Bass Fishing & Deer Hunting

[Catt]

Y'all ever notice similarities between the two?

Both have a home, deer bed down in the same area, bass hide in cover in the same area.

Both have kitchens & dining rooms, both have numerous feeding areas.

Both follow the terrain (structure) to & from feeding areas.

Both can be harvested in one of three ways

1. Find their homes; usually located on prime structure & in prime cover, both are setup on structure & in cover that allows them to see all directions at once. Maybe not 360 but it'll be as close as they feel comfortable.

2. Find their feeding areas; multiple areas that have sufficient food to last the present season.

3. Find the trails to & from those areas; both travel structure in a way that allows them to see while remaining unseen.

[Brnnoser6983]

But I harvest and return a bass... I try it with a deer and well...... it doesn't work.

[buzzed bait]

catt, you're mostly right on.  oddly enough though anytime i see deer movement on the way to the ramp it never produces a good fishing day.  i've assumed that the deer moving and feeding would translate to the fish, but seems somewhat the opposite. 

i just LOL'd a little bit thinking about fish creating trails and "rubs" like a deer.

[F14A-B]

I've rattled in more than a few deer, I have also rattled in more than a few Bass too !

[fisherrw]

I do them both at the same time!!! Sit by a pond and fish while I scout for deer..

[gardnerjigman]

That is what is great about nature... Anybody can hit a fish on the nose and catch it, or stubble onto a deer.

The part I truly love (been doing for 16 of my 26 years on deer, and sadly just started doing the same on fish around 17) is getting in their head and calculating there moves. Noting where I caught a fish and understand why, or where that buck is running and the circle he will make in the next 24 hours.

Putting these patterns together and watching it unfold in front of me is more the reward than the kill or catch...ALMOST.

[A-Jay]

Yup ~ and both are active at night.

 

However one you can target legally after dark and the other one, you can not.

 

A-Jay

[Sam]

Yes Catt, but you can't fall 30 feet out of a bass boat!!!!

[HoosierHawgs]

That is what is great about nature... Anybody can hit a fish on the nose and catch it, or stubble onto a deer.

The part I truly love (been doing for 16 of my 26 years on deer, and sadly just started doing the same on fish around 17) is getting in their head and calculating there moves. Noting where I caught a fish and understand why, or where that buck is running and the circle he will make in the next 24 hours.

Putting these patterns together and watching it unfold in front of me is more the reward than the kill or catch...ALMOST.

 

This is what fishing is all about you are trying to recreat your last bite. That one bite can clue you in to where the fish are, hoe active they are, what they are eating, ECT.

[Catt]

When I was a teenager my dad would get topographical maps of the areas we deer hunted. I would shade in areas that were White Oak, Live Oak, Pin Oak, Conifers, Soy Bean fields, rye grass fields, & other food sources. I also marked thickets, swamps creek bottoms, marshy areas, & other possible bedding areas.

This knowledge of reading structure was easily applied to bass fishing!

[everythingthatswims]

Bowhunting = Flyfishing

[kstring]

To me, deer hunting is like bottom fishing for catfish...sit there and wait for the joker to just come on by.

While bass fishing is more the equivalent to matching wits with a Wiley ol' gobbler. Got figure out what he's doin and trick him into taking the bait. More one on one interaction and that's what I prefer.

But I like to tangle with a big tabby on occassion and I spend a good deal of time after the elusive whitetail as well.

[AFISHN]

Catt....never thought of the comparison between deer hunting and bass fishing.

There is certainly a strong corelation between deer hunting and fishing The Flats for bonefish and permit.

 

I really  like the mental part of both bass fishing and deer hunting...

Like trying to figure out what will work under the present or soon to be developing conditions.

[RoLo]

Just recently, my wife and I were rehashing the similarities between fishing for trophy bass, and hunting for trophy deer.

We mentioned all the things that Tom posted:  bedding grounds, feeding areas, screening cover,

and the routes & runs that join them together (the best runs are well-worn)

 

For hunting:  topographic quadrangulars are used to study the terrestrial contour (structure) and pre-select

high-percentage areas from the comfort of home. For fishing:  hydrographic charts are used to study

the terrestrial contour (structure) and pre-select high percentage sites from the comfort of home.

 

During the field survey, we zoom-in on the best micro-habitats. For bigmouth bass, we're looking for emergent growth

such as bulrushes or lily pads, where they merge with submergent plants like hydrilla or milfoil.

For whitetail deer, we're looking for hardwood stands like white oak & dogwood, where they merge with softwoods

(conifers) or brushy bottomlands. In both cases, the deer stand and the anchored boat will be situated on the 'edge'.

 

Roger

[Paul Roberts]

Well after moving west I can say that this analogy works out better for whitetails than it does for mulies. Mountain mulies are known for "random roaming" and it's a bugger to pattern. I suppose it's more like chasing bass targeting open water schooling prey. That said, I use topos for mulies and elk as there are features that provide easier travel, good bedding areas, and the best/most abundant food options. Mark out potentials, ground truth them, then know when to be there. Pay attention to weather, conditions, and circumstances. It's a real world out there.

 

[HoosierHawgs]

http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/good-hunters-make-good-anglers#

[Hawghead]

Plus there is no limit to the amount of time, money, frustration, and joy one can get, lose, or feel with both.

Either can be done on the cheap, or you can have big money wrapped up into gear and your personal hunting/fishing spot.

I love em both

[everythingthatswims]

Can't deer hunt 24/7/365

[Blues19]

catt, you're mostly right on.  oddly enough though anytime i see deer movement on the way to the ramp it never produces a good fishing day.  i've assumed that the deer moving and feeding would translate to the fish, but seems somewhat the opposite. 

i just LOL'd a little bit thinking about fish creating trails and "rubs" like a deer.

Thanks kinda how i am.  If I see a Bald Eagle my fish catching is pretty much done.  Just cant seem to get a bite after seeing one.