Started watching your videos a few months ago. Had pretty much given up on hunting big woods bucks but I have found a renewed interest through the content of your videos. Lord willing I will be retired this fall and will have more time to pursue those elusive public land bucks. No hunters in the family prior to me so I have had to learn it on my own. I have had some success over the years but not on big mature big woods bucks. Spent the day yesterday trying to put some pieces of the puzzle together on one that eluded me this fall. Thanks for the inspiration to get back at it.
Hey thanks for the post it means a lot. I’m really happy to hear you have a renewed interest in it. It’s a tough thing hunting the big woods… can really test a persons sanity. I’ve spent countless hours on stand in big woods settings only to get skunked for the year. I’m hoping these videos help folks because when it does come together in the big woods, the reward is so sweet. I wish you well on your renewed efforts- keep after it and remind yourself why we hunt the big woods. It has peace and solitude, very few other hunters, a chance at a big Buck, typically low cost of its public land. Take care and stay in touch
Love your videos! I hunt north central Minnesota big woods. I listened to you on East Meets West podcast, you and I have a very similar story, I am a civil engineering technician. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Mitch
@@northernforestwhitetail Wow, not too far away. I went to school in Moorhead for wildlife biology believe it or not, tough career field, so i switched gears and have been in the engineering field for 15 years.
I really enjoy your content and I try to apply it to my state of Pa. Where my hunting cabin is located. Looking forward to this years season in the big woods. Good luck to you! Thanks Randy
Hooray! I found you! You are THE BEST Deer Hunting Content---Anywhere. Hunting big woods is a lost art form...everybody wants a quick easy Ag area with Obvious kill points...Don't get me wrong, I have been there, done that. But as hunter numbers dwindle, I find big woods Hunting quite satisfying...and productive, as it pertains to harvesting Bigger Bucks!! A tactic I employ on large public land---is that Springtime scouting is tantamount. I use the time to basically LEGALLY drag and move obstructive dead-fall out of small Meadowed areas...keeping funnels, FUNNELS!! I am more or less a "road worker" for the herd(s) in my area. Also---I do not begin to hunt until around Nov. 5th...I keep my scent out of the woods...even though the season here in Michigan begins on Oct. 1st...Buck pre-rut is the best time to be in your spot! About a week before Michigan Firearms Season begins on Nov 15...by then, it is nearly over! Everybody has a date to the prom already! LOL ( almost).
It’s tough hunting the big woods… but, it can be so rewarding. We love the traditional deer camp atmosphere and the freedoms/solitude that come with wilderness hunting!
Great advice .. You just made me realize that the best Buck activity on the mock scrapes I had set up this year were on these long traveling corridors between doe groups and from feeding to bedding. I figure I'm on to something but need to tweak some of what you talked about. Thanks very helpful.
Maine North Woods Hunter here. In the state of Maine we have more forest than any other state in comparison to size of the state. I have hunted in these woods for more than 40 years. It is very hard to go to a good site one year and expect it to be good the next year. I am not saying they are not out there but they are rare. Food Sources and cover very in these areas every year. Acorns, some may drop every year while others maybe every other year. I also see that same thing with apple trees. Also with the timber lands being cut you are not sure from one year to the next what that will do either. I once said that the best time to scout for deer is the day after the season ends. Sadly, that scouting, I now see would only work if you could go back in time a month once you got all the necessary information you needed for that season. Hunting in the Big Woods is something that is done on the fly a lot of times. I am a disabled hunter so I have to sit a lot. I try to start scouting a couple of months before the season but that also has its issues because the deer here start to change where they reside once the food sources change and all the foliage falls off of the trees so what was once good cover no longer is. It sure is a puzzle that is fun to try to solve every year. We also have coyotes that some years seem to be everywhere while others you never hear a one. Just another wrench in this puzzle. Once more piece to our puzzle where I live in the central portion of the state is once the snow starts to fly the deer start heading to their winter yards as well so you can hunt an area one week and see plenty of sign, get some snow flying and then the deer have started to move to their wintering yards. It is great hunting in the big woods but you truly need to know how to HUNT, because you will be doing a whole lot of it. I really enjoy your videos. Good luck to you this season. God Bless and good hunting to you!
