I was selecting some stand sites on a newley scouted piece of property last week and found myself a little confuesed on how to attack the situation. What are some of your guidlines or checklists for hanging new sets. Do you pound right in and set up between assumed bedding areas and food sources? Or do you tend to hang back and watch over the whole place for a few days knowing quite well that any deer seen will probably be out of range? I was thinking that a checklist or trouble shooting pyramid would help with this kind of dilema. Your thoughts?

I wouldn't go blasting right in and hanging stands without at least spending an evening or two watching the fields and seeing the entry/exit points.

You can usually walk around and pick out the bedding areas and the food sources, but sometimes deer have a way of taking unique routes and developing habits that can make you scratch your head from time to time.

If you're archery hunting, that 10-15 hours of preseason scouting and observation will help you put pinpoint the activity and give yourself the best chances of success.

We've all gone out and sweated ourselves into a slathering messhanging a stand set on an 84 degree Saturday only to realize later that the deer passing just out of range. So, we have to go out andsweat it up again, rip it down, reposition the blasted thing and hunt it again.

IMO - Save yourself the aggravation and get a good feel for where the deer are moving before you waste your effort.

Yes we have...however, I would love to do it in 84 degree weather! It isn't uncommon for the temperature to get up to 100 degrees when you need to start working on stands where I live. I would hang back with a good pair of binoculars and observe from a distance and set it up right the first time and don't return too often to the area until the "time is right".