Big woods hill country

Discuss the science of figuring out our prey through good detective work.
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Bowguy26_92
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Big woods hill country

Unread postby Bowguy26_92 » Fri Nov 11, 2022 5:46 am

What would yall consider the difference between the two. I hunt in arkansas mostly on national forest but its got private land all around it. I have been using the scouting and hunting tactics that you guys use on here but I wonder sometimes if I should be incorporating big woods tactics as well


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TwentyFeetCloser
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Re: Big woods hill country

Unread postby TwentyFeetCloser » Fri Nov 11, 2022 9:31 am

I’ve never been able to decipher the difference between hills vs mountains vs big woods because here in PA it’s all three things everywhere. But I can say that I personally consider some areas different based on size. The deer on a 1000 acre parcel are way easier to find and pattern than they are on the 10000 acre pieces I hunt. It’s a whole different game. They could move anywhere to get away from pressure and therefore react way differently to it. So I’m not sure what the definition would be but I when I’m out there it sure feels like “big woods” to me.
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Trout
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Re: Big woods hill country

Unread postby Trout » Fri Nov 11, 2022 12:32 pm

I tend to overcomplicate things I am learning about, and then once I start to understand them better, I naturally begin simplifying them to get rid of all the info/experiences I'm absorbing that aren't helping and only hold onto the stuff that helps. I say that because in the case of big woods, hills, swamps, marshes, etc., there are common themes that you see over and over. A good example are points. Whether it's a point of cedars jutting out into a marsh or the point of a secondary ridge running off the side of a main ridge, you'll find bucks using them very similarly in where they bed and how they travel. Each type of terrain has their unique differences, but at their core, they're a lot alike even though they're so different. I hunt 99% big woods hill country but chose to go to one of Dan's marsh scouting workshops this spring and came away with a better understanding of how to hunt hills.

So my advice is don't get caught up in the high level stuff that tries to fit different ecosystems into a few main buckets, and then stick to the tactics for the bucket you're in. Use the tactics from all of them that work for you in your particular hunting spot and let the sign and your observations tell you what your deer are doing. Good luck!
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<DK>
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Re: Big woods hill country

Unread postby <DK> » Sun Apr 02, 2023 5:39 am

Yes, I consider endless hills and timber big woods. Obviously not like up N bc that's a different animal but it's still hard to figure out where to start. Yes, they can run a long ways or go anywhere to get away but you would be surprised how they don't leave. If you find where a hard horned buck is living in Sept, then you do have a solid chance.

A ton of walking is definitely in the cards. Start w clear cuts. I personally like focusing on unique looking ridges. Look for thick areas like honey suckle (or w.e. is normal in the area).

Walk the bottoms following creeks. Find the crossings, catch a big track, drop a cam.
Dpoole90
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Re: Big woods hill country

Unread postby Dpoole90 » Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:22 pm

To me the deer don't know the difference between public and private so if it's all a big continuous timber then yes I wood consider it big woods. Regardless of the terrain habitat or landscape it's all about the transition/edge in my opinion. I hunt ag, hills, swamp / bigwoods, all of them I'm looking at the transitions/edge... thats where I find the sign and the beds.


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