Can some consistent trophy hunters please look at this layout and tell me if I'm on the right track, or if I should move stands, food plots, ect? The last few pieces My Dad and I have hunted, I think we have been hunting too invasive, and turning the mature deer nocturnal after the first few days. I really don't want to mess up the strategy on this new piece. I tried focusing on funnels/pinchpoints with minimal woods penetration, but I would be glad to hear any and all strategies. Any advice for harvesting 3.5+ year olds on a regular basis would be greatly appreciated. green=possible food plots yellow outline= rotational corn/bean crop fields orange outline= the swamp purple outline= possible switchgrass planting for safe travel to food blue= existing lake/ponds white trail= driveway leading to camp, where our entry strategies will start from
Here is my take on it. First to start out your camp and main access in is right in the middle of the farm. So right away I would think your cutting half the farm out ever time you go in, depending on wind. If it was my farm, I would get creative and park off the edge of farm and walk in. Ask neighbors to park in driveway or park at road entrance. Then hunt according to wind. Second I would ask around about other big bucks shot in the area to see if the potential is even there. Also ask previous hunters what they shot there. Any intell that you can find out can help in the future. Next I would do many observation sits to locate bedding for doe and buck. Also what wind they like to use to exit bedding. Then set stands according to this intell, and don't be afraid to move them if patterns change. Visual confirmation is key. Don't rely just on trail cams. They are great to find out what bucks are there, but don't show you how the bucks use the property. I love that marsh area on the south side. That's were I would start if it was me. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Thanks for you good advise, I appreciate that. Very sound advice and help. My thought process on having camp where it is, is to eliminate walking through that chunk of woods. Being that you need to get to the other side by foot or vehicle anyways, I was thinking doing it by vehicle would be a less risk of spooking and shutting down the deer. We have a silent electric golf cart if we need it too. Also, I have been told by some very successful hunters to have someone take you in and out on an atv right across the fields to your edge stands to drop you off, so the deer don’t see you get in and out of stand because the atv will kick them back a little bit, but when the atv leaves after I have gotten in, or out of my stand, they will feel that danger left with it. And you won’t be bumping deer off the field at dark. Do you have any thoughts on this?
That was my initial thought as well...camp off site or right on the edge where you enter from the road. Camping up in the middle of everything is a recipe for disaster.
I understand, I wish that was something that could be changed but unfortunately the building is already complete. we will be planting Egyptian wheator some sort of barrier around the whole area so hopefully that will help, and we also won’t be making noise or hanging clothes outside because of smell. The part of the woods that you go through to get back to it is a pre-existing very wide driveway that the farmer has used for years to farm all of those fields. Does anyone have any recommendations based on that knowledge and knowing the building can’t be moved?
