I miss hunting videos like this one. This is how hunting shows used to be, it wasn't just people trying to sell you crap. It was good information to learn from.
You pack more knowledge and content into your videos on the topic then anyone else on you tube. Your production quality is amazing. You have the perfect mix of quality, content and brevity. The standard by which all others are compared.
i agree and i only go in blind. i get off on it. something completely new in a dfferent area every year and only success. great videos im glad I found your channel
Thetinebroken in my area of the flint hills here in Kansas we have a ton of public land and topography to die for. I love going in blind to new areas because for me it’s the rush of it...being able to explore awesome areas on the fly and setting up.
Man, you're super informative without useless info. Awesome! So nice to see someone generating real content with zero fluff. Keep making videos brother! Very appreciated as I am a new hunter.
Just wanted to drop a huge THANK YOU! I have very limited time to hunt (let alone scout), and recently moved to a new state. I hunted last year without even seeing a single deer (first season in the new place). I had never used this strategy before, but after watching a couple of your videos, I decided trying this approach was better than just walking through the woods with a gun hoping to get lucky. I never knew that so much information was at my fingertips. I scouted some public land using caltopo and bings satellite images (and used the ONX app as a gps while in the woods). I found an area that had the potential to be a good transition zone between bedding and feeding areas, and decided I would set up there. I ended up getting into my stand much later than I intended, about 3:30 pm by the time I was in the tree and ready to go. Legal shooting hours ended at 5:28pm (sunset at 4:58pm). I knew I had gotten in late and probably missed my opportunity. But, at 4:43pm 4 does walked right off of a ridge that I had pegged as a possible bedding area. This was obviously just before dusk, which is the time that deer should be moving through the transition areas, just as you said. I wanted to get a deer and get some meat in the freezer, and was more than thrilled to even see deer, let alone actually have the chance to harvest one! At 4:47pm I took my shot and put down a doe at 90 yards! Having hunted since I was a kid, I know all about murphey's law, and how hunting goes. Compound the difficulty of hunting with going to new places that you have no idea what to expect, and it makes for a pretty challenging and sometimes frustrating day. But this has changed my hunting world, and I cant thank you enough! Keep up the great work, and ill be looking forward to more videos from you.
Never done a hunt nor a scouting trip, but here I am learning so much from your videos. The tech is up my alley since a software coder so these tips were spot on. I feel like doing a couple blind trips without actually taking a deer this October. Next October is when I’ll be ready for sure. So thank you so much for the info and advice. Cheers!
You are giving away all my secrets, lol. I have been doing this for a few years now. Though I have a older Garmin 60CSX, so it does not do satellite imagery, I can still upload paths, routes and waypoints. Since i don't have satellite imagery I create paths in GE and upload them to my GPS to show me borders of things like clear cuts or fields. Jason
I am coming to this videos late, but I wanted you to know they are very helpful and well done. It is great to see someone else's thought process and the tools you use to select hunting spots. Thanks
I have to agree with Zack A. This is great info! I find myself reviewing all of this right before I go hunt a place I've never been, and while using some of the techniques that you talk about I've have some success finding great places to hunt. Keep the info coming.
Fantastic info. So glad I stumbled across this video. Tired of videos spouting generic nonsense without any substance. Thanks so much from someone learning!
Awesome video! I like your style: informative and analytical. I subscribed to your channel during the Garmin instructions: great job explaining it in a simple way! I use my 64sx for a few years, and that is what I missed!
Great Videos Brother! I thought I was advanced cause I would spend 30 -60 min scouting using Google Earth... your videos are excellent and I know how long it takes to create this type of stuff - so kudos for spending the time for all the video, screencasting and audio work as well.
Excellent production. You certainly put a lot of work into your videos, and it shows! I personally use a GPS app on my phone instead, but do basically the same thing. The nice part about the phone/ipad is I can scout from the comfort of my couch, or anywhere for that matter. It's got topo maps, public land boundaries, as well as Google satellite imagery. If I see something I like, I'll drop a pin and check it out at a later date. I've got quite the stockpile of potential spots ready to explore. It's pretty slick.
Great video and thanks for taking the time to make it! Being that I'm new at hunting, I appreciated the fact you talked about the area I just hunted this morning (horseshoe lake)...next time I go there I'll sneak in though the beach
I just made a scouting video of this property earlier this week. I plan on hunting it this fall as well. Maybe I'll see you out there! Good luck and stay safe!
Great video. I just bought a Garmin GPS for this season, so this is really helpful. I'm planning on using your tips to import some images that I have of the boundaries of the park land that I hunt. I'd be interested in seeing a more in-depth just gps video showing how you organize your waypoints and maps and stuff. How do you use your gps when scouting. Or any other tips and tricks.