Great tips! Very similar to big woods in northern Wisconsin, I like to bounce cameras around on different community scrapes and destination food sources. I try to use the cameras to tell me if an area is good and when. Then the cameras get shifted around in the following years in new areas I find scouting.
I like that approach. It just seems so year-to-year in the big woods. For me, the cameras on the scrapes have been critical to maximizing my time in the tree stand. Telling me which area is getting usage and which isn’t.
@@northernforestwhitetail I agree! Things can change drastically from year to year up there. Especially with all the logging going on. I usually will keep the cameras in the same location for 3 years, that way if one year is a bust the following year might not be. It gives me a better idea for the potential of the area. Keeping them up for only 1 year might cause you to miss out on a great area. I haven’t tried many mock scrapes, I might try making a few this year.
Just started hunting the big woods 2 years ago, public all around my house. Going to definitely try your tips! I have the same buck i had an interaction sith last year back on cam and tips will help
Good luck. Lot of days it can feel hopeless. Stick with it though and you will find you can see older age class bucks if you are willing to put in the time.
I can relate on many levels to you and your experience. I hunt in the same part of the state that you so. Many times for me I’ve noticed that certain areas will vary from year to year even with no changes to the only major food sources I have - logging clearings. Whether that is due to wolf numbers in the area or simply taking time to recover when a mature buck is killed in an area I can’t be sure. But the cameras play a major role in helping me decide which area to hunt. I’m consistently successful in my camp due to pre-season preparation and simply going to where the deer are based on my cameras. One thing I haven’t tried is the mock scrape. I will have to try that! I focus very hard on funnels especially near converging habitat and terrain types, the more the better. You’re right about low deer densities; it’s enough to drive away most hunters. But it’s the way I was brought up and the camp experience makes it worth it!
I love it. Glad to meet other guys that hunt similar conditions. I didn’t touch a whole lot on wolves but I do believe they play a part in all this. We debate in camp every year if the wolves push deer out of and area and for how long the deer are gone. Do the deer go a long ways away or do they just go far enough to evade the wolves, then return? Our trail cams have proved that bucks that are hitting scrapes in late October typically stick around for the whole season. Not always but typically. Well I wish you luck out there in the big woods and stay in touch here with observations or strategies you use- it’s great to chat with other folks who share the big woods passion!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us. I find your pod cast interesting and relevant to where I hunt which is the northwest lower peninsula of Michigan. I feel that northern Minnesota has similar land and weather characteristics. My question though is do you believe in and use decoys, calls and or scents. Thank you and again I enjoy your podcast.
@@JoshLeffew-xb7xc hey thanks I appreciate it. So I do believe in calls (both rattling and grunting). But I have lost faith in scents. I also do not use decoys as the woods is so thick up there they just aren’t practical. I’ve tried scents several years (doe in estrus). It’s worked on small bucks bet never on a big one. The grunting and rattling has pulled in mature bucks for us though. I typically only call to deer when I see one. I seldom blind rattle because the buck will more than likely try to get downwind of you
Yep totally agree. I can pass one thing on that's happened. When we were able to bait, the doe's would come in to eat. But the bucks would always, always Go to the scrape. Sometimes never even touch the bait. Sometimes I experiment on what I put on a scrape. One year I put doe and heat urine on the licking branch. Bucks would come in and chew it. One year not even got me an eight-point as he was up on his hind legs, chewing the doe urine drenched licking branch. No, it don't happen all the time. But I've seen it more than a few times. Interesting nonetheless.
Great distinction on bigwoods to an AG ambiance and lead into travel corridors. I just heard on THP bucks 2.5yrand older increased their “tortuosity” 5 fold (a measure of non-linear travel or dithering) 3 days after opening day. The claim that blew me away was these “study” bucks never moved out of the area they were in all year.
