JoeRE

Thanks for the photo...All the other guys seem to have good ideas...one other one that looks like an awsome rut funnel is your far southwest corner of land right where your biggest chunk of timber thins down and then bottlenecks to the bigger timber on the adjoining land. Put a stand for then on the downwind side of that funnel. I think you will see a lot of brusiers there in November. It apears to be kind of a saddle too, the more I look at it the more I like it. The best funnel on the place. GOOD LUCK!

JoeRE

I forgot...even if you dont see much sign there doesn't mean it will not be a great funnel come November. If it is only used at that time of year there may only be faint trails but some of the greatest funnels for that time dont have much sign. You wont be able to use a NE breeze though, wait for a NW or SE depending on which side of the funnel you are on. Keep us posted on how you do this fall!

sandilands

I had the same thoughts as OneShot7, archery season is early here though and I never overlook the water holes.

idahoelkinstructor

One question for everyone, when looking at this and other tops, how can you be sure if your in the right area. I would think you would look at the map select 3 or 4 areas then put up trail cams and let them do the scouting for you. I myself do look at maps for new areas but until I see and scout itfor myself their is just no way to be sure if it will be good or not. I do realize that I am also comparing hunting here in Idaho thats mostly elk and muley's wherethey havemillions of acres public land compared to small private farms with whitetails.

mobow

Honestly, you can't without scouting it. But there of course are natural funnels deer will use, saddles, inside corners, things like that. If I've never set foot on a place before, that's where I go to, natural funnels. If it's a place I'm going to continue hunting, I'll do some scouting too, but once you can identify the natural funnels you are pretty much assured you are in a good place. Next you just have to hunt it right, and that, obviously, is the most critical and difficult.

Illinoisbow

Here is another map of where i think all of your recomendations were to hunt. Again thanks for all your helpful hints, i'll be sure to get out and scout these areas.
Mobowhuntr you're brown -ignore the brown dot on the very right-
Ghemry you're red -good idea you're starting to think like a buck-
Oneshot7 you're yellow -i didn't quite understand where you're second recomendation was.
Sandilands you're also yellow -i'll be sure to huntnear wateron ourhot days in October-
JoeRE you're black -nice eye that looks like a great funnel-

JoeRE

I see the funnel I mentioned earlier is really in an old creekbottom...some say shy away from hunting down in a valley but I do with great success provided the wind blows strait up/down the valley...which is tricky because often the wind does not blow the same down there as given on the weather forcast. You have to kind of experiment before the season a little... I would if it looks as good from the ground as it does now from above, the deer should funnel right down off the bluffs and the key is to eliminate as many variables as possible BEFORE you even sit in a stand with your bow.

deerdust

On the SW section, where the big timber is go to the western edge and find where the best trails are going to the crop/hayfield and pond are and set something there. To the east of your blue dot, find where they are crossing the road to get to the northern crop field. Of coarse you don't want to get too close to the road, but find were the most trails intersect and set something there.

In the N section (N of the road) it is mostly crop, so why not hunt the crops. The deer are going to come to thisarea for food and will likely go to the areas with the best cover from the farmsteads.The western red dot, I would move to the timber edge to the NE so you can cover the pond, unless there are good trails cutting through that piece of timber. It appears there are 2, maybe 3 ponds on the property. Walk them all and see which shows the most deer activity.
Take the center blue dot to the SE, to thefinger going to where the timber breaks.
The NE blue dot is fine anywhere in the backwards L of the crop field, because the deer won't be pressured there by any farms.
Another spot would be the NW corner, the Island of timber, or the timbers N edge just to the SW of the island.

Of coarse anything can change between now and hunting season. But the deer will come to eat and drink(that is a given). All of the property needs to be walked out now to find the best areas of travel and scout the fields to see where the most activity is. I would suggest to scout 1st, because walking it will scare off deer that would have come to the field to eat.

These recomendations are from the 2nd topo on page 1

gregholland

Deer Hill cemetary is where I would put out a Double Bull Blind.