The land i get to hunt is about 200 acres, a lot of it is fields, and the woods surround the field. fields are all overgrown like crp. The woods drop off very sharp in to the creek bottom. when your down by the creek it is flat for about 50 yards or so then straight back up on the other side. the fence of the property follows the creek. I did some scouting this winter and there is a deer trail the runs along the fence. Fresh poop all over it. My concerns hunting down there, is getting down there. Its like, slide down the hill on your butt steep for most of it, and really thick when its still green.I would probably scare them out of there from all the noise i would make getting in. Where i have my stand now is in a pocket on the field edge. they cut across it. I see does and some small bucks, just never big bucks. I have bigger bucks on camera at night so i know they are somewhere in there. Just looking for suggestions. thanks.
The other concern you're going to run into is the wind will swirl in the bottom. I'd be cautious about hunting it. You should try to find out where the deer come up out of the bottom. Is there an area where the hill isn't as steep? Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
Make yourself a trail down before season and clear it of anything that will make noise and only hunt it when conditions are right, do you know where they are bedding at?
I think you have more scouting to do as stated above...look for where they come up out of the creek bottom, look for doe bedding areas, look for buck sign like beds and big old rubs. The deer trail up by the fence in winter might be heavily used in winter, but come October who knows. As far as wanting to get down in the creek bottom...get in there and cut/rake a path...you can even lay in a ladder if need be to make it easier to climb in and out. Wind will play you down in a creek bottom like that. So if you go down there you better have the wind figured out and only hunt it sparingly when you know a big buck is frequenting a certain trail and how you can get in and out without getting busted. Good luck.
When there's no wind or too much wind I like to be higher up such as a hill top. Deer don't like to be down in a bowl where they can't tell which direction different scents are coming from. I agree, put out cameras or look for sign to see where the deer are entering and exiting the creek bottom, there's no doubt they are going there for water. You just have to find a spot to hunt between the water and whatever it is that they're going to, whether it's bedding or food. Good luck!
I'd key in on the edge of the drop off, there is probably a trail paralleling the edge. I'd stay out of the bottom, even with good winds thermals will mess with you.
Deer like to walk ridges. Air typically rises in the morning (so hunt high - top of the ridge) and falls in the evening (hunt the bottom side of the trail on the ridge). Although this isn't always true, find a map of your prevailing winds and go from there.
I would stay out of there based on the winds. Sounds like you are in the right location, but as others have said, do more scouting. Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
i was just thinking, i found an area at the end of last season, its a natural clearing about 30 yards into the woods and its flat. then a steep ravine to the creek. creek runs the same direction as the treeline to the field. could work like a funnel between the field and creek. i need to get a camera in there asap! thanks