Hey sportsman! I think it's been said quite a few times... Lol but holy awesome your videos pack so much awesome information! For a beginner like me I can thank you enough!
That's awesome. I've actually had a couple other guys message me the same thing as well. I've only deer hunted there once before but will be going much more this year as I'm moving in a couple weeks.
Great videos!! You're insights are very helpful although they make me feel really dumb. I guess I was spoiled hunting private farmland for twenty years.
I love this video you provide some great information. I public land in upstate NY and I have a few places that I hunt but would love it if I could get some feed back from you on what you think?
I don't recall there being much wind that morning. I would expect NW would be about the best wind for that spot, because deer passing through would feel comfortable scent checking the woods, yet you could still not be detected.
Thanks for all the tips. You mentioned "waving another hunter off". I am planning to hunt public land for the first time. Do you have any tips on public land hunting etiquette when crossing paths with other hunters or how to avoid crossing paths to begin with? Thanks.
If you see another guy in the parking lot, usually you can give each other general directions you're going to make sure you're not headed to the same spot. Generally, if you're walking and see someone else set up, back up quietly and go way around depending on how far past him you're headed or head to a back up spot if he's close to where you wanted to be. If you're set up and someone comes through, give a little whistle or wave to get their attention so they don't unknowingly set up close. Often they'll acknowledge and go around, but there's nothing written in stone saying that they have to.
Thanks for your videos! Really helps out new hunters. I have the Garmin GMPSmap 62st but I was only able to overlay 1 image area. The other two have given me an error "An image file is too big. Images that are too big will not be on the map." I've checked the sizes and they are within the Garmin limits. Have you come across this?
This was an error when you tried putting them on the GPS or Google earth? I haven't come across it before. You could try resizing the image but other than putting in a bigger memory card I'm not really sure why it's giving that error.
Just this summer, an old timer told me that his strategy over the last 60 years has been to actually get deer familiar with his scent. He said he takes a leak and a dump every time he goes out there as well as leaving a well worn shirt behind. His theory was that the deer simply get used to it. I know everyone says to not leave your scent but is there a kernel of truth to what the old timer was saying?
+Neil Yaremchuk I will say this... deer do get used to certain things. For example, I went hunting once a few years ago in a 5 acre woodlot surrounded by corn. As I got there, the combines were running, and the farmers were in the fields working and yelling to one another. I thought it was a lost cause, but as soon as I entered the woodlot I busted two deer that were moving as usual, not 80 yards from the farmers. Another example is in areas like parks with a lot of trail activity. Deer grow accustomed to human scent on and near the trails. Once you're off the trails a ways though, they pick up on the "out of the ordinary" and become cautious once again. I did a metro hunt where the deer used the park trails for travel, and even made a scrape in the middle of it during daylight. I would never purposefully leave scent out in the woods though, mainly because I'm a mobile hunter and bounce around almost every sit.
Neil Yaremchuk depends where you hunt... and how sensitive deer can be. But I would never do what that old man said, sounds like he was a lazy and dumb. I piss in a bottle.
My uncle's (theyre all gone now rip) use to do similar. They would leave one of their logging work shirts or an old jacket hanging in a low tree near their stands every year, usually placed them a month from opener and all of them harvested deer annually for 50 plus years. Also, Back in the day no one ever worried about pissing in the woods so as far as that's concerned it seems to make no matter. I pee close to my trail cams to help keep the bears away from them, it doesn't seem to bother the deer and it does seem to keep bears off the cams at least 50% of the time. Now taking a dump is a different story, not so sure about that. As far as leaving your scent (body odor not defication) seems to relax them a little or somewhat to a point. I'm sure my scent is all over my cams and tree stands/ladders and it never matters, I always have good pics or jump deer in my particular spots all season and I don't hunt anywhere near human activity. My locations are high country beyond locked forest service gates in the 5000 to 6500' elevations.
I am going on My First Crossbow Hunting trip a Month Away , I listen what you have said but I am not climbing a tree I am using a Ground Blind the property I am hunting has alot of Deer and is next too a Hunt Club which is closed of its about 3 1/2 hours ride from My Home I hunted it last year with a Rifle but was unlucky , I am praying that I am more successful this year that last Year I have herd a l of good points to work on but since I live in the Suburbans and have travel Up north So be it I will have protection on and Surgical Gloves on so I am not leaving any human scent behind I need too do this before I go in dark Early Morning I don't have that much experience like most of you have but as my first time Crossbow Hunting I hope I will do just fine I'm also going to bate the area where I am hunting . If you have any suggestion I would like too receive them
In this video, when you were considering your entry route and stand location, did you consider wind at all? I was just thinking that the windfinder,com site you used in your scouting video could also help with that when going in blind.
