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Is this a good idea/strategy for McAAP?
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<blockquote data-quote="RidgeHunter" data-source="post: 810673" data-attributes="member: 4319"><p>In talking with old time hunters, white hats, biologists and Starry, they all say Bear Trap and the restricted zones being a safe haven for bucks is very much exaggerated, and I tend to agree with them. Partly because the habitat and food sources is just not as good as it is in other areas. It has also been pretty well documented with a lot of the old bucks on the base that they tend to stay in a relatively small area most of the time.</p><p></p><p>I also (just my opinion) do not believe the bucks pattern hunters per say, and return to the restricted areas by first light. I am more apt to believe, like any other property I have hunted, they just simply stay bedded the majority of the daylight hours. Outside of the rut, mature bucks just don't spend as much time on the move during the day as they do at night.</p><p></p><p>You can walk right past a bedded buck and never see him. More than once I have pushed just a little to close to a bedded deer (talking 5 yards or so) without seeing them, only to have them explode out of the brush right in front of my face and disappear. If you stay 10 or so yards away from them, they won't flinch until you are gone. A deer with a pile of bone on his head does not live 5+ years by walking around in the daylight all day, or by jumping and running every time he hears a noise.</p><p>My hunting partners drew it one year right before I started applying with them and jumped a B&C class no-typical that was bedded in a ditch behind a deadfall not 10 yards from a blacktop road. They never saw it till it stood up, and they only reason it stood up is because they were walking and talking after just leaving the truck on the scouting day, and literally almost stepped on the buck. But if they would have walked 5 yards left or right, he never would have moved. </p><p></p><p>I have a book with a study done in the late 80's or early 90's on how close hunters would be to collared mature bucks and never see them. Very interesting.</p><p></p><p>I have never hunted the walk in area, but what Rod Snell said makes a lot of sense.</p><p>As far as the rest of the base outside the walk in area, I know the deer just flat out don't care about the roads, and often walk the ditch lines. I have talked with several veteran MAC hunters that have been successful close to the roads, including a white hat. All 4 of us hunted close to the road last time and saw quite a few deer for early season.</p><p></p><p>I will agree that in all areas (not counting the walk in as Rod described) most people go further in then necessary. I am just basing that on my own very limited experience there, along with the more in depth experience of family/friends who have hunted there longer than I. You can be very successful hunting near roads (any road, not just near restricted areas). </p><p></p><p>But to sum it up, I believe the old bucks just bed down the majority of the day in heavy cover, just like they do on my lease. I don't think they make a mad dash for the restricted areas, especially since all they have to do is lay down in some brush and not move and they are almost invincible to a bowhunter.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RidgeHunter, post: 810673, member: 4319"] In talking with old time hunters, white hats, biologists and Starry, they all say Bear Trap and the restricted zones being a safe haven for bucks is very much exaggerated, and I tend to agree with them. Partly because the habitat and food sources is just not as good as it is in other areas. It has also been pretty well documented with a lot of the old bucks on the base that they tend to stay in a relatively small area most of the time. I also (just my opinion) do not believe the bucks pattern hunters per say, and return to the restricted areas by first light. I am more apt to believe, like any other property I have hunted, they just simply stay bedded the majority of the daylight hours. Outside of the rut, mature bucks just don't spend as much time on the move during the day as they do at night. You can walk right past a bedded buck and never see him. More than once I have pushed just a little to close to a bedded deer (talking 5 yards or so) without seeing them, only to have them explode out of the brush right in front of my face and disappear. If you stay 10 or so yards away from them, they won't flinch until you are gone. A deer with a pile of bone on his head does not live 5+ years by walking around in the daylight all day, or by jumping and running every time he hears a noise. My hunting partners drew it one year right before I started applying with them and jumped a B&C class no-typical that was bedded in a ditch behind a deadfall not 10 yards from a blacktop road. They never saw it till it stood up, and they only reason it stood up is because they were walking and talking after just leaving the truck on the scouting day, and literally almost stepped on the buck. But if they would have walked 5 yards left or right, he never would have moved. I have a book with a study done in the late 80's or early 90's on how close hunters would be to collared mature bucks and never see them. Very interesting. I have never hunted the walk in area, but what Rod Snell said makes a lot of sense. As far as the rest of the base outside the walk in area, I know the deer just flat out don't care about the roads, and often walk the ditch lines. I have talked with several veteran MAC hunters that have been successful close to the roads, including a white hat. All 4 of us hunted close to the road last time and saw quite a few deer for early season. I will agree that in all areas (not counting the walk in as Rod described) most people go further in then necessary. I am just basing that on my own very limited experience there, along with the more in depth experience of family/friends who have hunted there longer than I. You can be very successful hunting near roads (any road, not just near restricted areas). But to sum it up, I believe the old bucks just bed down the majority of the day in heavy cover, just like they do on my lease. I don't think they make a mad dash for the restricted areas, especially since all they have to do is lay down in some brush and not move and they are almost invincible to a bowhunter. [/QUOTE]
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