2018 Scouting Reports

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rfickes87
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby rfickes87 » Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:41 pm

ghoasthunter wrote:
rfickes87 wrote:After a week of cyber scouting on my lunch breaks at work I made it out to a new piece of public. Big woods hill country PA game lands. I walked the military crest and scouted all the remote points. I walked about 4.5 miles in total. It was a great day.

I just have to say... before the huntingbeast I never could have accomplished what I did in just one afternoon on such a big piece of land. I feel like I have a huge upper hand on the other hunters now. I hung 2 cameras. One on a bed and another on a heavy trail in some thick laurel that was on top of a remote point.

Here's a video I took with my phone from a bed... I found about 8 bucks bucks in total I believe...

https://youtu.be/bAt0lBTKt4E

Most of the beds I found had rub lines j hooking in and also going down in a straight line below. The land is high in elevation with private ag fields about 1/4 mile away down in the valleys. These deer have a lot of options for nature browse near the beds as well as water or they can drop straight down in the evening and head to those farms. This particular buck bed showed me that he was headed for those farms based on his rubs down below the bed in a straight line. This may be how I attempt to hunt it.

Anyway, a very rewarding day yesterday. I had a blast. I had gotten a tip from a local game warden last summer that this ground holds some really big bucks. It makes sense. I was 2 miles back from the road and there are some large farms surrounding it. Limited access and large surround farms should help produce older bucks. This might be my best piece of ground I've come across in recent years. Im really excited!

very good video and a perfect example of mature buck bedding in eastern woods and being a eastern hill side is even better the thermals will drop faster in evening giving you valuable time. to slip in and set up or you can hunt it with a quartering wind or on a low pressure day. is the trail dropping down right away or is he traveling on the wind tunnel then dropping down?


There is definitely a worn trail with a few rubs circling the point to the bed that would be in the thermal tunnel. The rub line i was talking about is around 20 yards to my right and about 80 yards down the hill. So he'd appear to walk the tunnel to my right about 20-30 yards and then drop straight down.

Your comment is the first time I realized i get the thermals falling quicker on an east facing slope... It makes perfect sense. His view won't be very good in early fall. Perhaps i should try and set up below him for an evening hunt...

Also why would i hunt on a low pressure day? Can you explain the motive? Hi pressure vs low pressure is something i don't quite understand.


"Pressure and Time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time..."
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ghoasthunter
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:51 pm

rfickes87 wrote:
ghoasthunter wrote:
rfickes87 wrote:After a week of cyber scouting on my lunch breaks at work I made it out to a new piece of public. Big woods hill country PA game lands. I walked the military crest and scouted all the remote points. I walked about 4.5 miles in total. It was a great day.

I just have to say... before the huntingbeast I never could have accomplished what I did in just one afternoon on such a big piece of land. I feel like I have a huge upper hand on the other hunters now. I hung 2 cameras. One on a bed and another on a heavy trail in some thick laurel that was on top of a remote point.

Here's a video I took with my phone from a bed... I found about 8 bucks bucks in total I believe...

https://youtu.be/bAt0lBTKt4E

Most of the beds I found had rub lines j hooking in and also going down in a straight line below. The land is high in elevation with private ag fields about 1/4 mile away down in the valleys. These deer have a lot of options for nature browse near the beds as well as water or they can drop straight down in the evening and head to those farms. This particular buck bed showed me that he was headed for those farms based on his rubs down below the bed in a straight line. This may be how I attempt to hunt it.

Anyway, a very rewarding day yesterday. I had a blast. I had gotten a tip from a local game warden last summer that this ground holds some really big bucks. It makes sense. I was 2 miles back from the road and there are some large farms surrounding it. Limited access and large surround farms should help produce older bucks. This might be my best piece of ground I've come across in recent years. Im really excited!

very good video and a perfect example of mature buck bedding in eastern woods and being a eastern hill side is even better the thermals will drop faster in evening giving you valuable time. to slip in and set up or you can hunt it with a quartering wind or on a low pressure day. is the trail dropping down right away or is he traveling on the wind tunnel then dropping down?


