phade

Strangely, one of the oddest things about that place is that everyone says they see a few does, but never bucks. You are only the second person to mention a buck encounter of any size. That boggles me...there has to be bucks in there. Just odd with the theme that there are does but no appreciable bucks. Me thinks there are some people that know what they are doing and have a nice little honey hole or two in there and the spot hasn't been blown up.

Yep...cutting corn by my house. Field came down on Mon-Tuesday.

It does get some pressure. There's a small strip (hillside) of that place that holds turkey that's not advertised much, but the locals around it pound that portion. I think that place holds potential...identify the areas you can and look for transition between marsh and other cover. You should find beds around there, or trails at that point leading into bedding on isolated islands (even a 3x5 footprint from a lone tree). If you can find any sort of mast source, like an oak, on an island...gold mine.

Must be a house model or something, because Moultrie shows nothing of the sort. Take C or AA?

Early and Late season hunting for me accounts for about 75% hunting in the afternoon. Rarely will you beat a buck to his bed in the morning unless the conditions are correct or you have some other lead on him letting you in on an ambush spot in his safe zone. I will hunt a morning or two in early October for a doe if I feel inclined but only in an area where I feel I don't have a mature buck around and I can get in/out safely without burning ground. I will also try lower-priority areas where I feel like I simply cannot acess the area in daylight for an afternoon hunt. As October nears end, then it starts to make more sense in hunting mornings because bucks core areas increase and they tend scrapes and look for that first estrous doe, which sometimes keeps them out of their bed longer. Heading into the chase phase, sitting all day in the appropriate spots makes sense - even if that means being close to bedding in the a.m., transitioning to a funnel to for mid morning through mid-afternoon, and moving back to a bedding area around that 2-3 p.m. dead time. Late season, deer are on edge. Very hard given the lack of cover and the fact most deer move close to the food (if they have to), and the constant pressure. This leaves afternoons as the more reasonable hunt to try to catch them in their bed and set up between that food source or on the food source itself if they are showing there in shooting hours. Again, some deer will show you they can be had in the mornings at this time, but you need to be very close to their bed an be able to get in before they get there - typically that's a one and done hunt because you're burning ground to beat that buck to the spot. But, it can be done. There's no hard rule, but for me, most of my early season hunts are p.m. hunts.

How does that happen with a string stopper? Lol. Bad night indeed.

I can't see that man writing that piece (meaning he penned it himself).

Welcome!

you have radish flowering? how long ago did you plant it?

Good call. I think you'll like it.

What is a D-338? Must be some fancy new model specific to SW? Unless you mean the D-333?

Speed sells, accuracy kills.

Redfield is a good option. Bushnell's Chuck Adams edition if solid, but it's more geared toward bowhunting than gun use as the angle compensation halts at 100 yards.

The camera and the intrusion could simply have been picked up by the buck and he's shifted his range slightly or taken a different trail. He could be bedded a 1/2 mile a way and that area is part of his circuit. Or, he could have simply moved his core area...lots of reasons. Getting one pic of a buck at night isn't all that exciting imo.

I've never had UA gear that I was satisfied with. Don't know why, but I've had poor luck with their base layers. No longer buy them.

I use quite a bit of camo patterns...Predator Fall Gray is awesome in a tree for bowhunting. I agree that HD and HD green were decent choices back in the day.

Wind and thermals dictate my entry, exit, route, and even the stand I choose. I am not a fan of burning ground for a bad decision or a lazy one (ie a poor route in that is faster). I think of entry routes most often before a stand site. If I can't get to it safely, no reason to set one there.

Honestly, I think those designs are built more for mobile/all-around style hunting - I can't see them being good for long-term stand hunting. More of a general purpose for someone who will sit an hour or two on stand, then get down and walk around on way back to truck. Base Layers for stand hunting in super cold weather are expensive no matter what though. I usually throw on my Rocky mid-weights ($20 cheapies at Wally World) and pack in my heavy double fleece layers to go over top once at the stand. I will say if I know I am stand hunting for more than an hour or 90 minutes, I'm using my IWOM much more...although, I've gotten brave enough to simply walk into the woods in boots, socks, and a set of base layers. Probably a sight to see for some unlucky hunter. Don't need more than that with my IWOM. That set is probably a good fit for most late season hunters, but I doubt that cagtegory are the kind to spend that much loot on "long johns." I think I'd be interested in trying them in the $50-60 range, but not at $100 a pop.

A little close, eh. Go to a pro shop and have them spend some time with you and get you set up.

That's a score.

I think you misunderstood me as I didn't make my point clear. I'm not necessarily wearing all of these layers or multiple layers at once. I just prefer not to have to wash a base layer each night - I'm not re-using them with the stink I build up, lol. Doesn't sound like a hassle, but it is, especially if I go out of state. I looked at my bag of goodies and I have 6 light base layers 4 mid-weights 2 heavies With that, I usually need to hit the laundromat once in a 7 or 9 day hunt out of state depending on weather. Plus, day 4 or 5 of an all-day sit at home here in NY...when I get out of the woods, I crasssssssh. Last thing I want to do is laundry.

Scrapes are opening now (meaning the ground rather than licking branch) in some areas. Here's a dink working one.

Last time I checked, I had to work for my money to spend on drippers, scents, not to mention going the store to buy them, setting them up, etc. A good old fashioned scrape dirt swap and licking branch swap is free from another hunting parcel. Or I can just whiz, too. Mere minutes after doing so... then... Have just as many of these as I suspect drippers do. Whatever works, but for me, less is more.

Pricey is an understatement. With as many days as I hunt, no way can I invest in base layers that expensive. I usually have several light, several medium, and a handful of the heavy ones. I'd love to learn how warm they are, how effective they are, and how long they'd last in regular use.