In relation to GMMATs post. What type of spots do you sit in all day. I have 2 spots that are worthy of all day sits. The first is a brushy, swampy area at the end of a ditch out in the middle of a field. The whole area isn't much bigger than an acre. But it is grown up with willows and honeysuckle. The does love to bed there because they can see or smell danger from all around. The bucks come to check it out any time of day, by crossing the open field or sneaking up the ditch. There is one big cottonwood tree that I have my stand in. I have killed one nice buck there a few years back around 10:00 and have seen them at all hours of the day. The second spot is on my new property in a creek bottom where a large creek meets up with 2 smaller ones. Along with this many ridges empty into this bottom. There are trails coming from all directions that cross thru this bottom. Last year there were scrapes everywhere. I hunted it a few times last year and saw mostly small bucks and does. But I did get a bunch of pics of nice bucks working the scrapes day and night, just not the days I was there. So lets hear about the spots that you would devote a whole day to.
The one particular stand that I have had great luck In seeing bucks of all sizes during all day sits Is a trail between 2 bedding areas. The one to the SE of me Is a doe/young buck bedding area and the one to the SW of me usually will have a decent buck bedding some where In that direction In that vicinity. Back In the day (10 to 15 years ago) doing these all day sits there was times I'd see as many as 10 to 12 bucks a day along with about 15 doe's and fawns. I've saw as many as two In a day that were P&Y class bucks. Never though have I arrowed a buck doing all day sits, either a tad to small or too far away. I've also had a few doe's save a bucks ass by catching my wind. They would lock right up and the buck would run right Into her accidentally being his head was down. All of the all day sits I've done were during the rut. I wouldn't mind trying this though In early season. I think If a person set up on a water source close to where you think the big guy Is bedding you might have some luck at mid day. John, your spot out In the middle of a field sounds allot like where my brother sets up on his all day sits In another woods. He's had some great action In there doing all dayers. He also has a ditch there that he's saw many bucks go In and out of during the day during the rut.
There are a couple of spots that are my favorite so far for all dayers 1. This place is not well suited yet for bowhunting. I have an enclosed tower stand overlooking a 3 acre field that is bordered on 2 sides by a cutover ( reseeded in pines) that is about 10 yrs old now,one side is a creek about 30' wide that runs through a swamp about 10+ acres in size and the last side is bordered by the home of a retired police officer that feeds deer in his yard in the off hunting season ( and actually doesn't mind me hunting right behind his house...imagine that...even if it is my land). 1 1/2 acres of that field I enrolled in a CREP program with the gov't and planted roughly 650 persimmon trees and the other 1 1/2 acre I get the farmer to plant in soybeans or corn and let sit w/o harvesting. On cold rain soaked days is when I like this spot. Trees are about 6' tall now so maybe soon they will be producingsome fruit. 2. The other spot is in the middle of a pretty good amount of oaks. I have seen deer come from 3 directions at any given time and usually has a large "community" scrape. I guess it could be considered a "hub" but maybe intersection of various trails will do. 100 or so yds behind me is a THICK pine bedding area, 50 yds in front is another 10 yr old cutover that I reseeded in pines, to my left and right (north and south) could be considered a very large funnel running through or between the front and back sides of my tree. Very good spot in early-mid Nov. I hope this year to have 1-2 more bow spots for all dayers. It's just that a hunting club w/ dogs hunts the land across the road. Maybe they'll send me one that's not running 100mph
On the down-wind side of a known doe bedding area - or in a spot that would funnel deer down to a very small area. Unless I KNOW I have a killer mid-day spot, it's tough to put the time in a spot all-day unless you know you have a shooter or two living there in that area and have a pretty good idea they have been on their feet during daylight within a couple days.
I'm usually more concerned with the time of year than anything - prefer that the 1st phases of the rut... Generally any site that is a good travel corridor - especially ones that are 'out of the way' and connect multiple areas of good cover.
i usually try to sit on ridge benches, i see more deer mid day on those benches then sitting in a funnel
Only during the rut these days, Ridgeline saddles mostly. Or even better inside corners of a clearcut on the top of a mountain ridgline that sits in a saddle....great for doe/buck travel during the rut.
Funnels, and down wind of thickets/doe bedding areas. I began putting that puzzle together last year and sat downwind of a doe bedding area all day. What a day it was, it just didn't end up with me shooting one. I plan on doing more of the same this year.
I have a couple of funnels between bedding areas I hunt during the rut. One is in a fencerow of trees that cuts through a tall field, the bucks like to cruise the fencerow. Another is the outside corner of a 10' tall fence that the deer funnel around, 20yds. from a small woodlot that my stand is in. Fence stand...fence in background
