Well deer season is quickly approaching, and I was hoping to pick the brains of some of you more experienced whitetail hunters to find out what your favorite type of terrain feature is to hunt.  My hunting areas consist primarily of the rugged Appalachia hill country of southeastern Ohio. Unfortunately not alot of farm land, but tons of steep ridges and ravines.  For those of you who sucessfully hunt this type of area, what are your favorite areas to hunt and set-ups?  So far I have yet to connect, but have high hopes for this upcoming season.  Any input would be appreciated!

In that type of terrain, I really like areas where 3 ridges come together.  Not all that common, but if you can find it...they can be real hotspots. I'm here to tell you that big woods deer are tougher to hunt than farmland deer.  I've done quite a bit of both, and big woods is tougher in my opinion.  Normally, there are fewer deer.  Primary food sources can be extremely difficult to keep track of from year to year.  But, those areas sure are fun to hunt.  Especially if you can have a place all to yourself.

Find yourself a saddle and you will be GOLDEN!

I used to hunt the "knobs" of southern Ohio... Highland and Adams Counties...  If you can find a saddle... bingo... I found one turkey hunting one year and haven't seen another like it again... Don't know that I would have wanted to get a deer out from as far back in as I was... But they were sure using it...

Jonathan

I like hunting the first flat or shelf below the saddle on a ridge top. I love setting on rocky outcroppings also.

Strip of high ground between two swamps.

Tons of great advise so far. We love to hunt the SMZ's, ( Stream Side Management Zone ), in other words the 50 yds on each side of a creek they are not allowed to log. We hunt the thick grown over clearcuts around these SMZ's and within a few years the SMZ becomes the deer interstate highway ! If you were a deer and had to fight your way thru a jungle or walk along a wooded creek with 50 yr old oaks and open woods what would you do ? These are especially deadly during the rut.

Another thing we like is a long skinny finger ridge, got them narrowed down there. In the ridges be careful and stay high. If you get down in a hollow the wind swirl will kill ya bud. Hunt the ridge tops in the morning and catch the deer coming up and your thermal is rising. In the evening we hunt around the bottom of the ridges being your scent is falling. Take a puffer bottle and check your scent stream while you are hunting, a real eye opener ! JMHO

Punch up google earth and search your hunting area and look for saddles, a spot where 2 or more ridges come together....there is also a great book about hunting big woods...I have a copy somewhere...if I can find it I'll let you borrow it for awhile.

oneshot-onekill, what is the title and author of the book you reference?

Ive been hunting the flat spots like lungbuster said. Seems like they run the perimeter of the hills. Its been working for me.

I like swamps. Game recovery can get a bit wet, but there always seems to be decent bucks frequenting swamps.

I am in on the saddle hunting.  Seems to work out well, but I don't hunt right on top of them.  I usually hunt about 20 yards below the place where it all comes together.  It seems like they are calmer just before the cross or just after they cross a saddle. JMHO

Where I do a lot of my hunting is in the Ozark Mountains.  I like to hunt the flat benches.  Deer seem to lke to follow these.  Most of the trails I see are toward the downhill edge of the bench.  Good luck!!!!

BOB

Mountains.  Specifically, the Adirondack Mountains in NY.  Or the old crab apple orchard across the road from my house, down in a small river bottom.

Benches and saddles.  And check out the oak's, especially the white oaks this time of year.  I noticed that they are dropping their acorns in KY.

Been focusing on swamp edges with both hard and soft mast here the last couple years.

Also been having good luck hunting gentle sloping draws that come off steep ridge lines.

Have some new areas that border deep wash outs in pine thickets were there are a few oaks. These are showing the most activity right now. Seems as more hunters enter the woods scouting the hard wood bottoms the deer move into the thickets.

Things are shaping up to be a good year as long as I do my part.

The book I really like is Mapping Trophy Bucks...it talks alot about using topo features, saddles, hilltop funnels benches etc. alot of good info on using topo map to identify these areas in your hunting area.