xXx6182

Ok its getting to be about that time again this year and like last year I don' t want to be moving my stands around more than I am hunting. I made some maps of the 2 places I am having trouble with and was needing some help and some questions to be answerd. First things first. 1. I am going to try the Code Blue stuff. What kind and when should I use it??

Ok on the maps. Red dots mean tracks but I don' t know if they are going or coming unless I specify other wise. Dark green is woods. Light Green is just weeds and grass. Black is where I had my stands last year. Blue is of course water/ponds/creeks. Yellow is strickly beans no corn or anything like that.

The first map is behind my house. The Second is on " snake hill" also I have a areal map of it to help. This one is where I missed the biggest 10pt I have ever seen. I have other areas I hunt too but I have no problem with them. They are out in the swamp and trying to figure those out is impossible.


In the first on the black is where I put my stand last year but I never did see any deer. I knew for a fact they were out there but I never seen them. The place is covered in tracks. Does the spot look to you guys like a good spot to be or should I move? I don' t know where else to put it. I am keeping in mind that bow season is first. I need to be kinda close.


Here is snake hill. This one has a bit more to it. I know that in the afternoons deer come from 1 up to 2 and then out in the open field where all the trails are. ALso there are trails around stand " great one" . This is where I missed the buck and have seen the most deer. This is also where I think is the best spot. WHY? Well I am up on a hill and can see down in the flat behind me where they come out at 1. And if they go into the field where the trails are then that is donw hill too. Stand 4 would be good if they deceided to stay on the trail but they may come out at 2 and go south and cross the creek and go behind me. Area 3 is where I seen a rub on the ground. THe brown is a walk way that is clear and has no trees or bushes. We use it to get ot the fields in tractors. Does anyone know of where I shold put my stand this year. Or shold I just leave it? ALso where the walk way is I put my stand there but again the deer may come out at 1 go sound cross the creek and I would never see them.

Power

Deer are going to move through the wooded areas to and from the water and food you have on your maps. You need to intercept them in or near those routes without spooking them via sight or smell or sound. If you can find a choke point where the deer must move through a thin sliver of trees and you can set up within a hundred yards that would be a good place to start. Water can be a barrier they may not cross if the water is deep or fast so keep that in mind. If you can try to go out in the middle of the day and stay until dark to see which way the deer are coming and going. This should give you an idea where to set up.

skeeter 7MM

For bow season I like to hunt areas that are transition areas from on route to water and food sources. I would set up several stands that allow you to hunt many wind directions, but keep your juicy stands for the perdominant winds of the time of year and area. Personally in regard to the first picture i would rather be if possible on the opposite side of the field as your stand is placed and more back in the cover try and locate an area that trail intersect rather than one single game trail. Another possible stand loaction is near the watering hole, have you checked their for tracks and other sign?? I never saw any evidence of track from your picture, just asking. Now this may be a bear to hunt, I will assume the picture is orientate north and as such a stand near this water area would require south winds, just keep that in mind(here south winds are very rare come fall). Also you' ll need to find out where the deer are bedding in map (zone) 1, this will help you formulate a better game plan. Once you have done this I would setup in transition routes, funnels, etc that lead the deer from bed to food/water sources.

Zone 2 has lots of water and I assume the deer drink near their beds as the creek runs along the property. Here I would again focus on intersections or funnels in cover. One area that interest me is where you have the number 1 indicated. It appears this is a small meadow that acts as a funnel to push deer out to the adjacent fields. Do you have a stand in that area??? I would definetly look at putting a stand on the south side(assuming it is orientated north and your winds are perdominantly north based) where the meadow narrows to capture those 2 trails that enter the larger meadow or field. I would hunt this area on a North, North East and Eastern wind direction, again assuming the deer are coming from the woods to the extreme east or south east near the creek. Another spot to look at is near the number 2, same princples apply, this area seems to funnel the deer out to the open areas.

Big open areas often provide lots of visuals but especially in bow season realistic opportunities drop with extended ranges and areas for the deer to roam. What you want to do is pick spots that provide close encounters with a select group of deer and hunt them only when the wind is in your favor. Thus the importance of finding funnels, bottlenecks, corridors or intersections in cover that force deer to come with in your range. If you hunt transition areas that deer use I can gaurantee your opportunities will increase, even though your actually sightings do not mirror the same trend. Seeing deer is great but getting the chance to take a deer is what we live for in this sport.

BTW, a good number of my hot spots are narrow meadows that funnel deer from beds to sources deep in cover on corridors. I always pick spots that funnel in or out of these narrow meadows to setup, depending on the situation. Some I sit the edges while others I set up inside the bush.

Good luck!

xXx6182

You are right. I walked up to the upper right hand coner in the first pic and there are tracks all over. The deer are coming into the field there.....atleast the majority of them are. The only problem is the trees are all too small and the right size ones are not straigh enough.

skeeter 7MM

I don' t see a problem make a ground blind, I hunt the majority from the ground and with a good setup they are every bit as effective as a treestand. Just watch the wind and keep your movements concealed, best to pick areas that don' t cast shadows.