Need Advice!

mofireman · 08-07-2008, 07:31 AM

Hopefully this will post better! Just looking for any thoughts or points of interest you may notice in the picture. This piece of ground is a relatives place where my dad and I have been hunting for over 20 years probably. It's not much bigger than 40-50 acres but consistently has deer on it, although I view the property as a transitionpiece between bedding and feeding areas.

The yellow property line is obvious. I have all of the spots where I had 2007 standsmarked as are the two permanent stands! The white line that I drew is our normal approach to the back field from the parking spot in the driveway. Once we get to the back field, we just head to the stand that we're hunting during that hunt.

Things I know already...

1. I should hunt the pond area in the early season, though I never really have?!?

2. There are many white oak and red oak varieties throughout the wooded areas, so no shortage on acorns. There is also a persimmon tree (unmarked) on the edge of the back field.

3. There are no food plots on the property!

4. Especially during gun season, hunting pressure seems steady on thewest side of the powerline (not our property).

5. No known crop land for at least 3/4 to 1 mile as the crow flies.

Thanks for any ideas! Jeff

PreacherTony · 08-07-2008, 07:34 AM

prevailing wind????

kickin_buck · 08-07-2008, 07:40 AM

You said that this place is a transition area between bedding and feeding. Which direction is the food, which direction is the beds? With this being only 40-50 acres, you have the place pretty well covered. The only real advise I have is to hunt the persimmon tree when the persimmons start falling, that makes for some pretty good early season hunts. Good luck!

mofireman · 08-07-2008, 07:42 AM

Probably West/Northwest! The North Side of the farm is the top side of the picture. West is the powerline. Thanks!!

GMMAT · 08-07-2008, 07:46 AM

Have you ever hung a stand in that strip between your lower, center, 2007 stand and the upper woodlot....heading towards your entrance line? It appears (using the homes to scale by) that you could cover that entire woodlot from a strategically placed stand, there.

I don't know what's to your south....but I would "think" that little finger of woods sticking out would be a good crossing point for bucks, too (left of the tree that looks like a circle , below your property line.

Couldn't you stick a stand inside that treeline?

Also.....hugging your property line on the SW corner.....that looks like a place they "might" cruise to get from woodlot to woodlot, also.

You know how they move better than us.....but do these make sense?

jmbuckhunter · 08-07-2008, 07:47 AM

My thoughts are, plant some food plots and you'll have every deer from the area visiting them. Other than that you have it pretty well covered with your stands.

Hunt the dropping acorns.

MOTOWNHONKEY · 08-07-2008, 07:51 AM

Again, you have all the field edges covered now how about getting deep into the timber where deer spend 95% of the daylight hours? just a thought.

mofireman · 08-07-2008, 08:16 AM

Thanks for the replies guys!

GMMAT: Have you ever hung a stand in that strip between your lower, center, 2007 stand and the upper woodlot....heading towards your entrance line? It appears (using the homes to scale by) that you could cover that entire woodlot from a strategically placed stand, there.

Yes, I have hunted that strip before. It has proven to be a good corridor for travel from the North woodlot to the South, or even use it to stay in cover as they head towards the pond.

GMMAT: I don't know what's to your south....but I would "think" that little finger of woods sticking out would be a good crossing point for bucks, too (left of the tree that looks like a circle , below your property line. Couldn't you stick a stand inside that treeline?

I have hunted our side of the property line in the area you refer to here. There is always sign in there because it is pretty thick on our side of the fence there, but every time I hunt it, I don't see a deer! I think its primarily a night time travel lane or something?!?

MOTOWN: Again, you have all the field edges covered now how about getting deep into the timber where deer spend 95% of the daylight hours? just a thought.

Good point, but like I've stated, I never see bedded deer on our place so it's not got many bedding areas. The deer that use this farm are primarily just cruising across it heading to food (wherever that may be) or heading back to bed (wherever that might be).

Thanks again ya'll.

GMMAT · 08-07-2008, 08:19 AM

Quote:

heading to food (wherever that may be) or heading back to bed (wherever that might be).

I gotta tell ya.....you HAVE to know where these places are. Can you at least get permission to walk around?

I coudn't imagine hunting (now

) without knowing where these two things are. I can't think of anything MORE important than knowing this.

Good luck.

mofireman · 08-07-2008, 08:41 AM

I can't agree more at how important these two things are!

If you look closely at the picture, just North of the highest 2007 Stand tack, there is a pretty large, dense cedar patch that I suspect is a bedding area. I have scouted it several times and do see some well usedtrails in there, but never kick up any deer, see any beds,and don't notice a lot of droppings in there either. It is very, very thick in there and I know they like thick cover.

Also, as far as food, I'm convinced there aren't any food plots nearby because of the lack of hunting, and that the nearest crop land is 3/4 plus miles away. Obviously the deer do stop and eat acorns and persimmons and mast, but I'm just not convinced that that's their primary food source!