What would you do?

[haus]

located a pig blackie..what to do:

First things first. hunted MF deer forever....first archery season, missed the early so I basically just started. Open to year end GMU availability + locations I'd hunted before left me with 1 spot. Happened to be my old stoppin grounds growin up, but I hadn't hunted it for 10 years or so. Long story short....day 5(today), same general area, but I decided to walk a loop(4 miles) of old road that runs the perimeter+and then some' of the area I've spent most of my time in just to see what might have changed in the past 10 years etc....so half way through I bump into this rub line......

...and I'm talkin' like 1/8 of a mile, of what I found anyway, he's kicked the crap out of nearly every other available small tree he could find along this old road I was on. One in particular, the first one that caught my eye, on a grassed over old spur road about 20ft in, is a big vine maple. He got in that thing and just beat the snot out of it, snappin' off 1" diameter branches and bigger. First I thought no way must be an elk cuz there's a few bulls in the area, but the rubs were just too low and I could only make out deer tracks in the frosted grass. Now I've hunted muley's and this looks like a muley worked it over. Never seen a blackie do that much damage. Was skeptical so I checked it over close makin' sure this couldn't be somethin else mixed in, angry bear, porkie, house cat, hell I dunno. Conclusion is, gotta be all deer. 1 deer. Either he's a pig or one REALLY pissed off little forked horn 

Things I found while inspecting the rub line:
- Old rubs, enough examples to say conservatively 3 years he's been controlling this chunk of ground. I noticed there is some consistency to each one, something I'd never paid much attention to before, do some deer get in the habit or have tendencies to beat on tree's in a certain way.
- He still active along the rub line, I found tracks that had removed the morning frost and shavings laying on the ground with no frost on them.....think he hit it in the daylight?
- What he's going in and out of is a no go zone for a hunter, no way to get in there, I mean I could but I'd need my .300 win mag not a 100 grain sharpened twig to punch through the crap; some older reprod with a lot of nasty growing in it.
- Across the road is thinned timber with some open skidder lanes. So I have lots of options for cover and plenty of visibility from the opposite side of his brush hole.
- Found a trail at the big rub that looks like he might push through when he goes doe huntin', I'd only been seeing does over in the thinned area.
- Terrains all lowland flat within reason ground, timber company land.

Besides the obvious, put a hole in 'em....now what in the hell am I gonna do?         18 Days left, 4 of which I can hunt +2 wildcards/vacation days available.  I've never targeted "A" deer before. I'm use to glassin' cuts and blasting the first legal ya see.
I don't have a camera, I know right where I'd put it if I had one, could pick one up this week, but should I even bother? My concern is I don't know how much of me in the area it would take before the buck locks down. I was very cautious about keepin away from and not touching anything along the route he's running.
If I do go the camera route, what time of day is best to install/remove one, noon?

It's going to be a really long week at work...... 

[PA BEN]

Tree stand. If the trees are to small a ladder type with a seat on top. Ground blind, pop up type. Back in the day when I first started bow hunting I ran into the same problem, I cut shooting lanes down wind of the scraps and sat on a stool. My buck a w/t was coming in in the middle of the day, he was on his way to a scrape about another 10ft and he was mine. Will the wind kicked up from below him, he smelled the air ran into the brush below him and pushed a doe out and went after her.

[ICEMAN]

Sounds like he is really happy and feeling pretty safe to use that area so much....I would get between it and his food. Watch the wind and just hang out there...tree stand sounds good, but I have never tried one...

[trophyhunt]

Tree stand for sure, it helps keep your scent off the ground (unless the wind is blowing down). I've been busted before in my stand but the one time being busted was worth the 50 times i wasn't. Saw the biggest blackie I've ever seen this year in my stand, don't wanna talk about the results, it still makes me want to shoot myself. Anyway, i love using a stand in a thick, small opening type area for blackie. P.S. try using a little blacktail doe in heat scent, not too much they are pretty smart *censored*s.

