RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I've sat 4 or 5 stands WAY to manytimes but those are whereI see my most deer. I have one honey hole stand that I just about always see deer..

I also have 4 or 5 stands I should have sat more be cause I KNEW there were bucks under them.

Then I had a couple of stands I didn't sit once. I had game cam pics but the stars and winds never aligned.

Ido believe that if I moved around a bit more I would have seen bigger bucks. When you stink up a sight to much the does and young deer might come back but the big ones are tougher to fool.

As a side note, I should have taken the prevailing wind patterns into account while I was setting stands. I put fixed stands in good locations but they required a SW wind and we didn't get ONE day when that happened...

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Been hunting hard since october till now, so lets say 80+ sits. In 7 different setups. I places that I have to hunt are only about 15-30 acres max, I can't set up but so many stands.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I have had about 45 sits thus far.

I have sat in about 14 different stand set ups, on 5 different properties.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I have 3 Ill properties and 3 Wis properties and I hunt them all.

You are right, with mild intrusion, deer will not abandon the property.

The deer are still on my property, they're just skirting my stand. When they skirt my stand, sometimes I see them, but I know they are still there.

I have almost always hunted my properties with this approach. However, the size and terrain features dictate where and how many stand sites I will have. No matter what, I like to have at least 1 stand site for every wind direction, as long as I think they'll be productive. Normally I think that less intrusion (bare minimum of stands) is better.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Now we agree. Stands to reason the less times you hunt a spot.....the less intrusion occurs.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

2 properties:


Property A) 6 sits...1 tree...but it's a small setup.

Property B) 35-ish sits...4 trees (two within 20 yards since I moved to get into bow range). I shot a 12pt and a big doe out of the tree that I moved to...that I sat in probably 75% of the time. When I wasn't there...one of my friends were. So from mid-October into mid-November someone was in that stand at bare minimum 4 days a week in the mornings and/or evenings. Total deer out of that stand this year is 6...3 of which were 120" bucks or higher.

It's just an amazing area....where mysteriously the deer keep coming through after all of us walking/sitting/pissing through there...which leads to my theory that deer are really oblivious to the actual threat of the intruders (hunters). "Sit down...shut up...and you'll kill deer." Those are words of wisdom from my grandfather when I was a boy.

Out of the other 3 stands on Property B there were a few other deer taken, non by me...but that's b/c I was either tagged out or they just weren't big enough. I was only busted once this season...while pulling back on a doe. A bunch of other deer picked me off....just one of those deals.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

.........and less stands someone sets up in an area = less intrusion.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

In the early season I tend to move around alot. But my strategy is different when I am hunting closer to the rut.

I pick outa fewspots (normally bottle necks between bedding and feeding areas or between different bedding) that I think will be most productive and stick to them.

I always have at least oneset ready for each wind direction but it is ussually out of the NW or SE around here...meaning much of my time will be spent in just 2 different stands.

In fact mostof thebucks I have killed have come outthe same2 trees.

The last P&Y buck i shot was on aboutmy 12th (guessing) sit in the same tree that season.

I guess I could move around more (I used to hunt many more locations when I first started) but I like to spend the majority of my time in the locations I have the most faith in.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

16 sits 22 sitings 1 kill
13 outta 1 tree
1 in a hayfield
and 1 in a bean field
1 stalk/sit inheavy cover
i know but i aint got money t buy another stand

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Hunted one stand 4-5 times, on the fifth time no deer sightings= no more sits there. At the most sat in other stands a max of two times.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Let me ask you this, Greg....

Let's say you hunted the 250 acres I do, currently. Would you concentrate your stands (if you were going to hunt say....80+ times a season) into only a few stand sites....and hunt them over and over? Or ....would you move around a lot?

Whichstrategy do you think would lead to YOU being patterned more easily?

Is that a fair question?

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RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Can I play? I would concentrate the stands and have a buck on the ground in about a third of the sits. Hypothetically

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RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I would start off with the bare minimum of stands (say one for each wind direction), then only move them if I got busted or contaminated them to a point of being non-productive.

Note: I may have more than one stand for each wind direction in order to cover different types of spots in an area. I'm not sure how many because it depends on the area, but I know it wouldn't be 70 for 250 acres. Maybe 10 to 16 stands.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I just see being patterned as a bigger picture than just an entry route. Deer have the same chance of smelling you on each individual setup, regardless if it is your same entry or a new one each time...same amount of scent dispersal.

