Before we really knew what we were doing, we put many of our food plots in bottom ground. They are incredibly difficult plots to hunt in the AM or PM.I really wish I had a reliable way to hunt my bottom in the AM. 3 days in a row my regular has worked this scrape at 8:30 (7:30 after the time change). There is no good way to make it happen I think.
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Chest & neck steroids???I really wish I had a reliable way to hunt my bottom in the AM. 3 days in a row my regular has worked this scrape at 8:30 (7:30 after the time change). There is no good way to make it happen I think.
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I hunted for 10 hours Saturday and didn't see or hear a deer. Cameras are all really quiet also. Up until 3 weeks ago it was looking real promising. Then the bucks went nocturnal. And the last week or so they have pretty much disappeared, same for the doe groups.I have no pictures to share, but some info. A guy in our camp runs cams all year at camp & at his house. The bigger bucks that were on cams all summer have disappeared - just little guys showing up. Acorn crop is huge here this year, and that may play a role for not much in the way of food plot sightings. I believe the fall dispersal and rut travels are the culprit, mostly. Miles of wooded, acorn-heavy mountains all around us to sniff out the girls. Anyone else seeing cam vacancies or lack of expected live sightings?
I only have one cell camera, but the last photo I got from it of ANYTING was October 23.Cameras are all really quiet also.
I would have taken a shot at that spike. I have only been bow hunting for about two weeks, it would have been my first deer with the bow. More accurately, I have about two weeks of bow hunting spread out over the last 36 years. With worsening physical issues, this very well may have been my last chance. (I was really hoping for a doe) Sad fact is I'm adjacent to 1300 acres of state land. So while there are certainly up sides, deer growing old isn't one of them. We're happy just to see spikes. "If you're not shooting does, you're probably not shooting anything."It's official. My cams are all dead unless I am hunting button bucks. I
If you're seeing does, I would keep your head up and stay out there. It is only a matter of time before a more mature buck comes around. There are all kinds of potentially interesting discussions to be had about this. I am not sure if you have a property thread already or not, but that might be a good idea.I would have taken a shot at that spike. I have only been bow hunting for about two weeks, it could have been my first deer with the bow. More accurately, I have about two weeks of bow hunting spread out over the last 34 years. With worsening physical issues, this maybe very well have been my last chance. (I was really hoping for a doe) Sad fact is I'm adjacent to 1300 acres of state land. So while there are certainly up sides, deer growing old isn't one of them. We're happy just to see spikes. "If you're not shooting does, you're probably not shooting anything."
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Bottoms are for blinds in my opinion.I really wish I had a reliable way to hunt my bottom in the AM. 3 days in a row my regular has worked this scrape at 8:30 (7:30 after the time change). There is no good way to make it happen I think.
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I'm lucky to be able to have two blinds down there. One is a soft side and the other is a box. The soft side is hunted with S something winds which actually lets the scent blow up a steep draw with an old trash dump in it that the deer can't use. The other is a hard sided redneck above a steep creek bank. It does pretty well to let the scent fall down into the creek bed and as long as there is W to the wind, it is pretty solid. The swirling winds can be a challenge sometimes, but I kind of have them figured out and know when I just can't go. Even then I used to chance it a few years ago. Not so much now.Bottoms are for blinds in my opinion.
Even with blinds in the bottoms we still only hunt high winds or rain and almost always dark to dark.