Previous poll

[JNRBRONC]

A very recent poll asked if you hunted thick cover, funnels, food, etc. It looked like the majority of votes were for funnels.

I would like to hear from those who voted for thick cover. I have been wanting to hunt this really thick area. It is on the eastern side of some timber. My thinking is that the big boys sneak through the thick stuff, using the prevailing west to east air flow to wind check the area without showing themselves. If they scent something, they might come out but they would be on a mission and might not lolly gag around to where I have set up. Therefore, if I got back into the thicket, I might be able to bushwhack 'em. I have a feeling that I might not see as many deer, but the ones I do might be worth it.

Thoughts/experiences?

 

[Liv4Rut]

I like hunting the thick stuff the best. It seems like usually somewhere in the middle of all the thick stuff, there is one or two spots that aren't quite as thick to the point where you can actually shoot pretty well with a bow or at least cover a few good trails. It seems like every buck passes through these spots knowing they are still safe, because everything around them is a wall of brush. If you can't find any spot at all in the thick stuff, I would avoid it and hunt the fringes. I've hunted spots that were so thick I would basically only be able to cover one trail, and only a fraction of it. It's not a wise move, the deer are usually on top of you so fast, you never know what your shooting at

 

[Stump Shooter]

Obviously depending on the terrain and the actual size of this "thick" stuff, wouldn't you want to hunt the fridges/exit/entrance routes to the thick stuff anyway? If it's that thick and tough to navigate, wouldn't you be alerting everything in the area by entering it to hunt? Whether it be scent or noise. A lot of times, it might not be that big buck your trying to fool....it's that old doe that ALWAYS seems to bust a guy trying to pull something off. ha, ha

I would have to say that the majority of guys pick funnels to hunt for a couple main reasons. 1)there will most likely be a ton of deer going through it. Who doesn't like to see deer? During the rut, where there are doe...there will be bucks. Seems like a logical plan to hunt them. 2)Funnels seem to be easy to enter/exit to hunt them and fairly easy to play the wind when in stand. IF the wind doesn't switch 8 times in a 3-4 hour period that is. LOL

Pat

 

[dbltree]

I've hunted the edge of some really thick stuff and I did see a lot of bucks...just couldn't "hem" one up

There is nothing more frustrating then seeing bucks 50-60 yards away

Even my funnels don't always work like I hope. During the rut, the big boys like to "skirt" the edges of the bedding areas...if they pick up scent from a hot doe then they go in, otherwise they just keep on movin. I think thats one reason one sees so many strange bucks during the rut...they cover a lot of country!
If that hot doe brings him down thru my funnel...all I have to do is shoot straight!

We'll be expecting a report on hunting heavy cover after season Bronc!