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So this is the area I've got to hunt.
- Thread starter Bypass
- Start date
Are you going to be the only one there?
I don't rightly know. It is public TVA land so it could be empty or packed. If it is packed with yahoos on a weekday morning I'll be coming home. Other hunters make me nervous unless I know them.
You needed to scout the property..I identify food sources, travel corridors and bedding areas. Look for scrapes and rubs..Then you will have a lay of the land..Good luck Brother! PS scouting is going to be almost impossible, on public property during hunting season..Be Safe!!
If there’s a lot of pressure ypu
Probably won’t see those deer crossing a field.
I’d scout early on a weekday and look for scrapes on game trails leading to the field edges with a licking branch bent over the scrape.
Find some fresh ones and get yourself a stick , spray some fatal obsession in there and make some mock hoof scrapes with your stick or pee in it if you have to…..I do it all the time.
Find a good shooting lane overlooking the freshest scrape and set up 20-40 yards away from it up high.
Bring your climber to see if you need to remove any obstructions before your hunt.
Get on that stand 1 hour before first light and see if anything comes by to check.
Usually they’ll be tending scrapes right before first light or just during first possible shooting light….then every four or five hours after that unless there’s alot of activity then you might see them come by more often.
This is one trick I learned all on my own after many years of studying these creatures and their habits.
Just because you don’t see them in the morning doesent mean they weren’t already there a half hour before you.
Find a scrape and watch it like a hawk.
Probably won’t see those deer crossing a field.
I’d scout early on a weekday and look for scrapes on game trails leading to the field edges with a licking branch bent over the scrape.
Find some fresh ones and get yourself a stick , spray some fatal obsession in there and make some mock hoof scrapes with your stick or pee in it if you have to…..I do it all the time.
Find a good shooting lane overlooking the freshest scrape and set up 20-40 yards away from it up high.
Bring your climber to see if you need to remove any obstructions before your hunt.
Get on that stand 1 hour before first light and see if anything comes by to check.
Usually they’ll be tending scrapes right before first light or just during first possible shooting light….then every four or five hours after that unless there’s alot of activity then you might see them come by more often.
This is one trick I learned all on my own after many years of studying these creatures and their habits.
Just because you don’t see them in the morning doesent mean they weren’t already there a half hour before you.
Find a scrape and watch it like a hawk.
Find a funnel between some food and bedding areas.
Sit for a long time.
Sit for a long time.
without scouting it’s tough but I’ve found basic success by doing below.
AM- I like to hit brushy forest area near water and mature oaks
PM- fields, always the fields in the evening (seems like I get an extra 20 min of light on the fields vs going into the oaks)
AM- I like to hit brushy forest area near water and mature oaks
PM- fields, always the fields in the evening (seems like I get an extra 20 min of light on the fields vs going into the oaks)
One area was a swamp and the other area looks good that I visited but it only has parking for 2 vehicles at a time. Very thick woods so I think I'll be using one of my 44 magnums to hunt.
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If it’s heavily trafficked public land then, going in deeper than others go may help. Acorn trees, water, trails, scrapes. Hopefully you find the big buck that’s smarter than those “hunt near the truck” fellas. Do you have a cart or a harness for getting him out?
