VAAP Hunt ...

[bow_vol]

Anyone hear of any good deer killed on the VAAP hunt ?

I got drawn and was really excited about hunting it. After this weekend, I do have to say that I think 150 people is really too many in such a limited area. There were about six trucks that turned off on the road I was hunting and by the time I came out at lunch there were a total of 10 cars that had pulled in for the afternoon hunt. While getting ready to leave I saw a guy pull into view and a deer running down the fence-line toward where I had pulled off and parked. The passenger jumped out and got his bow and tried several times to get a shot - but the deer finally found a hole and made its escape.

After seeing so many people in that patch of woods - and I had hunted about as far as you could get off a road in that area I decided to try an area that looked like no one would hunt it all.

I found a big square block of sage and scrub with just a few scraggly trees in the middle. I climbed a cedar and hung my stand and settled in. The closer it got to dark the more people I saw slowly cruising the roads. Within the last two hours of daylight -I had eight separate people stop at the scrub field I was hunting and walk all around it to one degree or another. After whistling three people off - and seeing deer running for their lives in the distance- I finally just got down and headed to the house.

I have never seen anything like it - I know there are some big deer there but I do believe it would be total luck to get a shot at one of them.

 

[churly]

Next time, scout a hole in the fence and stick to it! Sometimes you can hunt by the sign, you have to use hunter pressure to your advantage. I know how frustrating that is. Did you see any good ones being checked?

 

[SpurHunter]

I have not been drawn for that hunt yet, but I cant wait!</p>

I bet it is like most other managed hunts where most people filter to the easiest places to hunt. </p>

A guy from work got drawn last year, and treked as far as he could. Saw a MONSTER 12 point, but was too far. He only sw one hunter from the tree, and ended up killing a turkey in the end. </p>

 

[bow_vol]

I think part of the problem is that most of this area is "easy" to access. It reminds me alot of the old Clarksville Base at Fort Campbell - it is cut up with roads. There are plenty of thick areas that keep most hunters out - but you pretty much have to bust a thicket to get in deep and I think that's counterproductive too. The area I hunted was one that a friend had scouted and hunted last year and didn't see anyone in the woods either and saw several decent bucks - primarily because you had to hike a long way past a gate which discouraged most. However, just my luck they decided to open some of these gates this year which meant easier access. My back up strategy was to use my loc-on to hunt the edges of thick cut-overs in trees that wouldn't be conducive to climbers (and hence I thought most hunters) - but it amazed me how many people were trying to stalk the edges or just tromped into and thru the thickets from downwind side. The wind was blowing pretty good especially on Saturday - which also eliminated a lot of areas that looked good to me.

Basically it's hard to get on to something good the first time you get to hunt an area like that. I was thankful to get an opportunity to hunt it and there are definitely plenty of deer in there and if I ever went again I would probably try to hunt escape routes - but personally I just don't like hunting that way (especially with a bow). I like to see deer "do their thing" naturally not moving because of pressure.

If anybody gets to hunt it in the future I would definitely be glad to share what I learned about the area and where I would have hunted had the wind been right.

Well it's off to Stewart County for the rest of this archery week to see if any thing is starting up down that way !