A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
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Lockdown
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A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:10 pm

Over scouting and under prepping...

Being new at bed hunting and scouting specifically for beds, its really exciting finding great bedding locations. Once you find a honey hole you just want to go find another... and another. Problem is, if you don't get your ambush point picked and prepped (be it ground or tree) that bedding area doesn't do you near as much good. Don't forget about access. An awesome set isn't near as awesome if you can't get there quiet.

I was very guilty of this my first few years. Its so easy to say "I'll speed scout and come back later and prep whatever I find." You pick your kill tree and go home happy. Well often enough life happens and you never make it back... or maybe you scout another new area before prepping that one? :shifty: :lol:

Possibly you get your set prepped but every detail of access hasn't been thought through. I am guilty of that for sure. Are there overhanging branches that will catch your stand as your try and duck under? How many sticks are hidden under leaves and grass for you to step on? Often times I like to make a practice run or two for the last 50 yards of the approach. YOU WANT TO FEEL COMFORTABLE EVERY STEP OF THOSE 50 YARDS. Make sure it feels easy.

Everything has to come full circle. Find the bed, pick the kill tree/blind, make sure access is solid, and make darn sure you make it back to finish the job if you don't do it day 1. Summer is a lot more relaxing when you've got your ducks in a row rather than thinking, "Man I wish I would have went back and prepped those."

Over scouting and under prepping. <--- I know I'm not the only one guilty of this.


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Hawthorne
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Hawthorne » Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:14 pm

You just explained me the last two years. This winter and spring I have a much better plan for scouting and setting up spots. Great post lockdown!
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby stash59 » Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:26 pm

So am I correct in assuming you scout in the spring with treestand on back!!!!
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:46 pm

I'm guilty! Yesterday was a PITA. my last 100 yards took me 2 hours and I am sore as today from having to hold awkward position to get by limbs quietly and although I had my tree picked out it took me at least 30 minutes to get some shooting holes once I was in the tree. lots of under my breathe cussing going on!
Tuf- The below average hunting beast
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:52 pm

stash59 wrote:So am I correct in assuming you scout in the spring with treestand on back!!!!


I kind of made it sound that way but pretty sure I go without the stand more than with it. It all depends on the situation.

Point I'm trying to make is if you've got a few sets that you know you want to hunt, prep ASAP.... Find more later.
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Ack » Wed Jan 25, 2017 6:58 pm

Great post LD.....and this is a trap I seem to fall into every season. Going to try to do better this year!
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby DeerDylan » Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:15 am

I was a poster boy for this last season :lol: :lol: Great reminder.
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby basspro05 » Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:15 am

Guilty!

That's a goal this year, don't just find the bed plan the kill!
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby oldrank » Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:26 am

Access, access access !!!! Nothing hurts me worse than not having the right route in. This is what I plan on working on this spring more than anything.
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby tbunao » Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:30 am

Good post LD!

I am guilty of this and I suffered last year because of it. Before the season was over I had it as my number one goal going into the scouting season. Holding strong 8-)

Every scout I bring at least my sticks are with me. Pick my access then the tree. Climb the tree, note how many stocks were needed and then I've been placing a thin piece of paracord around the tree. Being on what will be the top stick I can judge where the stand shall be placed and even align the knot of the rope to where the v-bracket will sit.

Paracord with reflective strips in it are used for morning stands.

Last year there were a few times I had to make adjustments in height and angle, trying to eliminate that. Also someday a it seems I'm more limber than others and stretch the sticks to much leaving me in a mess at the top.

After that it's recording the access.

Makes for a long day and not a lot "new spots" are found but as soon as my areas I know I want to be in I'll begin to explore newer areas.
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby seazofcheeze » Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:55 am

Great post. I was definitely guilty of this the first two years and still am to a degree. I was more deliberate last spring with my scouting. I've been focusing a lot more on the details you mentioned (specifically, access and tree prep) once the bed is located. All of my buck beds in my GPS now have a way point corresponding to my setup tree based on the sign around the bed.

