I'm trying something new this year and hunting a new area. I've had cams set up since May and seeing a few bucks that may have potential. The area I'm hunting is along a MAJOR scrape and rub line that I found last year. However, I don't know where to put my hang on stand... I've always heard, during early season, deer are moving from feed to bedding in the morning and from bedding to feed in the evening. Right now, the deer are bedding in the open field. The field is really tall grass now, about 3' tall and very thick grass. But I don't think they continue to bed there during late season. The west, north, and east sides of the field are all surrounded by hardwoods that produce tons of acorns and with the rain we had the last two years down here in Texas, we should have an great red and white oak acorn crop. The yellow dots indicate the major scrape and rub line. Where would you put the hang on stand and why? When would you hunt this spot, depending on wind and time?
The top left rectangle looks like a good transition line from think woods to more open woods. Maybe wrong but thats what it looks like from the photo. I know bucks will roam that area outside of the thicket. The left rectangle looks like an okay funnel type area that those bucks would walk around. Just because there is a good line of rubs and scrapes doesn't mean that the activity is done during daylight hours. They could do it in the complete night or just after dark. I think the left rectangle would be a good place to start to see if the deer walk along that edge. Granted this in only my initial thoughts. I don't know what else is around this land and property nor do i know how the deer move in your area. So just think of a place that will set you to be where the deer will go.
If you have had camera out all summer and gettin pictures of decent bucks that you want to kill it should be pretty easy to pattern their traveling times to and from feeding and bedding. Early season bucks are easy to pattern and easier to kill in my neck of the woods. I would have multiple sets hung for different windage and only hunt them when the times are right. I would reccomend hunting the afternoons in early season from my experiences. Its kind of hard to tell where to put stands from the picture not knowing what else it around outside of the picture. Ive learned bucks do not travel a long distance during early season so this is where i would put my stands. I would put one off in the woods inbetween the 2 wheeler trails near the creek and beggining of the rub line or in that area somewhere. I would hang another set on the east side of the picture of the open area where the wheeler trail going into that plot. Off in the woods a bit.
Below is where all of the deer activity would be if it was our farm. Seems to be that way any way But seriously, if it was me I would put out stands or at least some cameras first in some of the areas below.
Thanks yall. It's really helped with my decisions, gave me a few more ideas, and confirmed where I wanted to originally put two stands because of the sign I've seen in the woods already. The pic shows where I have cams up already and have 2 decent bucks. Just more worried about establishing stand entry points now. Why do these pro staff members say "early season deer move from food to bed in the morning and bed to food in the evening?" Wouldn't this depend on moon phase, temperature, etc? I have pics of deer entering the N/NW timber tine, coming from the field, at both morning and 11 pm... Believe me, I know they are bedding in the field. Lol I took this pic a few weeks ago around noon.
It looks like you could use the 4 wheeler trails to get close to most and the creek to walk in to a couple spots if it is shallow enough to walk without splashing and spooking deer.
