To my knowledge, it is a 'safe place' that bucks like to hang out in before venturing into an open field to feed. It can be anywhere from 50 to 100 yards back from the hard-edge. Anyway that's what I've been taught.
I would have to agree with gl, I have always seen it as a place that deer can safely scan the food source before they venture out.
The guys above me have got it right. Its a great spot to hang a stand in since bucks will be there before night fall, making sure the fields are safe.
Mainly heavy trails. But you should also find large or several community scrapes since many deer will use these particular staging areas. A great example- For 5 years, ive been hunting my dads 40 acres, seeing the occasional deer pass by with few photos on trail cameras. This past year (yeah, 5 years later) i found a small, 2 acre or so patch of pines that holds a tonn of scrapes and rubs. What i determined is that deer use these woods traveling from one bedding area to another. These woods are also inbetween 2 clover/alfalfa fields which they feed on at night. That is why that little block of woods is soo attractive to the deer.
I walk the field edges and look for heavy tracks going in and out of the field. Look for the bigger tracks (most likely bucks) and follow them in the woods and scout around. I like to set up about ten yards in the woods from the field so I can shoot into the field and also shoot into the woods. Just set up a stand down wind of these trails and sit a few times. You will end up moving your stand after you see where they are coming from but you have to start somewhere.
i think another good staging area at least around here is a stand of whiteoaks that are producing ,about50-70yds in from field edge. over years watched deer hang on the acorns,then venture into fields at dark
I have a slightly different view of a staging area... A staging area to me is where a buck hangs around at dusk. I think young bucks often stage on the edge of fields, but for mature bucks staging is often done within a couple hundred yards of there bed.
I think I found a pretty good staging area with my son the other day. Thicker cover on the edge of a hill. It was tore up with rubs and had a pretty good trail about 1/4th of the way down the hill. Not the biggest rubs, looked like a lot of 1.5 year olds and at least one 2.5 year old. I will keep tabs on the spot once the season approaches and then progresses to see if that 2.5 year old is using it as a 3.5 year old. It is very hard to get into without being spotted, however I found one way in that seems to give me a pretty good shot without being seen. I have virtually 0 crop fields where I hunt so the staging areas are generally a pretty good distance back in the woods on the sides of hills.
