Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: fishnfur on September 30, 2016, 12:38:37 AM

Title: Honey Hole??
Post by: fishnfur on September 30, 2016, 12:38:37 AM: Now I'm not looking for anyone's honey hole...........

How many times have we all seen that at the start of a new thread? ?

Since this one of the purposes of this forum is (in theory) to foster the sharing of hunting experiences and knowledge, I've been pondering for a few weeks whether those of you who truly have "honey holes" have any knowledge or good guesses to share on what makes your special deer hunting spot so special.

It is general knowledge that spots such as the upper reaches of brushed in draws, alder or mixed alder/fir benches, topographic or vegetation based pinch points or funnels can all be real hot spots for deer. But not all spots are created equal. Some will consistently produce deer year after year, and many others will be almost devoid of animal activity. Often times the availability of food is a big part of the equation, but many times, when food is abundant, it seems to play almost no role in where deer live. It may be a geographical feature that deer use or perhaps travel around that doesn't follow the typical example of a classic funnel, but acts in the same manner, and causes more animal activity in one location than others around it. Many other reasons come to mind as well.

I'd love to see a few comments from those of you with a proven honey hole, what you believe the reason(s) is/are that make your spot so much better than the surrounding areas. How big is the area and what factors cause deer to use that area more than others, and it might be helpful to throw in the species of deer you hunt in that spot. We definitely don't want any information that might tip off someone to the whereabouts of your spot, so keep your discussions non-specific regarding actual location.

Thanks to anyone with comments to share. Any takers?
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: greenhead_killer on September 30, 2016, 01:12:07 AM: I personally think the best thing I have going for me in any given 'honey hole' is experience. It's time invested in learning how deer live. Learning to read the terrain, bedding areas, travel corridors, escape routes, feed zones. It's learning where the deer are most comfortable and when they become uncomfortable, where they go next. You're right, not every place is a cookie cutter design with habitat, but investing time into different areas will teach you where the honey holes are.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Mudball on September 30, 2016, 07:03:05 AM: Wow that is one of the best worded posts I've seen and great questions. I really don't have a "honey hole" myself as I tend to move around from area to area depending on location and pressure and my slight ADD (patience I may never learn) that's makes sitting in one place hard for me. I am not successful on a regular basis as often as most but would agree there are many factors that play into the quality and overall success of an area. I tend to hunt mostly blacktail in my local area, although I have not mastered the art by any means of the term as well as others and spend more time beating my head against the nearest tree at the end of the season because I have once again failed at seeing them before they see me I still love these deer. I have had several areas produce deer for several years even though I may not have put a tag on one I still consider the season a successful one. Some of the areas become to thick for me to hunt, over pressured by others or I have lost several areas to coyotes over the years because I don't know or have the time to hunt them. I would love to hear from more people about Blacktail deer areas more than others, I have spent hours looking at pictures reading books (I have most of the Blacktail books on the market) to try and find similar are as depicted in photos or following the standards of were they are supposed to be but there is always more learning to be done. I hope others will put out the type of helpful info learned for years of experience/success.

