Today I spent most of the day picking a site, clearing lanes and putting up a hang-on stand and climbing sticks. Season opens the 11th of this month.

A pic from my stand entrance trail (the sun is behind the actual older model Summit hang-on and sort of fades it out, I guess. You can see the pull rope hanging down from it though.). It's on the edge of a semi-clear cut:

   

Then I went around to the front side to take one from the main direction I might expect deer from - if I can get any to come to this area at all. If not, I'll just sit back and watch for squirrels and other small critters - LOL. Something ate a bunch of the white part off the water melon rinds we tossed out close to there the last couple days. I've never done it before but perhaps I'll carry a book out with me               . Anyway, putting up the stand and all was good practice - and exercise for me - GROAN.

 

It looks good to me Bernie!
Put out a mineral block, or one of those acorn rage suckers that screws into a tree, I put one of those out last year and the deer ate it up in about 2 weeks, plus they are legal in most every state because it's considered a mineral attractant.

Around here near the river where I'll be hunting I mostly hunt crossings. I do have a small clover food plot that the deer have been in, but I haven't seen anything besides does. That's ok, cause I'll take one of those if I get the chance!

Good Luck this season!
~SEMO~

Don't let all that exercise spoil all the fun.

I might try that SEMO_HUNTER. I do have a (very small) corn feeder out. I may take a pic of that tomorrow (but some folks hate 'em - it is private property though). It (the feeder, that is) is sort of behind where I was standing to take the second pic. This is kind of a rough place to "call" them to early enough as it is quite a ways from bedding areas. It is close to home though and is at least a place to start out for the season.

Right, on the exercise, Cooch - LOL.

Good Luck Bernie. That looks like a nice place.

Thanks for the visual tour! Good luck and keep us posted!

My pleasure, and I will.

Here, as promised, is a pic I took today of my small feeder. The picture was taken from near the base of my stand tree, and also shows down the length of the clear cut edge:

 

Not sure even this will work to pull any deer in close during shooting hours, considering they are more apt to travel along the opposite clear cut edge (which I don't have the right to hunt) but it's worth a try, and a nice place to spend some sitting time. Besides, if I can draw some/one in it will be a task well done.

Oh, I meant to tell you that I have the feeder set on the lowest setting. It spins corn (or soy beans, etc.) off for the amount of time determined by the setting. Lowest is 4 sec (aprox. .75 lbs.), and it does this triggered by the light change (morning and evening). So the 5 gal bucket full lasts about a week.

Well, looks like not even track soup on the menu this year, so far - no tracks. Course they could be tip-toeing through and/or around the dirt patches -    :D  .

Don't get discouraged!

It's not unusual for critters not to show up around feeders this time of year.

Their natural feeders are working 24/7 right now with the mast crop starting to hit the ground.

They aren't avoiding you. They're just doing what they have always done, eating what's already right in front of them.

God bless,Mudd

I agree, Mudd. However our Mast crop (in this area) will be pretty sketchy this year (summer droughts). Acorns are tiny and pretty much all blown down earlier - at least from what I've seen around here. Usually that makes the deer walk more to find forage though. They are finding something, you can bet. The site may work well later in the year, after "they" start "doggin" the National Forest down behind us.

Good luck Bernie.......  

Thanks for the good wishes from an ol' home boy, Dave. Same to you up there in Beautiful NH.