Big Woods Deer Tips

[skee0025]

You can also try going out After the season once things calm down and theres a little snow on the ground. If im going to a new area I will take a GPS and walk trials. It will give you a good idea of where they are coming from and going to and some ideas of where to place cameras for the next year without having to worry about disturbing them to much as the season approaches. It also makes it a lot easier to find intersections where multiple deer paths are crossing each other. Its worked well for me.

[Bear55]

How do your recommendations change from looking to fill a tag and searching for a big buck? Or does finding a big buck become more an issue of passing on smaller deer and waiting than an issue of scouting? Just curious...

I just want to fill a tag right now but when I see the big pictures posted on the forum, I wonder what did go into finding those big guys. Or maybe they mostly come from well-managed land.

These are more overall suggestions to tag a deer. The more you hunt and scout the more you will learn about bigwoods deer and the area in general. Remember just about everything you read in the mags or see on tv is more focused on agricultural areas and its kind of like hunting a whole different animal. You can't really look at a map and say ok here is the feeding area and here is the bedding area, its more of a mixed maze of cover and various stages of logging openings and big swamps with a mix of fivers and lakes.

Hunting after big bucks is a whole different game, #1 if you want to shoot a big buck you have to let the little ones go. I have shot two nice bigwoods deer and both times I got them after I passed younger bucks. I kind of want to kick myself now because I shot plenty of smaller bucks when I was younger that were trailing does and I can't help but wonder what might have been behind them.

#2 get the wind in your favor, I have been scentlocked, showered, hunting clothes washed in scent free soap, and sprayed down with scent killer and been busted by mature bucks. These deer do not tolerate any kind of human scent or activity in the area. Remember 99% of their lives in spent in the woods all by themselves, they have very little human contact of any kind and like it that way.

#3A Rut Hunting - Find the does and you will find the bucks. In time you will learn where the does like to hang out. These are generally those areas that have been logged 10 to 15 years before and have plenty of cover and food so they don't have to move all that much. The bucks know right where all the does in the area are and during the rut they will cruise the bedding areas trying to find a hot doe. Stay downwind of these doe areas or hunt in between two of these areas on a funnel if possible. Then just wait, patience is the key here.

#3B Rut Hunting Funnels. This is a very popular location for stand for a reason, when these bucks are searching for does that have to travel through these areas and its as simple as that. Again patience is the key, you might only get one chance at a mature buck all season so you have to be on the stand when it happens. More then any other area of the state hunting mid day in the bigwoods can be very successful in both funnels and doe bedding areas. I didn't have the patience to sit all day when I was younger but I finally learned after my dad shot buck at noon when it was 70 degrees outside and everyone else was at the shack. I would say I have seen the most deer and mature bucks between 9 and 1, with some more very good activity in the standard 1 hour before dark.

Also be ready for things to happen fast, a lot of times when these bucks move they move fast and you might only have a few seconds to get into position for a shot. They just about always catch you by surprise, especially after you've been sitting long hours all season and not seen much deer movement. If they are trailing a doe that may have passed through earlier in the day or the night before those bucks have their nose to the ground and they don't stop for anything so try and think fast. A soft grunt can sometimes be enough to stop them, other times you might have to yell and even that might not work.

Another thing to consider when hunting funnels is where other hunters might be, this would more apply to rifle season. My biggest buck was pushed to me mid-day when other hunters in my group were either dragging a deer out or heading in for lunch. That deer was bedded in the area and as soon as the human activity picked up he decided it was time to move on and I got him on a funnel as he was getting away from the pressure.

#4 hunt the buck bedding areas I put this lower on the list because I have yet to master where these guys bed and why but here is what I know so far. These are going to be places you want to hunt in the early season, once the rut hits those buck bucks are on the move and could be bedding in a different location every night or even 5 or 10 miles away from their core area searching for does. When you find a buck bedding area stop and write down what you see because there is a specific reason that deer is bedded there. Big bucks will always bed in an area that gives them every advantage. I have found three general areas where big bucks bed in the area, just about every one of them is very remote and hard to get to. One might be a large ridge with thick cover where the deer can see a long ways out in front of him and keep the wind at his back. Another area I have found them is on small island of high ground surrounded by huge swamps. This islands can sometimes be large but most of the time the smaller the better, think an acre or less. The 3rd area would be right near a river edge, again it would be a very remote area and have thick cover or very tall grass. Just about every time they will have the river to their back and have the wind in their favor. You might also find areas that are kind of a mix of these.

