Reverse Psychology

[Timberman]

I've lately been pouring over maps of WMA's thinking about which quota hunts I want to try for and what other hunts may interest me. Doing so brings my thoughts to biggest piece of advice I hear about hunting public land-to go deep.

My quandary is thus. Except for on the larger mountain wma's, there is rarely a stretch of even a mile in a straight line where there isn't another road or access point. In most cases much closer than that.

So if the advice is to go deep is followed, are the middle of the blocks full of people? What if somebody was to hunt places right beside the road or areas that are overlooked because they aren't "deep" enough? Has anybody tried that?

Another reason for this train of thought: Years ago when we were hunting in Taliaferro County all the young bucks would get up early and take off hither and yon to the farthest and deepest parts of the lease. My father would wake up late and walk about 50 yards from camp where he could watch a crossing while drinking his coffee. He killed several very nice bucks doing that and messed up on one he said was the biggest he had ever seen. That has always stuck in my head.

 

[Dustin Pate]

There are many spots on a couple WMA's that I hunt almost within sight of where I park. Don't ignore sign just because you are "supposed" to go deep.

 

[sghoghunter]

Not sure if this helps or not but I hunt sorta deep to get away from people. This yr is my first yr hunting the club that my brother took over and it's a pick two private spots and our picked spots are at the front right by where you come in the gate. To me it's no better than anywhere else on the club it's just on a dead end lane that no one else has any reason going down.

 

[Whit90]

I try to go deep to mainly stay away from other folks and I hardly ever see another person while in the stand. Most just dont want to walk so far. But I have hunted not so far from the truck and not seen anyone as well... I do try to look at the maps and try to look at all the entry ways. If there are a lot of easy entry ways I usually skip that area. But you never know. I think it also depends on the WMA and how much traffic it sees. Good luck!

 

[j_seph]

Killed 2 bucks year before last 10 min apart, could see cars going down the dirt road

 

[OmenHonkey]

Much like you i have studied maps to find these elusive "Deep" spots. yet when i walk in right off the road usually has the most sign. If i see a crossing on the road, i head in that direction. In my part of the state most WMA's are 2000 to 6000 acres. Thats really not that much land to cover on foot and not counting the roads you run into along the way.

 

[Timberman]

Exactly. On most WMA’s you really can’t go deep even if you wanted to.

 

[Whit90]

All rules are gone when the rut is on anyway

 

[Timberman]

Good Point.

So is it best on a crowded wma to scout and hunt good deer sign or to hunt based on where the other hunters will be? Doesn't the amount of hunters disrupt normal deer patterns?

 

[Whit90]

I in the same boat as you. I really dont know what the best thing to do, or if there is one. When there are a lot of folks in the woods it throws the deer off and they pretty much in survival mode. There are so many variables when it comes to public land hunting. If there is an obvious areas where you think folks will target, you can use that to your advantage by getting on the down wind side of that area ( with a good bit of land between you and that spot) in hopes of having deer that come between you and that spot to catch the other hunters wind and head your way.

But my gut says hunt the sign.

 

[delacroix]

They tend to plan quota hunts as unorganized man drives. That is why the hunts are so often overcrowded, bordering on criminally unsafe. This is not the typical find the sign and pattern a buck deal. They're not relying on hunting skills of the average public land hunter to meet their harvest goals. Your study of maps should be for escape routes away from heavily hunted areas.

 

[Timberman]

My thoughts as well

 

[deerhunter1636]

The deer are going to hide in the thickest cover they can find whether its 100 yards off the road or 500 yards off the road.. I hunt the cover not the distance. Usually get mature bucks (3.5 yr old +) every year on public land.

 

[Timberman]

The deer are going to hide in the thickest cover they can find whether its 100 yards off the road or 500 yards off the road.. I hunt the cover not the distance. Usually get mature bucks (3.5 yr old +) every year on public land.

 

[7Mag Hunter]

I hunt WMA exclusively for the past 10+ yrs.....I avoid foot travel trails, well used parking spaces and overall "easy to access" creek bottoms or hardwood areas...You WILL see more hunters than deer.....I look for sections of road that does not have easy parking or access to the woods.....I will park down the road from the area i intend to hunt....
it is not really necessary to go deep into the woods to kill deer, you just need to find thick areas that offer sanctuary to deer... yrs ago at Oaky woods, during a noon break i decided to scout a thick area that bordered the main road.. I parked 100 yds up the road from a tangled briar patch and played the wind to go around the thicket,,,, I jumped a doe bedded down 100 yds from the road right in the middle of the thicket....she went home in the truck.....

bottom line is, deer are smart, and have the ability to find and use cover, a we just need to be smarter than them...

Good Luck !!

 

[deerhunter1636]

Yep, I noticed a very thick 3 acre cut over right next to the check station. I sat in a tree 200 yrs away on opening morning and watched everyone pulling in and out of the check station ( with my bino's) checking in their kill that morning. At 10:45 am I shot two 8 pointers within 25 yrds of the tree I was in.. one was a 2.5 yr old and second a 3.5 yr old buck. Went back to the same tree two weeks later for the next check in hunt and at 11:20 am killed a 5.5 yr old 8 pointer out of the same tree. He was walking the exact same trail as the first two bucks. They were walking around in the thick cover and were not coming out in the open.. I could only see a few small opening out in the over grown clear cut and sat with my finger on the trigger. I saw a couple bears walking around in there as well. No bears allowed to be killed on that WMA though but they were fun to watch. Play the wind, get in as tight as you can to the thick cover and sit and wait. I get in the tree way before day light and see most of the big bucks between 10:30 and 2:00 pm. I am 58 years old and just figured all this out in the last 6 to 7 years. Good luck.

 

[Timberman]

Now we're gettin to the meat and taters. Great info!

 

[Curtis]

Used to hunt Redlands back in the 1980's and killed several nice deer while hinting on the ground, not 50 yards from the road right where a some thick cover opened up a little near a small creek. Could hear folks walking in and out.

 

[matt79brown]

''Hunt where the deer are, not where you want them to be'' -best huntin' advice anyone ever gave me.

 

[tree cutter 08]

I quit hunting wmas that you can't go deep in. I don't want to hear a vehicle or see another person. That's just the way i like to hunt.