The rest of these images are rotated so I can show you a bit more detail. Here's a close up- And the topo- This shows a snowshoe trail one of my neighbors cut that the deer like to use. It also shows the stand on the E (top) where Blade was shot from. The spot in the middle is a location that my buddy Nick and I hunted once a few years back.
Here's the only area I've really hunted up there. This is what I call Whistler's Ridge for those who've been following over the past few seasons. Here are some south facing slopes that have good exposure. You can expect to find does bedded there on those cold days. Here's a little black spruce swamp that is fairly open. Might be a good cool spot on those hot early season days. Here's other low/wetlands, but they tend to be thick and hard to get through. And here's some old rub lines. The West one (bottom) was heavily used 5 or 6 years ago, but not much the past few years.
I can access through the neighbor's property (on the top @ Whistler's Ridge), but with their increased activity there walking dogs etc, I'm going to try and avoid it. The lake is my access. Anywhere to the end of the outlet (bottom left). I can cross back into that swampy pond, but it takes me quite a bit of time. The hard part is, deer can pretty much eat and bed anywhere in there. so there's not much for noticeable patterns. They do like to use the general area and direction of that snowshoe trail though. Some parts along the shore are sheer cliffs that I'll have to go around, but my detours wouldn't be too far. I'm going to let these images sit for now, and I'll give you my initial impressions/plans later tonight once the little guy goes to bed.
So right off the bat, I don't like the access to all the spots I think would otherwise be fantastic. So, I'm going to have to be very careful how I get into these areas or I just might push all the deer out before I'm in the tree or blind. My initial impressions would be to look closely at these five spots. #1 seems to be a nice spot. A slight saddle along the north tip of the spruce swamp. would be good on a south wind, but access would be tricky. first option would be to access through the neighbors land and the trail to the Tri-Pine stand. I'd be crossing a good amount of land (roughly 350 yards), but I don't think there's a concentration of bedding going on there. The other, much more time consuming and mess route would be to button hook around through the outlet and see how far I could get up the creek in the swamp and enter from the north just to the West of that little low, brushy drainage into the swamp. #2 is a nice spot along the edge of the ridge before it dips down W toward the outlet. I could access it by using the snowshoe trail then swinging N. I think deer might swing up this way along the ridge from the outlet crossing. Knowing what wind to hunt it is the issue. I'm guessing that they'd be more concentrated coming from the trail and moving along the ridge, but since theres not destination source here, I have no idea as to which direction to expect them from at any given time. If I found a spot right along the ridge as it turns North, it'd be great on an E wind, but we rarely get those. #3 is a sweet little spot. Not a ton of huntable trees though and its a pain to get through. Shortest route is from the outlet along the trail, but that's still 360+ yards of walking where I can easily jump deer. If I could drop in from the sky, I'd move N to the edge of the spruce swamp and hunt a N wind, but realistically, I think finding a tree on the opposite (S) side of the trail, on a N wind, and coming in from the lake to the S might be best. I lose out on the whole front ridge that I'd walk through, but I think a lower percentage of deer walk through there. #4 might offer the greatest view in the tall red & white pines that cluster along that N/S ridge. Access is short but up a steep cliff. I like that the tip of that brushy lowland ends near to the E and would help pinch deer to me. Again, wind would be hard. Anything with an E is good, but rare. Otherwise I'd want a steady direct W wind with dropping thermals to push my scent down into that thick brushy crap. #5 would be the easiest to access. I'd plan to use the lake to funnel deer past on their way down the ridge and around the neighbors up to Whistler's Ridge. I could hunt this with any wind with a N in it and even a W or WSW wind blowing to the neighbor's sauna and docks. I've seen some does feeding and drinking along that shoreline all summer. That's where my Stealth Cam was when the tree fell into the lake. One issue would be deciding how far up the ridge to walk in.
I'm interested to see if any of you have any thoughts or spots you think look good. I'm planning to move a cam into the area. Might have to make a poll and have you all decide where to set it up. That's right, 1 camera for 160 acres. Welcome to my world
The first spots I would check out and hunt are your 2 and 3 spots. That is the first area that jumped out to me from the topo map. The other area that I would look at is at the bottom of the pic there is a creek that comes off the lake. Is there any land bridges crossing the creek? With the area mostly surrounded by water I would think there is a pinch point across that creek that deer use to access the area from the south. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I like 2 and 3. Just because I like ridges. There is also a travel path close and other structure in the area. Anything close to some open area would be a bonus!
The view shown (facing South) is the only open part of the outlet funnel. The portion behind is super think. One other downside is that the end of the outlet is always the first to ice up. Usually right as the rut is hitting and I'd love to site there all day.
If it iced up first it might force the deer to look for land to cross. That might work until the ice is strong enough to support the deer, then they will cross any where. That might require some strutigic timing, and if happen near the rut that would be a bonus! Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Accept my access to the outlet requires open water. Otherwise I'm pushing through where the deer are to get to the funnel.
www.Windfinder.com Go to forecast and reports> select your station (closest one to your hunting area) > hold over the station pin and select reports > click on the wind statistics tab
You could get to 4 & 5 without disturbing to much but the other areas not so much. For that reason I would probably would only hunt this section in the evenings where I can get in early and let the woods calm before those prime hours. If the deer are using snowshoe trail I would enter from the west on a parallel path maybe 15 feet north or south of the trail depending on the wind. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Here's a bit of an update. Today is bow opener here in MN I'm planning to go out for an evening sit, but that might get put on hold as our little one is sick. We'll have to see how that all shakes out. I did make it out last week to pull cards and move a Stealth Cam up into the North Shore. I wanted to go in and poke around the West side towards that #2 & #3 locations. There's some sign up there, but man is it thick. The younger maples and aspen along with all the hazelnut and other brush makes it nearly impossible to find a spot that I'd be able to shoot an arrow past 7 yards. Not to mention getting in and out of there quietly. I did find one more open area with a couple good trails that I stuck a G30 on. I hope to get some good pics from there. Here's the areas I walked that were thick in red. The X is where I put the cam. Should be able to get in there decently with that snowshoe trail. My time scouting that day was rushed and cut short, so I'll definitely be doing some more thorough in-season scouting.
One more exciting find from that day was from the G42NG I put on the south edge of last year's clearcut on the far side of the lake. I wasn't expecting much from that camera, maybe 20-30 pics. I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled over 800 pics. Lots of doe and cow action You really forget how big those moose are! She was a curious cow too. This is what happens when a moose walks in front of your deer sets...
