Hey all, as most of you know or have already gotten, we are to get a good snow starting tonight and ending Friday at midnight or so. Well I'm going out this weekend but I'm not sure where. Options: 1. Public South: This is public land but firearms season has been over for a week. Muzzleloader starts Saturday, but with the snow, I do not expect to see anyone. Before firearms season, I saw deer every single hunt. Since firearms, it has been dry. There is a water source about 200 yards in front of my stand and my stand sits on the edge of a large patch of cedars, in a funnel. As far as a food source, there are a few ag fields behind me a couple hundred yards, not sure what was planted in them. 2. My Kill Stand: This is at the house. It's a 5 minute walk. This is a pass through property if the deer use it. There is a field due south of the stand about 50 yards, but there's not a good living population on this property. there is an attached woods that has a large population. Again there is a water source in front of me and ag source behind me. 3. My Swamp stand: Again, this stand is at the house. It sits between the big woods mentioned above, and a clover food plot about 1/4 big. The plot sees minimal action, but there are deer on it every few days. There is good cover to the west they could use to bed in, I've never been in it as to not ruin the area. Anyways, those are my 3 spots. Right now I'm leaning towards #1 simply due to the number of deer and the fact there are ag fields between me and a good bedding area (cedars and pond). I'm just concerned about not seeing deer since firearms began.
I plan on hunting also Sat. My plan is to slip hunt into the wind around known bedding areas if the snow is quiet. If not I'll be sitting in a ground blind on a pinch point between a bedding area and a food source. The first snow always has the deer running around silly.. Just like kids. for you choices I'd have to go with number three.
I have hunted in the snow in Canada several times. This time of year, with snow on the ground, your best bet is whatever food source is available in close proximity to bedding. In my experience deer do not bed far from solid food sources when snow is on the ground. Go with whatever puts you the closest to the food with bedding not far.
Never hunted snow but it seems to me that #3 is the best option. You know the deer use it occasionally and with the snow coming in I bet they do. You know your options better than we do though so i'd go with your gut
I would go with your gut and run to #1. I will be out all weekend. Going with my go to on Saturday. 40 acres next to 120 fenced (low fence 4.5 ft) in acres of protected wetlands 60 acres are swamp land 60 is hardwoods. Our 40 acres is all hardwoods mixed pines, birch and a huge patch of big mature white oaks with 3 mature, big bodied, 150+ in. whitetails zooming around there. 1 of which manged to survive the onslaught of orange that had been set forth upon us. So I will be cruising in for all day sits in the LW. I make awesome PB-J. Jif Creamy and Welch's Concord Grape. Good luck to all this weekend. -Justin Starr-
I'm planning on hunting in the AM, just can't decide on where I want to sit. Gonna wear my duck hunting waders to stay warm, lol.
