Not ideal conditions tomorrow morning, but the first few hours will be cool enough that deer may move. The place I hunt, the areas close from one day to another due to training. For example, three of my best spots have been and will be closed all week. I have been forced onto an area that I scouted in the off season, but had never hunted up until Tuesday of this week. On my way out on Tuesday I picked up some real fresh, big buck sign in the form of rubs and one giant scrape on the edge of an old overgrown homestead site. The homestead site thicket is maybe 1/2 acre at best, but there are more rubs around that thing than I can count. I don't know if a single buck is bedded in there or if does are bedded in there and bucks are rubbing around it. The green on the map represents the thicket. The brown, rubs. Red=possible stand sites based on wind. I don't know if this area will be open again after tomorrow so I want to be aggressive, but not stupid. Out of the three stand sites I marked (Red dots), where would you set up? The rubs lead down that ridge marked with the numbers 2 and 3 and lead right down the hill, back up an old overgrown road, and right into that thicket. If you had to pick a place to hunt, where would it be?
Number two will give you access to bucks quartering into the wind both from the north and the north west. Looks like a wind they will be comfortable traveling into both coming up that point and also parallel to the ridge.
I would pick 1 just for the thermals alone but add in the buck might check is handy work before going back down to bed. It does look like less impact hunting to.
I'd pick 1. If it's the doe bedding area then any bucks will be checking thr downwind side of it. And if the buck is bedding there he should be coming in with the wind at his back. Either way, he shouldn't be able to wind you without first giving you a shot.
I'd say one as well, less impact. If it were cooler I'd go in deeper to two, looks like a funnel near the old road.
I like #1 for a quick, quiet entry with less penetration. Thermals are a nonissue and if a buck isn't bedding there, he's/they're visiting frequently. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With hot temps tomorrow afternoon and not knowing whether this spot will be open any other time, I'm diving into spot #1. I hear you Trial on Spot #2. If the temps were good and cold tomorrow I'd give it a go sitting in that spot. I'm looking at only the first few hours as being decent temps, then they will skyrocket to about 80 by 2pm. Thanks for the suggestions and input everyone. I will creep in slow and quiet, well before sunrise in the morning.
I personally would move just a little down from the number 1 to where the two rub lines come together. The reason is that way, the buck would have to walk past you if he was going on the left rub line. I do understand it would be cutting it close on wind with the right rub line, but I think it would be worth it. Just a thought. I just would hate for you to see a monster buck walking up the rub line, get to the thicket, go to the left along the rub line, and never come full circle to you. Cant wait to here how it goes! Good luck!
I'm set up. As soon as I park and start walking in slowly I see a small 6 point heading across the road and straight towards this thicket.
Sat til 1030am, didnt see a thing. I walked around the entire perimeter of the thicket Most of all the sign is to the south of the thicket as the trail goes down the hill. I didn't see much of any doe sign. However, once I got down out of my stand I did see used deer bed sitting right in the middle of the overgrown trail, not 20 yds from where I had sat. Oh well, it was fun getting a game plan together last night. Thanks guys!
