well, I just landed a new piece of property on Monday. Its a 250 acre cattle and horse farm (mostly cattle, some horses). I hadn't been out to it yet, but after sealing the deal via phone (its the father in law of a friend's farm) the first thing I did was pull up Google Earth and pull out my Version of Garmin's topo software.

I was able to get a sense for the lay of the land and the whole farm. Where the woods were (and how deep and thick they were). Where water was. Where the feeders are. Which neighbors had pasture, and which had crops. Where driveways and roadways are. Where I suspected the deer might be, what their likely pathways were, and where I could park my car and gain good access.

Then, after spending a couple of hours Monday night on the computer checking things out, I printed out a photo of the farm and made my initial notations on it.

I went out today. Placed some cameras up, walked the land, and talked to the farmer. I took binoculars with me and scanned the boundaries of the farm. Walked the edge of the fields and looked for sign and noted the sign. Talked to the farmer again.

And then I just finished revisiting Google Earth and the Topo Software and updating my earlier thoughts based upon what I saw on the ground. The season opens up in a couple of weeks. I'll be back out there before hand to sit for the early Doe season next week, pull the SD cards from the camera and download the pictures, and put some stands up in the areas I'm feeling good about.