Ive been thinking about posting this for awhile and the off season seems like a good time of time as any. I do alot of scouting with google earth. I decided I would post a pic of the little peice of earth I spend most of the fall and get my fellow TradGang brothers opinions. Its not a huge tract of ground but it is mostly autumn olives and a winding creek. To most of the neighbors its worthless property but priceless for deer hunting. The forty in the center of the pic outlined in yellow is what I focus on mainly. The property outlined in light blue in the top right I just acquired but has a road on the north border and the deer get alot of visitors. Where I have typed trees is going all be planted in trees this spring. Hardwoods mainly. The small green square between the two is going to be a 2 acre food plot. I also lease the ground to the south but its mainly wide fence rows and ag fields. The blue line in middle is a creek bed and the white dots represent current stand locations. I try to stay out of the middle of this 40 and let deer use it as bedding cover. I always hunt with the wind in my face and try approaching from the same direction. So lets have fun with it. Let me know where you would go what you would do. I love input from other people. I'm new to trad so the trad perspective on things sure helps. Thanks!
(http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j324/dbgage82/SheltonCreekFarm.jpg)
I would place a stand in the little finger of trees that extends up into the green box. This way you can see your food plot and you will have a new thicket of small trees not far from you.
your right james. there is a tree there thats gonna have a stand in it but I didn't mark it. Definatly gonna use that as a pinch point.
I'd put a stand on the west side just north of where the stream ends...
Dave,
Do you have a topo of the area?
Martin
I don't think I'm smart enough to know where to put a tree stand.
For starters, the logical place is the little green square - because it's a funnel and because (assuming SW prevailing wind in the fall) of scent.
But, I've learned that the deer will make your available options for you. And, they will leave you the smallest sliver of good options between cover, funnels, and scent control. Of course, they do it for a reason.
I have one spot I hunt which would remind me of being where Rustic says - with SW prevailing wind, they don't quite scent me while sleeping (sometimes they do). And, when they rise, they come to the field and move along the edge where I can get a shot being downwind or slightly crosswind.
Good looking spot with lots of potential for different winds. The corner Rustic mentioned should be interesting with a SE wind.
Rustic,
I have seen so many deer in that exact spot. We normally have NW winds in the fall but 2011 season was a little different. I will have to put one there for sure. I have a stand across the creek and have sit wishing I was there for sure! Thanks
No Topo at this time. Ive been meaning to get one. Its all relatively flat. A few slight rolling hills. Nothing drastic.
I'm not too sure what I would do just from your pic but where you are going to be planting trees I would be sure to put plenty of apples, pears, plums, persimmons, etc. There are also some new varieties of chestnuts on the market. Sounds like a fun project.
usually I walk the creeks and try to find crossings. if there are more than 1 in a short distance, I'll block off the ones I dont want them to use. (no tree in shooting range for a common wind) Then hunt the one they will hopefully be using. from the pic above, looks like to me a great spot is where the narrow tree line meets the big block of woods. just to the left of the white dot in the upper right corner of the yellow box. good luck
if you put a plot in the green square you could kill alot of deer comming into that plot. looks like the deer would only come from one way and thats SE.
All good ideas for sure.
Just North of dead center of the 40 plot is a tree line that looks like a finger. Thats the spot I would put a stand. You will have deer moving to and from the creek and bedding areas as well as crop fields.
Also I just like being in the middle of it all.