# Reverse Psychology



## Timberman (Jun 6, 2018)

I've lately been pouring over maps of WMA's thinking about which quota hunts I want to try for and what other hunts may interest me. Doing so brings my thoughts to biggest piece of advice I hear about hunting public land-to go deep. 

My quandary is thus. Except for on the larger mountain wma's, there is rarely a stretch of even a mile in a straight line where there isn't another road or access point. In most cases much closer than that. 

So if the advice is to go deep is followed, are the middle of the blocks full of people? What if somebody was to hunt places right beside the road or areas that are overlooked because they aren't "deep" enough? Has anybody tried that?

Another reason for this train of thought: Years ago when we were hunting in Taliaferro County all the young bucks would get up early and take off hither and yon to the farthest and deepest parts of the lease. My father would wake up late and walk about 50 yards from camp where he could watch a crossing while drinking his coffee. He killed several very nice bucks doing that and messed up on one he said was the biggest he had ever seen. That has always stuck in my head.


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## Dustin Pate (Jun 7, 2018)

There are many spots on a couple WMA's that I hunt almost within sight of where I park. Don't ignore sign just because you are "supposed" to go deep.


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## sghoghunter (Jun 10, 2018)

Not sure if this helps or not but I hunt sorta deep to get away from people. This yr is my first yr hunting the club that my brother took over and it's a pick two private spots and our picked spots are at the front right by where you come in the gate. To me it's no better than anywhere else on the club it's just on a dead end lane that no one else has any reason going down.


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## Whit90 (Jun 20, 2018)

I try to go deep to mainly stay away from other folks and I hardly ever see another person while in the stand. Most just dont want to walk so far. But I have hunted not so far from the truck and not seen anyone as well... I do try to look at the maps and try to look at all the entry ways. If there are a lot of easy entry ways I usually skip that area. But you never know. I think it also depends on the WMA and how much traffic it sees. Good luck!


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## j_seph (Jun 20, 2018)

Killed 2 bucks year before last 10 min apart, could see cars going down the dirt road


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## OmenHonkey (Jun 20, 2018)

Much like you i have studied maps to find these elusive "Deep" spots. yet when i walk in right off the road usually has the most sign. If i see a crossing on the road, i head in that direction. In my part of the state most WMA's are 2000 to 6000 acres. Thats really not that much land to cover on foot and not counting the roads you run into along the way.


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## Timberman (Jun 20, 2018)

Exactly. On most WMA’s you really can’t go deep even if you wanted to.


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## Whit90 (Jun 20, 2018)

All rules are gone when the rut is on anyway


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## Timberman (Jun 20, 2018)

Good Point.

So is it best on a crowded wma to scout and hunt good deer sign or to hunt based on where the other hunters will be? Doesn't the amount of hunters disrupt normal deer patterns?


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## Whit90 (Jun 20, 2018)

I in the same boat as you. I really dont know what the best thing to do, or if there is one. When there are a lot of folks in the woods it throws the deer off and they pretty much in survival mode. There are so many variables when it comes to public land hunting. If there is an obvious areas where you think folks will target, you can use that to your advantage by getting on the down wind side of that area ( with a good bit of land between you and that spot) in hopes of having deer that come between you and that spot to catch the other hunters wind and head your way. 

But my gut says hunt the sign.


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## delacroix (Jun 24, 2018)

They tend to plan quota hunts as unorganized man drives. That is why the hunts are so often overcrowded, bordering on criminally unsafe. This is not the typical find the sign and pattern a buck deal. They're not relying on hunting skills of the average public land hunter to meet their harvest goals. Your study of maps should be for escape routes away from heavily hunted areas.


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## Timberman (Jun 25, 2018)

My thoughts as well


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## deerhunter1636 (Jun 25, 2018)

The deer are going to hide in the thickest cover they can find whether its 100 yards off the road or 500 yards off the road.. I hunt the cover not the distance. Usually get mature bucks (3.5 yr old +) every year on public land.


