Need opinions on 2 monsters.
 

Ive been watching a 165ish inch 10ptr and a 175+ inch nontypical for over a month. The season starts sept 1st. They are on public land. The bucks have been coming out into a beanfield in almost the same spot every time and always ending up in the same spot. They always turn left when they come out. My problem is out of the 8 or 10 times ive been there glassing the fields 3 other hunters pulled up and checked them out. im guessing there are 5 or 6 that have been watching them. Opening day is on a Tuesday and being selfemployed i will be able to hunt that day. Hopefully most of the others have to work. Ive got a few options on how to hunt them.
Option 1: There is irrigation sitting 40yds off of the woods. The bucks always stay between the irrigation and the woods. We have had plenty of rain and there is more on the way. I dont think the irrigation will move at all next week. If the wind is blowing out of the woods I can sit behind one of the tires of the irrigation near where they end up. If the wind is blowing into the woods i can sit on the edge of the woods in a climbing stand. Either way ive got 40yd shot max. I can wear an orange hat to let other hunters know the spot is taken.
Option 2: Ive got a spot picked out approx 100yds into the woods where 3 trails come together. I can hunt that with my climber. They may or may not come down those trails but the trails are rite where they usually come out at. The problem with this option is a cant hunt if the wind is blowing into the woods. I can hunt option 1 regardless because ill be approx 80yds down the field from where the bucks come out.
Anothr problem is the 10pt usually comes out 1st. do i take him or take a chance on waiting on the nontypical. ther are 3 other bucks always with them so waiting could be a gamble. im hoping the 10pt comes out early so i can take them both. got 2 buck tags! unlikely tho.

I would LOVE to hunt public land with a bean field.:p:woot:

there is even a hidden bean field about 1000yds from where these bucks come out at. the beans are eatn down to hardly nothing. i hunt md and del eastern shore and there are bean fields on quit a few public lands. ive got private land to hunt too but when i layed eyes on these 2 i had to have 1 of them!! just hope it pans out.

Id hope for a good wind and go with option 2 and try to sit all day and take advantage of other hunters moving in and out on opening day. I would almost gaurantee that those bucks wont go into that field in the daylight when season starts, they aren't that dumb.

I would try option 2 also, myself anyway. Betting on the odds the other guys would be trying for the treeline, hoping they are less aggressive. Those 3 trails may also produce more than you see glassing the treeline also. Just something I'd try openner at least.

I would play the wind. If in the morning the wind is not right I would go for option 1 but if its good I think your best bet is option 2. Good luck and keep us posted on what happens

im thinking that hunting in the morning mite be a mistake. if those bucks are out in the field when i get there chances are high that i spook them! i really dont think anyone will hunt the morning but you never know. im going to glass the fields the next 2 evenings and see if they come out where the trails are. they actually came out of a small patch of thick pines this evening about 70 yds from where the trails id be sitn come to the field. they may have walked the trails and then cut over to the thick stuff to stage before coming to the beans. i guess ill know better over the next 2 evenings. im guessing if they come out of the thick pines the next 2 evenings that they have changed that to their bedding area and ill have to go with the field setup.

i will keep everyone posted on what happens. thanks for the input so far. by the way i just checked the weather and it says 75 for the high on opening day. temps are usually mid 80s this time of yr.

I'm going to guess that a bunch of guys will soon be in there scouting and hanging stands and no one will get any shooting. I would be shocked if you get a shot at any of them. I hope I'm wrong. I would hunt as far back in as you can get away with. Good luck!

Yo only have 2 buck tags if you take 2 does that day also

Sounds like a recipe for heartbreak.

The 1st one to the rack wins - get as close as you can before they do. Find their beds and get back into the staging area so you can get a shot at him!

Option #2 - Go find the thickest cover because most likely they will be pushed in there quickly by all the foot "traffic". From that point on, afternoon hunts are likely to be your best option, as they will be nocturnal in a heart beat...

wrong. im hunting delaware.

im pretty sure ill at least see them the 1st day. i checked the parking area and it rained 3 days ago and not one boot print or tire marks. i was there on saturday evening so if alot of people had planed to hunt them a few wouldve scouted sat at mid day. they havent been spooked yet and season starts in less than 2 days. so thats a good sign. public land around here doesnt get hunted extremely hard are rarely during bow season. im going to get there early tuesday. my father is hunting with me so ima get him to drive as well so it mite make someone think twice about hunting there. hoping they will see 2 trucks parked there and keep going. the good thing is if we get there and there are trucks parked there ive got a few other spots picked out rite up the road where nice bucks have been coming out as well. ill post 2nite if i get time to get out there and glass the field again.

I would not set up anywhere else other than an escape route. I would have to figure that others are going to be there, and all ready have been there. Guaratee these buck already know the hunt is on. Two days before season, check what direction the wind is going to be coming from on opening day, use that in relationship to the probable entry points of the other hunters. Figure that these buck are going to get wind of them. Get on the upwind side of the thick chit near there on the faintest trail leading in to it, find the wind transition spot { sudden change in wind direction. You look, you'll find it } and set up there.

