Scouting Reports

[Chris_Wallace]

Thought it would be kind of cool for people to share their stand placement and why, here is my scouting report from Elko.

Looks really promising. I put out a couple of stands.

Saw a ten out there in the middle of the Soy bean field, found a couple of sweet spots for brushing in my Matrix Ground blinds, one is watching the low end of a soy bean field that cuts down and back up to a corn field and the back side of it is woods. Nice shooting out to about 45 yards. I also found a pricker ash. vine area that is wide open on the back side that will be perfect. I also put a stand thats about 18 feet up in a grove of oak trees, watching an old road the bends towards the woods with a cornfield across the road. The first three rows of corn are demolished. Lots of food, acorns for them acorns, corn. soybeans and apples. Set the blind up so that the under brush comes up to neck high when I am sitting down so when I stand up its at my waist. Cool thing about it is having it being so high it doesn't interfere with shooting to the road and corn field. Shooting areas from 13 yards to 37 yards. Looks like the most promising spot.

Second stand that I like is watching the soybean field corner down to the woods and join up with about 350 apple trees that are getting eaten. Another good spot I am going to like, with some break up.

[Cooter]

Seeing lots of deer in the evenings scooping up apples, which are dropping pretty good in the area. Gonna get a ground blind up this weekend.

[bottomdweller]

Chris, how much do you brush your blind in. I just lean a branch or two on mine and was wondering if I am brushing it in enough. Also, do you leave yours in one area or do you move yours around. I tend to hunt a few times in one spot then move. Keeps them smart ones on theyre toes! Last year I let a small ten go by two feet away from the blind. That buck got a whiff and looked inside hoooobooooy you shoulda seen the look in his eyes. I about fell off my stool I was laughin so hard. gl

[Chris_Wallace]

It all depends on the available cover, if I have a lot I will spend a few extra minutes, I will take pictures of when I brush in my blind this fall. My biggest concern is having a clean floor that won't make any noise, I push all the leaves and sticks up against the floor walls, good natural cover scent too. The more the better is always true, turkeys, I don't bother with. Set it up and good enough, deer are a lot more suspicious, but its a rush when they get that close though isn't it?

[bottomdweller]

Yep for sure, I only hunt out of the blinds maybe 30 percent of the time and the rest out of stands. I like it better hunting out of the blind, but I tend to see more from stands, how about you. Putting the leaves around the perimeter is a good idea, I will try that.

[Chris_Wallace]

It depends, focusing your time on smaller, tight spaces works better for blinds, you just don't have the visibility, just because you see 10 deer feeding in a field 70 yards away or even 50, doesn't really matter if you can only have a safe and ethical shot at one or two. Kind of a dillemma do you sit in the blind, limit your visibility and only see two or do you sit in stand see 10 and only have a chance at two? It's everyone's choice.

The best way I can relate it too is topwater bass fishing.

Is it the best option all the time, no, most definatly not, but is it cool to see one blow up on it? I think its more of rush compared to death from above.

[USPENAMC]

although,

if you see more you might take a more proactive approach and make your chances better. or ruin your chances too.

what do i mean if you see more deer from a stand you might do more calling, rattling or whatever and attract more deer to your stand you might stalk, ambush whatever you want to call it.

on the other hand you might do the above mentioned and scare the deer, make them weary , spook them everything has its what ifs and how good they are at what they do.

some people are good at knowing how, when and what to use for calls, some are good at stalking , some are good at waiting we must learn to become well rounded hunters. of course im so inexperienced im the least one to tell you hunters this he he he

[bottomdweller]

Kind of funny but not is what you mentioned Chris. Death from above. About seven years ago I fell from a tree broke my back and was paralyzed for close too a year. Lots of work and mostly help from above I am able to walk again. And here I am huntin out of trees once again. Of course I only hunt out of ladder stands with a harness. Thats how I got into hunting out of blinds. It is a rush to have deer so close. But I love it in the trees and taking in mother nature. My theory do them both and you have the best of both worlds. P.S WEAR A HARNESS

[bmc]

My dad and I finished up our stands last Sunday, so we're ready to go!!! His property is mostly hardwoods and there's a pretty good crop of acorns, which usually means we see alot of deer. He also did a food plot in a 3-4 acre field this August and it looks really good. The first stand I plan on sitting is in the hardwoods, in a brushy gully between to ridges. On the east side of the ridge is very thick/wet swamp and to the west is open hardwoods. We saw probably 6 piles of fresh droppings in this area! Yeah, I'm pumped!!! Hopefully I can whack a doe right away in Sept., then duck hunt most of October, and buck hunt when the rut starts in the end of October. We've went to all climbing sticks, no more screw in steps. Also, wear your safety harness, don't become a statistic!

Brian

[Chris_Wallace]

Well said bottomdweller, I use the Fall Guy Harnesses, I like them and are well worth the money.

[EXTREME]

BMC; you probably could shoot a deer while shooting your old mans 3-D course if you were there for long . Anyway, I have 3 stands hung already. One is set up on a hardwood ridge (some oaks) that leads to a hay field. The second is set up on my brother in laws farm. It is in a white oak tree. When them acorns start dropping, watch out!! The third stand is in a ash swale that has some really good trails in it. I need to hunt that early because ash trees drop their leaves before all others. Anyway, good luck everyone, and be safe!!!!! Use a full body harness; don't be stupid, and shoot to kill.

[Cooter]

My uncle has 4 bucks on video in bean field, two are dandy 8 pts - both well past ears with nice tine length and mass. Either should make P&Y. The neighbor has over 100 pics of bucks, of course not all different ones. The two biggest he's got are 10 pts that he figures are in the low 130" range. My father was down to the farm on Wed and saw a nice one, again a low end P&Y deer. Gets a guy fired up -I got a trail cam near where that buck was so hopefully will get him and post if worthy. Problem is its been tradition since high school for a bunch of us to get together east of Eau Claire and hunt public woods - is gonna be tough going there and not hunting the farm knowing them bucks are around. Oh yeah, lots of does and fawns around as well - should get to fill some bonus tags.

[USPENAMC]

cooter,

ill be a good samaritan and hunt your farm i promise you ill take care of the BUCKS for you he he he

just kidding man, happy hunting and hope you get your buck and post some pics