There is definitely a worn trail with a few rubs circling the point to the bed that would be in the thermal tunnel. The rub line i was talking about is around 20 yards to my right and about 80 yards down the hill. So he'd appear to walk the tunnel to my right about 20-30 yards and then drop straight down.

Your comment is the first time I realized i get the thermals falling quicker on an east facing slope... It makes perfect sense. His view won't be very good in early fall. Perhaps i should try and set up below him for an evening hunt...

Also why would i hunt on a low pressure day? Can you explain the motive? Hi pressure vs low pressure is something i don't quite understand.
low pressure days the air pulls your scent down hill then he only has his eyes and ears plus it could be raining quieting your approach.
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ghoasthunter
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:33 pm

ghoasthunter wrote:
rfickes87 wrote:
ghoasthunter wrote:
rfickes87 wrote:After a week of cyber scouting on my lunch breaks at work I made it out to a new piece of public. Big woods hill country PA game lands. I walked the military crest and scouted all the remote points. I walked about 4.5 miles in total. It was a great day.

I just have to say... before the huntingbeast I never could have accomplished what I did in just one afternoon on such a big piece of land. I feel like I have a huge upper hand on the other hunters now. I hung 2 cameras. One on a bed and another on a heavy trail in some thick laurel that was on top of a remote point.

Here's a video I took with my phone from a bed... I found about 8 bucks bucks in total I believe...

https://youtu.be/bAt0lBTKt4E

Most of the beds I found had rub lines j hooking in and also going down in a straight line below. The land is high in elevation with private ag fields about 1/4 mile away down in the valleys. These deer have a lot of options for nature browse near the beds as well as water or they can drop straight down in the evening and head to those farms. This particular buck bed showed me that he was headed for those farms based on his rubs down below the bed in a straight line. This may be how I attempt to hunt it.

Anyway, a very rewarding day yesterday. I had a blast. I had gotten a tip from a local game warden last summer that this ground holds some really big bucks. It makes sense. I was 2 miles back from the road and there are some large farms surrounding it. Limited access and large surround farms should help produce older bucks. This might be my best piece of ground I've come across in recent years. Im really excited!

very good video and a perfect example of mature buck bedding in eastern woods and being a eastern hill side is even better the thermals will drop faster in evening giving you valuable time. to slip in and set up or you can hunt it with a quartering wind or on a low pressure day. is the trail dropping down right away or is he traveling on the wind tunnel then dropping down?


There is definitely a worn trail with a few rubs circling the point to the bed that would be in the thermal tunnel. The rub line i was talking about is around 20 yards to my right and about 80 yards down the hill. So he'd appear to walk the tunnel to my right about 20-30 yards and then drop straight down.

Your comment is the first time I realized i get the thermals falling quicker on an east facing slope... It makes perfect sense. His view won't be very good in early fall. Perhaps i should try and set up below him for an evening hunt...

Also why would i hunt on a low pressure day? Can you explain the motive? Hi pressure vs low pressure is something i don't quite understand.
low pressure days the air pulls your scent down hill then he only has his eyes and ears plus it could be raining quieting your approach.
I think you could get a couple different setups to kill this buck I would definitely catch him on that rub line first good try with those fields below that's a prime setup for early season and early season he's going to travel farther in daylight allowing you to set back farther where its safer if that trail angles and a slight off wind you are golden
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL A HUNTER HAS IS BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby tgreeno » Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:51 pm

Nice find rfickes87!

I think an evening hunt below him would work great. Just not directly below him. Off to one side or the other would be best.
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:57 pm

brkissl82 wrote:Im cyber scouted a few spots today i want to look at. A few of them are oxbows. My question is other that a big buck bed in it. What are u looking for in an oxbow? Shallow river? Timber? Cattails?


