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Post by royalcoachman on Oct 13, 2009 5:35:28 GMT -5
Thanks to those who commented on my ladder stand post...they got my excited enough to attempt my hand at a ground blind. So far I've started construction of it (ran out of light last night). Got the frame up. I'll post a picture of it once I get it done. It sits about 30 yards from a creek. Deer are moving steadily b/w the blind and creek. Stand sits about 15-20 yards from the 2-3 deer trails near there. One trail runs behind the stand. Corn on field across creek is still up. Parents have seen six does in the last week in this area...hope a buck is following 'em but holding back a bit.
This brings me to another novice hunter question...this weekend I saw TONS of does and had two stop in front of my stand at 20 yards. (I didn't think I could shoot b/c I thought like shotgun license, an archer license doesn't cover a buck and a doe...that's another post in itself....) In any event, I kept seeing doe after doe after doe but no buck. In early october are bucks staying back in woods out of sight? Do they not move as much until later in the month?
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Post by duff on Oct 13, 2009 5:44:43 GMT -5
If you have does you will have a buck sooner or later. By the end of October the bucks will be very active searching for does and they should stay active into November.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Oct 13, 2009 6:05:06 GMT -5
"Build it & they will come"........ Hunting for bucks just gets better from here on out thru the opening weekend of firearms season!
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Post by oldhoyt on Oct 13, 2009 6:49:36 GMT -5
Bucks aren't paying much attention to does right now. This will change in a couple weeks.
To determine if you have bucks on your area, look for horn rubs and scrapes. I'm seeing some scrapes now. Even if you don't see buck sign now, they will be cruising for does soon. Stay felxible in your stand/blind location until you can learn how the bucks enter and exit your property as they cruise for does. Then establish stands/blind locations that keep the wind in your favor. The stand you hunt on a given day may change with the wind.
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Post by royalcoachman on Oct 13, 2009 8:31:01 GMT -5
Location wise, is there a place bucks tend to rub/scrape more than others? i.e. edges of fields, near water, etc...
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Post by royalcoachman on Oct 13, 2009 8:31:23 GMT -5
also, when will I start seeing rubs/scrapes? Now or in a week or two?
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Post by kodiak50 on Oct 13, 2009 9:03:38 GMT -5
You should be seeing both now.
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Post by jkd on Oct 13, 2009 17:10:46 GMT -5
If you've got does coming through where you're set up, you should see bucks eventually... stay patient and be careful with your scent management, particularly boots, going in and out...
I did the hunt the rub/scrape line thing a few years back, and my experience was that I didn't see many bucks... reason being I think they service rubs and scrapes a lot at night, and are pretty haphazard about it during the day... that's why you can walk along a field edge hunting one evening, not see any scrapes, and next morning... BANG, you've got scrapes all along that woods/field edge...
Trails, funnels/bottlenecks, sections where different cover transitions occur... those are the areas where you can catch a big guy.... pre-rut dancing is going on starting now and things will get serious in the next 2-3 weeks...
Some of those does you're seeing are going to come into estrous early, and when that happens, the bucks will come to the spot you've got picked out... stick with it and you've got a good chance, but be careful getting in/out, and don't overhunt it either...
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Post by ridgerunner on Oct 21, 2009 17:32:14 GMT -5
Exactly what jkd said...can;t say it any better..Boots are the number one most important item..I scrub mine with baking soad and water before season and do not under any circumstances wear those boots anywhere but to my treestands and back, take em off when you get tot he truck and throw some tennis shoes on before getting in vehicle, do not wear them anywhere but on the dirt....If you have dirty boots the deer will avoid your stands in short order...especially bucks....I store my boots in a plastic scent free bag with an inch of baking soda in the bottom, they come out only when I'm putting them on after I get out of my vehicle and heading to the stand.!
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Post by royalcoachman on Oct 22, 2009 6:27:17 GMT -5
I've made my blind out of chicken wire and underbrush. I will try to get a picture of it and post it on here for all who offered suggestions to see it. Although I don't know if a picture will do much good...it's so camouflaged that you might not be able to see it  |
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Post by Decatur on Oct 22, 2009 8:59:49 GMT -5
The main thing with ground blinds is to make sure it's taller than you in the back, or else you'll be silohuetted. My blinds always have sides that start at the top of the back, and taper down to the front, which is only about 2' tall. I always built mine with natural materials and twine to tie up pieces with. I've also found that when building blinds in the pre-season, you have to over pack them with vegetation because once all that greenery turns brown, whithers and loses leaves, your blind doesn't camouflage so well. I also scrape out the floor of the blind so my feet don't make any noise. It's amazing how loud a single dried oak leaf can be when you're trying tto be quiet! Good luck!
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Post by bsutravis on Oct 22, 2009 13:26:43 GMT -5
Sticking with Decatur's oak leaf comment.... using oak branches makes fantastic blind material. The leaves will dry up, but stay attached to the branches way longer than most tree species. If you are using chicken wire and such, you are probably putting way more effort into it than you need. Go in with some plastic zip ties, and just build a simple frame, then go nuts covering it. You shouldn't have to use chicken wire or take lumber in to make a blind. When I hunt the ground, like I will tonight... I'll slip in and ease back into a falldown or into a thick spot in the woods that's already there. If you're going to build blinds, you need to do that at least a month before you plan on hunting it...just so the deer can get use to the change of scenery. Don't be so concerned with a Taj Mahal blind...stay flexible, and use what God's already put in for you. Keeping the wind at your nose, walking in so your scent doesn't flow into the area you most likely will see the deer come from, making very minimal movements while in the stand, and staying super quiet is what you need to focus on.
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Post by HighCotton on Oct 22, 2009 14:54:52 GMT -5
Good deal royal. We just got in from a morning hunt - men in 3 separate stand locations - 3 buck sightings! I had a six point (basket rack)walk right under my stand and this is the first deer I've had remotely close since opening day. The property is usually ripe with doe activity but this year is just different ( house construction nearby, warmer at times, crops still out, etc.) My buddy, whitetail1 and his youngest son next to him watched a basket rack and a nice 10 point, too. The young buck laid a whoopin' of a rub on a sapling. We had fresh scrapes on the way out that weren't there when we walked in. It's gettin' good - be patient - the bucks will be there!
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