SE LA small tract strategy help

[mschultz373]

I have the opportunity to hunt on ~20 acres of private shown below - the two pie shaped tracts through which the cyan-blue track line goes. This is SE LA.

I have NOT scouted hardly at all besides the track line indicated, which I walked in March 2023. The oaks are marked and some tracks I saw, but the property owner does occasionally see deer, as do neighbors. The red circle on the bottomost pie-tract is super thick, almost impenetrably so. There used to be a trail that the owners would use that circled the bottom pie-tract, but after hurricane Ida it is derelict. I'd bet my house that the whole red-circle area is a bedding area, given the tracks and how thick it is. The blue line to the E is a parish-maintained drainage ditch that is fairly clear, and the white line is the transition from hardwoods/oaks to pine.

I don't intend to hunt here much given it is so small, but no one goes back in there regularly either. I do know that neighbors on the other side of the cul-de-sac have deer feeders out and I believe there is a property owner who hunts on the back side to the NE.

But my question is how best to go about even trying to hunt such a small territory. Tearing it up with boots on the ground would presumably blow the whole place out, so my general thought has been putting a cell cam up near the transition line and maybe one on the backside along the drainage ditch and ONLY hunting if there's some sort of East wind, since other winds would blow my scent into the bedding area.

ANy thoughts are greatly appreciated. This would be my first attempt hunting a small tract like this!

 

[brydan]

I think you’re being overly cautious for a new place. Go hike around, get the lay of the land, the deer aren’t going to take off and run for the hills because you walked around the place. Once you figure out what’s there and where to hunt then you can be more cautious about where and when to hunt it.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I agree. Try and get a day with an East or South wind and slip in there midday and look around with the intent to hunt the evening. Walk until you find some fresh deer sign and then hunt it. I'd stay out of that bottom 1/3 since you think it's bedding. Being that close to human habitation the deer will be used to human scent and activity to some degree.

I'd hunt it a couple of times this season and then post season I'd walk every square foot of it to figure it out for next year.

 

[BTaylor]

If I was going to do a blind ish hunt there, knowing what you know. I would go straight east on the southern property line, get in that ditch and slip up to the ditch corner and hang between the bedding and the hardwood/pine transition right along that ditch corner. I would probably hang that spot on any wind other than NE for the first sit and then decide on best wind based on what you see.

Watch for a heavy crossing on that ditch as well.

 

[Dmathews87]

If I was going to do a blind ish hunt there, knowing what you know. I would go straight east on the southern property line, get in that ditch and slip up to the ditch corner and hang between the bedding and the hardwood/pine transition right along that ditch corner. I would probably hang that spot on any wind other than NE for the first sit and then decide on best wind based on what you see.

Watch for a heavy crossing on that ditch as well.

i like this as well, worse case you see deer out of range and know how to make your adjustments. Stay out of that bedding area and scout the property like you're hunting (watch wind and follow your same scent control regimen) When season is over, get in there and tear that place apart

 

[mschultz373]

If I was going to do a blind ish hunt there, knowing what you know. I would go straight east on the southern property line, get in that ditch and slip up to the ditch corner and hang between the bedding and the hardwood/pine transition right along that ditch corner. I would probably hang that spot on any wind other than NE for the first sit and then decide on best wind based on what you see.

Watch for a heavy crossing on that ditch as well.

I was planning to go in Thursday and we have a forecasted strong SE wind - I would’ve maybe avoided that spot on that wind given my suspicions were that the deer would go straight north out of the bedding.

but I don’t necessarily have any reason to think that.

 

[mschultz373]

got out there for the first time today. E wind, about 65F. Owner told me of a pond just a bit NE of his house so I battled my way through saw briars, crunching leaves and downed trees to get there. figured with the extreme drought we're in, that pond would be their main source of water. and it is. the edge was nicely rimmed with tracks. there's also a champion cow oak right on its edge - though it isn't dropping this season, I marked it. so I set up.



no deer came out but at last light I heard one just under my set probably within 20-30 yards. I think I heard others, too, but no eyes. this place is crazy thick and was no fun getting into. I made a bunch of noise as I tried to make it in. I wondered if that alerted them - I didn't obviously bump any deer but I found several old beds right past their back yard, like right as I got into the woods.

this was the view to my left side looking back.


the pond is about 95yrds from the house, so I didn't go very far into here. but it was productive and cool. I think this could be a good area, and it's open to archery until Feb 15. rut is mid-late january.

map for reference. my access path kinda sucked with the E wind but it was what I found.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I'd call that a successful first hunt on that new property. It's really thick in there, like a lot of places I hunt. Since it is private. will the owner let you cut a few access lanes in the post season? If so, I would not go crazy but make some access lanes that will let you slip in quietly. Keep in mind that any lanes you do cut will likely become deer trails. When I was on that club, I would find the tree I wanted the stand set to be in and cut lanes accordingly with access and deer travel in mind.

