Originally Posted by
*twodogs*
How hard have you been hunting this area, consider letting it rest until the rut kicks in, you may have put too much pressure on this area and they changed patterns. Also, it sounds like you need to do more scouting (use cameras, they don't smell & make noise like us) but that's hard to do now that the rut is near. For now I would find the funnels and hunt these until you get a better idea of their patterns. Everything that I am seeing during daylight is basket 2.5 year olds or spikes and those guys get a hall pass. I'll be setting up on some funnels once the rut starts to see if I can catch a mature buck chasing something during daylight.
Also, consider alternate directions of travel to your stands. If it requires asking for permission to enter the opposite side do that, you never know, it just may open up more land to hunt.
Finally, get a climber, it goes everywhere you go.
I have scouted out plenty of areas to hunt, but these two locations seemed like they were getting the most action. I also set them in positions that would factor in wind so I could get to a stand no matter how the wind is blowing. But you may be right about overhunting that field. I only go out 1 day on the weekend, but I'm wondering if those two incidents I mentioned earlier were enough to make them think twice about that field.
I have been thinking about heading out at noon and moving my stand at the north end of the field to a tree with better shooting lanes. It's at a nice backward L shaped funnel and I small 8 there the first time I tried to hang my stand. It's a good general location but I need to move to a tree with better shooting lanes. Would it be too deep in the season to move that stand?