Yes, I do consider wind for entry, but usually not from windfinder,com. I just check the weather before I head out and again at the parking lot to double check. I don't want the deer to smell my entry. For morning hunts, that means I want my scent blowing away from food sources. For afternoon hunts, I want my scent blowing away from bedding. The trick is, at least for mature bucks, they'll almost always bed with the wind to their advantage, not yours. Often a setup that is ALMOST WRONG for you and ALMOST RIGHT for the deer gives your best bet at a mature buck leaving its bed since it feels comfortable moving during daylight. At least, that's the general trend from dozens of hunters that go in blind and hunt as close to buck beds as they can get away with. During the rut it doesn't matter as much.
Sir what computer or internet program do you use to find wind direction for your stand locations I found that fascinating that there is info out there like that
For the historical wind statistics I use windfinder.com. When I want to check the local weather forecast, I use either scoutlookweather.com, wunderground.com, or accuweather.com.
what you're saying about rivers with regards to beading areas..... Does this hold true as well with large streams? If so, then I definitely found a bedding area on the south side of a slope! Hoping you answer me. great vid btw!
+37Sith It can, but it will depend on other variables as well, like what the terrain is like nearby. If there's much better bedding cover nearby, or if the creek bottom is wide open, it probably won't be as good. But if it's a thick creek bottom surrounded by areas that aren't as good, it could be great. You have to confirm on foot to be sure.
+DIY Sportsman thank you man! this area I'm talking about is the only thick part near this stream. on maps, it looks utterly perfect! I had gotten a late start to the season up here in Maine because of land disputes/and a sale of land I used to hunt. so now I'm kinda scrambling! I suck bad at using maps usually, but think I'm doing better with them now. I've learned a lot from you, and Sean here on RUclips! this isn't public land, but I'm treating it as such! landowner owns over 100 acres And there's other people that hunt out here. So, I'm just treating it as public! I'm taking the landowners facts about the land, different maps, and tips from others all into account on this, and it's all leading me to this one area! Am Definiteley gonna check it out tomorrow on foot! :-) And btw ty for all the informative videos man!
+37Sith No problem. If you're convinced this might be the go-to area, it might be worth a blind sit first so you don't scent up the area before you're ready to hunt. Diving right into a bedding area can work well if you've got a ton of area to cover and are trying to gain a bunch of Intel quickly.
+DIY Sportsman I'm sorry, bit what do you mean by a blind sit? and honestly, I'd love to email you the area to get your take on it. Not sure if you do that kind of stuff for subscribers, but it's worth a shot asking. I'd just LOVE to know if what I'm thinking adds up to what a pro thinks about it. And again, what do you mean by a blind sit? and thank you for responding back to me.
+37Sith A blind sit means you go and hunt it without having scouted it on foot before. It could be as detailed as selecting a tree on an aerial photo or simply walking to an area with a stand on your back and setting up over the first fresh sign you feel is worth hunting.
Thanks for this video, & others. I'm playing with a new Garmin GPS, and the (free) aerial imagery would be very useful. Question: Why bother overlaying the Bing map on the Google map? They both have similar aerial photos, so isn't that kind of repetitive? Thanks.
leafinitup1 Sometimes they're close, and sometimes they show something different (different time of day or year, etc). A satellite image in the winter, early spring, or fall will show transition lines better than a satellite image taken in the summer. A satellite image taken in morning or afternoon will show trails through cattails better than an image taken during midday because of the shadows. Also, remember that you need to overlay an image of "something" to get the export to show up on the GPS. There are times when I like the Google maps image the best, and I'll screenshot and overlay the exact same image on top of itself.
I live in southern wv I have 1600 acres to hunt it is it is all mountains and wooded the deer feed and bed every I've hunted the area sents I was 13 and have never been able to find any Pacific feeding and bedding areas what strategy would you use in a area like this
50 yrs ago, i glued reflective tape to thumbtacks. on way out stuck them into back of trees. however one guy found. i assumed they were leading me. wrong. not funny.
I followed you advice on adding maps to my Garmin. The question I have is about sizing before adding it to the hand held. Some maps are very pixilated and others wont zoom in very far. I am also wondering why you cant just add google earth instead of going to bing maps first. Thanks for you help with the video I just need a little clarification.
