House hunting

[shrewbeer]

Oh, how I have changed in the past year. Bowhunting has got me all crazed, even after the season has ended.
I signed a sales agreement yesterday to sell my condo, and am looking at houses non-stop now as I have untill the end of march to close on a new place.
Heres the thing; many of the places I've looked at have some good deer sign (snow on the ground, tracking is easy). So my main goal here is to find a place with the best bowhunting. Screw the house, I'm a Project manager for a contracting firm and can change any house to what I want. I would love nothing more than to hunt my own woods in private.

So far I have been looking for the following;
Tracks
Water sources
Absence of big factories around
Presence of farms around
Oak stands

My question for you guys is, Is there anything I missed? Anything else I should check?

Thanks,
Jake

[130woodman]

Absence of big factories around this 1 wouldn't bother me if there was some woods around the factory on it's border. Other than that I would say look for thick edges and cover.

[Siman08/OH]

Look for valleys and terrain. If you can find a chunk wiht a big valley that would be a plus.

[MeanV2]

ORIGINAL: 130woodman

Absence of big factories around this 1 wouldn't bother me if there was some woods around the factory on it's border. Other than that I would say look for thick edges and cover.

I'd agree!!

Good Luck in your quest!

Dan

[MGH_PA]

Good luck on the search? Are you looking for land WITH the house, or just nearby land you may acquire the permission to hunt on? I would definitely look at terrain features (water is a plus), transitional spots in terms of cover, natural food sources (or planted), you know...deer need to eat, sleep, and drink Go one step further and find a topo of each of the places you're interested in, and go from there.

I just purchased a home (closing will be at the end of Feb), and I have a nice hollow bordering the back edge of my property. I have several nice apple trees near the hollow, and tracks all over the place. Hopefully I can gain permission to hunt it.

[KodiakArcher]

ORIGINAL: 130woodman

Absence of big factories around this 1 wouldn't bother me if there was some woods around the factory on it's border. Other than that I would say look for thick edges and cover.

X3 There's some great deer to be had from places that others would over look. The best deer hunting where I grew up in NY was bordering an airport.

[davidmil]

Check out the neighbors and/or their history. GMMAT can tell you how bad that can turn out. Maybe check with the local DEC for a history or feeling for poachers and that sort of thing. Check deer kills by county from DEC sites.

[Shelly S]

Food, food, food