Gettin' ready for next season...
 

I don't mean to sound dumb, but I also don't look dumb down the road...

We recently got about 15 inches of snow here in Southern Va. I got some new land that I havent had a chance to walk yet, and my buddy told me that I should walk it while snow was on the ground, and whereever I saw an intersection of two deer paths to hang a stand...

Is this true or was he just shooting me a line...to see if I would..

I haven't really still hunted much in my life, and this will be my first year bow hunting, and I want to have some good quality spots.

Would that really be in my favor???

You might mark the spot to check it later for contiued use but its a bit early to be making a decisions to hang a stand . Whether they will still be using the trail in the fall or not is still open . It would give you a place to check later.

I agree. Deer change movements alot as food sources change. They are probably using that trail when the local food source target is in season. Find out what that food source is, and when it becomes available, then check that spot out. Keep track of it for future reference. Scout it next August.

only one or two deer can make alot of tracks, and they frequently cross thier own tracks. Get out after each fresh snow, and at least you know where the deer are frequently moving. If you get a good prospective spot, hang a game camera if you can, and leave it there for several weeks- at least- to get a better idea of what is in the area. Looking at different deer closely, you learn to tell the diff between even look alikes.

It can't hurt you to check it out. Your buddy is on the right track. Where trails intersect is generally good for setting up.

How long has it been since your deer season? The more recent the better, as the deer are less likely to have shifted their habits/movements. In any case, knowing where deer go is always potentially useful information. You might also discover things that you'd never guess otherwise--a trail you didn't know was there, a terrain feature, a tucked-away thicket or food source, etc.

Case in point: I chanced upon a trail this year on a piece of land that has lots of hikers--and few mature bucks, though young bucks and does are common. Turns out the trail skirts and then goes up a seemingly impassable bluff that's well away from the hikers' easy reach. I couldn't hunt it because of wind direction this year, but my guess is that trail is a route to run between bedding and feeding areas without running into people--exactly what appeals to mature bucks. It looks completely innaccessible at first glance--the kind of place that makes you say, "There's no way a deer could get though there." Had I not followed that trail, I'd probably be thinking that still.