A few observations from this season.

[jmbuckhunter]

As many of you know I am hunting new grounds this season. And this is a different type of woods than what I am used to hunting. The new spot is full of steep hollows and ravines and lots of steep finger ridges. I am also hunting food plots in the big woods for the first time. It's been a while since I had to scout out a new hunting spot and find new stand locations as I hunted my old place for a few years.

So when scouting last winter and summer I used the traditional thoughts, deer are lazy and use the easy paths around steep hills and ridges. They walk around the ends of ditches, set up on the trails leading to food plots.

Well from my many, many hours on stand this year, I have observed exactly the opposite in most cases. Most of the deer I am seeing are walking right up the steepest of hillsides with no problems what so ever. They also walk right thru the ditches instead of going around them. They go over the middle of ridges instead of thru the saddles. They rarely use the same paths to enter a food plot. And most of time enter the food plots from upwind, trusting their eyesight to detect any danger in the fields. And relying on their noses to detect anything that might be following them.

So all of that info we give the new guys about where to set up stands might not be true in a lot of cases. Maybe we have all heard those stories so often that we just repeat it out of habit.

Now I am not saying I don't see any deer use the traditional lines of thinking. But I see more deer including bucks breaking the rules than following them. Might be time to go to some new tactics for the rest of the year.

[magicman54494]

ORIGINAL: jmbuckhunter

As many of you know I am hunting new grounds this season. And this is a different type of woods than what I am used to hunting. The new spot is full of steep hollows and ravines and lots of steep finger ridges. I am also hunting food plots in the big woods for the first time. It's been a while since I had to scout out a new hunting spot and find new stand locations as I hunted my old place for a few years.

So when scouting last winter and summer I used the traditional thoughts, deer are lazy and use the easy paths around steep hills and ridges. They walk around the ends of ditches, set up on the trails leading to food plots.

Well from my many, many hours on stand this year, I have observed exactly the opposite in most cases. Most of the deer I am seeing are walking right up the steepest of hillsides with no problems what so ever. They also walk right thru the ditches instead of going around them. They go over the middle of ridges instead of thru the saddles. They rarely use the same paths to enter a food plot. And most of time enter the food plots from upwind, trusting their eyesight to detect any danger in the fields. And relying on their noses to detect anything that might be following them.

So all of that info we give the new guys about where to set up stands might not be true in a lot of cases. Maybe we have all heard those stories so often that we just repeat it out of habit.

Now I am not saying I don't see any deer use the traditional lines of thinking. But I see more deer including bucks breaking the rules than following them. Might be time to go to some new tactics for the rest of the year.

[arrow2512]

JM- Just when you think you have them figured out , they will do something different , I guess that's why were always learning new thing about them.

[titleist_03]

ORIGINAL: arrow2512

JM- Just when you think you have them figured out , they will do something different , I guess that's why were always learning new thing about them.

Pretty much sums it up!

[rybohunter]

And here I was thinking that only the deer in the places I hunted broke every "rule" out there.

[Schultzy]

When you quit learning, It's time to hang It up. A person can learn allot while bow hunting. So many gun hunters who now also bow hunt have said this to me countless times. A person spends much more time watching and learning then shooting being the deer aren't always In range when bow hunting.

[GMMAT]

And most of time enter the food plots from upwind, trusting their eyesight to detect any danger in the fields. And relying on their noses to detect anything that might be following them.

True that.

I have had a similar experience to yours, this year. The terrain sounds very similar. I remember Mauser telling me the deer would actually use the ravines to travel in...and I discarded it.......at first. Now I know better. The sign is there. They use them. Period.

I've had to get away from the thinking of what looks good to ME.....and think about what they feel comfortable traveling in. That was a biggie.

But the biggest thing I learned is.....If I'm solely looking for a buck....and I'm seeing does......

.............it's time to move.