+C Pratley You want to try to match the map size to the size you want to view at. For example, if you start with an image of a really large area, as you zoom in it will begin to break down. If you start with a very detailed picture of a small area, it will show up better on the GPS. It will also take a lot more of those small pictures to cover a larger area. You can het your source image from any source you want, but Google Earth needs the jpeg file in order to create a file that can be sent to the GPS.
+C Pratley I haven't been able to do that. For analyzing maps in the field a cell phone is really the best tool for the job, even if the GPS power isn't as great.
Are the apps for the new phones as capable as a gps? Gaia gps gets great reviews but I'm just beginning to explore the value of topo maps, gps, google earth, etc. mytopo is 20$ a year. It seams you're a big fan of google earth. I need to play with it more. What sources do you like for a beginning point?
Don't know what type of phone you use but "HuntStand" is a nice android app and has excellent topo capability, mapping routes, way points, weather, moon, wind and elevation along with a ton of other stuff so you can place stands, cams, sightings etc right on your topos/hunt areas.
I must be doing something wrong. I am a graphic designer, but for some reason, I still can't get the placed map area to align with the underlying map. I match up a few fields exactly, but then everything else is off. hmmmmm..... this is driving me crazy haha.
Lee Strohe Hi Lee, a couple things that could be the issue: If the terrain is hilly, click on the "Tools" dropdown in Google Earth, then "Options". About halfway down the pop-up there's an "Elevation Exaggeration" box. Change the number to 0.1 which makes Google earth flat so it won't try to stretch your image onto hills and valleys. Also, if you're using Bing Bird's Eye, sometimes it won't line up perfectly because the images are taken at a slight angle instead of straight up/down. The third thing to pay attention to is shadows. Sometimes shadows on a transition line give the appearance that a treeline is off by 30 feet or so until you take a closer look. Hope that helps.
Can You please do one for me please i have a small piece of property with a smaller woods has a lot of high traffic... just don't know where to put my stand... please help
That depends. Most Western blacktail follow the same rule of thumb. Travel just below ridge lines, off or sidehill thru and around ridges to saddles, parallel ridge points. They bed in the thick and feed in the thin, they'll travel waterways just off the water. Cold days they spend on South facing and warm they spend on North facing. The basics are the same in general. Uphill in morning from feed to bed, downhill in evening from bed to feed. Big older bucks will travel adjacent to primary trails to keep cover. Older bucks will also let the younger bucks lead, hanging back to use the young as their warning alarm for any danger ahead. Ravines, drainages and small finger ridges are a magnet for travelling to and from feed to bed and vise versa.
I use a mix of Bing maps, Google Maps, and Google earth generally for aerial photos. The high quality ones like in the thumbnail are Bing Bird's Eye, and the 3d ones are Google Earth.
I never heard him mention sun or wind direction even once. BS. You walk in all the way around 2 sides of the bedding like you showed us and you've spread your scent all over the entire property. This guy's never killed a deer.
I miss hunting videos like this one. This is how hunting shows used to be, it wasn't just people trying to sell you crap. It was good information to learn from.
You pack more knowledge and content into your videos on the topic then anyone else on you tube. Your production quality is amazing. You have the perfect mix of quality, content and brevity. The standard by which all others are compared.
Thank you!
i agree and i only go in blind. i get off on it. something completely new in a dfferent area every year and only success.
great videos
im glad I found your channel
Thetinebroken in my area of the flint hills here in Kansas we have a ton of public land and topography to die for. I love going in blind to new areas because for me it’s the rush of it...being able to explore awesome areas on the fly and setting up.
Man, you're super informative without useless info. Awesome! So nice to see someone generating real content with zero fluff. Keep making videos brother! Very appreciated as I am a new hunter.
Glad it was helpful!
You're officially my favorite hunting channel on RUclips.
This makes me so thankful for ONX Good video thanks
Just wanted to drop a huge THANK YOU! I have very limited time to hunt (let alone scout), and recently moved to a new state. I hunted last year without even seeing a single deer (first season in the new place). I had never used this strategy before, but after watching a couple of your videos, I decided trying this approach was better than just walking through the woods with a gun hoping to get lucky. I never knew that so much information was at my fingertips. I scouted some public land using caltopo and bings satellite images (and used the ONX app as a gps while in the woods). I found an area that had the potential to be a good transition zone between bedding and feeding areas, and decided I would set up there.
I ended up getting into my stand much later than I intended, about 3:30 pm by the time I was in the tree and ready to go. Legal shooting hours ended at 5:28pm (sunset at 4:58pm). I knew I had gotten in late and probably missed my opportunity. But, at 4:43pm 4 does walked right off of a ridge that I had pegged as a possible bedding area. This was obviously just before dusk, which is the time that deer should be moving through the transition areas, just as you said. I wanted to get a deer and get some meat in the freezer, and was more than thrilled to even see deer, let alone actually have the chance to harvest one! At 4:47pm I took my shot and put down a doe at 90 yards!