I’ve been hunting northern Minnesota (Cloquet Valley State Forest.) for over 40 years, finally someone is producing content that relates to our unique situation. Low deer density, wolves, hard winters that can wipe out half the deer, no Ag, unlimited tracks of land. We have a historic family camp and I wouldn’t want to hunt anyplace else! That said, we have big bucks on camera, rarely during daylight, and most often late season after Nov. 15th. I know the land in our area like the back of our hand. Very difficult to find consistent bedding or travel corridors. Love to meet up some time and look at our area and get your thoughts on how you would hunt it. We are also just starting to use mock scrapes. What do you use for the licking branch? I’ve tried Smokey’s pre-orbital scent with some success, Someone once said vanilla works good?
So you guys have the nocturnal bucks too- isn’t that interesting?? Almost no hunting pressure in these areas yet bucks are nocturnal. I love hunting the big woods- like you say, there’s nothing else like it. My email is available on my channel page if you go to my profile is should be there. Feel free to touch base with me that way. Thanks for watching!
I hunt the Northern Maine woods for record size bucks. Feed is everywhere as in clear cuts, thus allowing no concentrated travel of does or bucks that can be easily located. Fresh tracks in snow offer the best scouting strategy for hunting the Northern Maine woods that go for hundreds of miles. I do have to say that I love hunting that area.
The deer densities are so low in our areas you and I hunt, that can make a guy go nuts during deer season. I’ve done it! But, when you do connect on a big woods public land buck, the reward is so much greater than the food plot deal in farm country. I hunt both conditions but the big woods will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks for watching!
As a native from Central MN who loves hunting the big woods up North I'm so glad I found your channel. Such good info you're putting out. Now excuse me while I binge watch all your videos 😂 You just got another sub
I also hunt in bigger woods, PA, with no outside food sources. Lots of hunter on public land, even if i go a mile or more. Do coyotes play a rule in your neighborhood?Good video!
Thanks for the note. Yeah we have coyotes and wolves where I’m at. They are both hard on the deer. But the deer still find a way to survive. I’ve heard PA had immense hunting pressure. Good luck out there
Something I'm thinking you might be able to answer since you have the experience ... I've noticed that Bucks visiting the MS will check or work the overhanging branches but will not work the scrape. Do you see this as well, and do you find that its mostly younger Bucks ?
Yeah I see this all the time. In fact I would say it’s honestly not that often that the buck is kicking dirt away from the scrape. Probably 80% of the time they are only working over the branch. I’ve pondered this. My only theory is that the pre orbital gland scent (from the eye/forehead area of the deer) is the most important. I’ve observed does sniffing/touching the overhead branch and I believe that is their communication method with bucks during the rut to ensure all does get bred over time. The times I’ve observed a buck actually kicking away dirt it’s usually followed up by the deer urinating in the scrape after rubbing the tarsal glands (on hind legs) together. One possibility could be that the buck just doesn’t have to urinate at that moment? Another possibility is that when a buck kicks dirt away, he is trying to remove a rival bucks scent from the scrape, start fresh, and saturate the area with his own scent. If he was the last deer to use the scrape, there would be no need to “scrape away” the old scent from another buck. These are just theories of mine. But I do strongly believe that the licking branch and associated forehead scent is how bucks find does and how does find bucks. I believe it works both ways. I’ve had does bed in and near mock scrapes. Almost as if they are waiting for their Prince Charming to show up and wisk them off their feet.
@@northernforestwhitetail This is all really interesting ... I agree that the licking branch is the most important part of a scrape, and I've seen the same thing with Does making sure to leave a little bit of their presence known even early in the season. I've also noticed how bucks will really work the licking branch on a real scrape, but not a mock even if other deer have left their scent on the licking branch ? There's so much that we don't know about whitetails or any other animals, which is why it's so interesting. In the big woods like you hunt how far do you believe a buck will travel from where he beds to one of you mock scrapes ?
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I hunt in kooch County MN and I'm very glad o found your content! I look for a lot of the same things you do, but still found this very informative.
Love that area you are in. Beautiful country. I hope you get a nice one this fall. Stay in touch
Started watching your videos a few months ago. Had pretty much given up on hunting big woods bucks but I have found a renewed interest through the content of your videos. Lord willing I will be retired this fall and will have more time to pursue those elusive public land bucks. No hunters in the family prior to me so I have had to learn it on my own. I have had some success over the years but not on big mature big woods bucks. Spent the day yesterday trying to put some pieces of the puzzle together on one that eluded me this fall. Thanks for the inspiration to get back at it.
