Hunting ravines and creek bottoms? Help please!

[jonsimoneau]

95% of my whitetail hunting experience has been on ground that is nearly flat as a pancake.  However, I am now hunting a property in western Illinois, that is full of ravines.  The property I am hunting is fields on top, and ravines in the bottom.  Obviously the deer are in the ravines most of the time for security.  
    While in college, I stayed away from the bottoms of ravines due to the swirling winds.  However, last season, I found the tree of all trees on the property.  I did not hunt out of it, because it was in the bottom of the ravine, but took a stand nearby on the sidehill near the top.
    I watched a number of bucks walk right under the tree in the bottom.  The one I really wanted to be in.  One was a 160 inch beauty.  There were enough nice bucks to walk past this tree, that I have not gotten it out of my head.  
    This season, I am thinking to hunt this tree during the peak of the cruising chasing phase, but only in the morning, with little or no wind, and rising thermals working in my favor.  
   What do you guys think?  Anyone do any good in the bottoms?

[Michigan Mark]

Get in there and hunt! If your worried about your scent do all you can to make yourself scent free and have no fear.

[JimB]

I'd give it a shot.Most of the day,air may be rising except for the first couple hours of daylight and the last 1 1/2.Even during those early and late hours it may blow in your favor and who is to say which direction they will come from anyway.A lot of action can take place mid day that time of year.

Give it a try and if you find it's not working,try something else.

[longbowben]

Every time i have tried to hunt bottoms it wasn't good.The winds always got me if the winds are blowing, use a buck urne on a calm morning when its clear and it might pull you scent up out of his nose.Leatherneck and i have a spot on our farm that is just like your saying and we watch soo many big bucks go through that 10 yard gap it makes us sick and every time we try to hunt it your busted.But the highwalls are way higher than the tree we have sat in.I also think that the area is to confined and your scent always gets pulled down.

[jonsimoneau]

Longbowben, in this scenario, I believe I will be able to get even with the tops of the side hills in my stand.  
    I think the ONLY time I will be able to pull it off...is on one of those calm blue bird, low humidity days on a November morning when the thermals are taking my scent upwards.  I'm thinking to hunt this tree while the thermals are taking my scent upwards, but then move to another stand once the winds give way to their patterns for the day.  
    What do you think about this idea?

[Mark Zagrzebski]

Just get yourself a Scentlok suit and an Ozonics machine and you'll be all set!        

Seriously, I would at least give that tree a try, if you get busted a couple times you could go back to what you were doing.

[bowtough]

Being from Ill to, I find myself in this same situation. You are right on with your am asumptions. Evening when your sent pools below your stand will not work!Only morn. sits when the wind is at 5mph. or less. My wife and I have taken p@y bucks from the same tree both on thanksgiving morning 3yrs apart.So it will work,but must be within these parameters. Good hunting,Gary.  

[waiting4fall]

Creek bottoms rock! Get in there & getcha ya some!  

[Izzy]

Very interesting thread,Ill be keeping my eyes on this one.

I hunt creek bottom ravines and their spines almost exclusively not by choice but because they are predominant in my hunting areas. I get busted enough for it to be frustrating but I do some killing.I use better than average scent control but the swirling winds beat me a lot.
     
      Still havent found a tree down in em with a 160" under it, not when Im in it anyway. Good luck, Izzy

[NOMAD88]

Sounds like your plan will work.I would get in extra early and lay down some doe urine and hunt it only during the rut. Let the thermals carry your scent up  

[KentuckyTJ]

On my places I only hunt those spots when the wind is going with the ravine. When its like that it sucks your scent out like a vacuum. Hopefully it is in a place where the deer will only be coming from one direction so you can place the stand accordingly. During the rut it will be more difficult to do as the bucks may come from anywhere. I would try and get in there before or after.

The calm morning thing will be your other best option to if you do it after a rain. Going in our places like that on a calm morning every deer in earshot will know you are coming if its dry.

[Jon Stewart]

My problem with hunting creek bottoms and ravines is I go from deer hunting to arrowhead hunting!!

