Scouting steep hill terrain for whitetail bedding areas...

Dan & Rick head to the hills scouting for hunting spots in steep terrain.

[@skdrcr]

I caught that Rick, when you said actually a couple thousand years. I'd venture to say you're a believer. That's awesome brother

[@johnpiner2151]

Thanks for taking us for a walk with you and we can see what you see. Its easier for me to learn that way. Learned a great deal. Thanks for sharing your knowledge this way. Helps people like myself, learning to hunt alot.

[@mb748]

Dan another great vid. My only complaint is the inconsistent volume. Sometimes I gotta turn it way up, then way down.

[@xCoverts]

-“Millions of years” -“I think only a thousand” ^ guy gets it

[@rickkimball9371]

Amen

[@dalton10ification]

Glad I wasn’t the only one to catch that!

[@doncook3584]

Dang you spot so much and connect the sign or lack there of. Watching you translate into story book form is amazing Gotta take a fresh look at my public places.

[@outdoorman808]

Good video Dan you all made some great points. Hey I hope you guys come back and do a State Land again this year in PA. We all enjoyed your challenged from last year.

[@skdrcr]

Man I just keep learning more!!

[@jimpeterson3806]

I always enjoy tagging along on your adventures. Thanks for bringing us with ya's!

[@JRMny-nl4ut]

Yeah, I agree w Rick. It only took a couple thousand...

[@flounderwetspot8524]

Imagine checking a trail camera on a property you’ve been hunting for years with an elusive buck and Dan and Rick are laughing and waving at ya LOL only to go watch the beast video and watch him figure the whole property out in 1 sweep. Such a savage haha. Love the method and how efficient you are it’s awesome to watch it happen for sure. Ps where’s Joe and Mario been ?

[@thehuntingbeast]

Mario has a lot on his plate, and Joe does not want all the attention... He just likes submitting kill videos.

[@flounderwetspot8524]

@@thehuntingbeast understood ; I hope all is okay between you fellas. Dear Dan : please write a book. Your posts are screaming intel and creativity. I’ll refrence John skinner but with fishing. As he has books of basically stories throughout his years but within them a valued lesson and that lesson is explained with reason. You undoubtedly can do the same

[@jeffpops5290]

Good stuff again Dan. Looking forward to the next area.

[@ronniewhite7414]

Excellent video, good information, thanks Dan and Rick. To your point about watching the access: I hunt a reservoir in east Tennessee surrounded by fairly steep terrain. The hunting pressure almost always comes from the lake, hardly ever from above. Bucks will bed on flats just above the lake, with steep terrain down to the lake. They bed there and monitor the lake because they know that's where the hunting pressure is coming from. I cut my engine as far away as I can and use trolling motor to ease in. I also turkey yelp as I'm walking. Just thought I'd share

[@KevinFrasard]

That crossbow arrow made me laugh because that's exactly what I found yesterday while scouting some hilly area here in MI. I checked an oxbow, found the arrow, and then 15 yards away from it was a giant bed right on the edge of the river. Solid video Dan, I just keep learning more and more from you!

[@Javelinfisher]

Found one myself on Mountain few year ago.

[@richstafford1245]

Great video as always. More hill country content coming I hope!

[@richarddean3154]

The DNR is supposed to be monitoring public land so it is legally used - in not doing so, they are allowing a new standard to be set - tree stands left overnight or through the season are legal - because the DNR is not enforcing the laws as written.

[@BlueWidow2010]

Is it illegal to leave a stand over night in Wisconsin? From a Michigan guy..

[@DROK0352]

Dan, spotting beds like woodchucks on the side of the road!😆

[@ec9697]

That property is definitely getting over pressured..excellent break down Dan

[@williamhower3636]

I learn more from watching a half hour video of yours than anything that I've ever tried to use to learn about deer and hunting. I don't know if it's how you put the info out or what but keep them coming!

[@JasonGrizzleOwlteacher]

That terrain looks exactly like the area I hunt in north Georgia. Great information. Thank you!

[@paulwakefield1015]

The scouting tag alongs are my favorite video format. Awesome video . Thanks for your hard work

[@kellypeterson5771]

Great video, very informative, hope there is more to come? Thanks

[@shank763]

That was outstanding. I learned a ton. Thanks in advance for all the scouting time you saved me. I appreciate you.

