Yesterday's hunt and more lessons learned

[thermaler]

Yesterday was my second time out hunting and boy what a difference a couple of days make. My first trip out there seemed to be deer everywhere (except close within shooting range)--yesterday the woods seemed to be empty, I may be imagining things but I could almost sense "spooked" in the air. I was lugging along a portable ladder and hanging stand and all my gear together weighed close to 50 lbs--I now know why you want a good tree-climber stand . : )

The area I'm hunting is archery only, and after crossing a field that slopes upward with the intention of setting a stand up with a good vantage point--the very spot I had chosen from the distance already had a high ladder and hanging stand on it (nobody in it)--had to be at least 40 feet off the ground. I'm just a beginner--but I'm a little suspicious about the set-up. It seems to me that the height and angles the hunter would be shooting at would be low-probability/high-risk shots with a bow--though looked perfect for a rifle set-up with long-range command of the field. Any thoughts?

[rjtfroggy]

Here is a suggestion, look these up;

www.treewalkertreestands.com

Instaed of carrying" in a house painters rig" look these over. IMO best tree stand you can buy, and believe me I have tried many many stands over my 40+ years of hunting both bow and gun seasons. These are as stable as any strap-chain on,as comfortable and as big as any and they are pretty light right around 16-18 lbs. . just a great all season stand.

[thermaler]

Here is a suggestion, look these up;

www.treewalkertreestands.com

Instaed of carrying" in a house painters rig" look these over. IMO best tree stand you can buy, and believe me I have tried many many stands over my 40+ years of hunting both bow and gun seasons. These are as stable as any strap-chain on,as comfortable and as big as any and they are pretty light right around 16-18 lbs. . just a great all season stand.

Those look really nice. My problem is all my life I've never been a "sit still" kind of person--I'm seriously thinking of trying ground hunting. I have a ghillie suit--but if I want to go during rifle season I need lots of orange and I don't know if that defeats the purpose of the suit or not.

[jbjh]

Portable ground blinds are pretty light and easy to set up. Remember to pay attention to wind direction, as well as open exposure ( if you cross an open field, everything saw you).

If you found a stand already set up when you got there, yesterday's hunting pressure might have driven the game away for a few days.

And please, if you use a tree stand, use a safety strap. It is not an option.

[snowgetter1]

I gave up hunting deer like a squirrel, tree stand, about 4 or 5 years ago. I have a homemade ghillie suit I wear and sit on a stool. Bow hunting can be a challenge, but it is intense.

[thermaler]

I gave up hunting deer like a squirrel, tree stand, about 4 or 5 years ago. I have a homemade ghillie suit I wear and sit on a stool. Bow hunting can be a challenge, but it is intense.

I went on a hunt yesterday--got up at 3:00am and went into the GA mountains on a record-breaking cold day. I decided to ground hunt with my ghillie suit--but it turned out to be a huge hassle; the woods are very thick with dense brush, downed sticks and briers, and the ghillie suit basically functioned as velcro sucking in so many sticks at times I couldn't walk--not to mention all the additional noise. I don't see how this works in dense woods. Another thing--all the extra material bunched up in the shoulder area effectively increases the length of pull making sighting in more difficult.

My buddy I went with went off to set up a stand--unlike me he's very experienced and has hunted successfully since he was a kid and he harvests lots of deer every year . I covered a lot more terrain than he did since I was ground hunting--but we both remarked how little signs of deer we saw--very few trails, tracks and neither of us found scat and only one rub. Nonetheless, I could hear shots going off in the woods occasionally, so they must have been somewhere. I started to descend into an isolated gully but half way down encountered a blind which I believe was unoccupied. Funny thing is I can spot these stands or blinds easily from 50 to 100 yards away--and I know deer are a lot more likely to see them than me.

[snowgetter1]

Since using the ghillie I hunt in mostly open terrain. Usually I just sit on the shady side of a bush. I know what you are saying with trying to walk in brush.

[nso123]

Just a hint for a beginner, particularly if you are hunting public land, if you find a spot with an old stand there is probably a reason. I always look for old wooden stands when I hunt a new piece of property. If someone went to the trouble of building that stand, it is probably because the saw deer in that area frequently.

As for ground hunting right now, the woods are still too thick around here, so it will be a few weeks before they thin down. I took my son yesterday for the youth hunt and we used a portable blind, but the deer are still deep in the woods feeding on acorns, and it was too thick for much more than a 30-40 yard shot.