 

[mschultz373]

the owner would let me do that.my thought would be to cut three main lanes - one along very southern property line to the ditch, one along the middle property line, and then one furthest to the north. the owner actually used to have a walking path and maintain a walking path along the southern and middle lines as I described but stopped after two hurricanes in the past 3-5 years. maintain those three and maybe hack some smaller ones as needed, but that would help a lot. the public works maintains the ditch at the back end so that will generally remain clear.

i'll probably let it sit for week, until we get some rain, and maybe get in again. But I'm going to try to limit myself to only a handful of hunts thru the end of archery - as tempting as it is, I don't wanna blow it out.

one other unrelated question: when you hunt thick places like this, is it possible for deer to see you move 15-20' up through all that underbrush? I have questioned if i move too much on my sets and the deer see me before I see them, but I also had 3 deer walk up on me mid-climb on public earlier this week, glance at me and kind of not like it, but then trot off. they didn't seem to see me until they were right under me at 3-5yards. it was similarly thick like this.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

the owner would let me do that.my thought would be to cut three main lanes - one along very southern property line to the ditch, one along the middle property line, and then one furthest to the north. the owner actually used to have a walking path and maintain a walking path along the southern and middle lines as I described but stopped after two hurricanes in the past 3-5 years. maintain those three and maybe hack some smaller ones as needed, but that would help a lot. the public works maintains the ditch at the back end so that will generally remain clear.

i'll probably let it sit for week, until we get some rain, and maybe get in again. But I'm going to try to limit myself to only a handful of hunts thru the end of archery - as tempting as it is, I don't wanna blow it out.

one other unrelated question: when you hunt thick places like this, is it possible for deer to see you move 15-20' up through all that underbrush? I have questioned if i move too much on my sets and the deer see me before I see them, but I also had 3 deer walk up on me mid-climb on public earlier this week, glance at me and kind of not like it, but then trot off. they didn't seem to see me until they were right under me at 3-5yards. it was similarly thick like this.

In thick stuff you just have to be more mindful of being still because, as you say, they will be in on you before you know it. You also have to pick small gaps and opening to shoot through. Sometimes it is better to set up quickly on the ground in really thick stuff since it can be a little more open at ground level and from height you can't see much. It is also easier, quicker and quieter to set up at ground level.

 

[BTaylor]

Looks like my kinda spot, almost too thick for rabbits.

 

[mschultz373]

I hunted here one other time so far, about 20 yards inside from the drainage ditch where it bends E. I didn't see anything!

on my way out, though, I met another hunter who leases ~40acres immediately NE of that ditch and he uses the ditch as access to that property. he tipped off that the deer in that area are sometimes hitting the rut as season ends (Feb 15). unsure how accurate that is, but it was interesting. he is an old timer and offered me a climber he doesn't use anymore due to an injury.

I have down time tomorrow afternoon so I'm wondering about getting in there to set up a couple cameras I have laying around not in use.

 

[Swamp Fox__On The Run]

You're on the right track, I think. Luv that pond with a good bit of shooting lane clean-up.

Access trails will help a lot. That was an A++ comment.

The ditch and that transition line are your best friends... I'll bet does are back and forth over that white line all the time. Good place for the chase phase.

 

[LAKY]

Can you get some pics at ground level? I see yaupon, but it doesn't look like much browse at 4 foot and down. You can give them a better reason to be there if you can do some manipulation. How much leeway do you have in the way of cutting?

 

[Swampfox]

Yes, there is still rutting activity in February.


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[LAKY]

Yes, there is still rutting activity in February.


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[mschultz373]

For you LA cats, this property is about 4.5mi north of Joyce WMA. For context.


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[LAKY]

For you LA cats, this property is about 4.5mi north of Joyce WMA. For context.


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My mom had a house in Ponchatoula for a while. Her subdivision had big wooded lots and backed up to ponds and creeks that fed into Joyce. There's a big difference between vegetation on the high side where the houses are and the Joyce side.

 

[Swampfox]

For you LA cats, this property is about 4.5mi north of Joyce WMA. For context.


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Kinda figured this was in that area. The property looked familiar, I know those woods pretty good. I have surveyed a good bit of land around there. Not to mention Joyce was my hunting lease before it was bought by the state.

The struggle for seeing deer is not surprising. The pine flats of Tangipahoa Parish are very hard hunting. The herd is not in the best condition and if you’re not feeding you’re probably not going to see very much. Nearly everyone is feeding in that area.

That said, There will be rut activity all the way to end of the season and beyond. It’ll be winding down but there’s a large imbalance of bucks to doe some some will be bred late.


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[mschultz373]

I appreciate your responses, I always learn a lot from you guys!

I haven’t wanted to feed partially because I don’t know what way would be effective, but I also don’t have a lot of motivation to invest and mess with it all. I wouldn’t be opposed to throwing out some feed by hand, or maybe trying to make a mineral site, etc. - I do have some Big and J salts I was using in my clothing tote - but I’m not interested in getting a feeder and whatever else. I’m conjuring images of the kind of hunting I don’t enjoy - feeder on X, cell cams all on it, ladder stand 30 yards off, etc.

I will get in there and take more photos, try to get stock of the sort of browse that is around. I do think the landowner would not mind me cutting lanes or planting some plots, but I also don’t think I would get away going crazy with either. Basically limited to a chainsaw, weed eater and maybe a tiller if I planted.

The other question is how much energy is really worth investing here. It’s a super small tract, the nearby properties feed, deer density is low, etc. I don’t think there’s any right or wrong answer, but hunting does often present that dilemma: is X place worth investing time and energy, or are you better served moving on?

Of course, the landowner has said he sees deer, turkey, bobcats, all from his back window! So what better confirmation is there than that?