[@todlew3238]

Good. My kind of terrain. No swamps. Show me something Dan. I'm willing to learn because you impressed me last video

[@MCA2A]

Great video..best yet! Watching you scout helps a ton.

[@robgrubb420]

Love this style video. thanks for sharing.

[@kenscicluna5814]

Excellent video thank you Dan

[@mikefeaster8827]

Good information, thanks for sharing. I like these types of videos.

[@medic599]

This video was very helpful. Thanks.

[@bradcrook223]

I feel your pain. I thought I was gonna get into a honey hole this past weekend with hard access, and I wound up finding 6 stands in a very small area. Lazy idiots, very frustrating.

[@EW-gv5ov]

Ohio also is getting bad with the permanent stands on public . Found where One idiot even baited with corn 20 yards from the stand sticks he left .

[@Bubakarrr]

Awesome! I really struggle with hill country

[@jamesmarsee3297]

Great vid, would like to see more on hilly ground. Where i hunt it is just ridge after ridge of hardwoods, acorns every where, they can just stand up and start feeding on them.

[@cantgetenoughoutdoors3258]

You've got my undivided attention!!

[@ericbrooks8573]

As usual, great being in Dan's classroom. I hunt So. MN public and the parking is almost always low, so entry is key if you want to be in the game. After confirming good beds(buck), I look for any different way to sneak in and around the bucks field of view. Its tough to get around behind them because the wind blows towards them. Hill country is a challenge but my favorite.

[@richardtomai9855]

Just started watching you a couple months ago! It's unfortunate, but my hunting buddies say I remind them of DAN??? Seriously...Great stuff and lots of fun watching! I've been bowhunting public land for about 40 years now and you are right on the money! The one thing I'm going to do more of is be more aggressive in attacking bedding areas. Thanks and keep up the great work! Sincerely......Your Brother from another mother???? HAHA!

[@enolawolf4705]

Good ol beer can hanging in the tree.... gotta love "wood tics" geeez lol

[@jakecornish7788]

You're in a good area! I've hunted around there and there are a ton of good bucks in west central bluff country WI.

[@seregill13]

Dan waving a 2" or 3" broad head around was terrifying

[@roypeavy3542]

Good education video.Thanks for sharing.

[@mattbanura1279]

L

[@MexicanMovie]

Dan's letting his hair grow for good luck, probably gonna have a best ever Pa. public land challenge coming up for 21-22 season ! My wife told me to stop getting my hair cut, and now my hair is shoulder length now too, i just hope the ticks stay out of it .......... I'm still feeling 55 though, long hair hasn't helped me in that regard. Congrats on the new additions to the Beast Gear lineup, my Beast sticks are prepped and raring to go !!!!!!

[@MadeSportsEntertainment]

most guys now are being told they have to go further and deeper and into nastier stuff to escape pressure so a weird thing happens when everyone looks at the same digital map and is looking to go to the same remote places based on aerial photography

[@danmemmel9440]

Always about access. And seeing so many tree stands has me hesitant to leave my core area of public lands-- I try staying within :30 of home so I always have the opportunity to hit a different spot if I see the hunting pressure is too heavy...limits me somewhat. I need to make it a point to head to northern Wi and hit up some of the national forest land. Thanks for the content Dan

[@craufurdgoodwin3835]

The lower the deer density, the broader a bucks range will become (think big woods) and to “pattern” a buck is to realistically define one of a handful of his cores where he’s comfortable enough to bed and ruminate. In terms of a challenge, if you can kill a big woods buck, you can kill any buck on any terrain.

[@bigbuckhunterism]

That's why I want to go hunt up north. Cause taking these Arkansas bucks, in country just like this, it's definitely a challenge.

[@CEisel87]

Great video. Just wanted to add something about predominant wind direction and bedding on ridges. Do not assume it's always North/West etc. Depending on where you hunt and even the time of the year the predominant wind can change. Where I hunt in Northwest PA, the predominant winds in Late October into November are about 65% some sort of South to West wind. Look for wind rose diagrams in your area to determine the wind for your location!

[@fishlovme]

Great scouting video! I bet most, if not all of those stands came from the private land owner's in that area who take advantage of a bigger hunting area. Very common with people who only own a few acres of land that back up to private land. I have a few smaller parcels of land near me in southern Wisconsin that have that problem. Heck, even the realtors sell the lands this way by saying "backs up to public hunting land" or something similar to that! I tend to avoid those areas at all costs.

