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What Next?

ive been out about 7-8 times and actually havent yet to see a deer. Well yesterday i decided to go back to the first public spot i was hunting at the early season because it just seemed to good to be true. Well found a nice deer trail all through out the thicket with scrapes and tree rubs everywhere. So today i go out about 1pm and due to the wind i didnt want to sit in the thicket so i was making my way down and old tractor road that cuts between the thicket and i was probably 70 yards from the spot i was going to hunt today on the edge of corn fields coming off that thick stuff with a south wind and i ended up jumping a nice buck mature 8 pointer looked like. he was coming from the east as i was going south and both kind of just ran into each other and he took off into the thicket to the west. I was hoping when i got set up on the south north side id be able to call him out but couldnt. thats the only deer ive seen so far. Havent seen any does even sitting in a stand on the edge of two different fields coming off that thicket with all the sign. Just ran into the buck i bumped and dont know if he was coming from eating off a different field or what. Plan on hitting that land again in the morning. have not had success yet with grunts or rattling either. Suggestions ?

How long are your sits?

Scent control / management... are you doing anything to cover up or eliminate your scent?

yesterday i sat for 5 hours and yea spraying down with scent killer i put my gear on at the site and take it off there as well goes in a box with leafs in it. i decided to let it sit quiet this morning and didnt go in since i jumped him plan on hitting it morning and afternoon tomorrow

Public Deer I believe are the hardest to kill an hardest to hunt cause of so much pressure. They are mostly nocturnal an I have seen people walk within 10-15 yards of deer an they never move. Hunting public I try to get to my stand 30-45 mins early. Keep at it they'll move through eventually.

ya i mean i have not seen another hunter at this spot yet till the other day i saw a game cam and stand set up but noone there and like i said i crossed path with a nice buck and let him calm down and tried to call him out of the thick but never showed back up i see more deer on my street when im driving then out in the woods have some solid bucks by my house in the back woods of city limits

They don't usually just calm down when you jump them. When I spook a buck on my farm they usually run across the neighbor to the next neighbor half a mile away.

ya if i would of seen him 15 seconds before i could of stopped got an arrow knocked and he would of crossed in front of me at about 15 yards. went out again today and again sat in the stand from 1230-445 didnt see anything. Got in the car started driving home saw 6 does in one field 3 in the other

Well, if you can keep from leaving at 4:45 that might help. Starts getting good then, but I know family commitments come first.

ya i just knew there was probably only twenty minutes left of shooting time or so i definitely should of stayed till dark dark. The edge of the field i was sitting at is on the edge of bedding but its connected to three others so i dont know which one they are using and like i said ive only seen the one buck ive jumped there. But there is a nice trail with scrapes and rubs and checked it today and saw new fresh prints and scrapes just dont know when they are using it. I did notice a homemade treestand down it quite a ways and there is also a game cam in there to but even calling and rattling havent got anything up

If you’ve got a good trail within bow range, I’d probably refrain from calling too much, or not at all for that matter, when you are that close to a bedding area.

I’d probably only call if I saw a deer cruising and it wasn’t coming your way.

Be careful on entry and exits and just watch for a few sits without calling to get an idea of how they are using it. The place may be blown for this year if they’ve been bumped too much.

ya i might have to change spots. There only one way in and out pretty much to get to the spot the trail getting used but i think more at night im not sure might try go to different public spot

It sounds like you have put too much emphasis on calling and rattling. I hunt good private land and I have very little success with calls and rattling. Several years ago rattling was very successful for me, but it has not worked in quite a few years. I do not know why. Keep in mind you can legally hunt until 30 minutes after sunset. You may need to stop a little sooner due lack of shooting light. As others have said once you bumped the buck he was not coming back to a call if he knew what you were. I would only call or rattle if I saw a deer that was not coming my way.

ya next time i go out ill prob just sit quiet the whole time. But thats the only deer ive seen hunting. He was coming from the west down a parallel and i was walking north and we would of ran right into each other he must of winded me and jogged into the thick right in front of me. If i would of saw him 15 seconds sooner he would of crossed right in front of me with a shot. But i have not ran into any other deer while hunting

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