BluegrassDan
Member
Hey guys,
I have been hunting all year on about 70 acres in East Tennessee (Appalachian Mountains). The terrian is rugged woods on the side of a mountain, starts at 3,200 feet elevation and climbs to 4,000 feet. I have hunted buck signs with no luck, I've seen does just about every time I go out, and the closest thing I've seen was a drag line in the snow where someone dragged a buck out all the way at the top of the ridge from among some thick mountain laurels. The does tend to travel from side to side about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the mountain. The only food and water is all the way at the bottom of either side of the mountain (which I do not have permission to hunt), so everything will be in the "traveling" moves. Of course, the does bed down on a few places on this mountainside, but I think it's too close to the main road, as I've not seen buck signs that low on the ridge.
WHAT SHOULD I DO? Evening vs. morning? I'll be out in the woods early again tomorrow before sunrise and it's gonna be about 8 degrees with a 12mph wind, pretty clear with some clouds. A big cold front moved through today. Whatda think? Should I go high? Stay halfway down? Setup in my usual places where I see does? It seems like the rut hit very late this year in East Tennessee, I saw a 4 pointer about 2 miles away chasing a doe while driving in early one morning last week.
PLEASE help me figure this out!
Thanks in advance!
I have been hunting all year on about 70 acres in East Tennessee (Appalachian Mountains). The terrian is rugged woods on the side of a mountain, starts at 3,200 feet elevation and climbs to 4,000 feet. I have hunted buck signs with no luck, I've seen does just about every time I go out, and the closest thing I've seen was a drag line in the snow where someone dragged a buck out all the way at the top of the ridge from among some thick mountain laurels. The does tend to travel from side to side about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the mountain. The only food and water is all the way at the bottom of either side of the mountain (which I do not have permission to hunt), so everything will be in the "traveling" moves. Of course, the does bed down on a few places on this mountainside, but I think it's too close to the main road, as I've not seen buck signs that low on the ridge.
WHAT SHOULD I DO? Evening vs. morning? I'll be out in the woods early again tomorrow before sunrise and it's gonna be about 8 degrees with a 12mph wind, pretty clear with some clouds. A big cold front moved through today. Whatda think? Should I go high? Stay halfway down? Setup in my usual places where I see does? It seems like the rut hit very late this year in East Tennessee, I saw a 4 pointer about 2 miles away chasing a doe while driving in early one morning last week.
PLEASE help me figure this out!
Thanks in advance!