#5 Food, I left this one for last because I feel getting a mature bigwoods buck at a food source, especially an open food source like a recently logged opening is maybe impossible unless they have a got doe up their nose. They just don't feed in the open during daylight hours or even stage up before the food source. I think I mentioned this before but a lot of time these bucks can bed a mile or more away from food and they don't travel very far before darkness sets it. Your best bet for catching a mature buck at a food source would be putting in a small foodplot in a very remote area or find a small clump of oaks that are producing in early season. As you may have discovered there are very few oaks up in the area we hunt so if you do stumble into one you could have found a honey hole.

[FishingWebGuy]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I think we found deer soup this weekend. Did some scouting adjacent to a 3-5 year old cut. Tons of trails weaving in and out from each other and tons of scat. Some really big piles also -- not sure how much that means.

I was scouting twice at dusk and expected to kick a deer up but never did. The area with the trails has a mature pine canopy about 100 yards wide between swamp and the 3-5 year old cut. It seems to be a runway of sorts. The forest floor is filled with ferns -- some are at least 4' tall. Now while I was walking through there I was trying to think like a deer and I figured these ferns would be a great bedding area out of the sun and great cover. But then I wonder why I never kicked one up. Maybe they hold tight or were gone long before I got there. We did have one camera in the area and there is a lot of evening traffic on it.

We've even had a couple of decent bucks on camera in the area now.

I can't begin to explain how exciting it was to see something more than a 16 months old buck in the area. Last year we never had a single picture of a buck and this year our area went to lottery so I was concerned because I didn't want to shoot spike but I didn't want to give up my only buck tag on a doe either.

So anyhow, so far the bucks only make night appearances -- now I'm starting to understand why the rut is such a big deal. But my big question is: how will I know a bedding area when I see it? To me the whole forest in this area looks like a great bedding area. As was posted earlier, the biggest of bucks will bed on an island in the swamp. Am I just left with following every trail until I kick up a deer to know that is a bedding area?

To me I am looking for matted grass, scat and hopefully a bedded deer

Is there anything else that will let me know it is a bedding area and not just a place they stopped to feed? Will many deer bed next to each other? Since the bucks are in bachelor groups do they stay with the group during bedding also? Then when rut comes do they break up and bed in different areas?

Sorry kinda rambling but kinda excited... Gonna read through this thread again from the beginning now...

[Bear55]

The thing about the bigwoods is nothing is really defined for you, bedding and feeding can be one big area and there might not be one spot that you can say the deer bed here and they feed here. They also might bed in different locations depending on the wind, weather, season, or food source. My best advice for getting on the does is to just hunt around those areas with new thick regrowth and eventually one will head your way.

Now bucks on the other hand can be tricky, especially if you have a bachelor group in your area. They might hang out now and be good buddies but once fall comes around they are going to try and stake out their own ground and their patterns and core area could be completely different. We also have to remember deer are like people, they have their own personalities. One of those bucks might spend the rut traveling 5-10 miles away in search of a doe while the other one might stick to his core area, you just never know.

If you do happen to kick some deer or a buck out of its bed try and take note of the area to see what advantages they deer has by bedding in that area. Which way is the wind going, how far can the deer see you coming, is it almost impossible to get to them without making any noise?

I would just keep up the scouting and hunting, in time things will start to make sense. I wouldn't get too wrapped up in trying to pattern the deer at first because you will drive yourself crazy. They might be a specific area for food or bedding or there could be 100 other reason a deer is in that location at that time. The more time you spend in the wood and hunting and watching deer you will start to figure things out.

[FishingWebGuy]

Hey FWG, if you just want to see deer here is the best advice I can give. Big Bucks are a whole different animal up there but don't be surprised to run into one at any time.

