What do you do when there are no defined buck bedding areas and deer good be coming from any direction through a number of different trails? Say you look at a topo map and it reveals that the ground is pretty flat and there is nothing of interest from the map. This is the scenario I have in a plot of big woods I'm hunting that has no food sources anywhere near it. What approach would guys take into setting up on these deer?
I would start looking for big stand of Oaks, or even better, Persimmions. There is food there, if there wasn't, there would not be deer there. Pinch points can be cover related as well as terrain related. Look for areas where thicker cover could pinch the deer's travel routes. Also, look for intersections in the trails or preferred creek crossing.
Ok so you have no bedding area and no food source..Then why are the deer there? There is a piece of the puzzle missing, they are there for some reason. What has your after season scouting revealed to you as far as travel patterns. I'm betting there is a food source and there is some feature on the topo that has tendancies that the deer will follow.
Like Gr8 said the deer are there for a reason. Maybe your woods Is just a pass through to where their coming and going from. Hard to say without knowing your woods. How big Is this woods?
Lot's of possibilities here.Is this a completely new area to you? If you havn't walked it or hunted it,walking it would be the first step.Are you aware of any significant food sources that deer would travel a great distance to get to?If so start there and walk the run ways away from the food source to see where the deer are bedding. If no significant food sources are in the area,within a couple of miles.Than walk the area looking for concentration of sign,droppings,beds,rubs scrapes etc.. For buck sign be thinking the thickest area's that the property has or be looking on the prevailing down wind side of the area's with the greatest abundance of doe family group sign. Time to wear out some shoe leather.
Let's say that the whole woods have oaks and there are no real pinch points. So now there is food, but there's no real way of telling which way they're going and why.
Acorns are probably the only food source I see. I tend to find rubs near a fence line. Trails run along the the fence and then perpendicular to the fence.
I have walked most of the parcel. There are corn fields about 1.5 miles down the road. I found rubs as far as possible from the corn and there is a constant water source.
Can you post a topo and aerial? I find it hard to believe that there are no terrian or cover pinch points. It is possible, I have hunted some in the U.P of Michigan and I have see areas where it is very hard to put all the pieces together. Here are the things you HAVE to figure out, either by walking or driving and spotting. 1. Preferred food source. This might not be on your property, but you can figure it out, driving with a spotting scope is a huge help here. Also, take a look at aerial photos, paying close attention to ground within 1 1 1/2 miles of your place. 2. Bedding areas. Again, this might not be on your property, but again looking an aerial map of property around you should reveal the best cover. This might not be a 100% accurate, but it gives you a string to start pulling on. Again, a spotting scope from the road is a great way to scout ground you do not have permission to be on. Once you start figuring these two things out, look at your ground and try to think how the deer are going to utilize your ground to get to and from bedding/food. I am sure if you post a topo map and aerial map on here, you will get a bunch of suggestions to help you out.
You will probably learn the most as you start hunting it. If you are unsure of where to hunt in there....I would kinda start out on the fringes and try to learn what the deer do through observation. You could also try trail cameras. Pick spots where you can get in and out without much detection. When you think you have them figured out you could get more aggressive and go in for the kill.
