Anything Goes Thread 2023

8836 Views 185 Replies 24 Participants Last post by repsag, 8 d ago

steelhead125

Discussion Starter · 3 mo ago

Started a thread last year about preparation during the summer and what everyone was up to that I really enjoyed .
Want to start something similar a little earlier this year and hopefully guys will participate. I know I will.
Anyhow sometimes a random thought may pop into your head or you purchased a new piece of equipment that you would like to mention but you don’t feel it’s worthy of its own thread . Maybe you had a cool experience you would like to share or a question . This would be a good place to do it because as the title of thread states….. anything goes .
Anyhow I went out scouting today and it was wonderful. Found a lot of sign that was widespread and spent a lot of time walking around and through a giant clear cut . Found an obvious buck bed on a point in that clear cut that’s almost impossible to get near without getting busted. Also found a spot that I have been ignoring for years because it didn’t look that attractive to me from a distance. Kind of funny how sometimes there are spots right under your nose that you miss year after year and one day the lightbulb goes off and you realize it could be really good . That actually happens to me a lot . I don’t know why but perhaps experiences in other locations changes my perception. Anyhow its basically on a hillside that I thought was steep all the way to the top but after walking it I discovered there is a huge bench halfway up it . The woods are a couple hundred yards wide with a clear cut on each side . It will make a perfect rut spot but also a good early season spot if acorns are dropping. Long walk but relatively easy to get to and overlooked. I honestly will be shocked to find another guy hunting there . A lot of factors as to why but too lengthy to explain in detail.

Most importantly my number one target buck has now been identified and thought I would share it with all of you to kick things off . Also hope to read some posts as the months roll by leading up to the start of the 2023 season !

Camouflage Sky Military camouflage Tree Gesture

See less See more

Save

Reactions: 5

1 - 10 of 186 Posts

Bowsnbucks38

· #14 · 3 mo ago

IT's amazing when you find such a buck bed. When you look at what's there - cover, sight lines, "normal" wind direction, thermals, what he uses for his back side protection, - it's like a text book of learning.

I happened onto a buck's bedding spot once on a very "pointy" point. I'm talking like an ironing board point. You could see down both sides of the steep ridge from one spot. Trails led into & out of that spot, one going along the ridge line to the north, another going down the ridge to the southeast, and the last one following the ridge line heading west. The wind there is mostly from the west, so he had a thick bunch of brush and pines behind him to the west, so he could smell any danger from that direction while staying hidden. He could use his vision and the thermals coming up both ridge sides as he laid there in his eagle's nest perch. If he didn't smell any danger coming from below - the noise made by climbing those steep, rocky sides would surely alert him. Rubs were along his trails near the bed - as were old rub scars from other bucks from years past.

See less See more

Save

Bowsnbucks38

· #17 · 3 mo ago

steelhead125 said:
Places like that are how certain bucks are able to grow old . Every year when I am out scouting I am really trying to slow down and pay attention to the finer details.
For years my method was more like speed scouting. Covering as much ground as possible just looking for the big obvious stuff. Now I am finding myself really taking my time and trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. A lot of what’s going on in the deer woods isn’t just random.

When I happened on that bedding spot, and looked at the "reasons" he chose it, I actually chuckled to myself. It seemed pretty evident why he chose it - and probably a number of bucks before him did as well. Approaching that tight little point with a buck laying in that bed is pretty much impossible without being busted. Maybe around midnight - climb into a tree and wait for first light - hoping he returns from his nightly adventures??

Save

Bowsnbucks38

· #19 · 3 mo ago

thebuckshow said:
Was it on a south facing slope or north? Might give you a better idea of when he's using it, or it might just be a bed to escape pressure.

If you can picture a really "pointy" point (like a "V"), and a "spine" running south / southeast downhill from the point of the V, that's where the bed was / is. The whole ridge top isn't that pointy, but the little land feature where the bed is located - is very pointy. The whole ridge top is more of an "L" shape. There was an OLD skeleton of a built-in tree stand from probably 30 years or more prior in a tree there looking down BOTH sides of that spine.

Save

Reactions: 1

Bowsnbucks38

· #22 · 3 mo ago

steelhead125 said:
North facing but with a west wind blowing over his back .