What do ya got to lose? Nada!

Im willing to bet some idiot will be pulling in there bright and early opening morning with the bucks in the field and blow the whole scenario all together:busted: Hunting the morning would be a big mistake IMO...the only way you would be able to hope for a morning hunt is if for sure you knew where they bed and wind was just right. Even then they may be back in the bed by daylight and you would spook them. A bit too risky, not to mention the noise of setting up shop in the stillness of the morning would carry if they are not all that far away.

I would possibly go by there on opening morning and see if anyone is hunting the spot, and if not come back in the evening on the right wind and setup just inside the timber where the bucks have been coming out. If they have been coming out near dark then you may have to setup back a little further but be very careful with what you do, most deer this time of year are not bedded far at all from their food source.

You might need a plan C. People watching deer have a way of pushing them away when they go in and... days before the season starts. Where do you think they'll go if and when someone does spook them out of there? That maybe the place to be.

I really am clueless as to what you should do.

Still, things are looking good for opening day. :) Hope ya get'm.

I dont think im going to get to go glass the field this evening. my son is sick. Im 100% glassing it tommorrow evening. they have been coming out 30-45 mins before dark. Only time will tell how many hunters will be there opening day. Im positive ill be there! lol. I only want to hunt the evening for fear of spooking them. If someone else hunts the morning then i cant do anything about that. These bucks are used to a lil human traffic. the farmer that tills the ground drives back to the irragation pumps a few times a week and ive seen the 2 big boys stay rite there and grub 150yds from the farmer. By the way, I know how to hunt ive been hunting for 23yrs and had great success with wallhanger bucks. I am simply here getting opinions on which setup you guys would use. Rite now im leaning towards setting up on the field edge. only because im fairly positive about where they end up at regardless of where they come into the field. if i hunt the trails in the woods there is about 80% chance they come by. if i hunt the field edge im about 95% to get a shot. all of this is if they arent spooked by opening evening!!! out of all the times i glassed the fields they came out on the trails every time but 2. regardless of where they come out they always turn left and feed down the edge of the woods which would give me a chip shot. I know anything can happen. im not banking on anything. lol. thats why i left out the 5%! as a matter of fact im betting they come out 300yds down the field rite under where im putting my father. lol

I live and work just north of DE in PA and I thought that on public land you are assigned stands. Is that not correct?

If you can pick your own stand I would follow the advice of the others saying to get in near the bedding area and get in there as early as you can. Catch them coming off those fields and avoiding the other hunters and you've got a chance.

Good luck. Let us know how you do.

I am going to go against the grain here. I would be there early opening morning, not to hunt, but to scout the hunting pressure.

If the spot is hunted in the morning - I would go in around mid-day with a climber on my back and follow the trails back to try to locate the bedding area (without bumping them) or staging area.

If the spot is not hunted in the morning - option 1 could very well work (for the about the first day only and get there early). Your only chance of getting on either of these bucks in a field, during daylight hours will be before the hunting pressure hits. Once a few hunters have walked thru there, bumping them out of the fields or their beds, all bets are off as to where these two will be.

IMHO, you have about 3 days max to get on these deer while they are on this pattern. Game over once opening weekend comes.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I would hunt as if no one else was there. When I say that I mean don't let other people possibly hunting make you make the wrong decision. You don't even know the other guys driving by hunt or bowhunt for that matter. Odds are they do but I've seen public area get scouted from the road hard then everyone stays away thinking the area is done and no one hunts it. I would go with option #1 hunt the wind from the edge. Deer only know its opener when the human scent gets there, they don't have a calender. Get there early and set up and stake you position. If your Dad can park there too that would be great. Make it look busy and most people will drive on. Good luck with it. As far as which to shoot, I would shoot the first one that gives me a good shot, if that's the 10 so be it. Never give up a sure thing for the maybe. More than likely you'll only get one or two sits before they catch on and go into hiding.

From everything you mention it sounds like you have their routine down real well. Go with your best instinct, as you've seen exactly what's going on there except the "possible" other hunter activity. I'm sure you'll make a sound decision when it's crunch time. Good luck to you, and let us know how things go.

To answer the comment about assigned stands, there are none. you can hunt where ever. Ive got good news and bad news. I went there tonite. when i pulled up there were 2 trucks parked glassing the field. 1 ive seen there before, the other was a new guy. The bucks came out about 100yds down from there usual spot and like always turned left and headed towards where they always end up. after the bucks were out for 10mins a 3rd truck stops but he just stoped because we were there. he only stayed a minute or so and left. The other 2 who were there when i got there left with a lil bit of light left and then these 2 kids pull in. They get out and stand on top of there truck and are checking the deer out and the 2 big bucks and the deer that were with them ran all the way to the other end of the field and stop on the edge and calm down and start eating again. I take this as a good thing because i have a good idea of where they will be tommorrow and none of the main guys that have been watching them witnessed this but me. They ran to a patch of thick pines that is max if 80 yds wide and 200yds long. Behind those pines is a powerline that is 50 yds wide. and on the other side of the powerlines is a big lot of pines. deer always come out rite where they ran to and those deer usually come across that powerline form the big lot of pines. im going to play the wind and get in there in the am and hope they are in the field feeding rite before daybreak and hid back to the pines to bed. I can sneak in behind them undetected. there is a dirt rd that goes from the blacktop rd all the way to the powerline. ill post tommorrow evening how everything goes. hopefully they arent too spooked allready. they did stop and feed for at least 15mins, so i think they are fine. i just hope they dont feed through the nite back towards there usual spot. what do you guys think theyll do? its a guessing game really.