To start, shooting any deer with a bow in the big woods is a challenge, deer densities are much lower and the cover is never ending so you picked about the hardest bow hunting there is.

[student]

When I come across an established bedding area, I will do everything in my power to avoid disturbing that area again. I suppose a person could put up a camera, but everytime you go to check it, you are leaving scent and causing a disturbance. It might be a good idea to grap a topo map and find a nearby funnel or something and hang the camera there.

[Bear55]

You might have chased them out for a while but may of the does and small bucks will move back in. Any big buck will move to a new bedding area but chances are if you found a lot of beds it was a doe bedding area. Now you just have to find a nearby feeding area and setup on them.

[Bear55]

I'm starting to think 1) I'm too loud 2) I'm moving too fast and not looking enough and/or 3) I stink

Probably all three

I use to rush into my stand and try to get setup right away so things could calm down and I would get more time to hunt but I think I was doing more harm then good. Now I really take my time and especially when I get to within 150 yards of the tree I am going to setup on. I really slow down and watch every step, if you make a loud noise just spot and wait a couple minutes.

The worst thing you can do is walk like a human with constant steps, they hear you coming and head the other way. You can get away with making some noise but if you are going slow and stopping a lot they will think you are a squirrel or some other critter. Also try to make as little noise as possible setting up your stand, I've got a climber and it might take me a while to get up in the tree but I make almost no noise.

There has been countless times both rifle and gun season I have climbed into my stand and seen deer within minutes of being on stand. Had I charged into those stands those deer probably take off. Sometimes crunchy snow or dry leaves make conditions pretty noisy, not much you can do there but like I said before slow down, make as little noise as possible and stop every few steps. They might even think you are another deer.

[FishingWebGuy]

Yea, I agree -- probably all 3. I've had nice bucks walk directly under my stand after just getting into the tree when hunting in central MN.

I was thinking about this a lot this weekend while in stand. Some noise is probably fine when the deer are moving. But in September when it's windy like it was on Saturday and the deer are holding tight, you need to be as stealth as possible. Their environment is changing rapidly now with cooler temps, velvet falling, and leaves falling so they are probably staying put and even more skitish now than ever. At least that is what I was telling myself.

So I was thinking all weekend, what's the best way to hunt a deer that's holding tight or gone nocturnal? All I could come up with was spot and stalk or whatever you want to call it.

[Coach1310]

So I was thinking all weekend, what's the best way to hunt a deer that's holding tight or gone nocturnal? All I could come up with was spot and stalk or whatever you want to call it.

At first instinct I would say you wait him out. Keep studying the sign and noting the sightings of other deer. Keep researching topo maps and identifying other good locations. Now, if you KNOW where he is bedding and you really want to try and spot and stalk him, devise a plan... what direction to come at him, only do it when the wind is perfect and I would suggest on a wet day with a bit of wind to keep the noise down.... just my two cents.. good luck

[MrCrappie]

I would hunt over a heavily used game trail in a funnel area away from roads/human activity.

[Bear55]

Yea, I agree -- probably all 3. I've had nice bucks walk directly under my stand after just getting into the tree when hunting in central MN.

I was thinking about this a lot this weekend while in stand. Some noise is probably fine when the deer are moving. But in September when it's windy like it was on Saturday and the deer are holding tight, you need to be as stealth as possible. Their environment is changing rapidly now with cooler temps, velvet falling, and leaves falling so they are probably staying put and even more skitish now than ever. At least that is what I was telling myself.

So I was thinking all weekend, what's the best way to hunt a deer that's holding tight or gone nocturnal? All I could come up with was spot and stalk or whatever you want to call it.

A lot has changed in the past few weeks but I don't think I would call the deer skitish yet, they have felt some pressure but honestly I see just as many deer and bucks in early season as I do during the rut. Chances are their summer feeding patterns may have changed and a great area during the summer might not hold many deer any more. There could be a 100 other reasons you didn't see any deer from wolves to spooking them on the way in to they just happened to travel the other way this time.

Just hang in there and try a few different spots until you start to see something is working for you. Also keep the wind in your favor, the deer up there have only survived by evading wolves so they are going to use every advantage they can to survive.