[awbowman]

I think you have a sound plan Jon.  If the deer are there that often, bide your time until the perfect day.  I'd do everything I can to be as scent free as possible and get something called "Deer Herd in a Bottle" from VS-1.

 http://whitetail.esecureorder.net/shop/product_info.php?products_id=30

It has a tendency to take the edge off deer.

[23feetupandhappy]

I have the same thing to deal with on our property in eastern Iowa.......but we have shot some dandys out of there over the years.

I have the best luck when its realy windy out and very steady out of the same direction.
We have ravines running east and west and some running north and south......one of my best places on the farm is when there is a steady West wind, they are coming from the West and my scent is plowing straight down the draw to the east.
The draws are probably 30' deep and 20 yards to 50 yards wide in the bottom.

Hope this helps    

My last buck out of the bottom was in 09:

 

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[bohuntr]

Jon, you are smart to recognize the challenge of trying to hunt in the ravines. On the property I hunt the ravines are where the buck action is 95% of the time except during the heat of the rut. The 1st couple years I was getting busted constantly because I didn't understand how those ridges funneled my scent like water hitting a solid obstruction and then flowing back away from the obstruction. I can tell you that I am still trying to figure out better ways to deal with this situation. I think your idea of hunting in the am on still, low humidity days is a good one. My ravines run predominately north and south. The deer move from south to north in the evening and north to south in the morning. I feel in most circumstances I can hunt with a north wind in the morning and a south wind in the evening. I always save milkweed seed pods and when I am up in my stand I release some periodically. Those seeds seem to stay airborne longer and give me a real good indication of where the wind/scent is really going as it is being acted upon by the side hills.  Good luck, hope to see some pictures of one of those Illinois bruisers soon!!!

[longbowben]

I think you will be fine if your tree is even with the hill tops, your wind should carry up in the morning on a calm day.Would like to see pictures of that area when you get a chance.And i will show you pictures of the area at our farm this weekend i will take pictures.

[katie]

My fav rut stand is in a East West ravine.  I have had great luck with it. Every buck I have taken was on a strong wind mid-day with the wind going with the ravine. Last year I called a big boy in from the top of the ridge. I had one of those inscent sticks burning. He ran right to it. Never gave me a good shot, but never busted me either(got him in BP season).
I soak a tampon in vanilla and hang it from my stand. I know...but tampons come with a string and I always have them around. I feel it works nice to cover my scent.

[Justin Falon]

Jon,

I like with Big Dan said about still learning. For what it's worth, last season I had a roadside discussion with a very seasoned North Dakota bowhunter. He told me he doesn't even hunt "in the woods." He went on to say that in hilly terrain, he hunts only on the TOP of the ravines. He said you cannot get away with sitting in the ravines due to scent control issues. He went on to show me a 190" non typical he arrowed weeks earlier.

So...that same afternoon, I found a tree on TOP of the ravine. There was not one speck of deer sign there. WIthin 15 minutes, I could see bucks traveling fencelines and using the open spaces. About 20 minutes later I saw a giant non-tpyical coming down the lane to me in the WIDE OPEN. He had the wind at his back and was walking on TOP of the ravine. Less than 30 seconds later ANOTHER HUGE BUCK followed him. They both got downwind of me and that was the end of that. But, I moved my stand that same afternoon to the downwind side of the top of the ravine and just before sunset, the first buck came back out and held up just inside the woods edge.

I learned a very valuable lesson that day.  I will never hunt in deep timber again or in ravines. Although there is a lot of sign there, I am convinced it is made at night. Needless to say, I am now hunting FLAT ground where there are no trees. Have seen probably 15 Pope and Young bucks in the past 3 weeks. PRIMOS better send my ground blind this week!!!

justin

[Herdbull]

Jon, You have the right mind set to wait for the perfect day. If that ravine has a header and or bottle neck at top, I would try that first, but the visual evidence you describe is very compelling. Give it a try when you feel the time is right. Let the young bucks and does tell you how you are doing. If you are fooling them, then hunt it more. Mike

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Theres a reason why these deer like to travel through there.

Like everyone else said, pick the day wisely and go for it.

Let us know how you make out.