Here is my point, lets say hunter A has 5-8 determined stand sites with their own entry routes, hunter b (jeff) has 70+ stand sites for the season. Theoretically they both get their entry route busted the same amount of times, since both have same scent levels and both entries arent careless and are well thought out. Hunter A and B both have a entry trail winded 7 times that season. The question is, does a deer only avoid that specific trail you take? or the small woodlot in general? I see getting winded at 7 different entry routes in the same small block of woods, as being WORSE than being winded on the same one. In my mind, this could drive them to vacate the woodlot all together (just as the concentrated setup could). You view individual encounters in the same small area as separate vs using the same trail...I view them as the same. You get winded in a 20-40 acre chunk of woods twice...it will have the same consequences whether it was on same trail, or one was 50 yards down the line from the first.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

That statement neither threatens me or makes me second-guess Chris. He may be right.

Confession! IF....ALL I wanted to do was take one of the best bucks on my lands.....I'd agree (More) with what you guys are saying. See....I'm not hard-headed!:D

The fact of the matter is.....I like to hunt. So...I hunt...every chance I get.

So let's say I did it you guys' way. I determined my best chance for a certain size/age class buck....and I concentrated my stand sites on those locations. Absolutely agree "your" way would work. In reality.....it's what I do. When I'm "Hunting".....I shy away from buck areas. When I don't have a good wind.....ditto. When I (and I'm learning) "Hang to kill".....I go to those spots with one thing in mind....and basically ONE deer in mind.

Where I'll stray from you all is......I STILL vary my entrance/exit just to ensure I'm not easily patterned. The big 7 I was after.....I set up on him only 5 times after seeing him the first time. I sat in 5 different trees in doing so......and this "area" was "maybe" an acre. I ended up encountering him (there) on 3 of those occasions.

I DO see what you guys are saying.....and I agree with you (now that I think about how I hunted that/those specific deer) more than I previously thought.

Thanks for keeping this informational.....and sans emotion/"questioning". I appreciate that a LOT.;)

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

For the record, your getting it done no doubt about it. You lay a nice one down every year. It's hard to argue with success. You know you were growing weary this year. All that climbing, thinking, stratagizing, rethinking, will run you down. I know I've done it. Some comfrotable well placed hang on's in key areas puts more enjoyment back into it for me.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I am more of the mind of not changing stands too much unless there is a reason, at least for the style hunting you are talking about.

One extreme for me is a very small little corner of woods I get to hunt. It is funnel, and a good one. Irrigated alfalfa on one side, bedding on the other, neither of which I have access to. Just the couple of acres of woods between. Pure travle corridor and staging area. The deers movement patterns through the woods are basically the same year to year, but there is some variation. I have four stands up in there, for various winds/situations. One has not been moved in four years but it doesn't get hunted often. It is a good spot but conditions must be just right for it, only three sits in the last two years. Another one has been in the same spot for three years and I will move it about 5yards this year just to tweak it a little bit. It is a workhorse, has probably had 15 or 20 sits in the last two years. Shot this years and last years bucks out of it. Two more have been floating. One of them found a permanent home this year, got 8-10 sits, it's going to work out well I believe. The other is okay but will move next year due to some habitat modifications that will go on. I will also set up a few trees this spring for my Ambush Saddle, for some of those "Special Situations" that arise on occasion. The fact is, there are only so many ways the deer can move through there, and even fewer ways I can get in and out. "Changing it up" doesn't help me too much unless I get flat busted in a stand and need to give it a break.

Now when I hunted the 300 acres of brush that I used to be on, that was different. No trees for treestands, I would just walk in with a stool and some clippers and cut a hole back in the brush whereverI wanted. Depended on time of day, wind direction, current travel patterns, light intensity and directionand such. Rarely did I sit the same place twice, but it was a radically different sitution. More similarities to spot and stalk than to stand hunting.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

