skeeter 7MM

I agree I think the best time to start the road map is right after season closes. If you missed that time, than don' t worry, plenty of other times to get out. Spring and early summer are good to see numbers and quality of bucks, but don' t plan your stands on these sightings...just yet. If you have an early bow season (like sept) than the last 2 weeks of august are a good time to try and setup an early connect on a buck. Failing that, I find that scouting while hunting usually provides the best info on deer travel, beds, food, etc. Try sitting the morning in the stand/blind and than using the wind in your favor walking areas that look to hold game...branch out if you will. I never stop adapting, planning or scheming. You' ll know the spots when you set foot into it them and be patient. I also suggest having more than one stand location to choose from, wind direction is a key, food/water, time of year(don' t put all your eggs in one basket!!!!) Once you have had a few season under your belt, chances are you' ll have a number of spot in which to choose. I always suggest keeping a journal or log, to help refresh your memory from year to year.

Keys to any location are travel corridors(fingers of bush, funnels, bottlenecks), bedding areas, food/water sources, rut activity to name a few. I prefer to get as deep into the transition area as possible and closer to the beds the better...but you must show absolute restraint when using this technique. By this I mean only hunt it on the right wind and never hunt it on a marginal. Be scent aware and take appropriate precautions. I like to tie a piece of yarn either on my riser or on a tree limb directly in front of my location, this will let me know even with the slightest wind which direction it is blowing.