Can't figure them out...

[nybuckboy]

It seem that deer will always do what you don't plan or calculate they will do. The Elusive Whitetail Deer.

Tonight I sat in the old apple orchard. The wind was out of the N/NW and perfect for the orchard. I have not sat there once this season, not even bow. Saw nothing from 3 til dark. Came out and walked along the cut corn edge and there were the same 4 doe I see each time. They came out with the wind. They went back in when they saw me so I began to walk back to the 4 wheeler.

This small 7 acre scrub patch always holds deer and sure enough there were 2 on the south side of the patch. They too came out with the wind. I stood there glassing them and several more came out. In all it looked like 8 total and one was chasing after a couple. I could see a decent beam on the buck but had no idea really what it was and by now it was way safe shooting let alone legal sunset.

[First-light]

Expect the unexpected .

[crappyice]

And yet so many are able to "pattern them".....I know I'm not on of the "so many"

Thank god I love tag soup!

[WingNut]

This season has sucked....

Just to sum it up.

[nybuckboy]

And yet so many are able to "pattern them".....I know I'm not on of the "so many"

Thank god I love tag soup!

I believe early season you can pattern them going from bedding to feed and back again but as the gun season goes into full swing it will be very difficult. Then again late season you may be able to start patterning once again. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

I believe early season you can pattern them going from bedding to feed and back again but as the gun season goes into full swing it will be very difficult. Then again late season you may be able to start patterning once again. 

 

The middle of gun season, at least on the ground I hunt, is all about knowing the escape routes. You dont pattern food, water, etc, you pattern escape routes from thickets and bedding areas. Let other hunters bump them to you, take advantage of other guys still hunting, or drive them. Thats how we do it. I prefer not to do all out drives, I really like to still hunt and do small 2 or 3 person "bump drives" as I call them. You basically put one or two guys on watch, then have the other guy still hunt an area. If he sees the deer, he shoots, if he bumps them out, you have to know where to sit to take them out of the escape routes. Three out of the 4 good bucks we have killed on the farm this year fell to still hunts and small bump drives. Does were taken on watch or on the bigger drives.

[Hunter1]

I agree with WingNut hev sumed it up best

[NYbuck50]

WNY nailed it.. I hunt food/bedding/travel routes through bow season, but once gun starts we switch over to escape route stands for opening day and usually clean up. After opening day of gun i still hunt the rest of the year, and put our rookies or the old guys on the escape routes.

The middle of gun season, at least on the ground I hunt, is all about knowing the escape routes. You dont pattern food, water, etc, you pattern escape routes from thickets and bedding areas. Let other hunters bump them to you, take advantage of other guys still hunting, or drive them. Thats how we do it. I prefer not to do all out drives, I really like to still hunt and do small 2 or 3 person "bump drives" as I call them. You basically put one or two guys on watch, then have the other guy still hunt an area. If he sees the deer, he shoots, if he bumps them out, you have to know where to sit to take them out of the escape routes. Three out of the 4 good bucks we have killed on the farm this year fell to still hunts and small bump drives. Does were taken on watch or on the bigger drives.