Having hunted since I was a kid, I know all about murphey's law, and how hunting goes. Compound the difficulty of hunting with going to new places that you have no idea what to expect, and it makes for a pretty challenging and sometimes frustrating day. But this has changed my hunting world, and I cant thank you enough! Keep up the great work, and ill be looking forward to more videos from you.
Never done a hunt nor a scouting trip, but here I am learning so much from your videos. The tech is up my alley since a software coder so these tips were spot on.
I feel like doing a couple blind trips without actually taking a deer this October. Next October is when I’ll be ready for sure. So thank you so much for the info and advice. Cheers!
You are giving away all my secrets, lol. I have been doing this for a few years now. Though I have a older Garmin 60CSX, so it does not do satellite imagery, I can still upload paths, routes and waypoints. Since i don't have satellite imagery I create paths in GE and upload them to my GPS to show me borders of things like clear cuts or fields.
Jason
Hands down best video I've ever seen for deer scouting. Well done!
Thank you for this great video. Finally a hunting video that teaches. Keep up the good work.
I am coming to this videos late, but I wanted you to know they are very helpful and well done. It is great to see someone else's thought process and the tools you use to select hunting spots. Thanks
appreciate the vids, keep it up. new to hunting and helps a lot when someone takes the time to break it down
I have to agree with Zack A. This is great info! I find myself reviewing all of this right before I go hunt a place I've never been, and while using some of the techniques that you talk about I've have some success finding great places to hunt. Keep the info coming.
Great tip about the river bends, thanks!
Fantastic info. So glad I stumbled across this video. Tired of videos spouting generic nonsense without any substance. Thanks so much from someone learning!
Awesome video! I like your style: informative and analytical. I subscribed to your channel during the Garmin instructions: great job explaining it in a simple way! I use my 64sx for a few years, and that is what I missed!
Great Videos Brother! I thought I was advanced cause I would spend 30 -60 min scouting using Google Earth... your videos are excellent and I know how long it takes to create this type of stuff - so kudos for spending the time for all the video, screencasting and audio work as well.
These are some of the best information that I have found. Thank you.
Excellent production. You certainly put a lot of work into your videos, and it shows! I personally use a GPS app on my phone instead, but do basically the same thing. The nice part about the phone/ipad is I can scout from the comfort of my couch, or anywhere for that matter. It's got topo maps, public land boundaries, as well as Google satellite imagery. If I see something I like, I'll drop a pin and check it out at a later date. I've got quite the stockpile of potential spots ready to explore. It's pretty slick.
Which app(s) do you recommend/use for phone-scouting?
Onx?
Great video and thanks for taking the time to make it! Being that I'm new at hunting, I appreciated the fact you talked about the area I just hunted this morning (horseshoe lake)...next time I go there I'll sneak in though the beach
I just made a scouting video of this property earlier this week. I plan on hunting it this fall as well. Maybe I'll see you out there! Good luck and stay safe!
Your videos are the absolute best, most informative. Thank you!
Great videos. It's spooky going in the dark in the morning lol
LOVE IT!!! I love the mental aspect!!! Been there so many times duck hunting!!! haha
Awesome video. Very informative. You've gotten good with the camera and editing as well. Great job.
Great video. I don't hunt, but this is what I think hunting should be about - understanding the prey.
awsum YT, digging all your info and please keep up the good work. i need to relearn alot more than i thought. just getting back into hunting life
great video. garmin use advanced techniques. great content and field examples too. a+++ on content thanks
Thank you so much for this awesome video. Have a great season, from one beast member to another.
Thanks Josh!
Another great video! You need to start teaching a class on this for us old dumbass' somewhere in the metro..... I'd be the first one to sign up!
Very good video, one the better ones. Well done.
Great video. I just bought a Garmin GPS for this season, so this is really helpful. I'm planning on using your tips to import some images that I have of the boundaries of the park land that I hunt.
I'd be interested in seeing a more in-depth just gps video showing how you organize your waypoints and maps and stuff. How do you use your gps when scouting. Or any other tips and tricks.
nodeal Thanks for the input. I have that GPS review near the top of my list and I will make sure to show how I use it and organize waypoints.
I just realized how computer illiterate I am lol. Love the Garmin tips, let's see if I can't screw that up lol. Love your channel!
Hey sportsman! I think it's been said quite a few times... Lol but holy awesome your videos pack so much awesome information! For a beginner like me I can thank you enough!
