jmjuergensen,

I also hunt on private land. About 5 of us hunt on 500 acres of very thick stuff. Even the hardwoods are thick to the point where a 100 yard shot is rare. I usually have to cut lanes through the woods to see a hot trail. The deer movement really depends on when the acorns fall, and all of my scouting is done with the acorns in mind, and good hot trails are more attractive to me than rub lines or scrapes.

I usually have a good chunk of that 500 acres all to myself, so instead of trying to attract the deer to me, I try to insure that the trail I have my stand set up on is hot. I find that I don't make the deer move, I have to wait for them to move.

My favorite way ofmaintaining a good trail is first to find a good one, and the place two cattle size salt/mineral blocks at two points on the trail and strategically place my stand to where I am in position for when the deer move. I set out the salt blocks in mid to late summer, and the big blocks last through the deer season.

Someday I might figure out how to attract them to me, but the best I can do right now is to figure out how to put the odds in my favor for when they decide to move.

C. Davis