I am going to be getting access to hopefully 2 new pieces of land to hunt on this summer and i was wondering where to start in scouting for deer. The land i hunt on now is my neighbors and i have pretty much had a general knowledge of where deer show up and travel so this new property is going to be a bit new to me. Any tips on how or where to start?
I'd start with a topo and aerial to pinpoint some areas to focus on when you walk it on foot and go from there.
Food. Bedding areas such as higher ground thickets/pine thickets/or just elevation changes in general. Then, find a way to set-up and kill those deer in different locations based on the wind as they access the food to and from their beds. You want to have options as to where you hunt based on the wind/time of year/your most recent sightings. That allows you to keep areas fresh which makes deer hunting that much better. Easier said than done, but hopefully you get the point. Good luck.
when we finally get permission to hunt on both trecs of land it will be about 180 acres. One piece is a 99 acre farm surrounded by woods on one side of the road while the other will be about 80 acres mostly wooded on the opposite side of the road. I kind of know where to start on the 80 acres of wood as they border the land i currently hunt on. I am just new to scouting around farm land. There does appear to be a small tree line between some fields and a little section of woods that juts out into the field that i will be focusing on. Land around me is pretty flat so any topo i can get for free is about worthless as the biggest drop anywhere near my area might be a bout 10 feet if i am lucky.
MHS, here is an aerial map with some thoughts on potential stand locations. I noticed where you said the land is flat for the most part yet there are small elevation changes. Even a 10 foot elevation change in the right spot could provide for some excellent bedding. I would check out any part of that land that has sudden elevation changes, espcially by that creek that flows from north to south on the western section of the land for potential bedding and small hills.
Virginia you nailed the 3 northeastern stands. I figured a little bit more info might be handy so i added the spots i have either seen track or gotten pictures on cam and the big white box up north is a food plot going in right now. Thanks for the input. I am guessing with how well you nailed the stands on the land i am hunting now the others will be right on as well. thank you for your help and if possible keep it coming.
