Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Do you take the same approach when hunting all of your hunting spots/properties?

When we seek advice or hunting mtehods for the lands we hunt.....is it conceivable that there are few "cookie cutter" approaches that will work EVERY time.....in EVERY possible scenario?

Honest question......Do you feel like YOU are the best source of information regarding the lands you hunt?

I find the answers to these questions extremely importantwhen weighing information I read, get online and hear from other hunters. Isn't the application of information to suit your situation.....a vital part of becomingthe best hunter you can be on the ground you have access to?

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Only in the sense that I use treestands 95% of the time I hunt. But the set-ups certainly vary by location, time of year, crops be they mast or planted, and many other variables including wind no just direction but speed etc etc.

Am I the best source for information on the land I hunt? Well I certainly talk to anyone who frequents the land be it hunters, owners, neighbors etc, to garnish any info I can. But when It comes down to it. Yes, and thats not to say I'm the know-all and beat-all but I'm the one out there for hours upon hours seeing what I see or in some cases not seeing. Do I make mistakes, choose wrong sites, question whether I should be in another location..sure!

Sometimes I say I have too many good areas and not enough time to hunt them. And Most times I think I need more more more. [8D]

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

It depends!:D I DO believe that certain types of stands are always good choices, specifically funnels. Same approach as far as game plan? I think ALMOST always. Depends what I am "after". Sometimes, I hunt my lesser spots just to see and shoot does. Don't want to "shoot my wad" when I do not have to.

I do believe that I am the best source of information regarding the lands I hunt, without question.

I try to perceive everything I see and hear on these boards as it would pertain to my property or hunting situation, I think I get the most out of it this way!\

Good post!

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

a cookie cutter tactic that i use is funnels.....yes they work on any ground that has one....in fact sometimes i "overlook" good sign and hunt land structure

i would say that i am the best source of information on most of the ground that i hunt because i am the only one that is allowed to hunt it

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

NO. All properties are not created equal. Crop land and deep woods hunting are different. Deep woods deer are a totally different animal from a crop land deer. No way can you put a cookie cutter stamp on them all. Pressure from other hunters will also change the game. Just like opening day of gun season in Southern NY will change for the rest of the year what deer do and when they do it.

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Great stuff, so far, guys. Just what I was looking for.

Absolutely not. It changes (approach) form woodlot to woodlot.....whether they be 5 or 50 acres. The fact that the woodlots I hunt ARE small also changes the approach.

What's on the adjacent properties (habitat/hunting pressure/access) also changes how I approach hunting these spots.

I think it's highly conceivable.....to downright expected. That's why I detest "absolutes" when discussing deer hunting. We see thread sin here all the time that dispel such. "Do deer go to water"? "Are mature bucks afraid of flash cameras"? etc... I think there are VERY few "absolutes" in deer hunting......othe than they gotta eat, sleep and make little deer.

Yes I do. And I'd bet most if not all of you guys are, too. Refreshing to hear you guys admit that. There's nothing wrong with the assertion.

This goes back to a previous question....but it's something overlooked here a lot, I think. Don't mean that in a bad way. It's just a product of people utilizing the land they hunt to their best interest.......being the sole "expert" on the land they hunt.......and understanding that there are many ways to skin that cat......even if it's "unconventional" to some/many.

To me it's the "benefit of the doubt" factor.

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Hunt all properties the same? No, though a couple are similar. Do I know more about the property than anyone else? On one that I hunt I would say yes, with the exception of the guy that is the caretaker and lives there. He's out there every day and works on the neighboring property as well, so I go to him a lotfor recent scouting info.

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Deer hunting is constantly changing even on the land that you hunt? You have to adapt to these changes to be succuessful

If the acorn trees aren't producing this year will need to change your approach -If there was soybeans last year and cotton this year will need to change your approach- This is why a certain amount of scouting is important and the last few months were the time to be there doing it

The most common approach I take is trying to distinguish bedding areas and set- up a point to intercept them from there - So I apply to the same principle to hunting them but also adapt to changes in the food sources

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

GMMAT, maybe I should ask you to clarify. What do you mean by "approach"?

I always try to go completely undetected whenever I hunt. I try to always have my scent blowing to places that deer are not expected, is this what you meant?
Thanks!

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

EXCELLENT, Frank!:)

Crop rotation......an "off" acorn season.....all can play a part.

