Hunting & Fishing Project Whitetail hunter

[mdesign]

Guys - its time to make a step forward in my WT hunting strategy and I'm devoting some effort in this off season to finding some resources and learning more about how to hunt the smart ones. I've grown bored with shooting nice ones and am attempting to shift to only the big ones so I need to get better if I'm going to get any thing.

If you know of any publications, books, websites or videos that offer good info on understanding the phases of the rut and post-rut, I would be interested in hear about them. Things like how to hunt pressured deer, how to hunt thick and nasty cover, etc.

Not really looking for some random thoughts on how Bubba got a big'un as I am research or experienced based findings about what deer do and how to hunt smart animals.

 

[Ted_D]

Re: Project Whitetail hunter

I have shot 5 record size bucks in last 8 years by hunting land that was previously off limits to hunters. By helping the rancher or farmer out I gained access to their land. Finding area where they are allowed to grow and age has been the key for me

 

[Knife]

Re: Project Whitetail hunter

I have learned alot from quality deer management association magazines. They really put alot of focus on food plots, aging deer, and strengthening your heard. That being said I did all my whitetail hunting on our lease or our privately owned land. I don't know if you have your own land or not, but if you could get a good lease and implement a QDMA program it will produce quality deer in 3-4 years. If your hunting on public land I can't really help you there.

 

[mdesign]

Re: Project Whitetail hunter

Private land with too many hunters IMO but cannot change it. Killed a lot of 150 class deer but there are better ones to be had. Tough to crack the ceiling as the other hunters get first dibbs on hunting the place. Once I can go, the deer are pretty well wised up.

Plenty of food plots but they get hunted hard. Big ones don't show up during shooting hours. Lots of thick nasty cover and I have made a living off of hunting the edges. Just tired of 150 class deer and so I am trying to learn to be a better hunter.

 

[CPEC0402]

Re: Project Whitetail hunter

For what it's worth, I hunt both public and private land. Public land is truly a bitch...those deer are so educated it seems that they can wind you when they're upwind! Anyways, when hunting public land you MUST think of where the deer will move when they're pushed by the orange army. Think about hunting areas nobody will think about. I have 3 good areas for hunting pressured deer on public land, and have yet to see a hunter in my ao:

#1) Island. I hunt a reservoir property...when the water is drained for the winter, the deer go to the islands in the middle of what used to be a huge lake. It's a bitch to walk to though, generally trucking through mud. But it can pay off for you...

#2) Under bridges. I'm not talking about small country road bridges...but bridges from highways. I've discovered that deer often use these as travel corridors because they offer them concealment vs running across the road on a large 4 lane highway. Not your typical hunting scenario, but that's the poing, right?

#3) Stalking thick cover. When I say thick, I mean THICK! I often start the morning in a stand, then proceed to stalking once morning activity has ceased. I'll be honest, I haven't bagged a deer from this method yet (I primarily bowhunt) but I have jumped some very nice bucks.

In sum, I try to think outside the box when hunting public land. You must always keep in mind how the deer react to the orange army. Good luck!