Good luck to all on your season. :)
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: BULLBLASTER on September 30, 2016, 11:50:02 AM: My "meat factory" is a small piece of private land in an area with high deer density and relatively low hunting pressure. Different for sure than a "honey hole" on vast open areas or something like that but same idea.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Dr. Death on September 30, 2016, 12:00:44 PM: Sounds like this is mainly for blacktails, so I'll give a few words on this. I bowhunt, so my technics are geared for that. The more time you can spend in the woods the better as we all know. Blacktails live in rather small areas for the most part, I used spend hours cutting trails into and around areas that I knew held big bucks. I'd usually find their bedding areas this way and after all the trails were built I'd leave them alone for the most part, checking from time to time to ensure they were still in the areas and now using the trails. When I'd get rainy days and correct winds I'd work into their bedding areas and have shot numerous good bucks in or around their beds or on the trails. That worked well for me, lots of work throughout the year however. I now mostly hunt mulies lol...good luck!
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: jagermiester on September 30, 2016, 02:36:30 PM: I shot 3 bucks in three consecutive years out of the exact same hole. The fourth consecutive year I went there and shot AT! a running buck that would have been the largest buck I would have taken out of there. :bash: I hunt in sagebrush and the only cover is actual holes (Coulees). This particular one sits off all by itself and is rather large compared to the rest. For years no one messed with it because of how much open country you have to pass to get to it. Every deer killed in that hole has been towards the end of our season. I believe this is because the deer feel like it is safe having a sort of buffer between them and the protection of topography. The problem with a honey hole is that it becomes ho hum. I found myself not wanting to go there last year because I have been there and done that. My hunting partners feel like it belongs to me so they avoid it. This year I'm going to bring my brother in law there and hopefully he can take it over. ;)
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Bill W on September 30, 2016, 03:24:29 PM: I had a spot in Montana that I shot 4 big deer off of, all within 1/4 mile of each other. It wasn't until the 4th one that I put things together. That spot was where the "boss buck" in the area staked his claim. Why it was the "spot", I don't know. But if I went over there again I feel it would hold another big buck. Two were in the 250 live weight class, another 270-300 and the last was approximately 325. The 325 lb one had 27 1/2 inch wide rack and his body made the rack look small. I had passed him up two days prior thinking he was a 20 inch wide class deer (with a smaller body size)

The best deer I shot off that ranch was in a different area and was what I classed as the perfect deer. Body size of approximately 180 lbs live weight and very symetrical and beamy antlers. This buck was a smaller one, 23 inches wide but it would score higher than the one with the 27 1/2 inch rack. That one was beamy also but had a fair number of subtractions because of uniformity.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: jackelope on September 30, 2016, 03:29:59 PM: My buddy's boy killed 3 deer, 3 years in a row, in the same chunk of CRP using the same section of fence for a rest.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Rainier10 on September 30, 2016, 03:45:51 PM: Quote from: jackelope on September 30, 2016, 03:29:59 PM
My buddy's boy killed 3 deer, 3 years in a row, in the same chunk of CRP using the same section of fence for a rest.
Wow, my daughters have done the same. Oldest daughter shot one two years in a row and the third year the youngest got to hunt this small section of CRP that has produced all three years.

It's just a great spot off the road that you can't see but the deer hold up there for some reason. It is literally a 2 minute walk to see if they are there.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Tacbeav on October 01, 2016, 08:10:42 AM: I have killed Blacktails in or near the same clearcut in consecutive years several times. For most of us, Blacktail hunting happens in forest land that is actively managed for timber harvest and the habitat is always changing as trees grow up. Any given spot will only be good for a few years before the trees become grown up to the point that it is no longer practical to hunt. I think it is more about being willing to put the time in to learn a specific area (as mentioned earlier) and staying with it. If the sign is there and you are seeing does and fawns, be confident that the bucks will show up when the timing is right. That usually being the last few days of October or during "late buck" if you are a rifle hunter. Be willing to get away from the road hunters by walking into gated off roads or at least getting to the clearcut edges that can't be seen from an open road or just by taking a few steps off of a landing.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: fishnfur on October 01, 2016, 11:49:30 AM: I agree with that argument, and though some call a patch of reprod a honey hole, (and it is hard to argue vehemently against that point), reprod is something of a short-lived honey hole, that in the near-term, provides deer an excellent source of food, and later on in the growth phase, both cover and food. In a commercial forest, there are many more deer using both the reprod and the areas immediately surrounding them than the thousands of acres of 25 - 40 year-old, closed canopy, dark-and-dead-underneath stands in the neighboring areas. As you stated, once the reprod reaches full closure (if conifer) it generally becomes much less useful to deer - just dark and dead. Cover - yes, food - no. Time to find a new place to hunt.