Nice Video. I hunt that refuge quite often at the beginning of your video, small world
That's awesome. I've actually had a couple other guys message me the same thing as well. I've only deer hunted there once before but will be going much more this year as I'm moving in a couple weeks.
Love your videos man! Keep doing what you do!
Great video as always!
Great videos!! You're insights are very helpful although they make me feel really dumb. I guess I was spoiled hunting private farmland for twenty years.
+Cory MacNeil Yes! very spoiled! ...still jealous
I love this video you provide some great information. I public land in upstate NY and I have a few places that I hunt but would love it if I could get some feed back from you on what you think?
Jesse St John Shoot me a message on the Facebook page.
Great vid and info...thank you for sharing
fantastic video! I am assuming you had a SW wind for the river spot?
I don't recall there being much wind that morning. I would expect NW would be about the best wind for that spot, because deer passing through would feel comfortable scent checking the woods, yet you could still not be detected.
Great video man.
Great Video. Thanks for making it. i learned a lot!
Thanks for all the tips. You mentioned "waving another hunter off". I am planning to hunt public land for the first time. Do you have any tips on public land hunting etiquette when crossing paths with other hunters or how to avoid crossing paths to begin with? Thanks.
If you see another guy in the parking lot, usually you can give each other general directions you're going to make sure you're not headed to the same spot. Generally, if you're walking and see someone else set up, back up quietly and go way around depending on how far past him you're headed or head to a back up spot if he's close to where you wanted to be. If you're set up and someone comes through, give a little whistle or wave to get their attention so they don't unknowingly set up close. Often they'll acknowledge and go around, but there's nothing written in stone saying that they have to.
Thanks for your videos! Really helps out new hunters. I have the Garmin GMPSmap 62st but I was only able to overlay 1 image area. The other two have given me an error "An image file is too big. Images that are too big will not be on the map." I've checked the sizes and they are within the Garmin limits. Have you come across this?
This was an error when you tried putting them on the GPS or Google earth? I haven't come across it before. You could try resizing the image but other than putting in a bigger memory card I'm not really sure why it's giving that error.
Just this summer, an old timer told me that his strategy over the last 60 years has been to actually get deer familiar with his scent. He said he takes a leak and a dump every time he goes out there as well as leaving a well worn shirt behind. His theory was that the deer simply get used to it. I know everyone says to not leave your scent but is there a kernel of truth to what the old timer was saying?
+Neil Yaremchuk I will say this... deer do get used to certain things. For example, I went hunting once a few years ago in a 5 acre woodlot surrounded by corn. As I got there, the combines were running, and the farmers were in the fields working and yelling to one another. I thought it was a lost cause, but as soon as I entered the woodlot I busted two deer that were moving as usual, not 80 yards from the farmers. Another example is in areas like parks with a lot of trail activity. Deer grow accustomed to human scent on and near the trails. Once you're off the trails a ways though, they pick up on the "out of the ordinary" and become cautious once again. I did a metro hunt where the deer used the park trails for travel, and even made a scrape in the middle of it during daylight. I would never purposefully leave scent out in the woods though, mainly because I'm a mobile hunter and bounce around almost every sit.
Neil Yaremchuk depends where you hunt... and how sensitive deer can be. But I would never do what that old man said, sounds like he was a lazy and dumb. I piss in a bottle.
My uncle's (theyre all gone now rip) use to do similar. They would leave one of their logging work shirts or an old jacket hanging in a low tree near their stands every year, usually placed them a month from opener and all of them harvested deer annually for 50 plus years. Also, Back in the day no one ever worried about pissing in the woods so as far as that's concerned it seems to make no matter. I pee close to my trail cams to help keep the bears away from them, it doesn't seem to bother the deer and it does seem to keep bears off the cams at least 50% of the time. Now taking a dump is a different story, not so sure about that. As far as leaving your scent (body odor not defication) seems to relax them a little or somewhat to a point. I'm sure my scent is all over my cams and tree stands/ladders and it never matters, I always have good pics or jump deer in my particular spots all season and I don't hunt anywhere near human activity. My locations are high country beyond locked forest service gates in the 5000 to 6500' elevations.
Great vid.....
Awesome Video!!
Thank you
Nice! Thank you!!
