Opening day strategy question.

[trouthunter1106]

Genuinely curious cause I hear guys say it literally all summer and leading up to their hunts whether it’s early season archery or a later rifle tag and everything in between.

How many times have you “glassed something up the night before opener” and then just casually snuck in and killed it?

I always hear that as the proverbial “plan,” but I’m curious to hear how high the success rate is. I’ve been at this a minute and I’ll admit that’s usually my plan, but I’ve never really had it pan out that way. The animals, other hunters, and Murphy always have a say.

 

[displacedtexan]

Once.

Not just opening day, but in all my "first day of hunt"s

20 years.

 

[il_cop]

For our group, I reckon 25% of the time. 1 every 4 years, roughly. That's one tag in a group of 2 or 3 depending on the year. We are typically boots on the ground a day and a half before opener with two evenings and one morning glassing session, and this is in areas we know.

 

[repins05]

I would put our group at 50 percent on public land for rifle. We typically put bulls to bed the night before. The x factors are other hunters that may come in and bust our hunt up.

BTW talking rag horn size bulls. On the flip side of this I have watched mature bulls every evening for 5 days leading up to the rifle opener (track them all month).....and they disappear opening morning. Sixth sense....or basic instinct of not wanting to be dead. There is a reason they get big. Lol.

 

[bow_dozer]

I would say the same, around 50% in archery. . We know the area very well and have eyes on elk the night before. Opening morning is the most consistent day out of the year for us.

 

[Rich M]

The traveling hunter doesn't get to scout all summer. Do what you can and make it work.

 

[TaperPin]

I bet opening morning is worth three whole days later in the season. Many times someone finds a good deer and are ready at first light to pull the trigger. Even traveling hunters often show up a few days early in case a good deer is found. I usually give up a few days of hunting to get there a few days early.

 

[Poser]

Once. Did that on opening day with a bear last year. He was about 200 yards from where I saw him the night before. Snuck back in while it was still dark and he was feeding about 40 yards in front of me.

 

[Chris in TN]

A couple of years ago we got to our elk 'camp' (a really nice cabin, actually) a couple nights early. We (us and the outfitter, who seemed eager to have us in camp) went and glassed a bull and some cows on private land. They were near some landlocked USFS land but essentially untouched/unhunted and we stood in someone's yard watching them.

The next night the other hunters showed up and we drove around and saw the same group of elk a few hundred yards away from the first spot. One of those hunters wanted to pursue this bull and spent five days chasing an unpressured bull on private land and did not get him. I don't think he was spooked at all, he was just bouncing between several different areas to feed/water/bed and they were always somewhere else. I guess my point is I personally prefer being there opening day but it doesn't guarantee anything. But hunting is never about guarantees and always about hedging your bets.