For example, Buck Bed 2017-0001, has a corresponding way points called Kill Tree 2017-0001. When I load the way points into aerials, it's easy to jog my memory on where the bed and stand site are located. I can easily see which wind(s) will work and which ones will be blowing at the bed. It also allows me to measure the exact distance from bed to stand location to make sure I am not too close or too far from the sweet spot.
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Mibowfreak » Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:00 am

Great post!!!!

This was a major problem for me in the 2015 post season/spring. I really hit the scouting hard and thought to myself, " I will just come back in and hunt these areas in the fall". WRONG!!!!

What I found out was, since I didn't know every thing I needed to know about that area. I was really talking myself out of going into the areas I really needed to be hunting because of a lack of confidence. Funny...... didn't kill a buck in 2015 :think:

I then really changed my approach to this in 2016. I really spent a ton of days/time prepping the areas I had scouted that I knew I needed to be hunting. More time than ever really. Its a totally different game when you are walking into an area to hunt and feel comfortable and confident with it!!

I like to have all my prep work done by april/may, because you are right. Come summer time, all I want to be doing is running cameras, glassing, and some scouting for tracks. Oh.....and having a few cold ones on the back deck :dance:
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Grasshopper » Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:31 am

I'm a new to this game. Hill country mostly. Finding bedding hasn't been an issue. Every bed I find has multiple trails coming and going, so I've been struggling to figure out where to begin. When I kneel down in these beds and see how far these deer can see it blows my mind. I kinda feel like I'm just going to have to cut teeth a little to learn more. When I first started reading about these methods I figured it was easier to get in close to marsh and swamp bedding, and also figured there are less usable bedding areas in swamps and marshes. In my area we have long running ridges or mountains without a lot of points. The beds I find are generally right at the military crest usually on a small hump or flat spot that doesn't show up on 10' topography. Often times the ridge might go a mile then have a slight saddle with a slight draw running down either side of the ridge I find a lot of beds around these slight terrain changes. I guess the next step for me is figuring out what to do with the beds I'm finding. Listening to one of Dan's podcasts I picked up on hunting the scrape near the bedding because the scrape will be destination #1, on the hill country DVD they setup on water holes in the same manner.
I know every situation is different. Right now I'm thinking that I should hunt the areas below the beds where I find a lot of rubs assuming that it's staging?
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Wlog » Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:39 am

:clap: Right on the money with this Lockdown. This is exactly what I figured out over time. I think it's a natural progression though because in the beginning its hard to see the beds and even harder to TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SEEING. It takes a couple of years of doing this to build up the confidence that you're reading the sign right. So in my mind it didn't make sense in the beginning for me to pick out trees and access routes and such because I wasn't even positive it was a buck bed.

Now things are different. I'm getting to the point where I can easily identify the bedding for what it is. Even being able to look at something from 75 yards away and saying to yourself "I bet there's a bed right there". When you get to the point where you can recognize a likely bed from a distance then you walk over and sure enough, there's a bed right where you pointed to, man you're confidence will soar. At that point it becomes a lot easier to focus on your setups.

I have a mental checklist that I go through when I find a spot now.

1. I pick out an access route to the kill tree. Sometimes I'll have multiple trees based on wind direction or the bucks suspected travel direction.

2. How can I keep tabs on this spot? Is there a place I can observe from a distance to know this bed is getting used? If not, is there a place I can look for tracks/sign that tells me it's getting used without disturbing the deer? Is a camera an option?

3. Where should I park? I don't want to tip off other hunters or the deer. Some public areas require you to use their parking lot but maybe you could be dropped off or use the next parking lot 1/2 mile down the road.

These are only some of the considerations. The list could really go on and on.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
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Re: A common mistake of the rookie Beast

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:02 am

Great post Lockdown. I've been guilty of this as well. The tree I picked this year on a late season bed hunt cost me a large 10 pointer.....ten yards further back and I most likely kill the buck. Live and learn.


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