I'd wait til tomorrow afternoon to hunt it. Don't go in their tomorrow morning and screw up a good thing.

i was going to hunt the am as well because its easy to get in behind them if they are in the field and set up on the powerline and catch them going back to their new bedding area. The only problem with that is i dont know the exact spot ill sit. there arent many trees near the powerlines big enough for a climber so id probably have to sit on the ground.

Bypasskiller, where exactly are you hunting, "and im not looking to take your spot"...lol, i hunt a private 700 acre farm out near REDDEN State forrest and was wondering where in congunction it is to that, Cause if it were me i would sit out in the morning anf get in there mid afternoon and hunt until dark...That way you know what you are getting into, if you are to go into the dark blind trampling all around were you THINK these deer are going to be all you are going to do is screw up your evening hunt..but that is just me..I am looking forward to hearing back that you got this buck tmmrow night cause i will be in the woods aswell..CANT WAIT!!

-NICK

its not far from redden state forest at all. its on old furnace rd. i wouldnt be blind trampling. there is easy access via a dirt rd that goes straight to the powerlines and id turn left and walk 150 yds to the top of a ridge that crosses the powerlines. i just didnt have an exact spot picked out but i know within 20 yds of where i want to be. one thing is certain. i definatly wont stick one of them laying in my bed! lol

Oh i know you have to be out there to get them but i didnt know you knew where you wanted to go, so if you do i would go in a heart beat, Go get'em Killer, i want a report back tmmrow night on how this goes though,,

-NICK

thanks. good luck. ill report back tommorrow nite after 930. ive got private land to hunt rite on the md and de state line. my aunt owns it. i saw these 2 bucks on public land and had to try them! there is a 150+ inch 10pt ive seen this summer on my aunts land but he is very unpredictable. i hope to report good news tommorrow.

Not meant as a knock, but there HAS to be a troll or two saying thank you.

I only can say this much....

I see I wasn't the only one who suggested waiting until afternoon to hunt that area. I'll check back in tonight to hear about how you didn't shoot either of the two bucks you were after.

:sign0004:

after sleeping on it and waking up at 4am. i decided to hunt them in the evening. no1 said it would be easy either way. they are public land bucks. i cant get pics of them unless i put one of them down. how many of us on here own a camera capable of taking pics at 600-700 yards and i damn sure aint putting trail cameras on piblic land!!! lol. im gonna try to hunt the powerlines this evening which i hope is between thier new feeding and bedding area. only problem is im not sure if they came into the field last nite and fed thier way back to thier usual bedding area. either way ill post what happens this evening.

by the way. i didnt plan to hunt the morning for option A or B but when they were spooked across the field towards the powerlines i had easy access to get behind them while they were in the field eatn in the early am. i only decided against it because they may have been coming across the powerlines to feed when i was setting up.

got to the hunting spot at 130 and there were 3 trucks allready parked there. i went to where i watched the bucks run to last nite. sat on the powerlines had 9 doe and fawn and 2 lil bucks come by. the big boys no showed. they are probably spooked into the next county. when i walked out there were 8 trucks total counting mine. pretty rediculous! i few big bucks show themselves and we go crazy. lol. now i know why i hunt my aunts private land. ill for sure be there the rest of the week. ill more than likely sneek in on the public land and try to get on one of those monsters mid october unless i get on a nice one at my aunts farm. good luck everyone and thanks for your opinions.

Buddy sorry to hear that, but i think you have to come to the realazation that those bucks are gone for this season, you might have some siteing's in this next week but i would say that is it, unless you can pull Rabits out of hats!!! That sucks thats why i love my Private land, 6 guys get to hunt 700 acres!!! I love it..

-NICK

thats why i love my aunts farm me and my father have about 200acres mostly to ourselves. uncle and cousin hunt it but they hang around the field edges. i usually hunt in the thickest part of the property. the big boys love the thick stuff!!

GL this season, bro

-NICK

Good luck the rest of the season! too bad you couldnt get a shot at one of those big boys on the first day before they felt too much pressure.

Public land can be pretty difficult to hunt..If you can find ONE spot where there isn't pressure, on the other side of that secluded bean field then you would probably have yourself a nice buck. Get into a less pressured area VERY early and wait for those 8 hunters to bust every deer in the woods right to you..