For the sake of this discussion, the questions was regarding all three species of deer in WA, not just blackies in commercial west-side forests. A true honey hole, at least in my mind, holds more, or perhaps bigger deer than the surrounding areas, and often offer opportunities for repeatable hunting success for many, many years. These spots are real, and for whatever reason, the deer like living in, or at least using them much more extensively than the surrounding areas (that seem quite similar from a human point of view).

I'm not surprised to find that most hunters who have a honey hole are not sure why the deer prefer these locations. These spots are generally closely guarded secrets and rarely shared with anyone. As hunters, we can only guess what the deer are thinking at any given time. We will never really understand why they choose to do all the things that do. There are likely many reasons that each honey hole attracts deer, and those reasons are likely different for each location. No doubt access to food, water, cover are major attractants in each case, but I would not be surprised if there are seasonal and perhaps specific nutritional factors that may make these areas more deer friendly during the time of year that hunters are in the field. Perhaps it may also have to do with lower hunter numbers in that area compared to the surrounding areas that results in greater deer numbers. I could go on and on, but only the deer really know the answer, and they ain't talkin'.

Thanks for the input. I will continue to ponder it as I lay sleepless in my bed at night. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on October 01, 2016, 12:10:59 PM: Easy answer to finding a Honey Hole. Read The Liars Paper aka Fishing and Hunting news. The best spot I have found to date comes from The TRIPOD BUCK........ :tup:
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: boneaddict on October 01, 2016, 12:22:40 PM: That one has my attention as well.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: fishnfur on October 01, 2016, 09:58:15 PM: Quote from: HUNTINCOUPLE on October 01, 2016, 12:10:59 PM
Easy answer to finding a Honey Hole. Read The Liars Paper aka Fishing and Hunting news. The best spot I have found to date comes from The TRIPOD BUCK........ :tup:

Hilarious! (I always thought they should have named that magazine "you shoulda been there last week".)

.....but I'm not looking for a honey hole anyways. I like to keep it challenging and wander around aimlessly in the woods.

I'll bet Bone has worthwhile input on the topic. I mean,who else routinely finds mashers like Bone Addict? I think there is likely some secret hunting society, handshake and all, that knows all of this information, but the topic is verboten to non-members. No doubt Bone is a charter member. >:(
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Jimmy33 on October 02, 2016, 08:00:19 AM: I have two different versions of this for deer and elk

Elk-any place that gives me the best odds and killing an elk. I don't care too much about size, more concerned with filling my freezer.
Deer- mulies in particular are my passion. I don't like to hunt where I see people. I would rather hunt an area with one nice buck and no people than 50 nice ones and 50 people. This is my first requirement. I look for rugged country in isolated areas. This sounds cliche, but it is absolutely true. This keeps big deer feeling safe, and people out. I like low deer densities. This tells me that there will be less people there because people get discouraged easily hiking their butts off, in rough country, not seeing deer. I have, in my honey hole, gone days without seeing a deer. Furthermore, in my experience, lower deer densities mean bigger bucks. I have hunted areas in Idaho, New Mexico, and most recently in Washington and found this to be true. The spot that I am currently hunting has produced, in four years, 2-150's, 1-140, and 1-170 class mule deer. I

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Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Jimmy33 on October 02, 2016, 08:03:12 AM: The final part of this is to tell no one of your area and minimize pics. My two sons are the only two people who know my spot. That's why I have to haul deer out by myself or have two young boys help. They hunt it also.

