hey guys. Im new hunting and i lucked out and got 160 acres of private land to hunt. Its about %70 overgrown fields(really thick and like 5ft tall) and the woods border the fields. There is a path cut along the field edge and the woods around the entire property. There are a couple spots at the woods line where there is a little clearing in the woods. I set up cameras and a pile of corn in 2 of these areas. Both cameras had deer on them within the first day. There was always 1 doe poking around all hours of the day. not sure if its the same one or not.Sometimes midnight, sometimes noon. Anyways i guess my main question is, i did not see any obvious deer sign in the woods,(everything is very thick and overgrown at the moment.) How far will deer travel off their normal path to get to a corn pile? No baiting in MO but do you think im close enough to them to set a stand in the area? any suggestions are appreciated, thanks.
Depending on the food sources available they could travel a good distance. On the stand part I would find the key travel corridors out of/into the thick fields and hunt those. Deer will feel safe in there and will move all day if the weather is right.
this time of year is hard to find good trails since everything is grown up. But walk along the edge of the wood line and see if you can pick out a couple trails coming out of the grass. I hunted a grass field like that for a couple years and you would see a ton of deer all the time but you just had to be patient if they would come into range, or setup watch the field and see if you can pick out any spots they use consistently. For me hunting grass fields like that you had to hunt it and move your stand a few ttimes to zero in.
I agree with everything said here so far. If unpressured, deer will travel the easiest route possible. There will be ample sign of deer moving through high grass. It may help to pull up a sat map and get a feel for areas that provide shelter, food, and water. Read up on the local plants and see what is in your area. If you have oak trees, you're in business. Look for crops (soy beans and hay are favorites) which deer feed on. Set up for afternoon hunting near food and or water sources. Set your stand in a place along a travel lane about 20 yards away in an area that provides some cover for the deer. You have likely found the bedding area....try and avoid this area in the morning, or sneak in if the wind is right using the shortest route possible that allows you to intercept deer on the trail.
Just hunt the path that is mown around the edge of the field. They will use it like a highway. I guarantee it.
^^This. One of my favorite spots to put my trail cam is on a 15 foot wide gap that runs between a corn field and the woods. Its like a road made specially for deer. Cant wait to hunt it in a couple weeks
thanks for all the replies. Some good info. As for water there is about 15 small ponds on the property, and oak tress with acorns on the ground. I dont think the land has been hunted in awhile. I guess its just a matter of sitting out there and seeing what happens. I like the idea of the cut grass being a highway. ill deff watch that. thanks
