A Change In Strategy

[THE GOB-FATHER]

Ok, I know most of us are already in the early stages of our hunting seasons. And I know that some of us can only hunt with bow/primative right now as well. As the season continues on and goes to the firearms how do you change up your tactics. Here's the reason I ask...

When I'm out bow hunting I primarily focus on food sources (mainly open alfalfa and cut corn with ocasional acorn mast). During the bow season it's like my "hunting/scouting/preparation" type of hunt. I learn alot about the herd and what to expect for the upcoming firearms season. I'd also like to take advantage of the opportunity to plug a doe if the opportunity presents itself. But then...

The firearms season opens and it's a whole new ball game. I've fine tuned my skills and routine (sunrise/sunset, clothing, gear, wind direction and best setup accordingly etc.) and am now ready to go after the one that has been either leaving lots of sign or I know the vacinity in which he likes to favor. With a gun in hand I have the ability to move in and still be far enough not to "disturb". The odds definitely go up in my favor at that point being that I don't have to be as close and given the restrictions bow hunting offers I now have a better chance at droppin the bucks.

Here's the twist... opening day changes the woods from the first shot you hear upon sunrise. Deer change their routine and pattern dramatically (depending on pressure and whether your hunting public vs. private). Even on the private plots that I hunt they still get hunted and get that nervousness that changes things.

So, what I do is take what I've learned from the bow season and try to "put it altogether" and figure out the home range of the particular herd and how I think they'll react regarding safety. I get to know the thicker parts of the woods and try to setup where the thick stuff meets an entirely different type of terrain as that seems to funnel deer well. Escape routes aren't as easy for me to find for some reason and to me only serve as a good place to set up if you know deer are going to be on the move and ducking for cover.

With that being said... what do you do to change your strategy for the shift from a relaxed bow hunting setting and environment to one that you know will change dramatically opening day when that first shot rings out?

[IndianaHunter]

In my area long shots are rare so I set up for every season like its bow season. then I'm sure a 50 to 75 yard shot can be had.

[Phishy]

Funny you should bring this up GF, I'm hunting a completely new area. I don't mean just a new parcel of land, but I moved, four hours from my last home of ten years, when I was up nort I knew where the other hunters would be. I used other hunting pressure to dictate my stand location. I’m finding that this new area is pressured like where I hunted before, but there’s a catch, the land area is only about a third, from 2,000 acres to 630 acres, yet there’s the same amount of people using the land.

I like to think I am systematically figuring out the deer, but I know they are figuring out us hunters, so I’m trying to be a little different , like walking way back in, this has worked in the past..

The only thing that holds constant so far is how far folks are willing to walk to a stand site. It increases with gun season, but the drag of a deer almost three quarters of a mile is haunting to most people, especially if they can’t use an ATV.

So, the question being:

what do you do to change your strategy for the shift from a relaxed bow hunting setting and environment to one that you know will change dramatically opening day when that first shot rings out?

First I like stream crossings, where deer are going to run to find cover,

Second, an island in the middle of an alder swamp.

Third, a ridge running through a swamp

All escape routes/hiding places. I sit tight all day if I need to, usually by 9AM somebody in the bigger open woods has shot a deer or gets tired of sitting and climbs down to meet up with the rest of the gang, that’s when I usually get my deer, I have set up in the traditional hot sign areas, but usually see other hunter, I get back in the thick stuff or trails leading to it and rarely do I see other hunters,

What I think makes this work really well, I’m in stand about an hour before shooting light, I mean sitting in my stand by 530AM, I makenoise trying to get to stand and the deer are alerted, but the other hunters behind me really set the deer on edge, I usually see deer moving in the dark about a half hour after I get settled in and these deer know the gig is up

It’s amazing the amount of noise and lights you see in the woods, “crassh crasssshhh, bang tink, hey joe!!…. etc” the deer quickly know what is up.

So… short story long, Escape routes and security cover, mind you, I’m on public land, and this year it will be very heavy, we have a T-zone hunt coming up and I will get a taste of it.

[arkansasdon]

Well, not much changes for us here, I mainly bow hunt even durn muzzleloader season or rifle. I have a few shootin houses , last year I took a decent 9 pointer with rifle and I shot him from a tree climber and I dont change much tactics , matter of fact I just woke up from a 2 hour nap in that climber and 15 minutes later BOOM! he was dead. But gernerally when the "currrent Mrs. Arkansas Don" aka "Sally" I sit with her while she gun hunts and me holdin a bow
I hunt in a few places besides my own and its the same too. Good Thread

[tphunter]

When I bow hunt I have 150 acres od family land all to myself so I head right for the food sources and set up there...But once Muzzleloader and Rifle season open I have to share the land with some Pain In The Arse Cousins that think that driving around on a 4 wheeler is the best way to hunt...I don't get it...So I normally set up on escape routes the deer take when Jr. and his Daughter are out cruising around "looking" for deer...I also have a ladderstand in the middle of a patch of hardwoods that seems to pay off everyyear because I can watch the whole patch of woods from that one spot and when the pressure is on the deer move right in there.

[tbryan]

When rifle season rolls around i will wait until everyone else has chosen there spot. Then i will go as far away from them as possible. I'll Try to stay along a trail that leads from food to cover. I will also stay out longer that most so that when they are all walking back to thier trucks or the cabin i can catch any deer that the run my way.

[midrivers]

Escape routes are the way to go, if you can figure them out. You really have to stay on your otes when hunting them. The deer can show up at any time and they are always on high alert! WE have some pretty predictable neighbors, they will hunt for about 2 hours opening day and then start driving strips of woods. They alway run a nice buck stright across our porperty! That is how we learned preferred escape routes. Pick a spot where you can observe a lot and learn. WE usually sit on top of the humps in the fields with rifles. There is very little cover left on our hunting lease so we have to make the best for this year. The farmers bulldozed the rest! We are dwon to about 95 percent open fields and 5% weeds and ditches. WE will see how it works out! My advice is get high and watch areas of high hunter density on your ground or the neighbors and watch how the deer react. You will start to find consistant behavior and patterns.

[trkyhntr]

When rifle season comes in I like to be on top of the mountain. I go up the back side of the mountain where it's thick as hell and rocky. I never seen anyone there yet. When the hunters come up the front of the mountain, they'll spook them up to me. The deer are usually on top by daylight.

When the season progresses and the deer seem to go nocturnal, i'll set up near bedding areas as close as I can get without being busted.

[stackenem]

I like to hunt 4to5 year old clear cuts. I get up on a ridge where I can see along ways and I set all day long. I set up for long shots out to 300yds. That way I can cover alot of area. Usually I got my buck in the fisrt two days. And yes I am comfortable with a 300 yd shot my 243 shoots 1.5 inch groups at 200 yds and I do practice out to 300 on woodchucks in the summer.