Covering Ground or Thick Escape Routes

[moog5050 19939]

What’s your preference tomorrow? Last year I covered ground by hunting a field with a plot.  My friend whom I sat with had two shots on nice bucks but didn’t connect.   This year I am not mentoring a new hunter and didn’t plant a plot so planning to sit a stand with decent deer activity in heavy cover that I consider a likely escape route.   New gun stand so at least it will be interesting.  

[Swamp_bucks 2455]

Both.  It's a ridge that's wide open but it has thickets on 2 sides and swamps on the other 2 so once they get in there they feel comfortable.  Cant see into it cant see out unless your on the top like where my stand is.  It's only maybe 20acres of this stateland. I'm expecting people coming in from 3 sides to push deer into me like last year.  My brother will be covering an escape route to another swamp 300yards away.

[Buckmaster7600 8850]

I hung a stand this morning in an area that was heavily logged last winter. It’s probably the highest stand I’ve ever hung because the higher I went the more I could see so it’s got a 20ft ladder stick and 5 sticks. It’s thicker than hell and getting a shot might be tough but I should be able to see them.


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[mowin 3860]

I'm in the thick stuff next to a swamp. Max shot 100 yrds on the fringe, as short as 25 in the thick stuff. 

[Robhuntandfish 13940]

me and another guy will be covering a couple trails that they might cross and also the backside of some thick swamp.  When they come thru they either cross one of these trails for a quick shot or try to sneak around the back end of the thick swamp where there are open shots but only in spots. 

[Nomad 12609]

Field that is an escape route . The Half a Bean field , During the first hour or so , bucks have been entering it in a hedgerow gap to the left of the blind , does have been lazily crossing it to the right .   . The West edge of a maybe 20 acre thicket is along the far side of the field and they’ll also run across this field if pushed from across the road , to get to it .

Still don’t know if Kathy is interested in a doe tomorrow, Im just hoping she remembered to buy her hunting license today .

Edited November 20, 2020 by Nomad

[grampy 17158]

28 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

What’s your preference tomorrow? Last year I covered ground by hunting a field with a plot.  My friend whom I sat with had two shots on nice bucks but didn’t connect.   This year I am not mentoring a new hunter and didn’t plant a plot so planning to sit a stand with decent deer activity in heavy cover that I consider a likely escape route.   New gun stand so at least it will be interesting.  

I think you have a very sound plan Brian, stick with it. Good luck.

My spot tomorrow, will be a very thick bedding area that we made a cut into last year. 

During gun season, I've found that hunting the thicker areas as opposed to open areas, is much more productive. 

Edited November 20, 2020 by grampy

[Splitear 429]

I'm covering a well traveled ridge line, with some shot opportunities behind me to a hay field. I've not hunted this property much (one time). I'm hoping that I can catch something moving through, with a potential option to see something feeding. I never did find much buck sign, but the does are there, which means the bucks will be somewhere. 

I have another fencerow tree that gives me good views of a couple pastures with thick cover on one end, and woods on the other. I'm thinking if it's raining on Monday, I might give that one a shot.

Edited November 20, 2020 by Splitear

[WWJD_Hunter 660]

Plan A was to hunt in some thick pines escape route, but wind is coming out of the NW won’t work for that situation. Plan B is to hunt a field  surrounded by bedding , which works best for a NW west wind.  I hoping the deer will run in there from the pressure around me. 

[wolc123 2987]

2 hours ago, mowin said:

I'm in the thick stuff next to a swamp. Max shot 100 yrds on the fringe, as short as 25 in the thick stuff. 

That sounds virtually identical to the spot I am headed to.  The last two openers were good there, and I hope to extend my streak.  The swamp is pretty dry this year, which should simplify a recovery.  Two years ago, I had to float a 200 plus pounder (with guts), out on a big plastic sled to get him to a dry spot.

That spot is at my parents place, which is about 15 miles from ours, on the opposite corner of the dmu. I would have stayed at home this year, since my food plots (corn, turnips, wheat, and clover) are looking great.  I will on Sunday.

  Unfortunately, the one nice shooter buck, that I have been fattening up all summer, got wacked by a car a couple nights ago.  Someone sawed off the horns and I dragged the carcass to my butcher waste pile.  A big coyote was tearing him up after I left for work this morning.  My daughter took a video of the carnage. 

The only other buck I have seen around here is a tiny racked 4 point.  The big dead one had gone nocturnal after about October 15 anyhow.

[Cabin Fever 3737]

New property so not sure what to expect. I have myself, my son, and my daughter set up on escape routes. I'm in a swamp, but the kids are set up overlooking thickets and edges. Doubt anyone can see more than 75 yards in any direction.

[genesee_mohican 875]

Sounds like some great set ups here!  I would prefer a thick escape area, or any thick cover you can see into over a field or food plot....especially on opening day. I seem to be in a new location every year. Tomorrow I'll be well off the road, sitting on a hillside that over looks a river bottom. The first 10 yards has a few small trees, then there is 50 yards of tall grass on a bench which has a natural trail going through it. Beyond that is willow thickets with open areas, then the river 200 yds out. I'm up high enough on the hillside to have a pretty good look down into the bottom. I'm looking forward to it.

[ncountry 1252]

11 minutes ago, genesee_mohican said:

Sounds like some great set ups here!  I would prefer a thick escape area, or any thick cover you can see into over a field or food plot....especially on opening day. I seem to be in a new location every year. Tomorrow I'll be well off the road, sitting on a hillside that over looks a river bottom. The first 10 yards has a few small trees, then there is 50 yards of tall grass on a bench which has a natural trail going through it. Beyond that is willow thickets with open areas, then the river 200 yds out. I'm up high enough on the hillside to have a pretty good look down into the bottom. I'm looking forward to it.

I like those spots! I can picture a few of them in the park..