Need help with land
 

Hey guys, I just joined the forum. I am fairly new to hunting. Only been hunting about 3 years. I have hunted the following land the past 2 years but haven't had much luck other than some small bucks and some does here and there, with the exception of my first deer.

Here is my land (boundaries in red). The green x's are places where a good buck was killed. I had one of those as my first deer. White dots are where I have either spotted or jumped deer, yellow spots are where I have setup and hunted.



Here is the topo. The purple areas are areas that were mined years ago...to the north along those purple areas are sheer bluffs. Basically when you look at the topo, cut half of that ridge area off above the purple areas.



Here is the same aerial above. The yellow areas are real thick as is pretty much anywhere you see pines. The valley in the middle of the map with the green lines is very thick as well. There are some open hardwoods to the north west and far north east. The green lines are old logging/mining trails that are overgrown. The blue dot in that valley is where I have seen a good bit of deer. It's also where I've been busted by a nice buck. The blue dot to the south is a steep bluff...it's not that wide and on top, there is usually some beds. I've also seen several deer hunting the transition edge of that clear cut to where it meets the woods going to the valley....it's just so close to the main road.


I will appreciate any help on set ups!

The blue dot in the valley is where you have been seeing deer and you were busted by a nice buck. The blue dot is the transition area off the bedding area(the thick stuff), make sure you set your stands according to the prevailing winds. You've found the bedding area, now it is just a matter of setting your stands properly according to the wind and getting in and out without much noise. Bucks will troll down wind of the beds to locate hot does.

Look to the SW area as well, where all the thick stuff is, that hardwood between the two bedding areas is where I would set a stand as well. Looks like cultivated fields to the North (food sources) of this area with steep slopes, find a saddle and the trails from the beds and get a stand in there as well.

Thanks TwoDogs. The problem I have is that the deer bed everywhere because it's so thick. I've seen both bucks and does bed anywhere in that valley from the bottoms to the ridge benches.

So if I hunt that blue dot, I'd want the wind to be anything from the north, correct? Most of the time I've hunted that area I've been on the ground...the time I was busted I was on the ground with a slight SE wind. Although I can't hunt the upper part of that valley, I think if I set a stand there and have the wind blow down the valley, it will carry my scent out and disperse since I will be higher. My problem is I have to walk through those pines where deer may be bedded to access that stand. There are trails all through that area and they cross over and go down to the river to the SE.

That SW area you mentioned is almost impossible to get to. Those green lines are bluff areas where they mined. The only access is where the that yellow arrow shows and I have to walk through a bunch of thick stuff to get there. The woods open up closer to those fields north of the bluff. Also to the west of my valley stand they open up into hardwoods.

Maybe this map will make more sense. The orange lines are the bluffs/cliffs, Pink circles are mostly open hardwoods, green dots are possible stand sites, yellow lines entry routes. Most buck sign (during rut) is through that valley and crosses the road and goes to the river, also along the edge of the clear cut and forest edge where the valley is. Though I have seen some around those walls. Those areas are really secluded and is where I have often thought the big bucks probably bed. No one goes in there.

If I hunt that southwest or even that north east stand, my problem is going to be noise. The north east isn't as bad since I walk though mostly pines, but the southwest has a mixture of oaks and pines and getting there I have to go over some thicker stuff.

You have to find the funnels, where the terrain naturally lead the deer from one bedding area to another or to a food/water source. Usually it's a creek, an old logging road, hedge row, etc. You need to set up in these transition areas, how you get there is another story. It may involve cutting a path through the brush (after this season) or accessing the property from an adjacent property, with that owner's permission.

SW has oaks - a food source close to a bedding area. I would hunt here and try to figure out how to get in there without too much noise. It looks lie there is an old road along this area, can you follow this? If not, it might involve going in very early. Most important once in there - during the rut - sit all day in order to see the bigger bucks.

Thanks twodogs...I'm gonna have to process all this and figure out a strategy! There is a road there like you mentioned but if you look at that orange line north of a road, that's a high wall/bluff from where they mined...the only way to traverse that is to come in from the east where the orange line starts and walk all the way around or there is a valley a little further southwest that if it doesn't rain you might be able to walk/climb up.

There are also good stands of oaks where the river makes a U and then in the very south around those fields....and also in the north east where I have that green dot