talked about on this website because it is very easy to get to and there are not many cattails at this particular spot. This area really isn't a marsh, or swamp and is surrounded by more hills. When I was scouting I found sign littered everywhere along the transition which in this case is tall prairie grass and redbrush which transitions into woods. It has everything that you are looking for in regards to beds, rubs, heavy trails, etc. I found a couple rubs that were chest high which was encouraging. One of the discouraging parts that I found were a couple of used buckshot shells on the ground. It might be possible that an area is only hunted during gun season, but remains untouched during bow although unlikely. I would think that if it were regularly hunted all season that I wouldn't be finding the amount of sign that I am seeing. I feel like this is an area that should be hunted, but because it's so easy to get to and it's only a 1/4 walk that I should look elsewhere, but the sign is telling otherwise. Any thoughts on situations like this?


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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Rob loper » Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:54 am

No loss but a few hours too sit it 3 times early rut then late season shotgun shells means definately hunted of course but may only be gun but might be driven too if easily accessible
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:02 am

Don’t know unless you give it a sit. If nothing else at the very least monitor it and watch for any hunting activity. May be overlooked and only hunted a few times a year. If there is good sign it’s definitely worth paying attention to.
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Net Guy » Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:25 am

If you feel you should hunt it then hunt it. My buddy and I just got done scouting an area today and noticed similar things on our way back out. We found some good bedding less than 300 yards from the parking lot and 6-10 large rubs in a very small area leading to and from that bedding area. Seems weird sitting so close to the parking lot but many beasts on here do it!
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Marcus.smith620
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Marcus.smith620 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:51 am

Definitely will give it a couple looks this year, but when people are hunting close to the parking lots they are still around cattails which this does not have. They do have a ton of thick garbage to run to just not cattails.
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Hawthorne » Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:52 am

You may have stumbled upon something good. I have found a few areas like your talking away from the swamps and marshes. For whatever reason it looks like they aren’t hunted much the last few years. Questions come up like this is away from a huge wetland area that will allow bucks to grow big in heavy pressure. I would hunt it 3 times like said or let some trail cams soak all fall if you have other areas that keep you busy.
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Net Guy » Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:55 am

Marcus.smith620 wrote:Definitely will give it a couple looks this year, but when people are hunting close to the parking lots they are still around cattails which this does not have. They do have a ton of thick garbage to run to just not cattails.


I wouldn't get hung up on the lack of cattails. An overlooked spot is an overlooked spot. I guarantee there's a lot of good overlooked spots in big woods areas that don't have any cattails. Look for areas that people are not paying attention to and provide security for bucks.
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby brkissl82 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:56 am

If i had to guess id say the sign was made at night from the scenario u layed out. But only 1 way to know forsure
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby tgreeno » Tue Feb 20, 2018 9:02 am

The sign doesn't lie!

I would keep an eye on it, to see if it looks like anyone's been in there. If not, give it a couple sits.
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Marcus.smith620
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Marcus.smith620 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 9:04 am

brkissl82 wrote:If i had to guess id say the sign was made at night from the scenario u layed out. But only 1 way to know forsure



What makes you say that the sign was made at night when the sign is surrounding bedding areas?
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby creepingdeth » Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:12 am

Like previously mentioned, watch it somehow (cam, distant sit, right after a snow). If it needs to be hunted, do it maybe early before it gets run through by someone else. Dont know how many trees are present nearby, but remember, most weekend hunters think they need to be in a woods type setting to hunt deer. If its aways away, could be overlooked.
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby brkissl82 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:58 am

In my very humble opinion based on the amount of beds u saw leads me to believe doe and younger buck bedding. Also the map u showed me the river near by had some excellent looking oxbows. I would suspect the more mature bucks would b bedding there and coming thru the area u scouted at night. Like i said i am by no means an expert. Try to post a map there are a lot of very smart guys on here who can mark it up.

With that being said w the amount of rubs u found i would say its definatley worth an early season sit and a rut sit. Good find!!!
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Marcus.smith620
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Marcus.smith620 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 3:21 pm

Her is the picture that I marked up of the area that I scouted. The far right line is a cut trail for hikers. Parking is to the southeast and when you walk up that red path you can walk right past the corn plot there in the middle. The transition line is where I scouted and the yellow marks are the beds that I found that I planned on hunting. Again this is stupid easy to walk to and it seems crazy that people would miss this area, but they might hunt around the corn and not get to the transitions and thicker stuff in order to see the deer that they want. The part of the transition line to the far left is all really thick redbrush and that bed is right on the edge. The bottom transition are all tall pines while the trees to the north transition are birch until you get deeper. I will definitely get back there to look at the oxbows and the rest of the transition to the west. Any input would be great.

Image
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby tgreeno » Tue Feb 20, 2018 4:41 pm

Marcus.smith620 wrote:Her is the picture that I marked up of the area that I scouted. The far right line is a cut trail for hikers. Parking is to the southeast and when you walk up that red path you can walk right past the corn plot there in the middle. The transition line is where I scouted and the yellow marks are the beds that I found that I planned on hunting. Again this is stupid easy to walk to and it seems crazy that people would miss this area, but they might hunt around the corn and not get to the transitions and thicker stuff in order to see the deer that they want. The part of the transition line to the far left is all really thick redbrush and that bed is right on the edge. The bottom transition are all tall pines while the trees to the north transition are birch until you get deeper. I will definitely get back there to look at the oxbows and the rest of the transition to the west. Any input would be great.

Image


Hmmm...That looks familiar 8-)
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Re: Scouting

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:12 pm

Marcus.smith620 wrote:Her is the picture that I marked up of the area that I scouted. The far right line is a cut trail for hikers. Parking is to the southeast and when you walk up that red path you can walk right past the corn plot there in the middle. The transition line is where I scouted and the yellow marks are the beds that I found that I planned on hunting. Again this is stupid easy to walk to and it seems crazy that people would miss this area, but they might hunt around the corn and not get to the transitions and thicker stuff in order to see the deer that they want. The part of the transition line to the far left is all really thick redbrush and that bed is right on the edge. The bottom transition are all tall pines while the trees to the north transition are birch until you get deeper. I will definitely get back there to look at the oxbows and the rest of the transition to the west. Any input would be great.

Image

I know that spot well. :lol:

Don't worry....your secret is safe with me and I don't hunt here anymore. ;)

Hunted there for years. It gets pounded by hunters all season. Very rare that parking lot to the south of your pic is empty. The best bucks are in the refuge to the north and don't come out till well after dark. Problem is guys line up on the refuge line and cause them to be even more nocturnal. I got sick of people ruining my hunts so moved on. The sign you are seeing is all done after dark when the deer head to the fields. Your best bet is the oxbows in the river to the west, especially the upper left one. Decent bucks always seemed to bed in them and the pressure was much lower but never seen one I wanted to kill. The biggest buck sign by far I found was east of the trail up in the high ridge. Nobody seemed to climb the highest ridge much. It's worth checking out. One year I found a dead shed buck over the winter while post season scouting in the exact bed I was hunting that season. He died within days of when I found him and have no clue how he died. Looked very healthy and no sign of injury except a little blood coming out of his mouth. Thinking he got hit by a car and after making it back to his bed he died from internal bleeding. Really bummed me out.


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