Hi Guys - I'm brand new to bowhunting and since this Midwestern heatwave finally looks like it's ending, I'm ready to go out out in the woods. I recently bought a 70-acre property this Spring that's kept me pretty busy. The previous owners left several wooden stands and tree stands behind. I didn't have a ton of time to work on existing stands until now and I'm not sure if it makes sense to. There are deer everywhere and I've tried to stay quiet and avoid most areas in early morning and late afternoon/evening. I planted two foods plots that are roughly 3-4 acres total of winter wheat, turnips and radishes. The majority of the property is tall marsh grass that has not been touched by a human all year. I've ran 6 cameras in areas that are easily accessible. The smaller western food plot is stacked with deer every morning and the larger food plot always has deer as well. Now that I'll be up in trees I'm trying to figure out where I should be spending my time. Should I be hunting over food plots? There are so many deer that I'm worried about entering/leaving the stand. I dont know exactly where they are bedding but I'm assuming in the marsh when it's dry. Is that a safe assumption? Should I go for same 8-10pters that have been near the food plot or roll the dice and go to the untouched treeline in the marsh? I went back there once to see where the stand was and there are deer back there. Since there are neighbors and ourselves close to the deer, do I need to worry about wind direction? What wind strategy would you recommend? Predominate wind is west or northwest wind. I've included maps of the neighboring properties along with a zoom of my property. The northern border is a shared easement road for neighbors and I have a neighbor living during weekends in a small trailer in the northwest corner. This road is occasionally traveled down. Green = Food Plot locations Blue = Ladder bowstands Red = Permanent Wood Gun Stands
Invite me over for a weekend and I'll help you out looks like you have a great piece of property there. I would suggest hunting where the stands are already placed, when the wind is right for entry and exit. You can use your time in the stand to scout where the deer are bedding, which will give you a better picture of where to hunt when. The stands already set up are probably where they are for a reason...