[@ArrowHeadsOutdoors]

Good Video. You said you busted brush getting in there. Could be a good hide close to access when the pressure hits. I've seen it before. Keep em coming.

[@thehuntingbeast]

neighbor had a ladder stand over the access... But, at least that one was on his land...

[@wadesoutdoors1914]

Went scouting a new area Saturday. Found some deer beds around a point . I believe it’s does though . Didn’t see any rubs . Going to a new area in the morning.

[@jamesdodson9417]

I agree on the couple of thousand the great flood was tragic.

[@JRMny-nl4ut]

Wow. Nice. If it had no pressure, what would be the best way and time to get in there. Very good training....

[@garywest2250]

camera man said that rock formation was "a couple thousand" years old.....LOL -- Dan's estimation of million's + is way closer..

[@thebigbuckslayerr579]

Dan I found multiple bedding areas in a swampy area i took videos of them . I thought itd be cool to send them to you. Thank you by the way... if it wasnt for you I wouldn't have found them

[@MexicanMovie]

Watching this again 4 months later and i'm getting a lot more out of it this time..... and Rick getting the wide angle views of these points and stuff makers it easier to see and understand exactly what is going on...

[@SvenDepennis]

The small pieces of public land around me that are surrounded by private, see the heaviest pressure. Everyone that lives nearby hits those pieces of land. 20 miles down the road where there are thousands of accessible acres - you can drive through there opening week of gun season and you'll only see a handful of cars. There are also very few houses around those areas. Like you have said before, people are lazy. They want to hunt close to home and not have to walk far. I'll admit, I hunt these pieces a lot, because they're close to home and I can be on them in no time for a quick hunt. They really are not very productive pieces though.

[@peterupdikeswildtreasures4055]

Finding that access is tough, but you'll never find a spot no one knows about, thats just the way it is. Great video, enjoy the content.

[@thebigbuckslayerr579]

That could be true on public but its definitely not true about private . I hunt a lot of private that other people hunt and I usually find something that isnt being hunted

[@still1.]

Never say never

[@kylemurray7086]

Dan I’m in the thumb area of Michigan, the area around me is all agriculture, but there’s also big tracts of dense woods with river bottoms and marshes, and there’s a lot of bigger hills, some up to 1000 feet… my question is, do I use farm country tactics? Hill country tactics? Big woods? Lol I have it all over here, and within a mature bucks core area he could have all 3, it’s very sporadic..

[@thehuntingbeast]

I would look for bedding in all three terrain areas... However, a good tip would be that in heavy pressure bucks tend to bed more in low thick areas.

[@kylemurray7086]

@@thehuntingbeast That actually would work out to my advantage, because the “4 point slayer” and all his buddies don’t really mess with the marshes and lowlands, afraid of getting their boots wet I guess??

[@dustinhoffman9843]

Awesome video brotha. I learn a ton from these and I really appreciate it. Question though. Do you find that those mature bucks--outside of the rut, travel mainly on that same top 3rd elevation.

[@thehuntingbeast]

No.. They travel it during rut, and they bed on it year round, but outside of fut they leave the beds in the direction of food, water, or whatever they are interested in.

[@dustinhoffman9843]

@@thehuntingbeast right on, thanks for shining some light on that for me brotha. There's so many trails to look at right now that it's hard to decipher it all out

[@mikewisner8141]

I still have 2 hang on stands on my public land spots , but in my def the river I cross to access them has been flooded when I have time to go after them.

[@tonypapay]

Now, take this same bowl, and if you were to hunt, which you are not, but if you were to hunt it and it was isolated and the neighbors were not making it there own, how would you hunt it? I find those beds, but those points are difficult to hunt. Deer have the height sight advantage over the bowl, the wind is coming over the top to them, if wind is at a slight angle, maybe the wind will push scent down a side draw, but those points usually aren’t so wide so noise is a factor. Okay, now take me to school on how to hunt the points!

[@stevencooney9236]

Hi Dan, For your west wind set up around the 22 min mark (the image), the evening downslope wind switch can take your wind from west to east to a more northern downslope wind crossing the buck's nose. Should a person set up slightly lower and further west to keep the scent just beyond the current of the buck bed? Thanks

[@dualthreatoutdoors]

I see a shed in the footage of when you found the crossbow bolt! 8:56 in the video

[@tonypapay]

Yep, back by that tree

[@jacobsemple4528]

Yup I thought it was too

[@mdcoyne]

If stands are up and season is closed those stands are fair game. Why not take em down and free the woods of litter? Add a set of sticks and bolt cutters to your scouting pack and you’re good to go.