[thermaler]

Just a hint for a beginner, particularly if you are hunting public land, if you find a spot with an old stand there is probably a reason. I always look for old wooden stands when I hunt a new piece of property. If someone went to the trouble of building that stand, it is probably because the saw deer in that area frequently.

As for ground hunting right now, the woods are still too thick around here, so it will be a few weeks before they thin down. I took my son yesterday for the youth hunt and we used a portable blind, but the deer are still deep in the woods feeding on acorns, and it was too thick for much more than a 30-40 yard shot.

The stand and blind I saw looked brand new--I'm guessing they were left behind for deer to get used to or when "circumstances" are more favorable. I'm a TN resident as well--but live next to GA so I hunt both (expensive!). I'm curious--are there any rules about leave-behind stands in WMA's around here? I figure if I can easily bust them from a distance that can't be good.

[big honkin jeep]

We have a family "farm" ( rocks, trees, deer ,turkeys etc)in NW Ga. west of Rome close to Berry. I've been hunting that area since before there was a decent huntable population of deer there. I can possibly give you a couple of tips to help you out. 1) Find an area where the leaves have been churned up they do this when scratching to find acorns. I can usually find an area like this in hardwood bottoms near some white oaks. Set up down wind from this area against a tree large enough to break up your silhouette like squirrel hunting. 2) Deer are batcrap blind. A ghillie is way overkill. A good set of insulated camo coveralls warm hat and gloves an orange vest and a good cushion is all you really need. They do see movement well so set up and be still. If you are still they wont see you and depending on where they are going can get within 5 yards and never know you are there. They may smell or hear you when that close and even look right at you but they don't know what you are and wont bolt as long as you're still. They may go on alert and start stamping and blowing telling the others their is something wrong but they don't know what it is. If you keep your cool they will keep theirs and usually just wander off. I typically hunt from the ground early in the season ( we have several ladder stands and wooden stands in good locations but I prefer ground hunting this early) because with the leaves still on the trees you can see much better from the ground right now anyway. If you try and stalk them they will usually see you way before you see them and they will bolt. If they see you move they can make you out easily and you'll be left with a view of a white flag waving goodbye. Be still all of natures best predators do. 3) The less gear you take the easier it makes life. We are in a time when advertising and the latest gimmicks are everywhere. Be still and be quiet. the deer population in this area at one time was nearly eliminated without all the gadgets and had to be restocked from other areas. 4) A couple of things I do use, Scent killer spray, A good comfortable cushion, Warm camo (it's hard to be still if you're cold) good boots and a good knife. Leave the calls, rattles etc. at home. In my opinion you have a better chance of spooking them than drawing them in. Be still, be quiet. As far as items left on a WMA, The Ga regs state that a tree stand must be removed by noon of the day after a hunt. leaving stuff behind on public land is just asking for it to disappear. Good luck and be safe.

[thermaler]

We have a family "farm" ( rocks, trees, deer ,turkeys etc)in NW Ga. west of Rome close to Berry. I've been hunting that area since before there was a decent huntable population of deer there. I can possibly give you a couple of tips to help you out. 1) Find an area where the leaves have been churned up they do this when scratching to find acorns. I can usually find an area like this in hardwood bottoms near some white oaks. Set up down wind from this area against a tree large enough to break up your silhouette like squirrel hunting. 2) Deer are batcrap blind. A ghillie is way overkill. A good set of insulated camo coveralls warm hat and gloves an orange vest and a good cushion is all you really need. They do see movement well so set up and be still. If you are still they wont see you and depending on where they are going can get within 5 yards and never know you are there. They may smell or hear you when that close and even look right at you but they don't know what you are and wont bolt as long as you're still. They may go on alert and start stamping and blowing telling the others their is something wrong but they don't know what it is. If you keep your cool they will keep theirs and usually just wander off. I typically hunt from the ground early in the season ( we have several ladder stands and wooden stands in good locations but I prefer ground hunting this early) because with the leaves still on the trees you can see much better from the ground right now anyway. If you try and stalk them they will usually see you way before you see them and they will bolt. If they see you move they can make you out easily and you'll be left with a view of a white flag waving goodbye. Be still all of natures best predators do. 3) The less gear you take the easier it makes life. We are in a time when advertising and the latest gimmicks are everywhere. Be still and be quiet. the deer population in this area at one time was nearly eliminated without all the gadgets and had to be restocked from other areas. 4) A couple of things I do use, Scent killer spray, A good comfortable cushion, Warm camo (it's hard to be still if you're cold) good boots and a good knife. Leave the calls, rattles etc. at home. In my opinion you have a better chance of spooking them than drawing them in. Be still, be quiet. As far as items left on a WMA, The Ga regs state that a tree stand must be removed by noon of the day after a hunt. leaving stuff behind on public land is just asking for it to disappear. Good luck and be safe.

