So I know there is a "good" buck by my standards on this property. I won't post much more than that about the deer, but I will share that it's one I'd really like to put an arrow through if given the opportunity. I know he was at least a 4.5 year old deer last year, and he at least made it through the hunting season. The parcel is 108 acres. Orange is the property lines. Red shows what I feel are likely to be bedding areas, and the yellow circles are areas that the deer are feeding. There really is no specific food source in this area, just mature woods with a bit of browse, and deer feeding on the grass in people's lawns that are circled in yellow. I hunted this during the rifle season last year one time but only covered a very small portion on the southwest corner. I did see some tracks from the buck I was after, but with no rhyme or reason to his movement. Most of his tracks were in the southwest corner of this patch, and he was on a deer yarding pattern then, this was late rifle season just as the deer start to yard (Adirondack deer will yard in groups of 20+ deer). I saw him after dark the week after season closed just across the road from the southwest corner of this property, and a good friend found his shed back in May by the blue dot. My only access to this property is from the road on the south/southeast side. I'm not sure of wind direction, but I'm guessing an evening hunt is my best bet to catch a thermal coming down hill as the deer leave the hill side bedding to come down into the lower patches. My plan so far is to find some of the more commonly used crossing points on the stream in the bottom. Any ideas, or thoughts on this patch?
Also thought I'd add, I can get on this buck early. Season opens 9/27 in this area, so I can likely catch him on a summer pattern.
id say somewhere by the word maple grove is a good bet..catch them going to and from thier bedding area.
Your thinking is about the same as mine, I'm not sure if I want to get too far up that ridge. My concern is that there really isn't a great way to get up there from my access point without bumping him. I'm thinking I probably need to hunt the better stream crossings in the evenings, while keeping the wind in my favor. I'm not sure if I want to rifle hunt this buck or not, but it might be next to impossible to kill him with a bow. We will see. Bow season starts 9/27, and rifle starts here on 10/24.
There are some nice looking spots off of your property... But it always seems to work out that way Honestly if you do not want to go up the hill after him, There isn't much to suggest other than what you are already planning. Shed season or winter scouting could have uncovered some clues to where he may bed when he is on your property. Did you come across anything? I would wait until the conditions are right and slip up the hill to where you feel he is bedding and try your hand early season. A nice overcast drizzle day would be my choice.
Any chance he's laying(bedding) RIGHT behind those people's houses & watching everyone walk by? They seem to do that quite often here in the suburbs.
Your plan sounds good for the evenings but I think I'd sneak up the hill a few mornings too and wait for him near his bedding areas. If the woods is pretty thick he might take his time getting there and the thermals will be taking your scent up the hill away from his approach.
Those are my thoughts as well. The possible bedding area that you've selected seems good to me, due to the access the elevation change and the ability for him to be "alone." What are your prevailing winds Matt? I guess you guys get a lot of swirling winds with the terrain correct? *edit* Matt, is there adequate amounts of browse in the red areas that he wouldn't have to move far or are there other feeding areas that would have more desirable foods?
I'd head up the hill when you know it's gonna be a bright sunny morning creating the rising thermals. (Common sense) Don't use the same trail the deer is gonna use to get to the stand! Whenever the bucks are feeding in the backyards of the homes below.
In my opinion the first day of the season is THE best time to kill a buck on a feed to bed or bed to feed pattern. Why wait till late in the season when he will be that much smarter IF he is still around. First you need a pretty good idea where he is feeding and bedding. Then IF the conditions were right and I knew he was feeding down in the backyards of those homes. Yes, I would be up there on that hill opening morning. You may only get one chance to surprise him there. Why educate him in another area if you know where he will be opening morning. Now just find a way to sneak in there well before daylight. But the biggest problem I usually run into is those old bucks just aren't that predictable. I was on the wrong ridge more than a few times last year after I thought I knew what ridge they used to travel to the field on.
