Alright, I've posted this before over on HNI a few times over the years asking for advice. I put more leg time in this year than ever before, and more importantly, I had my eyes open for different things than previous years. Well, I've got a few good ideas, but the thing is, topographically, my land doesn't really shout hotspot (I think I remember Buck Magnet saying he hunts ground a lot like this, but anyways, I'm getting off the point). So, I've included an aerial of the property. One with markers from my scouting (not everything is marked), and one with just stand site locations I hunted last season that you can edit like you did in Scott's (if something stands out to you that I didn't pick up). Here's the marked version (explanation below): The red is the property line (90 acres). The crop rotation (corn) will most likely be the same again, so let's assume that's also the same. The pink dots are the stand locations from last year. The red bedding areas in the NE corners are new. I always ASSUMED deer bedded in there since it's a hollow full of thick pines (actually the hollow counters down in between the two red blotched). I went in this winter and I kicked deer out of there almost everytime. I don't know why I never really ventured in here before. Not many rubs or scrapes, but just thick nasty and heavy cover. The white lines up in the NE corner is a logging skid rod we cut in a few years ago to pull some cherry trees out (lots of cherry in here with the pines). Right where this road cuts in is where I have a potential set picked out for next season, but looking at the map, it doesn't look all that enticing, but I have my hunches. The turquoise areas are my food plots. The one furthest south is already been established for ~10 years. We currently have a great clover plot going, and will circle it again this year with winter wheat in August. The one just NW of it is going to be new this year and most likely winter wheat and oats. The steep ridge to the west also is an interesting spot, but almost unhuntable (except on top). At the bottom is a blue line that indicates a small spring fed stream (usually just soggy by archery season). The kicker though is this "bottom" is thick and nasty and has a few natural producing apple/crab apple trees in there. I hunted in there once this past season (as indicated by the pink dot). Had a flock of turkeys and two yearlings in range. No bucks. The green line between stands 2 and 3 is an old sheep fence that runs parallel to the top of that steep ridge. It's down in some places, up in others, etc. No really good trees or entry route in between 2 and 3. The thin yellow lines in this area are the predominant traffic trails (mostly does). The thick yellow line in the SE is a VERY well used trail that cuts right along the edge of the thick new growth (indicated in yellow) on the side a fairly steep ridge. This area is hard to hunt because, getting out is very difficult to do quietly. Overall, these stand sites produced over 150 deer sightings, 6 different bucks, and only one almost crack at a 115" 8 point. Now, my observations lead me to believe that I have too many doe on this property. My main goal is to thin some does. I think I have their ways established pretty well from the past two seasons. HOWEVER, my goal during the scouting season was to locate areas that might be used by bucks in early October (all 6 different bucks were mostly seen after November 1st). I hunted too many doe areas all season long when I need to be concentrating on buck areas. As you can see from my map, I don't have much area I haven't covered. My best bet (looking at the map) seems to be somewhere in the NE corner or down in the SW corner. Problem is, both places show very little signs of buck traveling other than the very nature of it being thick and relatively secure. So, I've also included a plain map with just my stand sites identified. Feel free to add to them or change them. I'm new to all of this, and frankly,
Before even looking at the map that Ryan posted I had picked those exact same stand locations (especially the two on the eastern side of the property towards the top of the map, those would be my major focus points.
White circles possibly for stands Matt. I went more by the topo then anything. Heck maybe the area's I picked don't have much for tree's. It sure Is nice to see land In person and then read a map and put 2 and 2 together. I like the looks of your area though terrain wise. Good luck with It!!
[/URL][/img] I like the northern edge of the ridge. Doe trails or not, if the rut is on, the bucks will be chasing. Put yourself in a position between the trail intersections. Also like the food plot, and depending on the wind, the largest field... Your land looks alot like our property, without the swamps....so I marked areas that look like spots that have been productive for us.
That entire section between the steep ridge and corn looks like a killer spot, among others that have already been shown. Good luck to you
Awesome, guys! Some of you picked some "hot" spots I know of on my property. Jeff, and Gri22ly, what makes these areas on the topo stand out? Gri22ly, the furthest SW blue dot you placed on the topo is an AWESOME spot. Decent rub line coming off a trail where more sheep fence is down. Right out of the thickest nastiest stuff. Problem is getting out in the evening...or getting in. The deer in that whole area tend to hole up in the evening. It's likely one of the few true staging areas I have on my property. jmbuckhunter, good eye catching those most eastern spots. What you can't see from this aerial is that is pretty much unhuntable. Deer certainly are bedded in that finger between the road and the field, but it's so narrow that even if you could get in, you would easily bump them all. It's comforting to see many of you are picking locations I've hunted, and have eyed up as well. Maybe I'm not so dumb after all:d Not too many of you are suggesting looking at the "bowl" area in the NE where I said I spent most of my time this post-season. Honestly, I feel this is my best bet for a pre-rut buck, but on the map, there's not much to it. Alright, a little history about the map, and my experiences this season with the stand sites I posted. Here's my original again: Spot #3 was my buck spot for sure. I hunted this only twice prior to November 1st. Very little sightings. However, the corn was cut and the rut was on, and deer were EVERYWHERE. Most of the does entered along the trails I have identified along the top of the ridge. I passed a few small guys here, and it's at this stand that I was a few feet from arrowing a nice 115" 8 point. I just needed him to take a few more steps, but I ran out of light. This stand WILL be hung again this year. Spots 6, 7, and 8 are my doe spots. Spot 8 is my morning stand. I passed so many doe here it wasn't funny (not sure exactly why). I also passed a small basket rack 6 here as well. 7 has the best entry and exit (I come in off the tractor road). 6 is also good, and the trouble with this food plot it patterning the deer on where they will enter. Some nights they enter the western end, some the eastern. Spot 5 is a goofy one. I'm hoping this becomes a better stand if I can get a good stand of winter wheat/oats in the pasture to the west. Deer travel this finger from the north to enter the food plot, but I'm getting the feeling it's mostly at night. There's TONS of sign in there...droppings, rubs, etc. The pinch point to the north that many of you pointed out as being a good spot is actually only night time traffic. A well used tractor road cuts through there and it's fairly open. Many of you pointed to the rounded corner in the middle western edge. Good eye guys. This spot has usually been great to me. I shot a doe here last year, and two others the previous years. I have had numerous good buck sightings in here (mostly coming out of the western edge off the property line (it's THICK). However, the past two years, the buck sightings have dwindled. The problem with hunting this area, as I mentioned above, is that it often serves as a staging area. I've watched deer several times work their way up to just inside the edge of that rounded corner, and just watch until light fades. I either have to risk busting them from the field on my way out or just wait for an hour or two until they make their way into the corn (yes they linger that long). So, now that you know a little bit about the history of a few of my spots, nothing in the NE or the SW looks promising?:d These are the two areas I feel I may focus on more then the previous seasons. Oh for the guys who picked the eastern and northern edges of the BIG corn field...these are the spots where about 10 years ago you would have 3 or 4 bucks coming from to feed in the evenings in early October. Not anymore. Crop rotation is the same, hunting pressure is the same. ONLY thing I can attribute it to is a more out of whack buck-do
