2018 LBJ Grasslands

[Razorback01]

RShockley, "The Hunting Beast" on Youtube.

[IkemanTX]

I have heard about Dan Infalt a lot as I have just recently started getting into the public land deer hunting. I have always been a duck hunter and just took a while to talk my self into spending some time hunting something other then ducks. Where can I find his tactics? Does he have a book or website? I would love to learn some new ways of approaching this.

He runs “The Hunting Beast” forum, and also has produced a video series. I believe all the videos are available on his forum site.
I really liked the marsh bucks and hill country bucks videos. The production value isn’t professional TV stuff, but the information in them is awesome.
Also, if you join the site... there is a thread titled “all time best tactical threads” with links to individual threads. Consider that list of links a public land hunting bible. They are that good. It will easily set you 5-10 years ahead on your hunting journey.


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[troy_w_7]

It wasn’t even the seminar...
it was me and @davet1963 exclusively with Dan for the whole weekend.

He didn’t really get it the first couple days, but he had a firm grasp by the end of the weekend. He quickly adapted what he was showing us, and how he explained it.


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How did you get hooked up with Dan directly? That's pretty sweet.

[troy_w_7]

I wonder if those Iowa and Wisconsin deer taste different than ours. I feel a fact finding mission happening. Maybe I can get funding from the Wisconsin DNR.

My wife is from western WI. Her dad's got 15 acres to hunt. I've only hunted in once and we didn't see anything. Very hilly terrain, super cold. They are gun hunters only and only hunt like 9 days/year. We also did deer drives through the big woods once. It was not my thing at all.

[troy_w_7]

Absolutely!!! I found Dan Infalt 4 seasons ago, and it started making me ask “why” every time I saw something. I went this past March with another TBH’er for a FULL weekend of 2 on 1 with Dan himself. We scouted Friday after Dan got off work, and dang near all day Saturday and Sunday. It really solidified a lot of what his site had taught me over the years. There are definitely some major differences between beast “rules” and how our deer bed here.

Our deer densities are WAY lower than they are in the Midwest. This means we can’t really narrow a single buck bed down to the dominant deer like Dan does. There are so many bucks competing for bedding in Wisconsin, only the oldest and most dominant bucks get the best of the best beds. There is also a lot more defining features limiting bedding. Their topography in hill country is so much more exaggerated than any “hills” we have in Texas, that wind and thermals REALLY define bedding locations. Their marshes also heavily limit bedding spots because bucks have to bed where there is dry dirt.



The tactics they teach are definitely applicable, but we come up dry in many situations where there would definitely always be a bed in the Midwest. There aren’t ANYWHERE near as many bucks competing for that bedding here, our wind/thermal interactions are much more subtle, and our grasslands and floodplain areas (though a fairly good analogy to marsh) don’t limit bucks bed choices nearly as much as the water does in the cattails of Wisconsin.



Beast style tactics definitely up your chances at a buck dramatically, but you really need to expect to fail at them for a couple years. I didn’t really get confident at setting up based on maps and a January/February scouting session only, and really EXPECTING an interaction with something coming from the bed I scouted, until last year. (My 3rd year hunting and scouting beast style heavily)




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As I've started following Dan and THP, I've assumed the deer bed a bit differently here than in the Midwest but also assumed there are some principals that will cross over. Those guys are also real big on being mobile, which is the number 1 tactic I'm implementing this year. I'm planning on going in with a stand on my back each sit and bouncing around until I run into one. That and having the wind in my face as much as possible, throwing in some off winds as well. I'm excited to see what happens. Either way, I love being in the woods and learning!

[Blood Trail]

My wife is from western WI. Her dad's got 15 acres to hunt. I've only hunted in once and we didn't see anything. Very hilly terrain, super cold. They are gun hunters only and only hunt like 9 days/year. We also did deer drives through the big woods once. It was not my thing at all.

I hunt Wisconsin. Deer taste the same to me. My wife is from Green Bay.


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[IkemanTX]

2018 LBJ Grasslands

How did you get hooked up with Dan directly? That's pretty sweet.

He offers a 1 on 1 scouting session a few times a year, and me and daveT split the fee, flew up there, and split the rental car and hotel room.
It was fairly pricey, but there’s nothing like learning directly from a master.

Edit: in fact, these videos on his site are from our scouting trip... I even videoed one of them.

https://youtu.be/_AvzLRnAyE8

https://youtu.be/BRpoFynsBfg

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[BradyH]

I too have been reading his work and watched many of his videos. However, I am pretty green at public land as well. I will say in my scouting I did find deer and deer sign in the areas (from how I understood it) they stated to look. I hoping more time in the field and scouting at the end of the season it will come together. Hopefully, before the end of the season.
I did go out today. Saw nothing, heard a few get spooked a ways off. Still a good day to be out there.

[jbhunting39]

Activity report. Sat 18 hours in a stand hunting this cold front from Weds-Tonight
[emoji883] 8:30AM & 11:30AM both days. Weds & Thurs.
They were out gathering acorns. Brought 1 home for some dumplings
🦌 Non-existent Weds.
8:21AM-8:45AM, Then again @ 7:15PM. Out eating acorns. No shot opportunities.
[emoji203] Non-existent Weds.
7:19PM on Thurs. 200lb+ sow. Came in to 10yrds. Too dark to pick a hole thru the brush to get a shot.
[emoji885] 9:30AM-Thursday. Roosted in the tree next to
Me Until I moved.
Gonna try to hit it again one last time in the morning before the rains.


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[Kdurham]

Activity report. Sat 18 hours in a stand hunting this cold front from Weds-Tonight
[emoji883] 8:30AM & 11:30AM both days. Weds & Thurs.
They were out gathering acorns. Brought 1 home for some dumplings
🦌 Non-existent Weds.
8:21AM-8:45AM, Then again @ 7:15PM. Out eating acorns. No shot opportunities.
[emoji203] Non-existent Weds.
7:19PM on Thurs. 200lb+ sow. Came in to 10yrds. Too dark to pick a hole thru the brush to get a shot.
[emoji885] 9:30AM-Thursday. Roosted in the tree next to
Me Until I moved.
Gonna try to hit it again one last time in the morning before the rains.


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Good luck man!


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[XBOW STALKER]

I sat from 10am till 730pm last night. Passed a doe with a small buck. Was hoping to see her get chased some more by larger bucks! Then thwack about 150yds away. Seen the small buck on the way out. No doe...

[IkemanTX]

The forecast is showing a HIGH of 45 on Monday.... I know where I will be for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday!


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[seminole1990]

I sat from 10am till 730pm last night. Passed a doe with a small buck. Was hoping to see her get chased some more by larger bucks! Then thwack about 150yds away. Seen the small buck on the way out. No doe...

THWACK. That's funny. Surprised you heard it!

[Razorback01]

If the plans work, I'll be out next Wednesday evening for a Thursday and Friday hunt, of course weather is calling for rain.

[Froggy]

For all of you on FB check out the LBJ Grasslands Deer Hunters page. How many are already members?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1763066240400624/