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2021 hunting, fishing, trappin, killin, and grilling thread

Aggie06 said:
Is it peak rut in your area? Honestly, two hours isn’t a very long sit, and you may be missing deer. Especially if bucks are actively chasing does.

I’m a chronic wanderer when it comes to hunting. I prefer spot and stalk or walk and sit vs. sitting in one stand all day. I’ve seen and killed more deer this way than not. Walking on dry leaves makes it very difficult. You also really need to have the wind in your favor when doing it. With wind in my favor, I’ve been within a few feet of whitetail a bunch of times. I’ve also found that wearing a face mask and gloves helps. Does it totally conceal a human in the woods? No, but I feel like it makes it harder for deer to figure out what I am.

I’ve had mixed results with bleat cans. I’m not 100% convinced they work, but it may work enough to get a horny buck to check it out. Personally, I like the Primos hardwood grunter.
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I find it depends on the general age of the bucks in your area. Grunt calls tend to spook younger bucks. Im hunting public lands this year and most of the bucks are 3 yrs old at most theyre not looking to mess with bigger bucks. They want an easy lay. Grunt calls will draw in older more aggressive bucks.

I find doe bleats and rattling brings in all bucks. The doe bleats mean an easy lay and who doesnt like to watch a fight? An old guy taught me rustling the leaves on the ground while rattling sounds more realistic. Obviously if your in a tree that doesnt work but it works.
 
Aggie06 said:
Is it peak rut in your area? Honestly, two hours isn’t a very long sit, and you may be missing deer. Especially if bucks are actively chasing does.

I’m a chronic wanderer when it comes to hunting. I prefer spot and stalk or walk and sit vs. sitting in one stand all day. I’ve seen and killed more deer this way than not. Walking on dry leaves makes it very difficult. You also really need to have the wind in your favor when doing it. With wind in my favor, I’ve been within a few feet of whitetail a bunch of times. I’ve also found that wearing a face mask and gloves helps. Does it totally conceal a human in the woods? No, but I feel like it makes it harder for deer to figure out what I am.

I’ve had mixed results with bleat cans. I’m not 100% convinced they work, but it may work enough to get a horny buck to check it out. Personally, I like the Primos hardwood grunter.
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Not sure when rut is. Isn't that closer to December? I forget.

I can only sit for two hours. By the first hour, I'm going ape shit in the tree. I need to be using the r/c car, tinkering on the motorcycle, working on the truck, splitting wood, or gaming. I can't just sit there. I also cannot read a book. That wouldn't work either, since all the deer I've spotted from the stand are 100% silent. I need to be on the lookout at all times.

I walk like you say. Few steps, stop. Few steps, stop. I'll lean against a tree for 20m. Move again. I find a decent area, I'll sit on the ground against the tree, and wait an hour.

Right now its soggy leaves on top, but all the dry sticks underneath. So you're constantly snapping.

I always have a facemask and gloves. Its weird, any other time when its 40 out I'm in a t-shirt. Hunting I'm down to thermals and my big camo jacket. All the camo matches too.

My buddy swears by the bleat can. /shrug

Those three deer I saw today, were deep in the brush. I mean, I wouldn't be able to walk in there without being shoulder to shoulder with trees and brush. Those thing went sailing through there in complete silence. I still don't understand it. :laughing: I walk anywhere, I may as well be playing a bugle.
 
Stuck said:
You need to learn how to move and hunt. More than 35 years hunting WTs and half of those deer kills were while walking. First make sure your silhouette is broken up. Good camo or even a half assed ghillie suit. If you see deer STOP. Deer see movement better than shapes and shapes better than color. Once the season opens up people shapes spook deer, so break it it up.

Dont walk like a person. Slow down. Take two or three steps and stop. Switch it up, dont stick to a pattern of steps. Rustle your foot in the leaves a little bit when you stop, like your looking for shoots or acorns.

Keep your eyes up. Watch for movement. Especially little twitches, deer will stand perfectly still with just their ears moving. Look for the deer shape. Head body. Look for white.

Try and walk against the wind. Scent will spook them faster than anything. If your walking with the wind they will smell you and bolt before your within sight.

Most of all if you spook a deer stop where you are. Find some concealment, a tree, a rock, a bush whatever, on the opposite side of your concealment from the direction they ran toward, clear out a spot in the ground litter and hunker down. Deer are like rabbits very often they will circle back around to where you spooked em. Get low and wait.
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I do a lot of this when walking. I'm always afraid I'm pushing them out though.

