opening day tactics
09-24-2006, 05:39 PM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 9,085
opening day tactics
curious to your guys opinions on opening day tactics and game plans..
im hunting a spot that is absouletly amazing to me right now opening day. its got IT ALL. white oaks dropping...2 crab apple thickets, grapes, corn field 100yds way, hedrgow between me and the cornfield, thicket behind me, and the hardwoods is pretty thick..and surrounded by a stand of pines..my spot is the only opening and 4 trails come together there. im in a stand of like 5 hickory trees. i dont know how itll pan out in the morning. i dont know where they will be or what..its all too hard to call. they could be bedded in the hedgrow infront of my stand..could be in the thicket behind my stand...could be farther away. im hoping they head there for a morning snake. but i think that will be a hotspot come evening..hard staging area before they go into the fields i think. just curious....what would you guys do? also keep in mind other hunters will be all around all the other woods..doubt anyone is near me...from the road it looks like a stand of pines..but i dont want them to see me leaving there. im considering an ALL DAY stand. DARK TO DARK. taking a big sub, water, jerky etc to hold me over. it dont get light till about 630ish at the EARLIEST so ill leave here 5am LATEST..10 minute drive away. is sitting therea waste of time or worth while?? ive never made an all day sit before...im bringing a book too..i have a feeling it may be SLOW mid day...but i dont know.....dad says im crazy if i get down...exspecially with other guys all around me...never know when they are going to get bumped right into my setup.....what would you guys do?
im hunting a spot that is absouletly amazing to me right now opening day. its got IT ALL. white oaks dropping...2 crab apple thickets, grapes, corn field 100yds way, hedrgow between me and the cornfield, thicket behind me, and the hardwoods is pretty thick..and surrounded by a stand of pines..my spot is the only opening and 4 trails come together there. im in a stand of like 5 hickory trees. i dont know how itll pan out in the morning. i dont know where they will be or what..its all too hard to call. they could be bedded in the hedgrow infront of my stand..could be in the thicket behind my stand...could be farther away. im hoping they head there for a morning snake. but i think that will be a hotspot come evening..hard staging area before they go into the fields i think. just curious....what would you guys do? also keep in mind other hunters will be all around all the other woods..doubt anyone is near me...from the road it looks like a stand of pines..but i dont want them to see me leaving there. im considering an ALL DAY stand. DARK TO DARK. taking a big sub, water, jerky etc to hold me over. it dont get light till about 630ish at the EARLIEST so ill leave here 5am LATEST..10 minute drive away. is sitting therea waste of time or worth while?? ive never made an all day sit before...im bringing a book too..i have a feeling it may be SLOW mid day...but i dont know.....dad says im crazy if i get down...exspecially with other guys all around me...never know when they are going to get bumped right into my setup.....what would you guys do?
09-24-2006, 06:40 PM
#4
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Oct 1998
Location: Hughesville, PA USA
Posts: 18,322
RE: opening day tactics
No seriously, I have 3 stands hung depending on wind and thoughts. One over looks my food plot in the natural funnel I've been hunting for years. I've been very successful in this spot for many, many years.
The second stand is in a pin oak at the other end of the funnel and borders thier bedding area.
The third stand is over looking the corn field at a hedge row that splits the cornfield into two halfs. The deer walk this often.
The second stand is in a pin oak at the other end of the funnel and borders thier bedding area.
The third stand is over looking the corn field at a hedge row that splits the cornfield into two halfs. The deer walk this often.
09-24-2006, 06:51 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 6,006
RE: opening day tactics
The biggest thing is to a have a plan -- and stick to it. The worst thing you can do is to not have a plan at all. I like to sit all day every chance I get, you never know when that bruiser is going to walk by.
As for sitting before shooting light, I like to be in the stand a good half hour before sunrise. No sense creeping through the woods at prime time.
As for sitting before shooting light, I like to be in the stand a good half hour before sunrise. No sense creeping through the woods at prime time.
Washington has the right idea, try to stay all day, the guys leaving at mid morning just may send something your way.
09-24-2006, 09:22 PM
#8
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 9,085
RE: opening day tactics
thanx guys. this is my first time hunting the area. to be honest i could care less what the wind is doing..just because there a pretty high chance for deer to come in any direction and i cant pinpoint which direction it may be. ill just keep a closer eye on the way the wind is blowing from..where my sent is going away. just so many thickets around and ive kicked deer out of there at all times of the day bird hunting. its all up in the air on where they are THAT day and which direction they come from. the fact other guys will possibly be bumping deer around makes me want to stay...and because thinking about it i know i kicked a mature buck out of there last summer groundhog hunting..not 150yds from my stand..mid day...and the fact if i leave ill be seen by others and my spot could possibly be taken....and the fact then im making noise leaving and coming back..now to come up with a plan to get in enough food and water to keep a fat kid happy all day. my back pack isnt huge..it was pretty much JUST a hyrdation pack..but the blader broke......but im using that mainly for treestand gear......hmm maybe ill goto dicks sporting goods and buy a pouch for the viper to put all the crap in..and use the backpack for food and drinks and thats it...ill figure something out....im looking at like a 15hr sit....longest i sat was till 1pm from an hour before light one time.....this is all new to me but i wanna learn patience...and i think it can have its rewards. and i can polish off my 300pg book like its my job. thanx guys...i dont know if i can hold out...but im going to try. if not ill come down at a wierd time like noon or something......i will beable to see most everyones trucks from my stand....ill know when they are gone if i am dying and gota sneak out....but i think i can do it!....hopefully i just drop the hammer on the big 12...or even big 10 at first light....team 36's score board goes nuts...and i can be back in bed by 8am! lol......im excited about this first season...the deer are in trouble
