Am I on the right track?

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btsnhos
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Sat Jul 03, 2021 2:43 am

Deerkins wrote:Being very efficient at scouting is key to hunting an area like that. I hunt very similar terrain and have learned that you’re much better off traveling light and committing to days of scouting, before settling on a place to hunt. Except that the vast majority of areas that look good on maps, for one reason or another, will not pan out and it will require miles of boot travel to find the good spots.

Rarely do I even bring a bow, or wear hunting clothes. I just want to cover miles quickly, looking for obvious sign, while not completely physically/psychologically beating myself up. Try to plan your scouting routes where you don’t have to back track to your vehicle, as you’ll be wasting time and energy on areas you’ve already traveled through..

I’d probably start with checking along the waterways, as it’s the easiest path to scout, that will show the most sign, like crossings, big tracks. From there, hopefully I could determine which areas the deer are frequenting, then get a clearer picture of what’s going on from there.


Great idea, depending on when I get home and can get up there that could be a good tactic. This area has strange days that you can hunt, I think thursday-monday. Also, most of the creek should be accessible by kayak which can make scouting and access alot easier. I would like to be checking these ridges and laurel thickets though. What kind of stuff in this terrain do you look for besides crossings? I am newer to beast style hunting in the mountains.


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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Tue Jul 06, 2021 6:19 am

This map shows a lot of terrain and key features. But I agree that lots of boot miles will be needed.
I want to mention 2 features that may or may not interest YOU. Some guys enjoy choke points, and others use thermal features.
For the upper right red dot, it is close to a traditional rut funnel. To the left and up slightly is a narrow section on a relatively large ridge system. Lots of trails will be going through that spot. Late October should have some bucks moving through there.
Your lower right dot is close to a thermal hub for falling evening thermals. The drainage immediately to the right resembles a spider. When a buck beds on a point in that, he might drop to the bottom as night falls . From the center, bottom, the scent pools and allows him to decide what area is safe OR what area has the girls hanging out in.
Again pick your poison for scouting, building on the things you already know. Walking in with no theories or baseline will be a frustrating experience. Been there, done that.
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Thu Jul 08, 2021 12:47 am

justdirtyfun wrote:This map shows a lot of terrain and key features. But I agree that lots of boot miles will be needed.
I want to mention 2 features that may or may not interest YOU. Some guys enjoy choke points, and others use thermal features.
For the upper right red dot, it is close to a traditional rut funnel. To the left and up slightly is a narrow section on a relatively large ridge system. Lots of trails will be going through that spot. Late October should have some bucks moving through there.
Your lower right dot is close to a thermal hub for falling evening thermals. The drainage immediately to the right resembles a spider. When a buck beds on a point in that, he might drop to the bottom as night falls . From the center, bottom, the scent pools and allows him to decide what area is safe OR what area has the girls hanging out in.
Again pick your poison for scouting, building on the things you already know. Walking in with no theories or baseline will be a frustrating experience. Been there, done that.


Wow thats a wealth of knowledge thank you. I will have to hit all of these spots individually but the spot that looked the best to me originally was the ridge on the upper right dot. I do not have alot of experience with mountain thermals and know they can be very tricky. Luckily the creek in this area is slow flowing and allows for kayak access so i can use that to my advantage with rising/failing thermals.
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Thu Jul 08, 2021 10:12 am

I think your hunting too high.

If it is pressured most hunters will hunt up ontop of the ridges. So bucks will expect that area to be dangerous.

When do you plan to kill the buck?
If it is early season true that the acorns will first fall up high on the ridges but when that buck gets up in the afternoon it will have a falling thermal. By October their should be acorns falling mid hill or lower the tops will have been eaten in September.

It will be hot so water is where I would expect them to go then hook uphill to the acorns up high right at dark.
Chances are sitting up high will get you busted on the falling thermal.

You will need to kill him before he does a full j hook to food.

Like the above poster mentioned those spider ridges a buck can drop down their and smell all the surrounding ridges at dark. Course killing him their will not be easy.

Alot of hubs on this property in pink.
If you hunt near them all scent will pool in them.

I really like the green spot I marked seems whatever travels will at some point go through,near that area. Looks like a good rut spot.

Theirs so many points n ridges, can't really see transitions.
A buck could bed really anywhere from that topo. Alot of legworkwould be needed.