IMHO the main thing is thick cover. It doesn't HAVE to be right on the point of the oxbow, I have seen the best/most worn beds away from the tip if thats where the thicker cover is. I see most of the good oxbow bedding has dogwood or willow thicket, but its definitely not limited to that. If its open and grassy you still might be good to go if there are some trees/shrubs/blowdowns to bed against. Regardless of other details there should be some buck sign in the vicinity if its a good bed(ding area). Cattails with a hump of dry ground in the oxbow should be money. It's an island and oxbow bed all rolled into one.

I find the best bedding near smaller rivers. They prefer not to swim, not that they won't, but a fast escape is best. Also if they do use the river as a back door escape they prefer plenty of cover to escape through.

in general, the more prominent oxbow the better. Prominent oxbow + THICK cover = :L:
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby tgreeno » Mon Feb 19, 2018 5:02 pm

Lockdown wrote:
brkissl82 wrote:Im cyber scouted a few spots today i want to look at. A few of them are oxbows. My question is other that a big buck bed in it. What are u looking for in an oxbow? Shallow river? Timber? Cattails?


IMHO the main thing is thick cover. It doesn't HAVE to be right on the point of the oxbow, I have seen the best/most worn beds away from the tip if thats where the thicker cover is. I see most of the good oxbow bedding has dogwood or willow thicket, but its definitely not limited to that. If its open and grassy you still might be good to go if there are some trees/shrubs/blowdowns to bed against. Regardless of other details there should be some buck sign in the vicinity if its a good bed(ding area). Cattails with a hump of dry ground in the oxbow should be money. It's an island and oxbow bed all rolled into one.

I find the best bedding near smaller rivers. They prefer not to swim, not that they won't, but a fast escape is best. Also if they do use the river as a back door escape they prefer plenty of cover to escape through.

in general, the more prominent oxbow the better. Prominent oxbow + THICK cover = :L:


I would agree with Lockdown. That is exactly what I am looking for!
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby Wannabelikedan » Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:44 pm

Scouted some new turf for about 3 hours today. Short kayak ride and around 2 miles of walking out in some marshy/wetland river bottom. Hog sign was overwhelming. Anything that looked like good bedding was overrun with rooting. Made sense that about the only deer sign was mostly does. Found a few early season buck beds. Rubs all looked like they were made pre leaf drop. My guess is the bucks may be there early just out of velvet and the does are moving in super late, possibly gearing up for fawn drop. None of the sign looked rut related. With all the hog sign I assume big bucks are finding less disturbed ground. Did get to see a nesting pair of bald eagles which was pretty cool. They definitely didn’t like me there trying to snap a pic.
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:27 am

burkhart wrote:Mo Marsh madness... what a sight...

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Iv never seen a MO marsh! Sweet looking area
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:30 am

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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby Mathewshooter » Thu Feb 22, 2018 3:54 am



This looks a lot like the turf that I hunt. I always have the best luck hunting the transition lines where there are clusters of rubs or scrapes....or even a primary scrape.These are the spots where it seems the bucks like to enter/exit these bedding areas. I also have good luck if you find Apples or Acorns just outside the bedding.
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby <DK> » Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:04 am



Your'e good at making/editing videos. Great job w your content
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby Rob loper » Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:08 am

Thanks. Its a job in itself
Good easy user friendly program is a must
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby Rob loper » Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:09 am

Mathewshooter wrote:


This looks a lot like the turf that I hunt. I always have the best luck hunting the transition lines where there are clusters of rubs or scrapes....or even a primary scrape.These are the spots where it seems the bucks like to enter/exit these bedding areas. I also have good luck if you find Apples or Acorns just outside the bedding.



White oaks are right outside bedding so that will be forst sit i try here
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Re: 2018 Scouting Reports

Unread postby Jonny » Fri Feb 23, 2018 5:33 am

Caught some kind of a mouse in the marsh 8-)

Image


Edit. Tracking a decent buck, and the whole world erupted in front of me in the dogwood. Alllllllright :mrgreen:
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?


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