Oak Flats & Turkey Tracks - January 18th

The commitment for 2026 runs deep; I've wiped the slate clean—mentally and digitally—deleting years of aimless pin drops from my OnX Hunt app and replacing them with well-thought-out points of interest. The goal is simple: no more aimless roaming. I'll e-scout, drop a handful of prospective waypoints, and let boots-on-the-ground reality dictate the next move.

My initial trip onto the public ground started with a frosty breath that crystallized on my mustache, demanding a lengthy, lung-busting hike just to clear the parking lot. The crunch of frozen earth under my boots was the only sound aside from the wind through the hardwoods. I was pleasantly surprised when a subtle pattern broke the fresh blanket of snow laid days prior—several sets of sizeable turkey tracks, crisp and clear. A reminder that while I was focused on November, spring was already leaving its calling card. 

I dropped into the woods, immediately picking up a beaten human access path that led straight to a rocky bluff perched high above a flat bench. This spot screamed 'easy access, high pressure,' a fact I knew from my e-scouting sessions. But that's exactly why I started here—the obvious is merely the beginning of the real hunt.

The first stop was a small, flat area, covered with thicker vegetation, and a vantage point above the area’s hiking trail. Anticipation was high as I walked quickly, following the contour, trying to “think like a deer.” The sign was a bit underwhelming, but I found an old rub, an indicator of prior use. Ridge number two was a little more promising. A few scarred-up trees showed signs of recent habitation, and the travel routes were easily identifiable.  All the trails led to a small oak flat that I had also pinned for investigation. 

Experienced hunters often speak of subtle pinches and funnels that produce decent buck encounters. While e-scouting using lidar and some slope shading, I found just the place. I proceeded up the hillside to where I had dropped two pins. One above a steep drop and another on a flat just before a drainage began. At first glance, the area didn’t really seem to hold much weight. It wasn’t until I began to really look around that it all kind of came together. As soon as I went through the pinch, I found a worn bed, complete with a rub and twisted-up branches. I was onto something. Not forty yards away, I found another bed tucked into a blowdown.

Feeling accomplished and fancying myself quite the woodsman, I proceeded to the flat I had marked. This looked like an area that would concentrate feeding, and several travel corridors met at this small oak flat. Three ridges met up with two benches before all the travel trickled to the river bottom
. I will be back in the area in the summer to investigate the mast crop and find a tree to hang in early season. 

The remainder of the outing was fairly uneventful until I was making my way out. After investigating an extremely thick buck bedding area, I encountered a family group of does. The best part of the encounter was that they showed me exactly how they travel through the area I had just scouted, validating some of my findings.