Chuck7

Friends,
Although I scored on a deer out of state I'm somewhat displeased at myself for not scoring at a local WMA.The Green Swamp. There is no excuse. This place holds plenty of game. For you guys who consistently score in WMA can you please share some helpful hints. So far I plan to do 2 things differently next year.

1. Wear cover scent. I have 4 bottles and did not use any. It smells like pine and gives me asthma.
2. Scout until I find lots of good signs { Will mean going into some thick dangerous cover I'm sure}

Anymore hints would be appreciated.

Hunter_59

Everyone hunts differently, but some of the tactics I use in hunting WMA's are:

I usually hunt during the week when very few other hunters are out.

I don't use any cover scent at all, it seems the deer pick up on cover scents easily because a lot of hunters use them. I do, however, use extreme care in making sure all of my clothing and boots are scent free as possible. I wash them in scent free soap and leave them outside the whole season. The first doe that picks up my scent triggers a response to wash again.

I willuse stands that afford the best opportunities according to the wind direction that day. I will sacrifice a good stand when there is a bad wind direction.

I find the areas that are off limits to hunting, if their are any there, and hunt as close to the borders as possible because the big bucks know that hunters aren't in there.

I usually will hunt from a tree stand most of the season andwill use binoculars to scout the entire area I hunt, which will range over 1/2 mile across.As the rut kicks in, I may hunt from the ground and try to ambush some of the bucks I have been watching from the tree. This tactic works very well for me during the peak of the rut when bucks let theirguard down as they are paying attention to the does.

These are just some of the tactics that work for me, but may not work in every situation or terrain.

Chuck7

Thanks for the reply
Everyone hunts differently, but some of the tactics I use in hunting WMA's are:

I usually hunt during the week when very few other hunters are out. Same here.

I don't use any cover scent at all, it seems the deer pick up on cover scents easily because a lot of hunters use them. I do, however, use extreme care in making sure all of my clothing and boots are scent free as possible. I wash them in scent free soap and leave them outside the whole season. The first doe that picks up my scent triggers a response to wash again. I do need to do something about the scent. I hunt hogs alot and I understand their noses are their best defense.

I willuse stands that afford the best opportunities according to the wind direction that day.Same here...I check the weather bug before I go out.I will sacrifice a good stand when there is a bad wind direction.

I find the areas that are off limits to hunting, if their are any there, and hunt as close to the borders as possible because the big bucks know that hunters aren't in there. Same here...I hunt next to private property ranches which are patrolled.

I usually will hunt from a tree stand most of the season andwill use binoculars to scout the entire area I hunt, which will range over 1/2 mile across.As the rut kicks in, I may hunt from the ground and try to ambush some of the bucks I have been watching from the tree.Need to do more of that. Usually when I come down from the tree I'm heading back to my truck about 1 mile away.This tactic works very well for me during the peak of the rut when bucks let theirguard down as they are paying attention to the does.

These are just some of the tactics that work for me, but may not work in every situation or terrain.

Thanks again for the reply.
Chuck7

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