This might be like feeding the sharks, butI'll do itanyway.:DI have hunted on the edge of this roughly 16-20 acre thicket (I've shown this pic several times before) 32 times this season. Thirty of those times were from the same stand site. Now, I realize the first thing someone's going to think/say is this guy's not a real smart hunter, and is overhunting that spotBIG TIME!
Now, let me explain a few things about this area. First of all it's public land, where folks are constantly walking/hiking, horseback riding, and obviously hunting. These deer see/smell humans on a daily basis. This large thicket has a 20ft wide, tallgrassy path that runs right down the middle of it. It was actually a farmers field a long time ago, and has since grown back to become the thicket that it is today.
There are only TWO ways to get to the back of it, due to the way this land is layed out.One is through the woods on the back side of it, which means you disturb the woodsmaking a lot of noise getting back there. Or go down the grassy path which allows for a totally silent approach, which is what I choose to do.
I almost always have the proper wind for hunting this area.Anywind is great for this spot except for a N orNE, which I won't hunt.I'm able to get into this spot litterally without making a sound. In fact, yesterday at 1:00PM, I no soonerclimbed with my LW, got set, was nocking an arrow and this doe was feeding right on the edge of the thicket! She obviously she didn't hear or scent me coming in. She didn't come the extra 10yrds that I needed for the shot.[&o]I have yet to get busted by a deer from this stand this entire year.
This is also the same stand where I let that 6pt & 8pt walk earlier in the season. I haven't been seeing very many deer this season at all, but I don't think for a moment it's because I'm over hunting this spot. All of the other hunters I've spoken to at the parking area haven't seenmany deer this year either, for whatever reason. All I'm getting at is if you hunt a given stand site with the right wind direction, and you can get in/out quietlywithout alerting deer, you're not overhunting it. JMHO;)Here's the doe from yesterday.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

EI...

Just curious why this spot seems so promising to you......to make you hunt it that much????

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I guess it has to do with these guys.:D

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Same deer?

How many photos of him do you have right there (in that spot)?

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

No Jeff, they are different bucks. I've got numerous pics of him and various other bucks in this spot. The only thing is they are mostly night pics. Just for the record, I was in my stand at the time (he was behind me)when that buck in the bottom pic got his mug photographed. I even saw the flash go off because it was still low light, but I didn't seethat deer![:@][&o]:(:D

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I agree, and if you lived anywhere near me I'd accuse you of tresspassing.:D That looks EXACTLY how some of the area at my favorite spot..I can actually picture the exact tree I could stand by to get a shockingly close pic. lol It amazes me how the deer weave in and out of the thick stuff like it is nothing different than walking in a field.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Yes Trevor, I really love this spot! I've hunted it with a decent amount of success over the last 5-6 years. They LOVE the security/sanctuary it provides them because of the amount of humans that frequent this public land. Here's a better overview of the same thicket. Oh, didI mentionI love this spot?;):D:D

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I'd say!

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Gee!! I gotta go with Trevor. I think you've been sneaking around taking pics of one of my spots;)

Dan

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

not sure how many times I have hunted but I have hunted 42 different stand locationsI dont hunt a stand more than 1 time a week unless there is a buck on a doe then I will hunt it for 2 or 3 days. I have one woods that is 10 acres and I have 9 stands I hang alot of stands for different winds for each woods. I also think if you have a really big buck 6+years old you have to give them some wind to see them in daylight hours. Just my 2 cents

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

This a very good point I think. For the first time ever, I really got a little sick of my climber this year. I'm very good at it, can climb fast and quiet, lemur-like, some would say. But, I hunted a lot this year, more than even in IL actually, which was awesome, but there were days toward the end of my first season (pre-gun) which were prime time to be in the woods, but I was a little weary from climbing so much, thinking about where to set up, playing mind games with myself really. Next season, i'm putting up 4 hang ons on this property, take alot of the guess work away from it. These sets will be based on this years data, and in some good spots I feel. Its a small property (40 acres) but fully timbered, so there are alot of options for stand sites. I enjoyed the mobility this year, as this ground was new to me, and I never laid eyes on it until opening day. Now though, I can be more secure in my locations. I still ended up hunting the same area about 75% of the time, with good sightings. My entry was IDENTICAL every time too...only one way to get in...which kinda sucks.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

5 sits and 4 different stands, and one decent buck.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Six foot ten............fast, quite and Lemur- like!!??

Can you post a video of it!! :D

BTW, I know Lemur's commit suicide, but can they climb?

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

the worst part about a climber is getting out of the tree after dark and what if you see a buck with a doe come in and bed down how are you going to get out to put a stalk on it?

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

YEs, lemur-like...albeit a Down's syndrome, stroke victim lemur, but is that still not a lemur?

As for the suicide part, I definitely considered a swandive one morning this year, after screwing it up on what would have the biggest deer of my career, but my HSS vest would have probably just allowed me to get maimed a little.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I'd like to see that too Greg, and I'vemet Mike Super nice guy!

Big too! I'm not messin' with him;)

Dan

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

I have no idea how many sits I hunted, probably around 35-40.
13 different trees in 4 different areas. I actually sit in one tree at least 15 times because the deer kept coming and going every time in it. Killed a doe and buck from the same tree and should have killed a 145" buck from it also.

RE: Hunting the same spots.....
 

Hunted about 20-25 times in 6 different spots.