[lokidog]

OH, the problems to have.....  What a dilemma!      Sounds like a good place for a treestand or a ground blind if no trees available.  As mentioned, a little scent might work wonders.

[haus]

OH, the problems to have.....  What a dilemma!      Sounds like a good place for a treestand or a ground blind if no trees available.  As mentioned, a little scent might work wonders.

Ya its painful.... 

[haus]

Tree stand. If the trees are to small a ladder type with a seat on top. Ground blind, pop up type. Back in the day when I first started bow hunting I ran into the same problem, I cut shooting lanes down wind of the scraps and sat on a stool. My buck a w/t was coming in in the middle of the day, he was on his way to a scrape about another 10ft and he was mine. Will the wind kicked up from below him, he smelled the air ran into the brush below him and pushed a doe out and went after her.

I'm predicting similar frustrations. I cant do tree stand, have no shooting practice from one. There is a road bed between where he's travelling and where I am. So no need for shooting lanes. Like the ground blind idea, I'll try setting a couple up.

Kinda surprised he's still runnin' his rub route still. Must be a couple does in the area gettin hot still.

[haus]

Sounds like he is really happy and feeling pretty safe to use that area so much....I would get between it and his food. Watch the wind and just hang out there...tree stand sounds good, but I have never tried one...

Ya really, especially since it looks like he made a pass on it in the early light.

As for the food source, I got no clue. If he's browsing bushes n shrubs then he as plenty in that thick crap he's in.

[grousetracker]

try rubbing a tree in his rubs and put a tarsel or forehead gland scent on the tree or trees,buck and doe scents might send him into a frenzy where he cruises that area continuosly looking for the intruder. try a brush blind and watch the wind. a buddy of mine did that and we got that buck 3 days later while he was working over an alder tree.

[haus]

try rubbing a tree in his rubs and put a tarsel or forehead gland scent on the tree or trees,buck and doe scents might send him into a frenzy where he cruises that area continuosly looking for the intruder. try a brush blind and watch the wind. a buddy of mine did that and we got that buck 3 days later while he was working over an alder tree.

  thats kinda evil, I like it. you just use the whitetail stuff or does someone actually make it for blackies now?

[PA BEN]

If you go with a ground blind, COB and apples work real will.

[AKBowman]

try rubbing a tree in his rubs and put a tarsel or forehead gland scent on the tree or trees,buck and doe scents might send him into a frenzy where he cruises that area continuosly looking for the intruder. try a brush blind and watch the wind. a buddy of mine did that and we got that buck 3 days later while he was working over an alder tree.

  thats kinda evil, I like it. you just use the whitetail stuff or does someone actually make it for blackies now?

They make it for Blackies now. I would highly recommend a tree stand. If you can get in to it silently you will have your buck in a short time. I just bought a climber myself. Climbed up Saturday afternoon and killed a little button buck...(walking back to the car with my stand on my back of course  ) You can PM me if you dont have a stand and want to use it for the rest of the season. It a pretty nice climber (Gorilla makes decent stuff).

[haus]

They make it for Blackies now. I would highly recommend a tree stand. If you can get in to it silently you will have your buck in a short time. I just bought a climber myself. Climbed up Saturday afternoon and killed a little button buck...(walking back to the car with my stand on my back of course  ) You can PM me if you dont have a stand and want to use it for the rest of the season. It a pretty nice climber (Gorilla makes decent stuff).

scents....what brand do you recommend, where can i find it? I see stuff on the google but lots of different names.

[ICEMAN]

Hell of an offer AKbowman. This place rocks.

[M_ray]

You ask what I would do? I would hang a tree stand (I also have a Gorilla) and if you can't stand that or there arent any tree's large enough along the route I'd use the Ameristep Dog House. I'd throw down a trophy rock out in front to stop him and use a little doe in heat scent ... Then I'd kill him!!!

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