No scout hunting, am I crazy?

So I have this Friday off and the north wind is bad for the few spots I had picked out (I hunt public land). In a last ditch attempt to save the day, I am thinking about hunting a new spot I have never been to yet. The top of the map is north, and the trees are the sides of the bluffs to give an idea for topography. there is a path that runs from the parking lot from the west, straight east to the ravine where the two bluffs connect. If you had to hunt this without scouting, where would you setup? Doing a morning hunt, walking-in in the dark.

 

I would set up between food and bedding, if you can determine those from this map! Good luck!


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The bottom four is where i would focus. Especially on the eastern part where the trees really funnel. The top two aren't bad just iffy on the wind for the top on and just a little bigger funnel the next to the top. Just depends on if the wind is right for any of those places or not but thats where i would focus my time with the right wind for the spot

 

The yellow would be possible stand locations for me with the wind out of the north.
That whole funnel is good there to the east but my main focus would be where it branches out to the bigger woods.

 

Aaron, I appreciate your thoughts. Here is a view turned 180 so the top is the south. The areas you suggested are part of the bluffs going up to the other field. Do you still think that is a good spot? I figured with the main walking trail down there, that it might not be a spot deer are coming from. I also thought that they would probably be feeding on top of the bluffs in the ag fields, then moving down on bluffs to bed. If they are feeding up there, then with a north wind the bucks would bust me coming down the hill to bed. Thoughts

 

are they feeding in the south and then walking north to bed? Are the ag fields to the south?

 

Looked at the topo maps for the area and i believe this is where i would set up. The dark red is possible stand locations. The box of red is where i would focus. To me i think the deer will bed in the trees in the green boxes because it is a little less steep at those parts in the trees. I would set up between them to hopefully catch the moving to bedding or between beddings looking for does. On the north part. The yellow with an arrow is a natural ravine which could be used as a walk way for the deer so i would also consider that place. The other yellow line is a "flatter" area in the trees where i think the deer would walk because the other parts are pretty steep.

 

I'm probably going to get killed for this, but I say eff the wind. Hunt thermals if you can, and practice good scent control. The rut is on and deer will be cruising.

That being said, I seem to be in close proximity to several others who have replied in saying look to the east...I think #2 is my favorite

 

Here is another version of the map, top is north. The orange lines trace the ravines, and the blue lines trace tractor paths.

dnoodles, I was looking at spot 1 from your map. It looks like that is a little finger of cover that may be a travel coridor. Plus with the from the north, if they come from the east, I would be good.

aaron, interesting. I was not considering setting up by that south ag field, but now you really have me questioning that.

I am really loving the look and feel of this property, even though I have not set foot on it.

 

Id hunt right where I marked the red....just me.

 

I have to agree with this find a crossing and set up around it

 

I think it also depends on how I could access the spot. If you can get in from the south and not walk in any of the fields in the dark that would be the biggest factor to me on where I would hunt. Its possible that every deer on the property is in the fields in the dark and bumping them would make for a tough hunt. My 2 cents.

 

shadow, I like that spot too. I would be coming from the west, following the long blue trail in. The far west side of the property there is a road. Everything else around it is private land.

I was also thinking that the deer would be on top in the ag fields in the morning, so I want to be careful not to bump them out while I stumble in, in the dark.

 

I would agree with dnoodles on spot on spot three. And i agree with shadow and woodman. The topo mag says that east side of that ravine is less steep then the west side. It would be a good spot also. Like woodsman said, pick a crossing and set up over it.

 

Thanks guys, I am really excited to give this a try. Hopefully there are not too many other hunters out and I can catch a buck cruising through!