Planning on goingSunday morning to Phillips Creek State Land in Allegheny County NY. A few weeks ago I drove through the small dirt road throughout the 2000+ Acres and sawa lot of nice Turkey's and a nice Doe. Hoping to see what thepatterns are for theDeer before season starts in Nov. I will post pictures this weekend of the land for anyone who is interested.
So I went out at about 7 am this morning and just scouted a few different spots to try and find some patterns for where the deer are going and to find a good spot for a stand before the season starts. I have a couple different spots and I wanted to get your guys opinion on the best location.
Arial Map of Area:
Spot 1: This would be a good spot for a ground blind I think.
Spot 2: This spot has a slight dropoff and would be a good place for a stand. Lots of nice tall trees and a good view all around.
Spot 3: I dont know if this would be a good spot so any advice would be helpfull. There is a lot of pine with a nordic ski trail through it.
TheMiz54
You didn't say whether you were bow or gun hunting. I assume your bow hunting because most of the photos will be way too open for the gun season. Howfar are these areas form the nearest road or parking?
You also didn't say what kind of deer sign you had at each location. Are there any rubs, scraps, trails, dropings?
Just because the area has nice tall trees and you can see does not make it a good spot.
We need more info from you.
Im going to be using a shotgun. A few weeks back I saw a doe near spot one and a flock of turkey's. Near spot 1 also I saw a fresh tree rub. Spot 3 is a nordic ski trail and i did not see any other deer trails.
I would suggest getting into some pinch points that would led to some cover, whether and old clear cut or timber thickets. That area does tend to see some traffic so these tend to be the best ambush points leading to and from the bedding areas.
Hard to point, but that is my strategy and I am sticking to it
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Hoyt Carbon Element
G5 Striker Broadhead
RMEF Life Member French Creek Chapter Volunteer Erie, Pennsylvania
Picture is with a camera phone so keep that in mind. Sat for a couple hours and saw 4 doe. One of them came back 4 different times to eat and snoop around.
I live in Allegany County, hence the name, and I'll tell you that Phillips Creek is an area that historically holds some big bucks. You just need to get away from the crowds and be persistent!
TheMiz54;
When gun hunting in N.Y. you need to throw away all the magazine and video tips about how deer travel and hunt where the deer will go to hide. Look for the thickest cover in your area that is away from other hunters.
In your attached arial map, check out the dark area just to the left of spot#2 and #3 (across the road). You will see an open field and just to the upper left of that is a dark area. I would think the location near the upper left corner of thatdark area where it meets the other dark areawould be worth checking out.This looks like a good funnel area that will let the deer travel without stepping out into the open field.
Also check out the inside corner of the dark area just above the area I just mensioned.
Scouting Allegheny County NY State Land
