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Great location, terrible acsess

Horn

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
2,967
Today I went to scout in-between two other public locations I've checked out in the past. To the west is very promising, immediately to the east isn't as good, because there's human activity over there. There's activity to the west but that's several hundred yards away.

There's access from the road on the south end of this section property, the lower right part of my tracks. Here's the , major, problem. The first 300+ yards north is blow downs. Like climb over/ crawl under blowdowns.( Photo 2 and 4 are a bit of an opening) It's also, at minimum 250b yards wide, BUT once your back there it's a great area, in this newbies opinion.

There's a clearing a little ways north with several trails, and a swamp to the northwest. I think there's even a scrape back there! See photo 3, I apologize my camera is broke, selfie lens only. I spent all my money on saddle gear so no new phone lol.

I'm planning to make at least one more excursion before I leave it alone until fall. I want to set a trail camera or two (+?) And make an east west trip to see if it's at all feasible to go around. It would also be difficult but water may provide an exit. I am more concerned about getting a kill out, assuming I can get that far.

I've probably left several details out but I feel like I've blathered long enough for one post. Any and all insights are greatly appreciated!
 

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Sounds like a spot a good buck would feel safe in, being that hard to access. That does look like a scrape to me. Maybe you can find another way into that spot that will work and allow a relatively quiet entry. If not, maybe you could hunt it on a day with light rain or high winds to mask your entry. As far as getting a deer out, if you aren't familiar with the quarter and pack method it is very useful and pretty easy. Sometimes it is the only way to get a deer out from tough terrain or from way back when you are alone.
 
Sounds like a great spot. Personally, I would make several more trips in there and get as much info as possible. Blow downs, like you are describing can be really good bedding areas, especially if there is a spot in the blow down where the deer can see for a distance in front of them from their bed. If the deer are in the blowdowns they have to be getting in there somehow. I would do an evening observation sit now, and see if I could see how they are accessing it. I would then make myself an access trail to where I needed to be, to see in to the blowdowns, and have a shot. Also, you will most likely need to hunt low due to being sky lined by the deer. Look for big trees blown over with thick cover on the backside and visibility to the front. Can you access from the East or West, or from the North? Do you have to access from the South? Personally, I would head to the swampy wet areas. If there is a spot where the blow downs meet the wet swampy area, even better, Assuming the round thing in the map is the swamp, It looks like you have a potential funnel at the 7 O'clock position. It looks like a small point going towards the towards the swamp and you have a transition line between the point and the swamp. I would also check out that set of trees at the 6 O Clock position in the swamp, that seem to be a little further in to the swamp then the other bushes, As far as getting the deer out, NMS gave a really good suggestion. However, I would tell you not to worry about it, shoot the deer first, and you will get it out.
 
I like the roughly high noon to 1 oclock position over the pond or swamp between that hard edge that looks like succession or regeneration growth at the very top of the map. Is it an overgrown clearcut? The pond and the hard edge makes a nice pinch area. You can set up for a westerly, southwesterly and south wind for an evening spot as the deer are heading to that upper clearcut. Looks like a drainage goes into that swamp at about the 3 o' clock position, that would funnel the deer heading north to the clearcut to feed. And I agree as far as worrying about getting the deer out. At this point just concentrate on bagging the buck, plan and have the necessary gear ready but do not be consumed with dealing with it right now. Love that advice @Bogle. I really can't add anything more productive for you as what's already been suggested.
 
At the north end of the map is somewhat dense, very wet swampy marsh, the pinch point on the map looked to be a fairly promising trail crossing. I didn't have very good boots on for that much water, so I didn't check it out any farther. I'd like to get on the creek to see if it's a possible access point, and I will this summer. I am concerned about wind entering from the north though, it seems to come off the creek and there's a huge clearing on the other side of the creek.

The white or clearing seemed like a good funnel to me, there was a really good trail roughly where my white legs are branching off, I added dots because I didn't actually follow it but I suspect I've seen that same trail farther east and west both but I haven't confirmed.

The gold/yellow dot is approximately where the scrape is. I was thinking of staying kind of to the south of the clearing, the red onX marker is where the blowdowns transition back into woods. There are climbable trees pretty much everywhere outside the purple.

It sounds like maybe It's a better bet to get in-between the water and the scrape? Once I'm out of the purple zone of chaos movement shouldn't be a big issue, so I can set up wherever.

I'm thinking of putting a trail cam near the eastward trail, hopefully capturing the scrape, trail traffic and as much of the clearing as possible. Would it be a good idea to put one up towards the north end of the water, they was sign on my tracks and a trail through there. I'm definitely open to suggestions and 2 or 3 cams are a possibility.

Also, I'll pretty sure it's illegal to cut trails/shooting lanes on state land here ( MI) so I'll have to keep that minimal/discreet.

Thanks for the advice guys!
 

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Got around to putting a camera up today. It's a spypoint, mostly because it's harder to access. My very first trail camera picture. I'm surprised they're back so soon, I had a learning experience with that today.. better now than fall though! Dark spot is that scrape and it looks to be right on the east/west trail. I seen two not far from there today on the way in, got to within about 45 yards before i decided I needed to get moving or not put the cam up and got busted
 

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