Screenshot_20210707-172151_Painter.jpg
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby G-Patt » Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:52 am

I like Buttonbuck's suggestions to consider starting in the less steep terrain. In late October, I would travel those areas trying to pick up tracks and see where the does are likely bedded. My plan would be to hunt the mornings in the lower bowls or creeks on the ground where the tracks are fresh and heavy, and as thermals pick up, go up elevation to a bench system or saddle (again close to the does) and get in a tree for an afternoon sit. For the evening hunt, Justdirtyfun has great suggestions regarding the falling thermals. Bring milkweed! This is a pre-rut/rut strategy of buck movement/cruising instead of attempting to hunt buck beds. Good luck!
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby dan » Sat Jul 10, 2021 3:03 am

I would concentrate on leeward sides 1/3 from the top, anöook for long leeward connecting ridges... I think you have that in the second from the left dot, and your last dot
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Thu Jul 15, 2021 7:24 pm

Tennhunter3 wrote:I think your hunting too high.

If it is pressured most hunters will hunt up ontop of the ridges. So bucks will expect that area to be dangerous.

When do you plan to kill the buck?
If it is early season true that the acorns will first fall up high on the ridges but when that buck gets up in the afternoon it will have a falling thermal. By October their should be acorns falling mid hill or lower the tops will have been eaten in September.

It will be hot so water is where I would expect them to go then hook uphill to the acorns up high right at dark.
Chances are sitting up high will get you busted on the falling thermal.

You will need to kill him before he does a full j hook to food.

Like the above poster mentioned those spider ridges a buck can drop down their and smell all the surrounding ridges at dark. Course killing him their will not be easy.

Alot of hubs on this property in pink.
If you hunt near them all scent will pool in them.

I really like the green spot I marked seems whatever travels will at some point go through,near that area. Looks like a good rut spot.

Theirs so many points n ridges, can't really see transitions.
A buck could bed really anywhere from that topo. Alot of legworkwould be needed.

Screenshot_20210707-172151_Painter.jpg


I won't be able to travel out there until late October at the earliest. The area does not see alot of hunters, most people are very lazy in this part of the country and only hunt food plots and feeders. I agree that i have to alot of miles on ground, depending on when i get out there this might be more of a scout/scout/scout/hunt late season. But i will have a good idea of the area for next year. During the early season it is hot, around 80/90 through the day with light wind so keying in on water is going to be a tactic also. I will make sure to walk that green spot you marked.
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Thu Jul 15, 2021 7:26 pm

G-Patt wrote:I like Buttonbuck's suggestions to consider starting in the less steep terrain. In late October, I would travel those areas trying to pick up tracks and see where the does are likely bedded. My plan would be to hunt the mornings in the lower bowls or creeks on the ground where the tracks are fresh and heavy, and as thermals pick up, go up elevation to a bench system or saddle (again close to the does) and get in a tree for an afternoon sit. For the evening hunt, Justdirtyfun has great suggestions regarding the falling thermals. Bring milkweed! This is a pre-rut/rut strategy of buck movement/cruising instead of attempting to hunt buck beds. Good luck!


Thanks for the advice, i will be bringing alot of milkweed the winds in this area are inconsistent for sure. Hopefully while checking these areas i can find some good beds
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Thu Jul 15, 2021 7:29 pm

dan wrote:I would concentrate on leeward sides 1/3 from the top, anöook for long leeward connecting ridges... I think you have that in the second from the left dot, and your last dot


Thanks for the advice Dan, i'm really looking forward to hunting this area apparently nobody goes out there. Free land for me i guess.
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby A5BLASTER » Sun Jul 18, 2021 2:10 am

I'm in the situation that I can only scout during season. So what I try to do if it's a new area or new wma I have never set foot on/in before. I try to scout/hunt it with a rifle. That way if i happen too walk up on a good buck bedded in a spot that cant be seen from a map are satelite pic, i can kill him.

Then i will mark that spot as primary buck bed for that wind and return to finish my scouting the next day.

Some of my very best spots for the chance at mature bucks on the wma's i hunt, this is how i found them.
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Sun Jul 18, 2021 3:23 am

btsnhos wrote:
Tennhunter3 wrote:I think your hunting too high.

