What's your strategy?

[Progeriakid]

I'm low on deer steaks so I'm prob gonna whack the first doe I see come early season here in Pa in Sept. Penna only allows 1 buck tag per year regardless of weapon so we gotta be picky when it comes to putting down a buck. So my plan is to get a doe early to stock the freezer, then concnetrate on patterning a good buck or locating a good buck leading up to the rut then come gun season hopefully add some more meat to the freezer in the form of a doe or two and hopefully have a good buck pressured my way, here in Pa come gun season its all about pressure, after the first two hours of light opening day of gun they hunker down like rabbits and won't move till last light or just before day light unless pushed by other hunters....

Primary Weapon-Hoyt Carbon Matrix tipped with Reign bhead on carbon express maxima arrows.
Secondary Weapon-H&R New England Firearms Ultraslugger 12 gauge using Lightfield slugs.
Second Secondary weapon(some areas are shotty others rifle)- Winchester 7mm WSM w/Leupold VXL

I also do alot of treestand hunting using a climber but on most properties I have fixed permanent stands in place.

What's your strategies and setups that you use in different situations???

 

[BF4L]

I pretty much am a meat hunter. Brown its down. I have always been lucky in getting doe permits and hunt with the same 5-6 guys I have for the last 20 years. There is always at least 2 permits between us and with the new online system is really is abused.

You basically print your tag. Go out shoot a doe, tag it and it is up to you to bring it to the checking station and forfeit your tag. If you butcher the deer yourself then what is the point??

I fill my freezer every year and my entire family loves venison so to me it is a huge cost savings and the meat is much better for you then any steroid injected crap you buy at the supermarket

Current setup is:

Matthews Heli with Carbon Express F-15 Dual-Blade Fixed Broadhead
Remington 1187 12 Guage with sabots
When rifle hunting in other states (MA does not allow rifles) I use my Browning Bar 30-06 with a Leopold scope.

 

[NickVT10]

Unless you have a nice buck patterned for the early season on trail cameras, your best bet is find the does and wait for the rut.

We are planting a food plot for the fall for bow season. We will have a stand over looking that and then come the rut we will likely move to hunting trails more to try and intercept bucks running down does.

I am a meat hunter as well. I will let some of the smaller bucks walk just because we won't see any big bucks in the next few years if we kill all the 4 pointers... Last year was my first year hunting and my first day in the woods the only thing I saw was a 4 pointer and I had the crosshairs on it (muzzleloader) and then i let it walk. I felt like I would rather shoot a doe than that thing. The plan was to let it be a 6 pointer come this year and that would be a nice first buck. Sure enough it is showing up on trail cameras as a 5 pointer this year. He isnt much but the rack is much taller and will go down if he crosses me again.

 

[Tomhusker]

I just put a critter gitter on the front of the truck and drive the country roads at night until I hit one.

Since I had brain surgery many moons ago I can't seem to shoot a shotgun or rifle with any kind of accuracy. So unless i hit one or wrestle one to the ground and choke him out I am not gonna get one. I rely on my hunting buddies to share a piece of jerky once in a while. I really miss a freezer packed with venison.

 

[NEhomer]

Since I had brain surgery many moons ago I can't seem to shoot a shotgun...i hit one or wrestle one to the ground and choke him out

Pretty tough to follow that; hope your freezer's full husker!

We're about a month away from opening day and I have a number of scrapes. A few are frequented almost daily and I dropped doe estrus on two of them today. Also set up a trail camra near one to see who's making the fuss.

It's not too early to scent a scrape is it?

 

[WvuDieHard]

MuzzleLoad opens here in Virginia on Saturday. Went out today and sighted the rifle and the "new" Thompsons Center Fire Traditions Muzzleloader with full camo and scope. Took 6 shots out of the box to get 5 within the circle from 100 yards. Sighted the rifle and took 2 shots get in the circle from 100 yards. Saw a couple of scraps today and some track. Checked the stands and saw noticeable growth from last year. Still some good shooting lanes. I will Buck hunt early and often until that nice wide 6 or 8 or better rolls into the scope. Late in the year, I may kill a doe if it pisses me off enough. I like to let Does wonder through because sometimes the Bucks are close behind. Best to be patient if you are horn hunting. My weapons are:
1) Horton Cross Bow with a Red dot scope
2) 50 Caliber Thompsons Center Fire Traditions Muzzleloader (replace the 15 year old .50 Knight Wolverine
3)30-06 Browning Bolt Action Medalian with a Boss using fusion 180 grain bullets

Lets take some deer pics and post on here as I would love to see some of your kills. I hope you all have a wonderful season of hunting!

 

[NEhomer]

How early (before shooting light) do you guys sneak into your stands?

How early before last shooting light do you feel you need to be on stand?

I can get to my stand by about 3:00pm if i ditch straight outta work but I'm fearing that may be too late since it will only allow about an hour and a half and i'm afraid I'll spook game out. Do I maybe need to get in by 2:00pm?

 

[WvuDieHard]

How early (before shooting light) do you guys sneak into your stands?
45 minutes before daylight. I like to get situated and set up and get still.

How early before last shooting light do you feel you need to be on stand?
I stay on the stand until I can't see through the scope

I can get to my stand by about 3:00pm if i ditch straight outta work but I'm fearing that may be too late since it will only allow about an hour and a half and i'm afraid I'll spook game out. Do I maybe need to get in by 2:00pm?

If you get up in the stand at least 2 hours before dark, you are fine. In your case, I would try to use a stand that has quick easy access since you are pressed for time. I like to be on the stand by 3pm in the afternoons.

 

[NEhomer]

Thanks for the info sir.

The other thing I'm pondering is whether it's best to slowly sneak in with max stealth or is it more like deer are gonna know you're there no matter what so if they're in the area you're gonna spook them anyway so just get in there asap.

Stealth or speed?

 

[WvuDieHard]

Anytime I go into the woods, I go Indian style. I take 3 steps, stop and listen. Then I do again and again and again. This technique I use for entering the woods in the afternoon or after daylight. If you are going in before daylight, get in there as fast as you can. Sooner you get set up the better.

 

[BF4L]

I pick targets to get to. I go from tree to tree in a normal pace. Anything that will break up my silhouette. I try and walk 10-15 yds at a time and stop for a minute. Wait about 1 minute listen and go again.

 

[da55bums]

apply for any urban tags in any part of the state if you want to get a crack at a bit easier monster bucks...buddy got a 23 pt right next to a university property in the city last year, it made a lot of top lists in magazine/internet sights this last off season but the actual story was comical of how he got it.

 

[NEhomer]

Well we're pretty much done scouting. I'll retrieve my game cam this weekend and then stay outta there until the last weekend. It's fun to collect game cam pics but nothing photographed will change where we're planning on setting up.

 

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