heres a map i made with the help of google earth..the area is bow hunted pretty heavy..i charted where other guys have been seen..a few are there yearly..some have stands built there but noone is ever seen in them..along with deer trails..the main thicket..MY fruit orchard..creek etc. the guys usually park at the shopping center by the moving center. all the hillsides are VERY steep. theres nice flats ontop of the hillside to the right of where the 2 creeks meet(would be the SE section of the map) theres alot of deersign..but ive seen deer in the orchard wayyy to many times. i used to enter the woods on the southern edge of the thicket and would spook them out and would watch them run across the creek and up the next hillside. its a thick NASTY thicket..but ive seen deer bedded all over the woods..the other guys access terribly...and are busted before they are in the woods..the wind blows straight up from the river through the valley. i got permission to hunt the orchard..what do you guys think?? anywhere else you would put a stand if the orchard doesnt pan out?? the orchard will be my main evening spot. i think the mornings they will be there but i cant get in there without busting them. any advice?? hows it look??

the orchard has like 10 diffrent types of apples..peaches..pears..also the owners have 2 large vegy gardens etc. its not huge but they got ALOT of trees in a small spot. one new years eve night i was headed out to a party and seen three bucks in there. a 1.5yo a 2.5 yo and a giant 3.5yo old. the deer sign all over the woods is excellent..alot of acorns and browse..but once the pressure is on i think they focus on the orchard..got food water and a thicket right there...

heres the map

looks good, i remeber your story about this.You werent kidding when you said surounded by houses .How do the other guys enter the woods and which google eath did you use because when i use it its no wher near that clear.Is your shoulder still doing alright?

the other guys park at the moving center or the shopping center which starts behing the moving center and goes to the right where you cant see. the woods go a LONG ways though..other guys come in from the other places but alot come from the moving center area..the either come in the creek bottom by the moving center or go up the closest deer trail to the right. also a few ATV trails i didnt feel like mapping they follow..but its close enough to the deer trail..on the crest of the hill. they can be seen heard and smelled.....thats why i think when the pressure is on and the deers belly growl they will walk right into my orchard..i think im in good shape..but if the deer arent going to feed in the orchard i may be veryyyyy bored lol.

yes theres a good bit of houses around. but they are a little farther then they look lol. bow hunting ill be fine. i wouldnt gun hunt there..just because someone would call the cops and id have to listen to them cry..

i didnt download google earth..i used it off googles websites..think i clicked "maps".

oh ya...shoulder is 100% again...im fine..nothing serious..though probably would have been if i didnt take it easy on it..thats just one of my spots at home..i got a bunch more but that one im really excited about..though itll be hit or miss. i should hopefully see deer every evening though..the guy said hes been seeing more this year then ever and he wants them thinned out. though i know theres nice bucks back there ill probably shoot a doe to kick things off. once the rut starts and the does go in there to feed is when the big boys will run in there..ill see how things go. figure once i shoot one i wont have much luck for a good couple days..take a couple does out of there and then wait for the bucks..i dont know..im itching to draw back on a deer..thats all i know lol. see how i feel when a doe steps out..i may take her i may not....

A topo with out the marks would be good.

You look to be in a good spot. Deer have to pass you to get to the orchard. You could find a spot easy to get to, andput up some barriers that would funnel the deer to you. You wouldn't be spooking them that way. I drop trees that I later use for heat after the seasons over. Best to drop them and set stands in the spring. When you set them, clear the path to the stands well of any debri and use the lands features to conceal your entrance to them. Come deer season just slip in and the buffet will come to you.

nodog...i thought of the SAME thing when i made it..a topo would be nice..you guys cant see how STEEP the hills are..and how flat the tops are. i just dont know where to find a topo of JUST that area...all the topo sites i know would make it look like a spec on the map...but you are right..to get into the orchard they gota walk by me. my stand will either be high as shown..or straight across by the creek. they got a super highway at that lower corner. its just hit or miss with them going in there though..ill see how it pans out....deer loveee fruit and veggies....i have a feeling ill be makin meat! just with all the other guys back there and ALREADY being busted before they get into their stands the deer dont come out much..theres ALOT of deer back there but they hide well when the army is after them. the only other spot i can think of would be high above the moving center by the corner of the houses..i know they use that corner and cut it hard. the people at the moving center used to feed the BIG 3.5yo donuts every morning. thats the only other spot i think thats worth hunting..thats one place noone else sets foot in because theres houses on both sides. be fine and legal....just dont want one running into someones yard and dying.

for topo maps, try www.terrraserver.homeadvisor.msn.comworks good for me.

It looks like a very nice spot. My only concern would be the stand might be too close to the thicket (which I would assume is a bedding area?). Do the deer go into the orchard at night and come back early in the morning? If so, I'd say you've got a sweeeet spot!

Now I'm going to check out google earth!

BTW: some states and counties have aerial photographs, with topo, road and water feature overlays. Rockingham County where I hunt here in Virginia has them for free on the county website. They will even print them out in color blown up (I think 32” by 32” or some such), which could be nice to work with. That costs a little, but it’s very reasonable.

The people at MyTopo are very good at getting me what i want.

mountain hunter...thats one thing im unsure of. i always seen them there late evenings and night..thats why when i start out ill hunt it in the evenings. get there on stand at 3 or 4pm and sit till dark. the only trees i can climb will be close to the thicket..unless i opt to go down the edge by the creek..which i may..it should work fine too. i dont think noise will bother them much..they pick fruit all day when they goto market etc. cut the grass etc in the mornings..but the deer are always out..one morning if my morning spots dont pan out ill try to sneak in there early one morning and set up and see if anything comes out for a morning snack. im excited about the spot. the only person i know that hunted it was my buddy a while ago. he seen deer every day..bucks too..just couldnt get a shot..but he didnt practice with his bow like i do. i figure the farthest shot would be 25-35yds. at that range ill be smoking them if the conditions are good. ill have to go in there one day maybe this weekend and sneak around..pick my tree etc. im almost stupid enough to climb a tree and sit and see what i see one evening...but im not spooking them till im shootin...i think it should be a great stand though the more i think about it. even if i only see does they will be daily visitors i bet..till they disappear...one by one...and the drag wont be more then a couple hundred yard..depending on where they run..i hope they dont run into that thicket...man that thicket is nasty

Sounds likea good plan to me, Mauser06. Good luck!