That spot you’re showcasing wouldn’t happen to be on the far southern reaches of zone 501 would it? ;)
I am going on My First Crossbow Hunting trip a Month Away , I listen what you have said but I am not climbing a tree I am using a Ground Blind the property I am hunting has alot of Deer and is next too a Hunt Club which is closed of its about 3 1/2 hours ride from My Home I hunted it last year with a Rifle but was unlucky , I am praying that I am more successful this year that last Year I have herd a l of good points to work on but since I live in the Suburbans and have travel Up north So be it I will have protection on and Surgical Gloves on so I am not leaving any human scent behind I need too do this before I go in dark Early Morning I don't have that much experience like most of you have but as my first time Crossbow Hunting I hope I will do just fine I'm also going to bate the area where I am hunting . If you have any suggestion I would like too receive them
In this video, when you were considering your entry route and stand location, did you consider wind at all? I was just thinking that the windfinder,com site you used in your scouting video could also help with that when going in blind.
Yes, I do consider wind for entry, but usually not from windfinder,com. I just check the weather before I head out and again at the parking lot to double check. I don't want the deer to smell my entry. For morning hunts, that means I want my scent blowing away from food sources. For afternoon hunts, I want my scent blowing away from bedding. The trick is, at least for mature bucks, they'll almost always bed with the wind to their advantage, not yours. Often a setup that is ALMOST WRONG for you and ALMOST RIGHT for the deer gives your best bet at a mature buck leaving its bed since it feels comfortable moving during daylight. At least, that's the general trend from dozens of hunters that go in blind and hunt as close to buck beds as they can get away with. During the rut it doesn't matter as much.
thanks!
Sir what computer or internet program do you use to find wind direction for your stand locations I found that fascinating that there is info out there like that
For the historical wind statistics I use windfinder.com. When I want to check the local weather forecast, I use either scoutlookweather.com, wunderground.com, or accuweather.com.
@6:13 GOLD
what you're saying about rivers with regards to beading areas..... Does this hold true as well with large streams? If so, then I definitely found a bedding area on the south side of a slope! Hoping you answer me. great vid btw!
+37Sith It can, but it will depend on other variables as well, like what the terrain is like nearby. If there's much better bedding cover nearby, or if the creek bottom is wide open, it probably won't be as good. But if it's a thick creek bottom surrounded by areas that aren't as good, it could be great. You have to confirm on foot to be sure.
+DIY Sportsman thank you man! this area I'm talking about is the only thick part near this stream. on maps, it looks utterly perfect! I had gotten a late start to the season up here in Maine because of land disputes/and a sale of land I used to hunt. so now I'm kinda scrambling! I suck bad at using maps usually, but think I'm doing better with them now. I've learned a lot from you, and Sean here on RUclips! this isn't public land, but I'm treating it as such! landowner owns over 100 acres And there's other people that hunt out here. So, I'm just treating it as public! I'm taking the landowners facts about the land, different maps, and tips from others all into account on this, and it's all leading me to this one area! Am Definiteley gonna check it out tomorrow on foot! :-) And btw ty for all the informative videos man!
+37Sith No problem. If you're convinced this might be the go-to area, it might be worth a blind sit first so you don't scent up the area before you're ready to hunt. Diving right into a bedding area can work well if you've got a ton of area to cover and are trying to gain a bunch of Intel quickly.
+DIY Sportsman I'm sorry, bit what do you mean by a blind sit? and honestly, I'd love to email you the area to get your take on it. Not sure if you do that kind of stuff for subscribers, but it's worth a shot asking. I'd just LOVE to know if what I'm thinking adds up to what a pro thinks about it. And again, what do you mean by a blind sit? and thank you for responding back to me.
+37Sith A blind sit means you go and hunt it without having scouted it on foot before. It could be as detailed as selecting a tree on an aerial photo or simply walking to an area with a stand on your back and setting up over the first fresh sign you feel is worth hunting.
Google earth is very different now. There is no drop down menu. Will these methods still work?
Thanks for this video, & others. I'm playing with a new Garmin GPS, and the (free) aerial imagery would be very useful. Question: Why bother overlaying the Bing map on the Google map? They both have similar aerial photos, so isn't that kind of repetitive? Thanks.
leafinitup1 Sometimes they're close, and sometimes they show something different (different time of day or year, etc). A satellite image in the winter, early spring, or fall will show transition lines better than a satellite image taken in the summer. A satellite image taken in morning or afternoon will show trails through cattails better than an image taken during midday because of the shadows. Also, remember that you need to overlay an image of "something" to get the export to show up on the GPS. There are times when I like the Google maps image the best, and I'll screenshot and overlay the exact same image on top of itself.
Do you mind if shoot u a picture of where im hunting ?
I don't know anything about mapping I need too be taught are you willing too teach me.
I live in southern wv I have 1600 acres to hunt it is it is all mountains and wooded the deer feed and bed every I've hunted the area sents I was 13 and have never been able to find any Pacific feeding and bedding areas what strategy would you use in a area like this
Ryan Cook which part oFWV? Thats where im from!