Thanks for that BHJ--I hiked over Johns mtn and into the border of the Chattahootchie so I could use a rifle and be out of the archery-only WMA's. I'm trying to get all the beginner goof-ups out of the way as soon as I can so I have a reasonable chance during the rut. I do have a cross-bow and the way things look it might be better to stick with that?? I live close to Otting tract, Zahnde and Pigeon and they are primarily archery except for a couple of managed weekend hunts. I can also hunt TN. I'm lucky in that being self-employed I can break away during the week. What is you take on the season as it's shaping up?

BTW--have you tried out the 15RL yet? I don't think I'll have the time to concentrate on my 300 win mag loads till the season is over, I'm gonna stick with my proven 308's for now. I don't suppose you know of any place to target practice that is 200 or more yds in NW GA?

[J.Baker]

Very hard to hunt public land as just when you think you've found a good spot 50 other guys find and setup in the same spot.

As for setting up and leaving a stand/blind, be forewarned that a great deal of them that are setup permanently on public ground (and even on private property) end up getting stolen in short order. Very heavy chain and a quality padlock are highly recommended if you choose to do this.

I still think a climbing treestand is the best solution for hunting public lands. You take it with you as you come and go so there's no worrying about it being stolen. You can easily move to a new location as needed depending on conditions, pressure and/or movement patterns. Last but not least, most all of them are specifically designed to be as light as possible so you aren't killing yourself trying to carry it into/out of the woods like you are with a ladder stand or a separate stand and ladder sections.

Haven't ever hunted in that region before so I can't offer up much in terms of tips. The one I do have though is pretty universal: Don't get so caught up and concerned over bagging game that you aren't enjoying yourself. Take the time to enjoy just being out in nature - some of my most memorable days hunting I never launched an arrow or pulled the trigger.

My personal favorite was when I was still hunting with my bow one time and I had a fawn come in close enough to tap it on the nose before momma (who was maybe 15-20 feet away) gave an irritated bleet to call the fawn back to her side. My second favorite would probably be watching two young red foxes running around and playing for 20-30 minutes while sitting in my treestand one morning during muzzleloader season.

[thermaler]

Very hard to hunt public land as just when you think you've found a good spot 50 other guys find and setup in the same spot.

As for setting up and leaving a stand/blind, be forewarned that a great deal of them that are setup permanently on public ground (and even on private property) end up getting stolen in short order. Very heavy chain and a quality padlock are highly recommended if you choose to do this.

I still think a climbing treestand is the best solution for hunting public lands. You take it with you as you come and go so there's no worrying about it being stolen. You can easily move to a new location as needed depending on conditions, pressure and/or movement patterns. Last but not least, most all of them are specifically designed to be as light as possible so you aren't killing yourself trying to carry it into/out of the woods like you are with a ladder stand or a separate stand and ladder sections.

Haven't ever hunted in that region before so I can't offer up much in terms of tips. The one I do have though is pretty universal: Don't get so caught up and concerned over bagging game that you aren't enjoying yourself. Take the time to enjoy just being out in nature - some of my most memorable days hunting I never launched an arrow or pulled the trigger.

My personal favorite was when I was still hunting with my bow one time and I had a fawn come in close enough to tap it on the nose before momma (who was maybe 15-20 feet away) gave an irritated bleet to call the fawn back to her side. My second favorite would probably be watching two young red foxes running around and playing for 20-30 minutes while sitting in my treestand one morning during muzzleloader season.

Luv it...+10 : )

I've always enjoyed the mountains all my life.

[big honkin jeep]

I don't deer hunt public land. Fortunate in that regard. The season in NW Ga seems to be shaping up well. My brother hunted both weekends so far and saw multiple deer each time. We really try to not overpressure the herd there and to be selective. He took a doe from the farm last weekend with his Edge in .270 at 65 yards and put some meat in the freezer. I'll probably start soon. I usually hunt the weeks surrounding the rut. (Nov 18th). Maybe a couple of more times if the kids come up. As far as the goof ups just set up preferably where they feed, be still, and leave the calls at home, you'll be fine. I haven't had a chance to play with the RL15 yet. I'll probably just stick with an Accubond and Varget load that works OK until I get a chance to do some workup. I'm not sure of anywhere to shoot up that way. Maybe a DNR range on a WMA but it'll probably only go to 100. We don't shoot paper where we hunt during hunting season. Good luck and keep at it. It'll come.