Rookie here, 1st hunting season, been out for one week hunt, and a handful of sporadic day hunts around MU8 region. I'm super pumped to hunt, wish I started sooner (and younger), and trying to do my best, time permitting, to fill the freezer.
In MU8, I'm trying to get a WT buck, so I tried a spot with a ton of cut block and lakes with moderate elevation, - enough that I know I need to get new snow tires for the more off-road spots. All dirt/forest roads, multiple cutblocks of different ages.
I went out late this morning around 9-10am with my 5 year old daughter, not expecting to bag a buck, but at least take her out and try to find sign. And sign we did find! Seemed like a deer superhighway with on and off road ramps to boot.
https://imgur.com/a/GklyPrL
We followed a trail through the woods to a clearing of very young trees, and there were tracks everywhere! I dropped pins into my huntbuddy app for every natural blind and turned on tracking as we followed a bunch of deer tracks around the clearing.
We even found a deer bed, complete with skat, which was super cool to for my daughter to find! She had learned about deer skat last year in preschool - she had a great teacher who would take her class into the woods.
Among a few natural blinds with great views of different areas of the clearing, there was a little hill that gave a 360 view of the clearing, young trees, forest trail entrances, and some upper treeline and ridges...
My initial thought is to come back in a couple days, as we disturbed the area quite a bit with human tracks in the crunchy snow. Maybe come just before first light and try to set up at the 360 spot I pinned? It seemed the tracks led down to a nearby lake, so maybe I should try an ambush spot closer to the lake and ope they run into me? But doesn't the wind blow up in the morning, better be up high to start?
Or should I try to setup early in the woods by the clearing and try to catch them on their trial walk.
Trouble is I'm not sure if they are MD or WT tracks or both, as there are supposed to be both in this region - as per my reading of HBC posts. Also, it is pretty close to the dirt roads, and there was a bit of activity - but maybe not bad for a Sunday come to think of it. Maybe mid-week it will be less busy.
I know we weren't there at an optimal time, just did the best we could with the time we had, and spent a few hours following deer trails, practicing the slow hunter walk, break up walk patterns to emulate deer (or attempt to) and glass different areas that looked advantageous.
I would love and appreciate any guidance or advice if my description offers any. I don't expect to bag anything my first season, especially since I haven't had the time off to do so, but I'll still try my nest with what I have to work with.
Thank you!
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