Trip planning opinions wanted

[cj13]

I'm planning on taking another trip out to Nebraska this September with my dad for archery whitetail. Last year we did the same trip and I was able to get a nice P&Y buck on public. I want to explore some new areas farther west this year and am torn on what days to take off work to hunt.

Option 1: start the trip on 8/28 and leave on 9/7. This would give me 3 dedicated days to scout the new area and 6 days to hunt.

Option 2: start the trip on 9/3 and drive back on 9/12. This would have 0 dedicated scouting days and 8 days to hunt.

I'm curious at how people value scouting days vs hunting days. Also, how greatly do the odds for a full velvet buck go down towards the end of the first week of the season and into the second week? For context we will be hunting creek bottoms and drainages in south western NE and its a 15hr drive each way.

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[Skerhunter]

Go early and scout bachelor groups, if velvet is your goal. More bucks will be shedding each day, so your odds would higher the first week. By end of second week I usually don't see anymore.

 

[rugerhoyt]

Velvet will hold on the dinks past the first week. I have never had a mature whitetail keep past sept 3 in NE Nebraska


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[WCB]

IMO if you are going to be out there might as well be able to shoot something if you see it. I'd take more available hunting days. You can always opt out of hunting the first couple days to scout and you would be right at your 6 days anyways.

Also, if you and your dad are going it doesn't take two guys to scout in 1 vehicle. Pick a spot on a map that looks good and the first day get a stand set and have someone hunt it while the other guy is scouting. Or carpet bomb areas in the mornings and afternoons with cameras while hunting at night. Check cameras the following days and move if you find something.

Also, IMO from hunting the ND opener for the past 15 years (labor day weekend), most years 80=% of the velvet is gone from any decent buck by Sept 4th or 5th. ZERO bucks bigger than a spike last year had velvet on opener last year out of 20 or so that I saw.

 

[cj13]

IMO if you are going to be out there might as well be able to shoot something if you see it. I'd take more available hunting days. You can always opt out of hunting the first couple days to scout and you would be right at your 6 days anyways.

Also, if you and your dad are going it doesn't take two guys to scout in 1 vehicle. Pick a spot on a map that looks good and the first day get a stand set and have someone hunt it while the other guy is scouting. Or carpet bomb areas in the mornings and afternoons with cameras while hunting at night. Check cameras the following days and move if you find something.

Also, IMO from hunting the ND opener for the past 15 years (labor day weekend), most years 80=% of the velvet is gone from any decent buck by Sept 4th or 5th. ZERO bucks bigger than a spike last year had velvet on opener last year out of 20 or so that I saw.

Ended up opting to go earlier and have more days to scout. Have to make a stop in another state for a hunt drawing so it's more convenient this way. Plan on scouting mornings and evenings from the truck then walking places mid day until the season starts. Hopefully have a bachelor group or two found before opening day

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