Its amazing how well they blend in. The bears stick way out.

Wind is tricky. I try to keep track of it, but every 5m it comes from another direction. I'm at the base of a mountain in a little range, and it must really churn up the wind.

I was going to stop when I saw those three deer today, but with how fast they took off, I told myself there's no way. I was already out there for three hours. The moving was to get me out of the stand.
 
woods said:
I do a lot of this when walking. I'm always afraid I'm pushing them out though.

Its amazing how well they blend in. The bears stick way out.

Wind is tricky. I try to keep track of it, but every 5m it comes from another direction. I'm at the base of a mountain in a little range, and it must really churn up the wind.

I was going to stop when I saw those three deer today, but with how fast they took off, I told myself there's no way. I was already out there for three hours. The moving was to get me out of the stand.
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15 minutes and they circled right back where they started. Once you jump them move about 10 yds away making noise and then stop and get hidden. Theyll come right back around. Once you have snow go for a walk once you jump deer walk another 100 yds and go straight back over your tracks and see how many fresh deer prints are there.
 
Stuck said:
15 minutes and they circled right back where they started. Once you jump them move about 10 yds away making noise and then stop and get hidden. Theyll come right back around. Once you have snow go for a walk once you jump deer walk another 100 yds and go straight back over your tracks and see how many fresh deer prints are there.
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I'll keep that in mind. WHen I saw these three, they bolted. I thought for sure they wouldn't come back. next time I'll wait.

Snow makes things easier....and a bit more difficult. When there's snow on the ground, by the third day, there's a hundred tracks out there. WHen I trailed my first deer, every 6' there were two more tracks. They're everywhere.
 
Thats just a horrible problem to have.

If youre not getting in your stand until 6am youre too late. Get in your stand at least an 1 hour before before first light. Dont move around. Keep your phone in your pocket and open your ears and eyes. If you have that many deer running around and your not seeing them your spooking them.
 
Stuck said:
Thats just a horrible problem to have.

Get in your stand at least an 1 hour before before first light. Dont move around. Keep your phone in your pocket and open your ears and eyes. If you have that many deer running around and your not seeing them your spooking them.
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Right? :laughing:

What irks me is I have all these tracks, but barely ever see one. :homer:

I get out there in the dark. Or just at dawn. 6am you almost need a lamp.

I rarely have my phone on me.

Gear stays outside. I have a bunch of those hunting dryer sheets stuffed in the bag. Boots have never been in the house. I never look down from the trees. For the entire time I'm out there, I'm watching 180º in front of me. I don't stop scanning.
 
New California rules suck not being able to use pots... whale entanglement... bull shit
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Welp, another year without a deer. /sigh

However this year I did manage to see some while in the stand.

How shitty of me would it be next year to just dump a few bags of corn to, uh, feed the squirrels right out back? As much as sitting in a tree in 20º weather with a steady breeze waiting for something dumb enough to walk by while thinking about all the other crap I could be accomplishing sounds fun, just wake up, drink my coffee and keep an eye right out the window or shop.
 
Hmmm, I just saw two white tails 10 mins ago while I was taking the trashcan to the road....
 
woods said:
Welp, another year without a deer. /sigh

However this year I did manage to see some while in the stand.

How shitty of me would it be next year to just dump a few bags of corn to, uh, feed the squirrels right out back? As much as sitting in a tree in 20º weather with a steady breeze waiting for something dumb enough to walk by while thinking about all the other crap I could be accomplishing sounds fun, just wake up, drink my coffee and keep an eye right out the window or shop.
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That's how a lot of it is done in Ohio lol. That or a feeder on a timer. start before season to get them coming in regularly and used to your blind or stand. Then ambush. Don't much care for the hunting here. Grew up hunting in northern NV. Whole different ballgame.
 
Flatbed said:
That's how a lot of it is done in Ohio lol. That or a feeder on a timer. start before season to get them coming in regularly and used to your blind or stand. Then ambush. Don't much care for the hunting here. Grew up hunting in northern NV. Whole different ballgame.
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Even that. Drawing them in. Doesn't sound like a bad idea.
 
Looks to be a great buck...congrats!
I've been out last 4 days and haven't yet bagged one. Tomorrow is the day.
 
First deer in 12 years, really happy with my little Ruger. Shoots on the cheap and shoots well.
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