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Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Miles on October 02, 2016, 08:23:47 AM: Quote from: Jimmy33 on October 02, 2016, 08:00:19 AM
Deer- mulies in particular are my passion. I don't like to hunt where I see people. I would rather hunt an area with one nice buck and no people than 50 nice ones and 50 people. This is my first requirement. I look for rugged country in isolated areas. This sounds cliche, but it is absolutely true. This keeps big deer feeling safe, and people out. I like low deer densities. This tells me that there will be less people there because people get discouraged easily hiking their butts off, in rough country, not seeing deer. I have, in my honey hole, gone days without seeing a deer. Furthermore, in my experience, lower deer densities mean bigger bucks. I have hunted areas in Idaho, New Mexico, and most recently in Washington and found this to be true. The spot that I am currently hunting has produced, in four years, 2-150's, 1-140, and 1-170 class mule deer. I

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I've had success using the same thought process. While low deer densities should make it harder, I feel it's easier to hunt without other hunters around messing things up. When I finally spot a buck, it's usually a mature one.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 02, 2016, 08:25:31 AM: Quote from: Miles on October 02, 2016, 08:23:47 AM
Quote from: Jimmy33 on October 02, 2016, 08:00:19 AM
Deer- mulies in particular are my passion. I don't like to hunt where I see people. I would rather hunt an area with one nice buck and no people than 50 nice ones and 50 people. This is my first requirement. I look for rugged country in isolated areas. This sounds cliche, but it is absolutely true. This keeps big deer feeling safe, and people out. I like low deer densities. This tells me that there will be less people there because people get discouraged easily hiking their butts off, in rough country, not seeing deer. I have, in my honey hole, gone days without seeing a deer. Furthermore, in my experience, lower deer densities mean bigger bucks. I have hunted areas in Idaho, New Mexico, and most recently in Washington and found this to be true. The spot that I am currently hunting has produced, in four years, 2-150's, 1-140, and 1-170 class mule deer. I

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've had success using the same thought process. While low deer densities should make it harder, I feel it's easier to hunt without other hunters around messing things up. When I finally spot a buck, it's usually a mature one.

:yeah:
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: cooltimber on October 02, 2016, 08:51:06 AM: I love hunting the natural flow of gravity, the quarry are also inclined. These pinch points are a must to have as they provide a natural flow of travel. that's when thing's come together we hope.

You all have noticed coming to the end of a game trail, it just seems to have disappeared. Ever hunted in a circle to find out why.
my three P's, patience ,persistence, perseverance. Rolling terrain, steep, spring's, wetland away from roads lead to honey hole's. Doesn't matter wetside eastside.
now a serious factor, I try to hold to is ,go where no man goes. Ever heard one of your hunting party say, I'm not going there, your nuts' Well other hunter's think that too. That's why I'll go there.
30 years ago my new hunting partner, said #$it why did you shoot him here,I said, well because that's where he was.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 02, 2016, 09:10:50 AM: Quote from: cooltimber on October 02, 2016, 08:51:06 AM
I love hunting the natural flow of gravity, the quarry are also inclined. These pinch points are a must to have as they provide a natural flow of travel. that's when thing's come together we hope.

You all have noticed coming to the end of a game trail, it just seems to have disappeared. Ever hunted in a circle to find out why.
my three P's, patience ,persistence, perseverance. Rolling terrain, steep, spring's, wetland away from roads lead to honey hole's. Doesn't matter wetside eastside.
now a serious factor, I try to hold to is ,go where no man goes. Ever heard one of your hunting party say, I'm not going there, your nuts' Well other hunter's think that too. That's why I'll go there.
30 years ago my new hunting partner, said #$it why did you shoot him here,I said, well because that's where he was.

:yeah:
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Jimmy33 on October 02, 2016, 09:22:13 AM: Cool timber...I felt the same way this year when I saw where my buck landed. A week removed and I'm ready to go shoot another one in the same spot. How quickly we forget. That's why I don't have a hunting partner, just my boys and they are more man than most men

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Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Seabass on October 02, 2016, 07:52:01 PM: I bow hunt on the east side of the state and I hunt white tail exclusively during the late season. I coach football and that makes September/October a no go for me.

I have a couple of "honey holes" although they are more like honey areas. Sometimes it turns out that the actual "spot" that I find a shooter isn't conducive to killing that buck so I have to set up somewhere near but not on the "spot".

