ScottVA

hey guys,

first let me thank you for all the advice so far, I'm a newb and asking a ton of questions.

Something I am trying to figure out.
Ok, as I stated before my own land is ONLY 10 acres. I will try and describe this the best I can.
Most of the woods are oaks that dropped a lot of acorns this year...it was pratically raining acorns in mid/late october..it sounded like hail failing when you were back there...anyways.

On the left hand side of my property is an old logging road that is begining to get some overgroth of saplings and brush, this logging road seperataes my property from a cutdown(which is not my property)that is now growing back and is about 15 acres of 6-10 foottall young pines and is VERY VERY thick...there are trails leading in and out of these pines, but it's not my property, but my stand is set up on the edge of this logging road..beside the pines..

Ok on the other side (right side)of my property is a farm field full of soybeans.. and at the front of my propert is ofcourse the house..

I have trails in the middle of the property in the oaks that are clear deer trails that zig zag all over the place but eventual appear to head into those young new pines I meantioned earlier..towards theLeft of the property..

BUTmy problem is this year I have been finding most of the scrapes and a ton of rubs at the front of the property VERY close to the house..I mean these signs are only maybe 20 yards into the woods from my house

There are very little signs anywhere else, maybe a few rubs here and there and some trails..

But right in back of the house there is a TON of signs..now..how should that be hunted...
????

Sureley I cant sit right in my backyard with my gun...it just doesnt make sense to me that they are getting this close to my house and leaving all these rubs and scrapes instead of being back in the back of the propery where it gets nice and thick and where my stand is..

I know this is very vague...but should I continue hunting the back on the edge of the logging road like I am, or try to set up closer to the house where all the signs are?

I am just confused as to why they are so close to the house...I would think the noises and smells from the house would scare them away bu aparently not..

if you guys were in this situation, would you set up close to the house where the signs are, or stay back in back further away from the house despite the lack of signs back there this year...

sidenote:my stand is in the back of the property along the edge of the logging road where the deer trails go in/out of those young pines I was talking about..

Sorry for such a long vague question...I just dont understand how there is so much signs right behind the house as opposed to anywhere else here..and not sure If I'd be wasting my time sitting just inside the woods behind my house, or to continue hunting deeper back like I have been..

I wish I had an arial view to show...

ken3g

In 2003 a buck had scraps and rubs all around my house , about 20 yds from house on all four sides. My house sat in about 4 acres of woods with fields all around, I got that buck in rifle season that yr. he was nice 7 pt. 100 ft from house. So I'd go closer.

walker12

Sit near the signs, and of course, shoot AWAY from your house!! If the signs are that close, you also should keep in mind that there is a very good possibility that the buck(s) inhabiting that area are nocturnal. If you hunt mainly on the weekends, go scout a little and find your perfect spot one weekday afternoon, as to give the area a while to calm down before your next hunt.

Hunting on the ground is much more risky. It's going to require you to wear full camouflage, including a face mask and gloves. Clear out all of the leaves at the spot on the ground where your butt and legs will be to minimize your noise when you get restless.

If, in fact, there are bucks roaming this area, be very deliberate in your scent elimination process. Take no chances on that buck getting wind of you and waving tail. On top of scent free detergents and cover spray, go to Wal-Mart and get two containers of Fresh Earth Scent Wafers, and spread them out around you.

If you have a climbing stand, it would be perfect. I understand though that you may just be getting into the sport.

The best thing to do is to get into the woods as much as possible. Be careful not to over-hunt one area, though. Some hunters will tell you that this doesn't matter, but I personally like to not wear out one specific hunting site. Try different things, though. Maybe hunt the place close to your house in the mornings for about 4 or 5 hunts. On those evenings, hunt the logging road. Then the next 4 or 5 hunts, switch things up.

Don't get so caught up that you forget to have fun. Hunting is the best sport on earth.

ScottVA

ok here is a very poor quality little picture from google earth
The young pine thicket is on the left, below the thicket is the soybean field..right next to the thicket is the logging road in yellow..along the logging road, my stand is marked with the X

the left side of the property is marked with the light blue line..it's ragges but thats how it is divided roughly...the huntclub runs the pieces with dogs all aorund the property..on each side..even the little tiny peices..

my house is marked in front of the woods with the word house and is circled...the little yellow marks right behind the house is where the scrapes and rubs are...is you look closely in the pine thicket on the left hand side you can see some of the trails...

how can the deer signs be sooo close to the house??? and am I wasting my time set up in the stand marked by the X..if the sings are that close to the house?

The yellow word "trails" is a very thick portion of the woods..so thick you cant walk in it, but there are some deer trails in there that all seem to meet up in one area and intersect and go in diff directions from there.....
The red word in the moddle of the woods that you prob cant read says oaks, the woods are mostly oak trees...

We do see deer in these woods..just last moday I say a nice nine point about 80 yards past my stand towards the back..but again all the signs are right behind the house..I'm just getting really frustrated.

walker12

Go behind your house. Follow the advice and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You'll never know until you hunt it.

ScottVA

ok thanks guys, I was posting the pic while you guys replied...
I will sit closer to the signs..I do have a ground blind that is not set up in the woods yet...is it too late to take it back there and set it up this year?

if so, ther are some deadfalls surrounded by brush I can get in and get cammo'd up...I am having a blast at this, but figuring it out has been difficult..as I'm just now learning...the property goes firther back than that pic along the logging road..i just drew the line to cut off what I dont really hunt..

thanks for the help!!

ScottVA

thanks walker...I have the fresh earth scent -away spray, doe estrous (code blue) which I have been using on a drag back to my stand, and have been washing my hunting clothes in the scent free detergent I think it is also made by scent away..

I should have realized this...the deer I have killed here still hunting the past couple years have all been in the area that says "trails" in the middle of the woods in the pics and they were all in the process of walking towards the house and it was always on an evening hunt..and those I killed from the ground..

I've seen deer from the stand where it is, but they have always been out of range for a shotgun

Thank you for your help!!! it means a lot...I appreciate it

walker12

Anytime, buddy. Everyone is new at some point in time. I also didn't mean to seem like I may have been talking down to you when I was talking about scent control and stuff. I haven't read any of your previous posts and wasn't sure how new you are.

If you have any more questions ask away. I may not always be right but I'll give an honest opinion!

ScottVA

I didn't take it in a bad way...I welcome all the advice I can get

Should I hit the scrapes with the estrous scent anymore or is it getting too late for that now?
as for the rubs as far as I can tell the are in a line going from right to left towards the thicket of young pines on the left..I read somehwere you can tell the direction the deer are moving by looking at the side of the tree the rubs are on and looking at that pic they are on theright side of the tress ...some nice sized tress also..well, about the size of an average sized forearm or so...

So I guess tomorrow evening I will set up between the house and the signs and see what happens

I also have the primos doe bleat can, and a grunt call...not sure how to use the grunt effectivley so I havent used it that much..although the day I saw the 9 pointer back by the stand I was using the primos can...not sure if that had anything to do with it...but he stepped out of my woods onto the logging road..looked towards me I was downwind from him at the time, and then took a few steps towards me then stepped off into the thicket of the young pines...

You can walk that logging road and there are a TON trails that go off into that thicket, the trails have been there year after year , so I'm not sure if they are still being used or not...but the big buck did go in there...so maybe thats a bedding area? it is super thick in there..

ScottVA

nice ken!! thanks for the advice as well man