Lets talk about this property.

[SEVA_Bowhunter]

Ok, this farm is one of my favorites that I hunt. I typically hit it fairly hard during archery season before it gets blown out during gun. I am on a lease with other folks, and there is only myself and my buddy who bow hunt it. Everything inside of the yellow boundary is what I have, the red X's are where I can park and then, I walk it in depending on where I'm going, wind etc. I do have a fairly good idea of how the deer move on the property, but having a saddle in my arsenal this year will greatly help me with the far right side of the property above the big fields. Looking at it, what are your thoughts? Ignore the ONX stands and camera I took them down last year. What are your thoughts on access, natural funnels etc...basically how would you hunt this property?

Shawn

 

[SNIPERBBB]

I would take a look at those treeline projections that jut out into the fields. Ought to be some good trails short cutting the projections

 

[SEVA_Bowhunter]

I would take a look at those treeline projections that jut out into the fields. Ought to be some good trails short cutting the projections

Which ones are you talking about?

 

[SNIPERBBB]

All of them, but especially the big one in the upper left that juts out into the brown area

 

[KYHunter]

I’d look for bedding off of the major and minor points. Look on the leeward side of the hill for your areas predominant wind directions.

Also, looks like a pretty major funnel right in the middle of the farm that you could hunt in the rut and on almost any wind direction

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Ok, this farm is one of my favorites that I hunt. I typically hit it fairly hard during archery season before it gets blown out during gun. I am on a lease with other folks, and there is only myself and my buddy who bow hunt it. Everything inside of the yellow boundary is what I have, the red X's are where I can park and then, I walk it in depending on where I'm going, wind etc. I do have a fairly good idea of how the deer move on the property, but having a saddle in my arsenal this year will greatly help me with the far right side of the property above the big fields. Looking at it, what are your thoughts? Ignore the ONX stands and camera I took them down last year. What are your thoughts on access, natural funnels etc...basically how would you hunt this property?

Shawn

I have a couple questions before I can answer this. Are there any water sources at all? What types of trees are in the thick areas? The brown clearing is that dirt, an old agro field or perhaps a mud bog? I understand the importance of food and bedding but sometimes on parcels like this with a lot of available food, water will be the biggest determining factor at least for me.

 

[kyler1945]

I'd walk the entire property in March with the onx tracker on, walking on deer trails. Mark bedding areas, rut sign, etc. Then throw the map back up on the computer. Hang presets where you can as you're tracking. Then don't go in the woods again until the conditions are absolutely optimal. Less is more on a small property. It would take you a day tops to map out that entire piece of property so that you don't have to gum it up in season.

Access from the north generally isn't optimal. Plus mornings will be difficult as you'll be driving into the fields, then walking into the fields, while the deer are in them. I'm guessing it's half a mile top to bottom (no scale in your pictures). I'd be using the southern access for 90% of my hunting there sight unseen.

 

[devildog]

In the farm country I hunt, I almost always find buck beds on the points of timber jutting out in the fields, especially if they overlook the access. I would find you some spots to set up some trees as observation stands. Spots you can slip into easily and glass entire fields in the afternoon right before season starts. Once you observe a buck you make a plan to go in for a kill. Good luck I just got on a new lease set up on a big farm, and will be using observation stands to try to figure it out also.

 

[SEVA_Bowhunter]

I have a couple questions before I can answer this. Are there any water sources at all? What types of trees are in the thick areas? The brown clearing is that dirt, an old agro field or perhaps a mud bog? I understand the importance of food and bedding but sometimes on parcels like this with a lot of available food, water will be the biggest determining factor at least for me.

There is a creek that runs through the middle, it has water, not a ton but water none the less. It is down about 50ft elevation. The brown field last year was planted in cotton/beans, the year before that it was corn, the other fields in the front of the property(top of pic) are always corn.

Edit: The trees that are off to the right of the picture are hardwoods, and there is a mix of some pines, and others as well. The 3 years I have had access to the property the trees only produced a small acorn crop one year.

 

[SEVA_Bowhunter]

I'd walk the entire property in March with the onx tracker on, walking on deer trails. Mark bedding areas, rut sign, etc. Then throw the map back up on the computer. Hang presets where you can as you're tracking. Then don't go in the woods again until the conditions are absolutely optimal. Less is more on a small property. It would take you a day tops to map out that entire piece of property so that you don't have to gum it up in season.

Access from the north generally isn't optimal. Plus mornings will be difficult as you'll be driving into the fields, then walking into the fields, while the deer are in them. I'm guessing it's half a mile top to bottom (no scale in your pictures). I'd be using the southern access for 90% of my hunting there sight unseen.

