ButchA

Hey there....

I just got back from a nice rainy/drizzling Sunday scouting mission. From here in Richmond, VA, I went out to Cumberland State Forest (Route 60 to Route 45, then on to dirt roads 624, and 626).

I' ve been out there hunting before, and heard a lot of good talk about the place. I' ve hunted around Bear Creek State Park and such like most people, but have never really gotten off the beaten path and REALLY scout the other areas before.

Would you believe I bumped a HUGE BUCK from his bedding area? I just stood there like, " [] " and had to pick my jaw up off the ground! I couldn' t count the points on him, but he had a huge tines. He winded me as I was quietly walking up the trail (with the light rain/drizzle, it made my footprints soft in the leaves and dirt). He took off like a flash and I didn' t know what to do but, again, stand there like, " [] " !!!!

Please see the map that I scanned of Cumberland State Forest, VA. I brought up the image into Windows Paint and drew a thick line to where I was and what the area looked like. The image is probably too big to post on here, since I scanned it full size and also rotated it 90* so it' s 11x8.5, landscape format.

http://members.aol.com/ammonc/CumberlandSF.gif

Look to the bottom right of the image and you' ll see where I was. The logging trail goes up hill around thickets, then splits off to the right and leads downhill to another area of thickets. There are HUGE rubs and scrapes all over the place too!! There' s doe tracks all over and bigger (way bigger) buck tracks too.

Question: Did I ruin this incredible opportunity by bumping the big buck from bedding in the rain? When would be a good time to go back and hunt it?

Butch

tk

I don' t know why I bother scouting. I mean I could just come on this site everyday, you fellas give out maps and everything to where the big bucks are hiding. Just kidding. Thats awesome though man, I hope you get him.

Rickmur

Meet ya on SR626 at 5 in the morn . Seriously, I hope you get this guy, don' t forget the camera.

DarrellH

Butch...I would have to say you didn' t ruin it...deer tend to be very patternous (I' m not sure if that' s even a word...), they tend to follow the same paths and habits so I would think jumping him from his bed wouldn' t drive him away. May want to give hime a couple days just in case, but I think he will be back. I was scouting a trail and had two come within about 15-20 feet of me, so I hope my theory proves true...

Darrell
Virginia Sunday hunting petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/SHV/petition.html
http://www.geocities.com/sundayhuntva

dpv

Butch, don' t sweat it. With the pressure that all the other hunters are putting out there it shouldn' t matter too much. I was in Amelia ( drove out from Richmond also) Saturday. Way more people than I would have prefered.
Give it a couple days and things will calm down. IF you can get out there during the week that might improve you luck. it gives the deer time to recover from the Saturday traffic.

David

ButchA

Thanks guys.

Hey David, you were at Amelia on Saturday? Wow... I haven' t been there this season. Every time I' ve been there, there' s been 9,000 other hunters EXACTLY in the same spot that I scouted out. [:' (]

Butch

dpv

Yeah. I got there late and someone was dragging an Eight pointer out of the area I was gonna hunt. But there really were so many hunters it was comical.