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## Timberman (Jun 26, 2018)

deerhunter1636 said:


> The deer are going to hide in the thickest cover they can find whether its 100 yards off the road or 500 yards off the road.. I hunt the cover not the distance. Usually get mature bucks (3.5 yr old +) every year on public land.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Jun 26, 2018)

I hunt WMA exclusively for the past 10+ yrs.....I avoid foot travel trails, well used parking spaces and overall "easy to access" creek bottoms or hardwood areas...You WILL see more hunters than deer.....I look for sections of road that does not have easy parking or access to the woods.....I will park down the road from the area i intend to hunt....
it is not really necessary to go deep into the woods to kill deer, you just need to find thick areas that offer sanctuary to deer... yrs ago at Oaky woods, during a noon break i decided to scout a thick area that bordered the main road.. I parked 100 yds up the road from a tangled briar patch and played the wind to go around the thicket,,,, I jumped a doe bedded down 100 yds from the road right in the middle of the thicket....she went home in the truck.....

bottom line is, deer are smart, and have the ability to find and use cover, a we just need to be smarter than them...

Good Luck !!


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## deerhunter1636 (Jun 26, 2018)

Yep, I noticed a very thick 3 acre cut over right next to the check station.  I  sat in a tree 200 yrs away on opening morning and watched everyone pulling in and out of the check station ( with my bino's) checking  in their kill that morning. At 10:45 am  I shot two 8 pointers within 25 yrds of the tree I was in.. one was a 2.5 yr old and second a 3.5 yr old buck. Went back to the same tree two weeks later for the next check in hunt and at 11:20 am killed a 5.5 yr old 8 pointer out of the same tree. He was walking the exact same trail as the first two bucks. They were walking around  in the thick cover and were not coming out in the open.. I could only see a few small opening out in the over grown clear cut and sat with my finger on the trigger. I saw a couple bears walking around in there as well. No bears allowed to be killed on that WMA though but they were fun to watch. Play the wind, get in as tight as you can to the thick cover and sit and wait. I get in the tree way before day light and see most of the big bucks between 10:30 and 2:00 pm. I am 58 years old and just figured all this out in the last 6 to 7 years. Good luck.


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## Timberman (Jun 26, 2018)

Now we're gettin to the meat and taters. Great info!


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## Curtis (Jul 18, 2018)

Used to hunt Redlands back in the 1980's and killed several nice deer while hinting on the ground, not 50 yards from the road right where a some thick cover opened up a little near a small creek.  Could hear folks walking in and out.


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## matt79brown (Jul 23, 2018)

''Hunt where the deer are, not where you want them to be'' -best huntin' advice anyone ever gave me.


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 1, 2018)

I quit hunting wmas that you can't go deep in. I don't want to hear a vehicle or see another person. That's just the way i like to hunt.


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## NCHillbilly (Aug 2, 2018)

Timberman said:


> I've lately been pouring over maps of WMA's thinking about which quota hunts I want to try for and what other hunts may interest me. Doing so brings my thoughts to biggest piece of advice I hear about hunting public land-to go deep.
> 
> My quandary is thus. Except for on the larger mountain wma's, there is rarely a stretch of even a mile in a straight line where there isn't another road or access point. In most cases much closer than that.
> 
> ...


Yes, I have killed several bucks by doing just that. Most people head way back in there.


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## jbandito (Aug 13, 2018)

I hunt Chickasahatchee and Mayhaw....Ive killed deer right off the roads. Easier for me when I am by myself, but i will tell you a good bit of advice...Go small game hunting or turkey hunting on your WMA ...I have learned way more about where the deer are by all the scouting you can do in these seasons


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## spencer12 (Aug 19, 2018)

One of the biggest deer I've ever seen killed was killed by a kid on a quota hunt I got drawn for.  He was hunting about 150 yds behind the ranger/check in station.  We all checked in around 11:30-12.  Probably 50 people in the parking area with 20-30 trucks.  He killed it at 12:30, 150 yds from the parking lot.


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## hambone76 (Sep 11, 2018)

I hunt buck sign, travel corridors and feeding sign on the first day. After that it’s the escape routes and thick cover where the deer go to hide from the crowds.


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## lagrangedave (Sep 11, 2018)

A game warden showed me a good lesson. If there’s a spot that can only be reached by water.  Go there.


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## ShawnC1994 (Sep 18, 2018)

While signing in for deer last weekend on a wma I literally was watching a doe and fawn eat while writing...


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