Pick a stand...any stand...exit routes and some advice needed.

[MGH_PA]

Alright, there's a spot on our property that has been screaming at me to give it a whirl this fall. I've never hunted it, but it's a textbook-looking pinch point/funnel that splits a cornfield in two. A few of you pointed it out as being a location I should be paying attention to when I last posted an aerial of my property. So I went up today, and found two possible locations, and cleared shooting lanes for each. When I get around to ordering my climbing sticks, the stands will go in, and I need to pick one of the two locations. So, first, let me start you off with an aerial of the location, and a brief description of what I've found scouting this winter.



Ok, the "finger" in the center of the image is the spot I'm refering to. You'll notice that it splits two cornfields apart, and the strip is only about 10-15 yards wide. Corn is in again this year (mind you this is about the 7th year with this particular crop rotation, so deer have had plenty time to adjust. Anyways, the two red dots indicate my two potential stand locations. They are also only about 15 yds apart, but this is why I'm torn between the two. My goal this year is to hunt spots that ONLY give me solid entry/exit routes. I've never worried about this before, and I've payed the consequences every year busting a deer leaving my stand or climbing down.

The white lines indicates a trail I cleared last spring, and after monitoring it with a Cam last year and scouting the area, deer have begun using this as a main trail into the corn fields (the area surrounding the trail is very thick and overgrown). The green line indicates what's left of an old sheep fence that runs along the top off a steep ridge. The point where the white line and green line intersect is where the fence is down, and obviously deer are crossing at this point heavily. I don't want to set a stand up here for one major reason: No good exit route, and not a very good entry route, as the deer are very likely to cross my path that I came in on, as they work their way into one of the corn fields. So that left me with the two red dot locations. The red line is an entry/exit route I cut/cleared this afternoon to allow me to slip in and out of the stand, keeping brush on both sides of the path, and not ever have to enter/scent the corn field. Right now I'm leaning toward the northerly dot ONLY for the reason that I think I can slip out of this one a little better, because of the fact that I'm a bit north of where the deer seem to be entering either corn field, whereas the southerly red dot is right on top of a major entry route for both fields. If a straggler (most likely a nice buck decides to enter right after legal shooting time when I'm coming down, I'm liable to be busted, wheras the other stand location keeps me close enough to the activity, yet far enough away to slip in and out indetected.

My only issue is that I will be hunting this when the corn is standing, so the the Notherly stand may not always present me with a shot as deer slip into the fields. That's where I'm hung up right now. What are your thoughts?

[kwilson16]

I would hunt the one where you have hung your stand presently. If the shot opportunities don't develop, then you can try to move closer to the activity with the southern stand.

[BowKnutt]

If I had to choose I would pick the southern spot, afraid the deer will enter the field before they get to the northern spot.

Did you say which way the wind would blow if you did sorryI missed it?
are you shore you cain't sneak in from the east or the west below the corn field to watch that fence crossing--thats what caught my eye!!

Which ever you choose Good Luck--and show the pics!!

[Mottz]

Whats in the field where you have your entrance route now? That could be a highway for them also.

[peakrut]

Please let me hunt the spot in Yellowright corner of the field.

Thanks

[MGH_PA]

ORIGINAL: BowKnutt

If I had to choose I would pick the southern spot, afraid the deer will enter the field before they get to the northern spot.

Did you say which way the wind would blow if you did sorryI missed it?
are you shore you cain't sneak in from the east or the west below the corn field to watch that fence crossing--thats what caught my eye!!

Which ever you choose Good Luck--and show the pics!!

Actually I forgot to mention the predominant wind direction is W NW. I would love to sneak in there at the fence crossing, but really it's entirely too thick and too steep to get in an out of without making a lot of noise. Thanks for the input.

Whats in the field where you have your entrance route now? That could be a highway for them also.

Just hay...usually unmowed and never makes it past the first cut, so it's not very palatable for the deer. Offers some security, though. There's a farm road that leads down and out of the field that I would walk down.

Please let me hunt the spot in Yellowright corner of the field.

What caught your eye there? It's funny you mention it, because I have a mineral site there and they hammer it. Deer always seem to enter the field around that point, but come Fall, they are no longer on that pattern. I've hunted it a few times with no success. Maybe if something other than hay was planted there.

Thanks for the input so far guys. Keep it coming!

[jmbuckhunter]

I like the Southern dot more than the Northern. I think the bucks might cruise by the mouth of that finger rather than walk out in it. How are you going to get there once the corn is out of the field? That's when I would really love to hunt it. They may just stay in the corn while it is still standing.

Another spot that caught my eye is the West end of the sheep fence, where it gets close to the corn field. It seems the deer would walk around that end between it and the corn field. Could be a nice trail there. You could set up South of the fence and anything going around it would be upwind on your W NW winds.

[MGH_PA]

ORIGINAL: jmbuckhunter

I like the Southern dot more than the Northern. I think the bucks might cruise by the mouth of that finger rather than walk out in it. How are you going to get there once the corn is out of the field? That's when I would really love to hunt it. They may just stay in the corn while it is still standing.

Another spot that caught my eye is the West end of the sheep fence, where it gets close to the corn field. It seems the deer would walk around that end between it and the corn field. Could be a nice trail there. You could set up South of the fence and anything going around it would be upwind on your W NW winds.

Corn is almost never picked in these fields until late November or early December, so it will be all standing corn through archery season. The sneaking in and out of the standing corn without me seeing them is of some concer, however, I picked this spot because for some reason, the inner first few rows on the curved edges of the corn usually is much smaller/immature or sometimes non-existant compared to the other corn which allows some time for me to catch deer exiting the woods and before they enter the taller standing corn.

The area west of the fence is great, but very, very thick, and very few trees suitable to place a stand in (it's basically an overgrown portion of sheep pasture.

[Mottz]

Since you made that trail, I'd agree with the southern stand. But if the corn is in there that long they could be in there all day. Good food, good cover. I'd still think they might wander the edges doing some scent checking. I'd dose up a scent drag on your way in. Might bring em to ya if they are in there. Just a guess.

[jmbuckhunter]

ORIGINAL: MGH_PA

The area west of the fence is great, but very, very thick, and very few trees suitable to place a stand in (it's basically an overgrown portion of sheep pasture.

That's why you have to invest some shoe leather in scouting. Just can't tell everything from an aierial or topo.