I have permission to hunt this plot of land, about 50 acres. Never been hunted, almost completely surrounded by public land. I have attached a picture so looking for some ideas on where to start my scouting. The very back corner of this place is connected to a long strip of narrow woods that connects this property to the government woods.
hunt it if the bucks know that they are safe and its never been hunted they will be in there if its surrounded by pubic land deer will more then likley pushed onto that unhunted piece of land
Never been hunted and completely surrounded by public ground is an oxymoron. lol I am sure it probably did get little pressure by trespass compared to the surrounding ground so it should have some good bedding areas. Shed hunt it and you will learn a lot. Good luck.
For scouting your just have to start walking. they could be anywhere. the deer once hunting season starts will find this piece of land and stay there because they know they are safe there.
Well I have been told to stay out of area I am going to hunt. So i guess going in this early in year will not hurt?
No this is one of the best times to scout. You're able to see their trails easier and it's well before the season so you won't spook them too bad. Plus you never know you might find a few sheds out there.
Ok i went out this morning and placed a mineral site at the back corner where this section of woods meets the smaller tract from the public land. I stayed out of the woods for the most part but did see a couple of does.
You plan on setting up any cameras? I'd put one up on the mineral site for sure. That'll tell you if you are wasting your time or not pretty quick I would think.
If I was you I would walk ever inch of that ground now and get familiar with it. You will not spook deer that much at this time of the year, there just ain't that much pressure to move them. Key to hunting small property is knowing the land and how the game use it. Look for funnels, major intersection (were 2 or more trails connect), bedding areas (if there is enough cover there to hold them ), feeding areas or trails leading to them, also look for places to set up stands ( place stands now if possible and make sure you have a downwind entrance to them), look for older rubs and scrapes (fresh rubs indicate where they are now and may be at early season, older rubs from this year show were they are at during season.), and I would walk the perimeter of the property looking for several things: (1) I would be looking for signs of trespassing and would place no trespassing signs up right there and paint the trees with a purple stripe if in you state that mean private property, if you find a stand tear it down. (2) I would be looking for deer trails leading in and out of the property as this could help you find feeding areas or bedding areas depending on what your property doesn't have, it may also show you were the heaviest hunting areas are on the other side of the fence so you can hunt there to intercept incoming bucks trying to flee the pressure. (3) You may find a better place to set up mineral sites so you can get more pics of more bucks, some places are better than others. I would also look for sheds to help you know what kind of bucks stay on the property. Do your scouting now and you will be prepared when season rolls around. Don't let people tell you not to go in them woods at this time of the year cause now is the best time, most people wait till almost hunting season and that is when you need to stay out .
