After everything is said and done, I love talking about exactly where to set up. I am hunting a place tomorrow morning that I have not hunted much since I took a nice buck out of it in 2007. I used to hunt it a ton and could really predict the doe movement, but had a heck of a time trying to get on a buck prior to Halloween. The cursor in the middle of the screen represents a saddle and the the blue represents some contour lines that I believe will effect deer travel. I placed two red dots in spots I am thinking of setting up based on the wind and the potential buck travel for scent checking the doe beds. Where do you think I should set up, the stand (represented by the red dots) to the north or the south? Or do you think I should set up elsewhere? All of my favorite spots on the place I hunt are closed down tomorrow, yet I don't want to have an unproductive hunt. THANKS all for your comments/suggestions. By the way, I love doing this stuff because this is how we all learn.
I would also look (without actually seeing the property, at the sw corner of either one of those two openings sw of the lower doe bedding areas. If its grass or food plot it might be very productive. Good luck!
I like the north stand. It gives you a chance to cover both bedding areas and those contour lines should funnel everything in your direction.
I have to give up something to gain something, but no I don't think they will catch my wind.. The north stand spot shoots the wind out into the open where the cover is much less and I do not think the bucks will travel out in the open. The south stand shoots my scent away from that saddle so that nothing will wind me in the saddle. Hey, but if you see something different, let me know. Thanks. Bry I am torn between both potential spots, but great point about covering both bedding areas. One of the handful of mature bucks I have spotted over the years I spotted not more than 50 yards south and west of that potential north stand site.
I like it a lot myself Mark. The only thing I wish I could do is overlay the contour lines on the aerial.
VS I have good luck by sitting further toward the big end of the funnel (the funnel the deer trails make). I drew a red line where I would stay SW of if I had a NE wind. The reason is, I could possibly still get a shot at both trails and I wouldn't risk getting winded by a buck that is S of you but traveling N. I put other dots on there where I'd look for more stand sites for different winds. I don't know if any of that made sense?
Greg, that does make sense. In this one small area I have seen two mature bucks, but couldn't kill either one even they were within range. The first one was around the northern most blue spot you marked, and the second was right at the yellow spot. I hear what you are saying about setting up sw of that red line and it makes a lot of sense, yet I feel I might be a little too far from the action? What do you think, you think they could mess up and move off a little from the cover to give me a shot, even though I might be 50 yards outside the beds? Thanks Greg. Brett
VS, I think it's safer to start there and work your way in based on your observations. You know, play it safe...... pick a spot and move in for the kill.
Had a pretty good morning. I only had one day to hunt this spot in the next couple of weeks so I went right in and set up on northern red dot stand location. At 7:45 a spike came out 15 yards to my left. At 7:50 a cool little 5-6 point came out of the thicket as well and came by at 15 yards. The spike and the 6 point squared up and tickled antlers until the spike ran off. At 8:45 another spike came out but he was 50 yards away. At 9 a lone done came by at 30 yards. At 9:15 a dang coyote came by but I missed the shot on the trot. At 9:30 another spike came by followed by a doe. THEN a guy who was using a dog and gun was hunting turkey and walked right into my set up! I whistled him off and he waved and bailed...or so I though. His white dog came back onto the scene and was running all over the place, not more than 40 yards upwind of me. Then HE came by 40 yards to my north even though he knew I was hunting that thicket! The first time I waved it off I chalked it up to hunting public land......the second time I saw him 20 minutes after he and his dog absolutely ruined my hunt....I said, "are you f*****g kidding me? You have to be f'in kidding me". He looked at me like, "huh?". Dog gone moron. I came down and relocated about 200 yards away and within 30 minutes another lone doe came by but no bucks. Packed it up around 1230. FUN DAY, yet frustrating.
Ouch! Man I didn't know they allowed dogs in there. That kinda stupidy just amazes me sometimes. Its one thing to not know someone is there...its another to flat out ruin their setup knowingly. Well at least you know you picked out a good spot, and you had a decent morning. Better than mine, I'm not seeing squat right now. Keep plugging, it will come together.