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

ABSOLUTELY! Who knows the land better than the guy that hunts it all the time? I mean, yeah, I can get some advice from different people, and use that as part of my overall plan, but when it comes right down to it........I am the one that knows the travel patterns, habits, bedding areas and what food sources are available, and where, throughout the season.

No. Are there some "cookie cutter" priniples? Sure, but I feel like even they need to be altered somewhat for each spot. There's one place I hunt that is big woods. Hunting the wind here is impossible, because there honestly is no real travel habit. I've got spots I see deer every time, and they come from every conceivable direction. How do you set up on that?? With that is the "approach your stand from downwind" approach, which is always sound advice. But again.....how do I do that when the deer come from everywhere?

Now, I have a couple other spots that are textbook. You approach from downwind or you won't see deer. You MUST keep the wind inmind each and every sit, or you will see no deer. Coincidentally, the spot I shot my buck last fall is one of those spots. It's actually a very easy spot to hunt. North wind, walk on in and set up. Anything else, go somewhere else.

So I guess in review and in general, I take the information I gather from friends and what I read in magazines and such, toss out what doesn't apply to a given spot, and use what does, altering that info to suit my ground. I just don't feel like you can use the exact same approach all the time. There are too many dynamics that chance from land to land.

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

No, no, no....too "minute". "Approach" in the more braod sense. "Means and methods" if you will.

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Nope! Landscapes, different crops or no crops. Big or small woods all play into how I approach an area and hunt it.

Possibly. Depends on the individual.

I think I have a pretty good idea as to whats going on in the woods I hunt but heck I'm always open for suggestions!

I agree to what your saying Jeff. Some people find there info in books, hunting forums, etc. I'm more of a go out in the woods guy and find out for yourself. Yes I've learned some on here, no dought about that! There's a few things I can't wait to try that others swear by on here. But for the most part what I learn is what I learned with time spent in the woods. Experience is the best teacher by far bar none!!!

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Nope.

Yes and no. I'm alway's looking for new land. When I start hunting I pick up a lot of great info by introducing my self to the neighbors and just talking with them for awhile.

Example: We had just started leasing some land,220 acres all woods (logging companies land) and I got maps and ariels and stopped ona dead end road where the neighbor had us land locked,about a mile of a walk from our parking area. Well this guy was a a fountain of info he had been hunting the area for years and including our lease. Took out the topo map and started discussing spots. When we were done I had permission to park on and cross his property which reduced the walk to a couple prime spots by about 90%. Had the names and phone numbers of other neighbors(including a couple out of towners) and was able to gain access across their land and more info.

Also had good info on bucks that had been taken in the past and what this guy had been seeing. Who to look out for and basically what the mind set of the hunters around us was.

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

You just got permission on new land Jeff, how long do you think it will take before your the best source of info about that land?

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

In a broad sense YES. But to the detailed degree, obviously each place is different.

Broadly speaking, I try to enter & exit in an unintrusive manner, I hunt the food or terrain feature where I feel the deer will most likely come thru during my hunt.
About the biggest difference is when I am hunting a place where I think the potential for a mature buck is low. I will not hesitate to "intrude" into bedding areas a little deeper, where as some of my good spots I will not enter until the timing is right.

I think I am missing some of the gist of this question. How do you NOT approach land in a similar manner? Doesn't everyone try to hunt where the deer are or think they are going to be? How you determine that can be from a million different ways, but bottom line, you are still trying to get a deer. [&:]

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Most definitely not. We have several stands that we only bow hunt from. Several we only gun hunt. Some we do both. Several areas we hunt to concetrate on taking a doe. Several areas we dont hunt too much because they are big buck areas. The mast that has fallen a particular year will effect strategy. As will wind direction. As will weather. As will moon phase. As will the stock market. Just kiddin about that last one but you get the point. ;)

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

Immediately.....lol. My family owns it and no one has been hunting it.;)

(I see your point.....but I'm assuming that the HNI members I cite have been on their land for a while. If not....and someone else has been hunting it......we'd be foolish to NOT pick their brain on THAT parcel)

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?
 

theres no way we could hunt them the same. the two main properties that we hunt, one in north missouri, the other in south missouri.
South= very flat, little blocks of timber, a lot of swamps.
North= very hilly, big blocks of timber
we try to hunt funnels on both though, as they produce year in, and year out.
great post GMMAT

RE: Do you hunt all of your spots/properties the same way?