The buck would be facing southeast, more or less. One side of that ridge faces east, the other south / southwest. Prevailing west wind comes in from behind him. When he's in his bed - he's in the catbird's seat for security.

Save

Reactions: 2

Bowsnbucks38

· #23 · 3 mo ago

Sorry Steelhead125 - I thought you were responding to one of my posts. Instead it was thebuckshow you were responding to. My above post at #22 is irrelevant to what thebuckshow was asking YOU. Apologies Steelhead125!!

Save

Reactions: 1

Bowsnbucks38

· #33 · 3 mo ago

WexfordBowhunter said:
I cleared a tree stand site yesterday. It should give me another vantage point of an area where deer would cut off and bypass my other stand sites. There was another tree I wanted to clear, but I ran out of time and energy. After re-looking at it, I'd have to cut several 2 to 3 inch diameter vines and do a lot of other clearing. I started to second guess if the potential reward was worth the effort. It's only about 15 yards from the other tree I cleared.

Isn't it usually the case when we pick a tree for a stand, and after we clear shooting lanes & do all the other stuff for making a great set-up .... we see another tree that we think might be even better?? Grass is greener at that other tree?? I've done that a number of times, and like you, I wonder if I should put more time into setting up in the other spot. I drive myself nuts sometimes.

Save

Reactions: 2

Bowsnbucks38

· #54 · 3 mo ago

yellodog said:
You'll miss this in 20 years. You'll look back on it as the best and happiest time of your life, and you'd trade 100 b&c bucks to go back there.

EXACTLY!!! MY wife and I talk about the rat-race, jam supper in our gullets, run to sports fields, school events, sports clinics, trick-or-treating, Christmas excitement .... all the time. Kids make life worth living - and despite wanting to pull our hair out at times ..... it was just the COOLEST, most FUN time !!!!! How can you measure the looks on their faces Christmas morning, or when they catch their first fish / get their first deer, hit their first HR, score their first TD?? Or say, "Thanks Mom / Dad."

Save

Reactions: 4

Bowsnbucks38

· #59 · 3 mo ago

steelhead125 said:
My takeaway for the most part is I am more grinder than tactician and that’s fine . I will take some things I learned from guys on that next level and try to incorporate some of it into my hunting methods but not to the point where I lose enjoyment. I could never be as dedicated as Paul .

I used to put lots more time into deer hunting than I do these days. I have to agree with you, Steelhead - I don't want to be so detail-oriented that it's not fun anymore. I'm more of a "grinder" now too, than in the past. Patience has been my friend when deer hunting. Didn't have it when I was younger. I try to use what I've learned over the years, but I don't drive myself nuts. A day afield is better than watching the boob tube, and if I don't get a deer that day - it was still a great day afield. Tomorrow's another day.

Save

Reactions: 3

Bowsnbucks38

· #61 · 3 mo ago

I've used topo maps to find "likely" spots to set up, taking into account the prevailing winds in that area. I'm not techy anyway, and I've never used a GPS to mark areas for sign or a possible stand site. For some reason, I just have used "markers" when I go into an area, and I use them when I go back in darkness to a stand. Having apps to dictate my moves seems foreign to me - even IF I knew how to use them!!

I've found terrain, prevailing winds, and thermals to be pretty good predictors of deer movement - especially big bucks. This Paul Putera guy seems to use terrain features and wind / thermals to get to where he wants to be for a set-up. If the apps work for him, that's great - can't argue with success. I just go without the apps. I enjoyed the video.

Save

Reactions: 1

Bowsnbucks38

· #83 · 3 mo ago

I get it, Steelhead125. I too, like finding "surprise" sign, and wonder what kind of buck is lurking in that area. It makes my mind race, and fuels my drive to learn more about that area, and the buck / bucks that are like "ghosts". In some ways, the kill is anti-climactic to me as well. I like the feeling I get when in the deer woods, that there's a good buck out there - I see his signs - and maybe he's watching me from some unknown hiding spot. He's a ghost, so-to-speak ...... and can I find him. That's the rush.

Save

Reactions: 1

1 - 10 of 186 Posts

Top Contributors this Month