Property: 80 acre public hunting area. Entrance to the property is at the far west end of the area. Going from West to East, it is prairie until you hit a wooded area that consists of about 10 acres and makes up the whole East side of the property. My tree stand is located on a tree line where the woods meet the grassy prairie. The tree line runs North to South. The deer walk the front of this tree line and browse the prairie, they do the same thing every time I have been there. In the morning they come from the North end of the prairie and walk towards the south. In the evening they are always going from the South to the North. My question is this, the only feasible way into my stand before a hunt is by crossing the same prairie these deer walk through, the woods behind my stand are far to thick and rugged to walk through to get into the stand from the back side. I am new to hunting so if I am being stupid lay the law down on me, but how would you approach this I feel as though by having to enter the stand in this manner I have handicapped myself by crossing where the deer are going to be walking. How would you prepare and what steps would you take to make sure you didn't leave a scent trail or tip these deer off to your presence.
Is there any way you can post a sat or topo of the area? We'd be able to better evaluate your particular set-up.