If it is pressured most hunters will hunt up ontop of the ridges. So bucks will expect that area to be dangerous.

When do you plan to kill the buck?
If it is early season true that the acorns will first fall up high on the ridges but when that buck gets up in the afternoon it will have a falling thermal. By October their should be acorns falling mid hill or lower the tops will have been eaten in September.

It will be hot so water is where I would expect them to go then hook uphill to the acorns up high right at dark.
Chances are sitting up high will get you busted on the falling thermal.

You will need to kill him before he does a full j hook to food.

Like the above poster mentioned those spider ridges a buck can drop down their and smell all the surrounding ridges at dark. Course killing him their will not be easy.

Alot of hubs on this property in pink.
If you hunt near them all scent will pool in them.

I really like the green spot I marked seems whatever travels will at some point go through,near that area. Looks like a good rut spot.

Theirs so many points n ridges, can't really see transitions.
A buck could bed really anywhere from that topo. Alot of legworkwould be needed.

Screenshot_20210707-172151_Painter.jpg


I won't be able to travel out there until late October at the earliest. The area does not see alot of hunters, most people are very lazy in this part of the country and only hunt food plots and feeders. I agree that i have to alot of miles on ground, depending on when i get out there this might be more of a scout/scout/scout/hunt late season. But i will have a good idea of the area for next year. During the early season it is hot, around 80/90 through the day with light wind so keying in on water is going to be a tactic also. I will make sure to walk that green spot you marked.



I really like your middle southern red dot.

Theirs alot of potential for cruising on a wind out of the south ,southwest just north of your red dot. As long as it's not too open terrain.

Appears to have alot of points and movement of that contour line at bedding elevation. I like the curve of those points. just east of it too. I could see a buck bedding around that area on many winds.
If it has thick above above and open below.

Theirs probably some benches on the green lines.
The steepness of that northwest area of the map is probably going to have a well worn crusing trail and benches.

The most northwest green line area.
May be a really good spot during rut it could be slightly higher then the line I put .Just that general area is perfect for a cold front wind blowing from the Northwest.

Screenshot_20210717-102805_Painter.jpg
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby Coalcracker » Mon Jul 19, 2021 4:22 am

You'll be hitting the woods at an opportune time. Late October will be fantastic for finding buck sign. Scout/hunt your way around the area.

If this is a long term(years) endeavor, I would break down the ridge systems into sections. Looking at your map, I found at least (5) main ridge system areas. Many different ways to break it down but I like doing outside/in. Starting with access points along the road. Drive around the entire area using the closest roads to determine the most heavily used access points. Look for back door foot trails or even quad trails (legal or not). When I start boot scouting, I again like "circling" the area around the outer most fringes looking for those hidden or not shown access trails or even logging roads not yet on maps. Doing this could eliminate some area right off the bat. Finally, I would start breaking down the sections. Terrain is great to look at on maps but I'd be looking for edges like clear cuts first. Then, 1/3 elevation and point bedding areas within each section. One section at a time. It may take a year of in depth scouting for each section. Once your done with the general scouting plus the hunts in a few years, you will have (5) main hunting areas which you are familiar. As time goes, you will learn to check specific places within each section that consistently tells you a large buck is "in there". I like to start furthest away because as I'm scouting and hunting, I'm walking through the other sections becoming more familiar and of course looking for sign of a big buck.

For shorter term endeavors, I believe scout/hunting by staying mobile looking for fresh sign would work best. Dan and THP have some really good hunting videos on short term hunts (Challenges) that pretty much spell it out for us.
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby greenhorndave » Mon Jul 19, 2021 4:32 am

That’s some good stuff CC.. :handgestures-thumbup:
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:54 pm

Tennhunter3 wrote:
btsnhos wrote:
Tennhunter3 wrote:I think your hunting too high.

If it is pressured most hunters will hunt up ontop of the ridges. So bucks will expect that area to be dangerous.

When do you plan to kill the buck?
If it is early season true that the acorns will first fall up high on the ridges but when that buck gets up in the afternoon it will have a falling thermal. By October their should be acorns falling mid hill or lower the tops will have been eaten in September.

It will be hot so water is where I would expect them to go then hook uphill to the acorns up high right at dark.
Chances are sitting up high will get you busted on the falling thermal.