I have walked it many times, and hunted it many times. I have killed a couple of deer but, I havent spent the time the place deserves...that will change this year. I have two presets on it, the stands that are not X'd out are still there. One is a ladder stand and one is a hang on. I have used both north and south to access the property, but I want to focus more on the south to look at that ridge point above the big fields.

 

[kyler1945]

I have walked it many times, and hunted it many times. I have killed a couple of deer but, I havent spent the time the place deserves...that will change this year. I have two presets on it, the stands that are not X'd out are still there. One is a ladder stand and one is a hang on. I have used both north and south to access the property, but I want to focus more on the south to look at that ridge point above the big fields.

I wasn’t suggesting walking it in the traditional form of scouting. As in, go where YOU think deer are and confirm.

go before spring Green up. While deer trails are still where they are during season. Another good time to do this is even in season but after everyone is done hunting. Don’t walk people trails or roads. Don’t walk in straight lines. Turn your tracker on, and walk every deer trail on the property. Walk everyone of them until they stop at a property line or road or field. When you pull up this network of trails on the map later, many things will make sense. Your guesses at where to ambush deer will get more precise.

your first sentence has me guessing you put too much pressure on the piece. But it’s hard to tell over computer. I like your plan to hunt prior to heavy gun pressure.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

There is a creek that runs through the middle, it has water, not a ton but water none the less. It is down about 50ft elevation. The brown field last year was planted in cotton/beans, the year before that it was corn, the other fields in the front of the property(top of pic) are always corn.

Edit: The trees that are off to the right of the picture are hardwoods, and there is a mix of some pines, and others as well. The 3 years I have had access to the property the trees only produced a small acorn crop one year.

Ok not being familiar with the terrain and the wind patterns/weather ect.. it looks like you have spent time around the large fields in the middle north point of the property (I see 2 ex’d stands and one that is still there about 500’ north…) so you’ve focused on the thick trees there. As you mentioned, you haven’t paid a lot of attention to the right side. Being that wind is blowing NW in your pic I am assuming you’d hunt the small clearing to the right on the south side. There appears to be some tree landscape change on that side about 100’ off the plot. I’d explore there. Also you avoid property lines. Don’t be afraid to hunt the outer edges of the lease lines. Sometimes those areas are neglected on both sides and there are other agro fields surrounding your property. Deer will use those narrow areas of the thick stuff as a funnel to get between fields and bedding areas. Also where you access to the south it seems you set up on the north side of the lower field, but not to the south or east. Again this property has a ton of food options so trees dropping acorns might not be the highest priority especially if the deer has lots of green food sources and beans. I’m not sure where the creek is but personally I’d walk to whole creek in some rubber boots and look for trails running across it. From those trails I’d look for tree transition lines where maybe the pines thin and the oaks thicken? Set up 20-30 yards off of one of those trails by the creek. With that much available food and bedding, the water source in my mind would be the one spot all deer in the area will seek out. But again having never been there and unfamiliar with the terrain, weather, wind ect… this is only an opinion
I have attached a screen shot, I put yellow dots in a few of the places I was mentioning.

 

[MattMan81]

Drive around and check out the adjacent properties and see who else is hunting. There habits can affect the property just as much. Don't over hunt the middle. I would hunt the areas close to your access points that give you a safe wind and easy entry and exit unless you see a gooden using a certain path. But I would try not to walk into those stands in the center unless I had deer to make me go there. Hunt the edges with a good pair of binoculars.

 

[SEVA_Bowhunter]

I wasn’t suggesting walking it in the traditional form of scouting. As in, go where YOU think deer are and confirm.

go before spring Green up. While deer trails are still where they are during season. Another good time to do this is even in season but after everyone is done hunting. Don’t walk people trails or roads. Don’t walk in straight lines. Turn your tracker on, and walk every deer trail on the property. Walk everyone of them until they stop at a property line or road or field. When you pull up this network of trails on the map later, many things will make sense. Your guesses at where to ambush deer will get more precise.

your first sentence has me guessing you put too much pressure on the piece. But it’s hard to tell over computer. I like your plan to hunt prior to heavy gun pressure.

I understand that concept. I will do that next year. As for pre-season scouting this year, I wont be home until late July, which is when i will be able to get cameras out, walk the property and take a look at things. I could have been a little misleading in that first sentence, I hunt this farm frequently, however I am always paying attention to the wind and I dont push into the woods too deep. I have always seen deer here, and it is a good early season(archery) spot. A good number of deer get killed here during gun season from the other members of my club, I just dont hunt it much then. I move on to smaller tracts I have that the guys overlook as they think they are too small and dont hold deer. They are wrong about that too...but I dont share that with them lol.