Hey thanks for the post it means a lot. I’m really happy to hear you have a renewed interest in it. It’s a tough thing hunting the big woods… can really test a persons sanity. I’ve spent countless hours on stand in big woods settings only to get skunked for the year. I’m hoping these videos help folks because when it does come together in the big woods, the reward is so sweet. I wish you well on your renewed efforts- keep after it and remind yourself why we hunt the big woods. It has peace and solitude, very few other hunters, a chance at a big Buck, typically low cost of its public land. Take care and stay in touch
Nice job! Big woods hunting is where it's at. Very challenging!
Love your videos! I hunt north central Minnesota big woods. I listened to you on East Meets West podcast, you and I have a very similar story, I am a civil engineering technician. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Mitch
@@woodsandwhitetails5377 hey thanks! Where did you go to school? I went to UND. Great to hear from somebody else in the civil engineering field
@@northernforestwhitetail Wow, not too far away. I went to school in Moorhead for wildlife biology believe it or not, tough career field, so i switched gears and have been in the engineering field for 15 years.
I really enjoy your content and I try to apply it to my state of Pa. Where my hunting cabin is located. Looking forward to this years season in the big woods. Good luck to you!
Thanks
Randy
Hey thanks for sharing that. I’ve heard PA has some cool big woods areas. Good luck to you as well!
Hooray! I found you! You are THE BEST Deer Hunting Content---Anywhere. Hunting big woods is a lost art form...everybody wants a quick easy Ag area with Obvious kill points...Don't get me wrong, I have been there, done that.
But as hunter numbers dwindle, I find big woods Hunting quite satisfying...and productive, as it pertains to harvesting Bigger Bucks!!
A tactic I employ on large public land---is that Springtime scouting is tantamount. I use the time to basically LEGALLY drag and move obstructive dead-fall out of small Meadowed areas...keeping funnels, FUNNELS!!
I am more or less a "road worker" for the herd(s) in my area.
Also---I do not begin to hunt until around Nov. 5th...I keep my scent out of the woods...even though the season here in Michigan begins on Oct. 1st...Buck pre-rut is the best time to be in your spot! About a week before Michigan Firearms Season begins on Nov 15...by then, it is nearly over! Everybody has a date to the prom already! LOL ( almost).
I love it nice work 👍
Excellent! I hunt Maine with the same challenges you have in MN.
It’s tough hunting the big woods… but, it can be so rewarding. We love the traditional deer camp atmosphere and the freedoms/solitude that come with wilderness hunting!
Great advice .. You just made me realize that the best Buck activity on the mock scrapes I had set up this year were on these long traveling corridors between doe groups and from feeding to bedding. I figure I'm on to something but need to tweak some of what you talked about. Thanks very helpful.
You bet glad you liked it
Maine North Woods Hunter here. In the state of Maine we have more forest than any other state in comparison to size of the state. I have hunted in these woods for more than 40 years. It is very hard to go to a good site one year and expect it to be good the next year. I am not saying they are not out there but they are rare. Food Sources and cover very in these areas every year. Acorns, some may drop every year while others maybe every other year. I also see that same thing with apple trees. Also with the timber lands being cut you are not sure from one year to the next what that will do either. I once said that the best time to scout for deer is the day after the season ends. Sadly, that scouting, I now see would only work if you could go back in time a month once you got all the necessary information you needed for that season. Hunting in the Big Woods is something that is done on the fly a lot of times. I am a disabled hunter so I have to sit a lot. I try to start scouting a couple of months before the season but that also has its issues because the deer here start to change where they reside once the food sources change and all the foliage falls off of the trees so what was once good cover no longer is. It sure is a puzzle that is fun to try to solve every year. We also have coyotes that some years seem to be everywhere while others you never hear a one. Just another wrench in this puzzle. Once more piece to our puzzle where I live in the central portion of the state is once the snow starts to fly the deer start heading to their winter yards as well so you can hunt an area one week and see plenty of sign, get some snow flying and then the deer have started to move to their wintering yards. It is great hunting in the big woods but you truly need to know how to HUNT, because you will be doing a whole lot of it. I really enjoy your videos. Good luck to you this season. God Bless and good hunting to you!
