New or old spots?
Massachusetts
I moved 35 minutes away from my previous town and although not that far I have been hunting areas closer to home as opposed to my old spots that I have learned. It so far is resulting in crappy sightings. I’m just curious how many of you hunt the same spots for years and learn it well as opposed to finding new spots every other year? I’ve got to learn a spot well and stick to it but I’m usually not happy enough with the hunting there whether it be deer numbers or other hunters numbers. Seems like a never ending long road.
Been hunting the same spots for years... in one spot, about 20 years.
Same thing here Spike.
I moved an hour away and have had to start again. It will be good in the long run but it is a learning experience, at first. I am getting comfortable and hope I never need to do that again . But, unless we are blessed with private land , it happens .
I learned the travel patterns of the last town I was in and into abutting towns . Lots of deer and hunters too but it was good hunting. It is difficult to let go of what is working and start fresh . I think I tried 30 or more places in that last town but settled on 3 or 4 and learned them well. That's all I can handle . Maybe it will be less "spots" in the years to come. It really depends on the quality of experience and amount of deer interaction . If you have some good woods and several stand options for different winds then one spot could be enough, provided things don't get mucked up.
I have my #1 spot now with several locations within and will search for another backup spot or two . Then it is just fine tuning from there as I am learning where they go, when and why.
Hang in there and keep looking ,keep knocking on doors and exploring potential. You'll find your comfort zone.
Since I moved 8 yrs ago. I have been hunting the same spots for 6 of those. I do branch off and scout other areas during the season. Setting trail cams up and leaving them for anywhere from 3 days to 1 month. I make a mental note of these areas and do a lot of recon in the winter after the season then put cameras up starting in July. This way I will have about a half year of scouting and getting to know the lay of the land before I decide if I am going to put a stand there
It takes a while to get to know how the deer travel in an area and be able to hunt it effectively
You ever have those spots that hold deer but for the life of you it seems impossible to even see any in stand? It’s funny because I have a spot or two that does not have a lot of deer yet my sightings of the few are more than spots with more deer. I have a lot of snow trekking to do for next year. I enjoy it though as long as it’s only a few inches.
Some of my spots I have hunted for 42 years. But I love to explore and hunt new areas and will always be looking for the next best place. Next years goal will be backpack hunting in the ADK's. Not because there are a ton of deer, there isn't. Just because it is beautiful country and I love the big woods. The bigger the better. Tekoa
Both. Though the last 5-6 years a lot more of the same areas. Kids, I tell ya... they take a lot of time :).
I'm lucky though, I know a lot of areas well since I've not moved that much and still live pretty close to my home town. So I have close to 30 years at this point of hunting many areas... and more than that of exploring them and trying to watch deer and other critters. All that said, my "A" spot at this point hit's that Gene Wensel quote you noted a few weeks ago Spike really well... That one about location making the hunter. My "A" spot makes me look good. It took a year to figure, another year to tune in... Now I feel like, unless things are weird or I screw up, it's as close to a central MA "slam dunk" as a bowhunter can have. #LuckyHunter so to speak.
I have both.. I have spots that I've had for years... but things change. I'm always looking for new spots... I ask everyone for permission.. occasionally it works. I have half a dozen private spots around in MA & NY. I run cameras in them all and hunt the spots that look good at that time / year... it's always different. I have a spot a shot a couple good bucks in a few years back... deer were everywhere... now, they are there, but never frequently and I have not shot a buck and have barely hunted it over the last 3 or 4 years. You never know when you'll lose a spot (landowner sells, they have a change of heart about hunting, etc.) so change isn't always a bad thing.
Ungie, the 200 acres of private land in zone 2 was sold so minus a good one for me.
That's a big piece... I know a guy w/ some land in Becket... I can ask him if you want for ya..
Ungie, I won’t say no to that thanks!