You will need to kill him before he does a full j hook to food.

Like the above poster mentioned those spider ridges a buck can drop down their and smell all the surrounding ridges at dark. Course killing him their will not be easy.

Alot of hubs on this property in pink.
If you hunt near them all scent will pool in them.

I really like the green spot I marked seems whatever travels will at some point go through,near that area. Looks like a good rut spot.

Theirs so many points n ridges, can't really see transitions.
A buck could bed really anywhere from that topo. Alot of legworkwould be needed.

Screenshot_20210707-172151_Painter.jpg


I won't be able to travel out there until late October at the earliest. The area does not see alot of hunters, most people are very lazy in this part of the country and only hunt food plots and feeders. I agree that i have to alot of miles on ground, depending on when i get out there this might be more of a scout/scout/scout/hunt late season. But i will have a good idea of the area for next year. During the early season it is hot, around 80/90 through the day with light wind so keying in on water is going to be a tactic also. I will make sure to walk that green spot you marked.



I really like your middle southern red dot.

Theirs alot of potential for cruising on a wind out of the south ,southwest just north of your red dot. As long as it's not too open terrain.

Appears to have alot of points and movement of that contour line at bedding elevation. I like the curve of those points. just east of it too. I could see a buck bedding around that area on many winds.
If it has thick above above and open below.

Theirs probably some benches on the green lines.
The steepness of that northwest area of the map is probably going to have a well worn crusing trail and benches.

The most northwest green line area.
May be a really good spot during rut it could be slightly higher then the line I put .Just that general area is perfect for a cold front wind blowing from the Northwest.

Screenshot_20210717-102805_Painter.jpg


The southern middle dot was the first area that jumped out to me, unfortunately it is also the closest to the access. We will see how it goes, I do not think anybody really hunts this area according to the locals. Thanks for the help
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Re: Am I on the right track?

Unread postby btsnhos » Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:54 pm

Tennhunter3 wrote:
btsnhos wrote:
Tennhunter3 wrote:I think your hunting too high.

If it is pressured most hunters will hunt up ontop of the ridges. So bucks will expect that area to be dangerous.

When do you plan to kill the buck?
If it is early season true that the acorns will first fall up high on the ridges but when that buck gets up in the afternoon it will have a falling thermal. By October their should be acorns falling mid hill or lower the tops will have been eaten in September.

It will be hot so water is where I would expect them to go then hook uphill to the acorns up high right at dark.
Chances are sitting up high will get you busted on the falling thermal.

You will need to kill him before he does a full j hook to food.

Like the above poster mentioned those spider ridges a buck can drop down their and smell all the surrounding ridges at dark. Course killing him their will not be easy.

Alot of hubs on this property in pink.
If you hunt near them all scent will pool in them.

I really like the green spot I marked seems whatever travels will at some point go through,near that area. Looks like a good rut spot.

Theirs so many points n ridges, can't really see transitions.
A buck could bed really anywhere from that topo. Alot of legworkwould be needed.

Screenshot_20210707-172151_Painter.jpg


I won't be able to travel out there until late October at the earliest. The area does not see alot of hunters, most people are very lazy in this part of the country and only hunt food plots and feeders. I agree that i have to alot of miles on ground, depending on when i get out there this might be more of a scout/scout/scout/hunt late season. But i will have a good idea of the area for next year. During the early season it is hot, around 80/90 through the day with light wind so keying in on water is going to be a tactic also. I will make sure to walk that green spot you marked.



I really like your middle southern red dot.

Theirs alot of potential for cruising on a wind out of the south ,southwest just north of your red dot. As long as it's not too open terrain.

Appears to have alot of points and movement of that contour line at bedding elevation. I like the curve of those points. just east of it too. I could see a buck bedding around that area on many winds.
If it has thick above above and open below.

Theirs probably some benches on the green lines.
The steepness of that northwest area of the map is probably going to have a well worn crusing trail and benches.

The most northwest green line area.
May be a really good spot during rut it could be slightly higher then the line I put .Just that general area is perfect for a cold front wind blowing from the Northwest.

Screenshot_20210717-102805_Painter.jpg


The southern middle dot was the first area that jumped out to me, unfortunately it is also the closest to the access. We will see how it goes, I do not think anybody really hunts this area according to the locals. Thanks for the help


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