Have you upgraded your gps? If so what are you using now and which do you prefer?
I still have the 62s and use my cell phone a bunch.
50 yrs ago, i glued reflective tape to thumbtacks. on way out stuck them into back of trees. however one guy found. i assumed they were leading me. wrong. not funny.
I followed you advice on adding maps to my Garmin. The question I have is about sizing before adding it to the hand held. Some maps are very pixilated and others wont zoom in very far. I am also wondering why you cant just add google earth instead of going to bing maps first. Thanks for you help with the video I just need a little clarification.
+C Pratley You want to try to match the map size to the size you want to view at. For example, if you start with an image of a really large area, as you zoom in it will begin to break down. If you start with a very detailed picture of a small area, it will show up better on the GPS. It will also take a lot more of those small pictures to cover a larger area. You can het your source image from any source you want, but Google Earth needs the jpeg file in order to create a file that can be sent to the GPS.
DIY Sportsman can you load a large area and a smaller detailed area for when you zoom in. Thanks for all your help.
+C Pratley I haven't been able to do that. For analyzing maps in the field a cell phone is really the best tool for the job, even if the GPS power isn't as great.
How would you determine whether or not a deer sign (scrape or rub) is more of a night spot or day time spot?
+Jack Langlois In general, the closer to bedding you find the sign, the greater likelihood it was made during daylight on pressured land.
Are the apps for the new phones as capable as a gps? Gaia gps gets great reviews but I'm just beginning to explore the value of topo maps, gps, google earth, etc. mytopo is 20$ a year. It seams you're a big fan of google earth. I need to play with it more. What sources do you like for a beginning point?
Don't know what type of phone you use but "HuntStand" is a nice android app and has excellent topo capability, mapping routes, way points, weather, moon, wind and elevation along with a ton of other stuff so you can place stands, cams, sightings etc right on your topos/hunt areas.
I must be doing something wrong. I am a graphic designer, but for some reason, I still can't get the placed map area to align with the underlying map. I match up a few fields exactly, but then everything else is off. hmmmmm..... this is driving me crazy haha.
Lee Strohe Hi Lee, a couple things that could be the issue: If the terrain is hilly, click on the "Tools" dropdown in Google Earth, then "Options". About halfway down the pop-up there's an "Elevation Exaggeration" box. Change the number to 0.1 which makes Google earth flat so it won't try to stretch your image onto hills and valleys. Also, if you're using Bing Bird's Eye, sometimes it won't line up perfectly because the images are taken at a slight angle instead of straight up/down. The third thing to pay attention to is shadows. Sometimes shadows on a transition line give the appearance that a treeline is off by 30 feet or so until you take a closer look. Hope that helps.
Can You please do one for me please i have a small piece of property with a smaller woods has a lot of high traffic... just don't know where to put my stand...
please help
Send me a message on the DIY Sportsman Facebook page and I will take a look at it and give my thoughts.
Sent You One
Nice vid for eastern hunting. Not so great for the west though.
That depends. Most Western blacktail follow the same rule of thumb. Travel just below ridge lines, off or sidehill thru and around ridges to saddles, parallel ridge points. They bed in the thick and feed in the thin, they'll travel waterways just off the water. Cold days they spend on South facing and warm they spend on North facing. The basics are the same in general. Uphill in morning from feed to bed, downhill in evening from bed to feed. Big older bucks will travel adjacent to primary trails to keep cover. Older bucks will also let the younger bucks lead, hanging back to use the young as their warning alarm for any danger ahead. Ravines, drainages and small finger ridges are a magnet for travelling to and from feed to bed and vise versa.
how do you know what's a bedding area?
By going out and looking for them... Then you will have a idea of what kind of cover to look for that holds deer.
how you get these maps is that google earth or something else.
I use a mix of Bing maps, Google Maps, and Google earth generally for aerial photos. The high quality ones like in the thumbnail are Bing Bird's Eye, and the 3d ones are Google Earth.
I love them seem like there more detailed than Google earth.
if you love hunting and fishing check out the cd DECOYS IN THE BATHTUB on itunes
Well I don't have a gps so I guess I'm screwed
And I'm 38 now
40
My plan this year is get out there early like 3:30am be all setup hunting public
Wyoming co.
Rout? Route 66...route march
Good stuff but all that map stuff is ancient history now with onX hunt
I never heard him mention sun or wind direction even once. BS. You walk in all the way around 2 sides of the bedding like you showed us and you've spread your scent all over the entire property. This guy's never killed a deer.
You can't eat horns.