Oh, how I have changed in the past year. Bowhunting has got me all crazed, even after the season has ended.
I signed a sales agreement yesterday to sell my condo, and am looking at houses non-stop now as I have untill the end of march to close on a new place.
Heres the thing; many of the places I've looked at have some good deer sign (snow on the ground, tracking is easy). So my main goal here is to find a place with the best bowhunting. Screw the house, I'm a Project manager for a contracting firm and can change any house to what I want. I would love nothing more than to hunt my own woods in private.

So far I have been looking for the following;
Tracks
Water sources
Absence of big factories around
Presence of farms around
Oak stands

My question for you guys is, Is there anything I missed? Anything else I should check?

Thanks,
Jake

Absence of big factories around this 1 wouldn't bother me if there was some woods around the factory on it's border. Other than that I would say look for thick edges and cover.

Look for valleys and terrain. If you can find a chunk wiht a big valley that would be a plus.

I'd agree!!

Good Luck in your quest!

Dan

Good luck on the search? Are you looking for land WITH the house, or just nearby land you may acquire the permission to hunt on? I would definitely look at terrain features (water is a plus), transitional spots in terms of cover, natural food sources (or planted), you know...deer need to eat, sleep, and drink Go one step further and find a topo of each of the places you're interested in, and go from there.

I just purchased a home (closing will be at the end of Feb), and I have a nice hollow bordering the back edge of my property. I have several nice apple trees near the hollow, and tracks all over the place. Hopefully I can gain permission to hunt it.

X3 There's some great deer to be had from places that others would over look. The best deer hunting where I grew up in NY was bordering an airport.

Check out the neighbors and/or their history. GMMAT can tell you how bad that can turn out. Maybe check with the local DEC for a history or feeling for poachers and that sort of thing. Check deer kills by county from DEC sites.

Food, food, food