Great tips! Very similar to big woods in northern Wisconsin, I like to bounce cameras around on different community scrapes and destination food sources. I try to use the cameras to tell me if an area is good and when. Then the cameras get shifted around in the following years in new areas I find scouting.
I like that approach. It just seems so year-to-year in the big woods. For me, the cameras on the scrapes have been critical to maximizing my time in the tree stand. Telling me which area is getting usage and which isn’t.
@@northernforestwhitetail I agree! Things can change drastically from year to year up there. Especially with all the logging going on. I usually will keep the cameras in the same location for 3 years, that way if one year is a bust the following year might not be. It gives me a better idea for the potential of the area. Keeping them up for only 1 year might cause you to miss out on a great area. I haven’t tried many mock scrapes, I might try making a few this year.
Just started hunting the big woods 2 years ago, public all around my house. Going to definitely try your tips! I have the same buck i had an interaction sith last year back on cam and tips will help
Good luck. Lot of days it can feel hopeless. Stick with it though and you will find you can see older age class bucks if you are willing to put in the time.
I can relate on many levels to you and your experience. I hunt in the same part of the state that you so. Many times for me I’ve noticed that certain areas will vary from year to year even with no changes to the only major food sources I have - logging clearings. Whether that is due to wolf numbers in the area or simply taking time to recover when a mature buck is killed in an area I can’t be sure. But the cameras play a major role in helping me decide which area to hunt. I’m consistently successful in my camp due to pre-season preparation and simply going to where the deer are based on my cameras. One thing I haven’t tried is the mock scrape. I will have to try that! I focus very hard on funnels especially near converging habitat and terrain types, the more the better. You’re right about low deer densities; it’s enough to drive away most hunters. But it’s the way I was brought up and the camp experience makes it worth it!
I love it. Glad to meet other guys that hunt similar conditions. I didn’t touch a whole lot on wolves but I do believe they play a part in all this. We debate in camp every year if the wolves push deer out of and area and for how long the deer are gone. Do the deer go a long ways away or do they just go far enough to evade the wolves, then return? Our trail cams have proved that bucks that are hitting scrapes in late October typically stick around for the whole season. Not always but typically. Well I wish you luck out there in the big woods and stay in touch here with observations or strategies you use- it’s great to chat with other folks who share the big woods passion!
Dude I saw the 750 views in 7 months and I was like man I’ve got to watch this!!!! Great video!!!
I appreciate it!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us. I find your pod cast interesting and relevant to where I hunt which is the northwest lower peninsula of Michigan. I feel that northern Minnesota has similar land and weather characteristics. My question though is do you believe in and use decoys, calls and or scents. Thank you and again I enjoy your podcast.
@@JoshLeffew-xb7xc hey thanks I appreciate it. So I do believe in calls (both rattling and grunting). But I have lost faith in scents. I also do not use decoys as the woods is so thick up there they just aren’t practical. I’ve tried scents several years (doe in estrus). It’s worked on small bucks bet never on a big one. The grunting and rattling has pulled in mature bucks for us though. I typically only call to deer when I see one. I seldom blind rattle because the buck will more than likely try to get downwind of you
Yep totally agree. I can pass one thing on that's happened. When we were able to bait, the doe's would come in to eat. But the bucks would always, always Go to the scrape. Sometimes never even touch the bait.
Sometimes I experiment on what I put on a scrape. One year I put doe and heat urine on the licking branch. Bucks would come in and chew it. One year not even got me an eight-point as he was up on his hind legs, chewing the doe urine drenched licking branch. No, it don't happen all the time. But I've seen it more than a few times. Interesting nonetheless.
Interesting for sure- thanks for sharing
Great distinction on bigwoods to an AG ambiance and lead into travel corridors. I just heard on THP bucks 2.5yrand older increased their “tortuosity” 5 fold (a measure of non-linear travel or dithering) 3 days after opening day. The claim that blew me away was these “study” bucks never moved out of the area they were in all year.