[@thehuntingbeast]

In my opinion, justifying stealing the stands because someone else broke the law would make me a law breaker... If they bother a person that much, they can turn them in to the DNR. In Wisconsin its not legal to take someones property away from them cause they broke a law. Im not a judge, or a warden, and the one thing I do know about those stands is that they are certainly not mine... Can we just take a car cause someone illegally parked?

[@mdcoyne]

@@thehuntingbeast fair point about it potentially being classified as stealing and I really like your example of an illegally parked car. I look at it more as removing litter from the woods. I don’t use any of the gear I remove, I place it in a pile next to the parking lot. What happens to it after that is on the owner in the event they do end up coming back.

[@douglaslockard9241]

Steep like southern wv

[@petron1611]

Every stand I see on public land about 1-2 months after the deer seasons are over get removed and placed in the parking lot for anyone to take. Read the regs before leaving your stuff on public land because you may not find it when you return 😂

[@yami450z]

Dan would you say a bucks morning entrance to a point could be from the bottoms? Wind to nose may have a factor. I’m your opinion would they most likely use the “wind tunnel “ on upper 1/3? I need to clarify just because both situations are leeward side...

[@thehuntingbeast]

Bed approach in hill country is usually from below... Wind to nose.

[@shannonpaplow7754]

I would think Night Usage on this property. Unless you want to tag a Doe

[@jongutierrez9116]

Quick question HB, I’m in southeast Minnesota what tick repellent do you recommend while scouting locations ?

[@thehuntingbeast]

If you use a spray, use something with a high percentage of DEET... I think deep woods off has 44%... Otherwise I would use permithium. (might be spelled wrong) but its so strong you want to treat the outside of your clothes and not your skin like the sprays...

[@andrewelliott6577]

i see stands/sticks as litter in the woods. ive contemplated relaying locations to dnr but i doubt they actually go out to remove them.

[@thehuntingbeast]

I have had the wardens ask me where they are at after several of my videos. And our local warden has stopped and asked me if I know of any on several occasions... My bet ism they would have more interest in illegal activities than you realize.

[@andrewelliott6577]

@@thehuntingbeast hmm, I’ll have to mark a few next time I’m out and see what they say. Have they ever told you to take it down yourself or given you the stand?

[@chrissolin4795]

@@andrewelliott6577 I had a warden here in WI tell me to send him the coordinates from onX, he uses that app too.

[@DominickAlan]

Rick please do all the camera work !

[@nathanhoffman9579]

Dan is right, A lot of guys are slobs that hunt public land. Leave trash and mark the trail to their stand with all sorts of ribbons or cans. Leave stands out like they stake their claim to their spot. I think a tree stand left out after the season on public should be fair game.

[@mb748]

That's fuel for the antis...

[@aeestep77]

I have a question it may sound dumb but what does leeward side mean? I’ve not heard that term before..thanks

[@thehuntingbeast]

Wind blowing over a hill, that side is leeward. Wind blowing at a hill, that side is windward.

[@KOAOutdoors]

When you say 1/3 elevation, are you saying a third down from the top ?

[@thehuntingbeast]

correct (approximatly 1/3 down)

[@yogibear6271]

See any turkey sign ?

[@zacharyleach2899]

Dan you really need to fix the sound on your future videos. I can barely hear you.

[@ML-ks2lj]

What is "the 1/3" terminology? Three lines down the topo?

[@thehuntingbeast]

1/3 OF THE WAY DOWN FROM THE TOP OF THE HILL

[@toddgruenstern2310]

Guy leaving stands on public land is really frustrating! Especially when it's private land guys using the land like they own it!!!

[@wetfoot7782]

Never have minded it that much. Shows you where others are at and can point you to the spot or let you know it's just better to move on. Patterning others can be every bit as important as figuring out the deer.

[@justinreynold6436]

Pnw trask unit.. bring all the big boy hunters. This isn't straight up and down with 4 foot cricks at the bottom with waist high shit in real timber.

[@roscoep.coltraine6344]

Lost me at "poopies"?