Chuck7

Ihunt in a very high pressured public hunting area..To see a deer from your stand you have to be a semi pro.I am hunting with a scoped 30-30

Ok here is what happened..My stand is a good 1 mile deep in a swamp..The first 3/4 is easy walking..the last 1/4 is a hammock..not to thick but lots of trees and palmettoes leading me to my chained up Summit that is over looking the outside of the innner swamp..

QUESTION Here is what happened last year..Daylight is 7:00 ..At 5:45 I'm slowly making my way through the hammock.My Summit stand is 75 yds ahead of me..locked ot a bay tree.
I hear deer ahead of me..about 5o yds..
Should I ....

A. Continue walking in slow..since Florida swamps are hard to see at any distance on the ground anyway..hoping to see other deer later.

B.Stop right there and stay for the entire hunt.hoping for the best..but knowing the fartherest I can see is maybe 20 yds at best.[:-]

C. Stop right there till day light and then creep quietly to the stand for the remainder of the hunt..

Still learning,
Chuck7


What would you do..?

Remnard

c

CamoCop

first off, during the preseason i would take a machette and hand pruners to cut a trail to my stand. this way i could access my stand as quitely as possible. also, if you cut a trail, the deer will use it...so it doubles as a shooting lane. from my experience, deer are like people, they will walk the path of least resistance.

Phil from Maine

I agree with CamoCop about making a trail and also make a couple from the swamp that will give you a clear shot from your stand as well. Deer will use them coming in and out of the swamp once they find them.

To answer your question I would choose C as well or wait a little later to go to your stand so the deer might already be in farther so you will not be bothering them at all.

Rebel Hog

I also agree!

Chuck7

Thanks fellows,

RockinChair

I would actually say A, but that's just for my area. If I were to bump deer out of the area and waited until daybreak to get in the stand.. I would be surrounded by deer, comletely busted. But you know area better than I do, obviously. Another note- as CamoCop said its important to make a path to your stand. I also like to take a rake and clean out a path well down to the dirt so you can walk in unheard.

recurver167

C. No sense pressuring them more if you can avoid it.IMHO

whitetaildreamer

As others have stated as well as discussed in the post you answered on "climbing stands", pre cut your trail to your stand. I am starting now for the hunting season next fall (not because I'm overly excited...I am, but now's the time), so that there will be new growth during the upcoming summer season and the trails will look established not new. There was an interesting article a couple of years back in "Deer and Deer Hunting", that was called "The path of least resistance" (idea also posted by CamoCop), that stated that even though the core area of a big buck may be very thick, the big bucks will have open lanes to the area for both entry and escape and your chances will improve if you find and set up on these lanes. These definitely can be artificially made. Since you hunt in a high traffic area I would not cut a direct line to your stand but cut it crossing the front of the stand with a double back lane once you have passed your stand. It is not only important to cut the brush but move away any loose stuff that you may trip over on your way to your stand in the dark. When I move to my stands during hunting season or work on them now,I always wear gloves so to keep down on human oder transfer. You will not be able to remove all but the more careful you are the better off you will be. Also, make sure you are wearing rubber boots while you travel down these lanes. Give it a try, some work now will definitely pay off in the fall.

Chuck7

Don't get me wrong..I've been hunting this area for 3 years and I do have a path to my stand..BUT only a path I would notice..Camo knows the area I hunt and how you don'twant the other 500 hunters finding it.