Very interesting. And yep, it’s a whole different ballgame in the big woods!
I’ve been hunting northern Minnesota (Cloquet Valley State Forest.) for over 40 years, finally someone is producing content that relates to our unique situation. Low deer density, wolves, hard winters that can wipe out half the deer, no Ag, unlimited tracks of land. We have a historic family camp and I wouldn’t want to hunt anyplace else! That said, we have big bucks on camera, rarely during daylight, and most often late season after Nov. 15th. I know the land in our area like the back of our hand. Very difficult to find consistent bedding or travel corridors. Love to meet up some time and look at our area and get your thoughts on how you would hunt it. We are also just starting to use mock scrapes. What do you use for the licking branch? I’ve tried Smokey’s pre-orbital scent with some success, Someone once said vanilla works good?
So you guys have the nocturnal bucks too- isn’t that interesting?? Almost no hunting pressure in these areas yet bucks are nocturnal. I love hunting the big woods- like you say, there’s nothing else like it. My email is available on my channel page if you go to my profile is should be there. Feel free to touch base with me that way. Thanks for watching!
Killer advice. Spot on
@@dannyMx23 thanks- glad you enjoyed
I hunt the Northern Maine woods for record size bucks. Feed is everywhere as in clear cuts, thus allowing no concentrated travel of does or bucks that can be easily located. Fresh tracks in snow offer the best scouting strategy for hunting the Northern Maine woods that go for hundreds of miles. I do have to say that I love hunting that area.
The deer densities are so low in our areas you and I hunt, that can make a guy go nuts during deer season. I’ve done it! But, when you do connect on a big woods public land buck, the reward is so much greater than the food plot deal in farm country. I hunt both conditions but the big woods will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks for watching!
@@northernforestwhitetail You spoke my words exactly!
As a native from Central MN who loves hunting the big woods up North I'm so glad I found your channel. Such good info you're putting out. Now excuse me while I binge watch all your videos 😂 You just got another sub
I also hunt in bigger woods, PA, with no outside food sources. Lots of hunter on public land, even if i go a mile or more. Do coyotes play a rule in your neighborhood?Good video!
Thanks for the note. Yeah we have coyotes and wolves where I’m at. They are both hard on the deer. But the deer still find a way to survive. I’ve heard PA had immense hunting pressure. Good luck out there
Something I'm thinking you might be able to answer since you have the experience ... I've noticed that Bucks visiting the MS will check or work the overhanging branches but will not work the scrape. Do you see this as well, and do you find that its mostly younger Bucks ?
Yeah I see this all the time. In fact I would say it’s honestly not that often that the buck is kicking dirt away from the scrape. Probably 80% of the time they are only working over the branch. I’ve pondered this. My only theory is that the pre orbital gland scent (from the eye/forehead area of the deer) is the most important. I’ve observed does sniffing/touching the overhead branch and I believe that is their communication method with bucks during the rut to ensure all does get bred over time. The times I’ve observed a buck actually kicking away dirt it’s usually followed up by the deer urinating in the scrape after rubbing the tarsal glands (on hind legs) together. One possibility could be that the buck just doesn’t have to urinate at that moment? Another possibility is that when a buck kicks dirt away, he is trying to remove a rival bucks scent from the scrape, start fresh, and saturate the area with his own scent. If he was the last deer to use the scrape, there would be no need to “scrape away” the old scent from another buck. These are just theories of mine. But I do strongly believe that the licking branch and associated forehead scent is how bucks find does and how does find bucks. I believe it works both ways. I’ve had does bed in and near mock scrapes. Almost as if they are waiting for their Prince Charming to show up and wisk them off their feet.
@@northernforestwhitetail This is all really interesting ... I agree that the licking branch is the most important part of a scrape, and I've seen the same thing with Does making sure to leave a little bit of their presence known even early in the season. I've also noticed how bucks will really work the licking branch on a real scrape, but not a mock even if other deer have left their scent on the licking branch ? There's so much that we don't know about whitetails or any other animals, which is why it's so interesting. In the big woods like you hunt how far do you believe a buck will travel from where he beds to one of you mock scrapes ?