For me the spots all look the same....almost identical but I only get to hunt late Nov-Dec so that is likely the reason for my findings. When I can find a steepish ridge that has big Douglas Fir with very minimal light penetration, some undergrowth (mostly ocean spray) adjacent to a thick bedding area, a really hard edge, I can almost gauruntee my camera will have landed on the crab.

I typically give my cameras a week to soak. If I don't find a shooter in the first week I pull it and move on. Most of the time I will get the best buck in the area within the first 72 hours. I won't bother to hang a stand in an area that doesn't have a buck I'm not interested in hunting. There have been seasons where I didn't hang a stand until the second week of the season because I haven't located a buck I'm interested in.

Some years I find one right away and I will spend as many hours as possible in that stand. Other years I spend my days allotted to hunting, checking and moving cameras. Two years ago I didn't find a shooter until 13th day of the season. Hung a stand at midnight, got in it at first light and shot him at 9:30 that morning. The spot was perfect and I knew it when I hung the camera. It also looked identical to all the rest.

Sometimes my spots are fairly remote. Sometimes they are, like last season, 250 yards off the blacktop. That buck was living within a 4 iron of a parking lot of one of THE most heavily hunted areas in the unit. When a spot has a designated parking lot, you know it's popular. If the spot looks right, I don't care much about where it is or how much it gets pressured wishing reason. I will say this, the spots I hunt that receive the most pressure are usually pressured by gun hunters and rarely bow hunters so I'm not usually dealing directly with other hunters while I'm hunting. Hope that helps.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: cooltimber on October 02, 2016, 09:14:14 PM: good point, that reminds me of a 4x5 whitetail I jumped about 200 yrd's from the truck.. seemed like it was a popular spot to park,you know we have all done it. There was a old apple orchard I was heading to,covered with brush and an old tractor.I'd hunted it the previous year and noticed it had grown over somemore. Every one had gone up the trail.I was walking along, no round in my chamber, and as I jumped over an old irrigation ditch, up he goes heading for the orchard.Threw a round in and down he went. When I gutted him out,you guessed it apple's in the stomach.
I tagged him and drug him back to the truck. Nobody around, so I made some coffee and had my sandwich.
That buck knew where he was safe, or so he thought.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: fishnfur on October 02, 2016, 09:19:58 PM: There's an old saying in gold prospecting - Gold is where you find it. That seems to apply pretty well to bucks too.

Nice posts all! Good food for thought.

Seabass - that's a big 4 iron! I'm impressed..... (OK - jealous).
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: Seabass on October 03, 2016, 06:48:24 AM: Fishnfur....more like a well struck 3 wood. A lot would have to go right for a 250 yard 4 iron. Lol!
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: krout81 on October 03, 2016, 07:39:08 AM: I have a late season "Honey Hole" for black tail, and I have killed 9 deer in it over the years. 4 bucks, 5 does. I see deer every year and lots of sign. Big timber with patches of reprod, near a thick'n nasty river bottom seems to breed deer very well. When it snows they get even more bunched up I make several passes though the area every year. In 2007 I killed a 3x3 and as he went down I saw one the biggest black tail I have ever seen alive standing 80 yards up the hill. Since it was late season and it was 2 days to the close of hunting in the unit I decided I would come back in Sept and split my time between elk and look for him. I had never hunted this unit early season, and after 5 days I realized that I was correct to stay away until the leaves fell. My "Honey Hole" was a complete bust because there was so much green that you couldn't see 30 yards. There was sign of deer, but not in comparison to late season I would say it was 60% less active.
Title: Re: Honey Hole??
Post by: fishnfur on October 03, 2016, 12:53:28 PM: Probably/possibly migratory deer, huh? I think that plays into the seasonal aspect of honey holes. I kinda doubt they hold the same numbers of deer all year long.

Sea Bass - Dustin Johnson might be able to squeeze 250 out of a 4 iron, but not more than a handful of others. I was hoping you swung your sticks like that.