farmland part 3

[Maple_Ridge]

Promise, I wont post anymore! Lol




On this property,

All Red dots are treestands. All blue dots are deer shacks.

My hottest spot, is the outer bend on the ditch, on the East side. You can see 2 stands there. Here is a picture from one...



We have extreme MFR here, and I am positioned on the outside edge. This is a rut stand area. Usually 15 scrapes around this spot. This is where I heard 2 bruisers last year fighting.



I understand I am not sure where the bucks bed on this property. They may actually bed on the neighbors and travel through at night, or daylight during rut. My observations, but maybe I have not found the bed(s) yet.

The upper LH corner, I did find some doe bedding this spring. Also, the lower RH corner looks like an area they may travel to the neighbors. There are apple trees and a pond to the south. I don't hunt much in that area, the landowner has a shack in that corner that I did not post on the topo.

Terrain is mostly flat, with some small occasional ridges. I really only have the west side, and north side to access the property. We usually always, use the west. This is another property where bumping deer, happens 9 out of 10 times.



Rub near the rut zone.




Scrape on the ditchbank.




The ditch.




Mature woods, with a bedded 1 YO buck (Can you see him?)








It sure is an awesome place for scenery, I am blessed.

Anything look out of place?

[Bucky]

If you own it or family does timber stand improvement would make that place dynamite

[Maple_Ridge]

Family member owns it.

The SW quarter has been select cut. Ya, I agree it would really help. Definetly got a 'park' effect goin on. I dont think he will cut anymore.

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

I can't tell a whole lot on bedding based on that aerial.... But, it does appear to me that your under hunting the property, and putting all the pressure on the west side... I would spread out and cover that whole property and constantly move to new positions or areas... I would not dougbt it if a bruiser has learned that you rarely hunt the East side of the property and is hanging / living over there.

[Maple_Ridge]

Thanks...I have had a climber over on that side. I usually stay away, landowner hunts over there with some family.

Its definetly worth trying though.

[ Post made via Android ]

[JoeRE]

I can't tell a whole lot on bedding based on that aerial.... But, it does appear to me that your under hunting the property, and putting all the pressure on the west side... I would spread out and cover that whole property and constantly move to new positions or areas... I would not dougbt it if a bruiser has learned that you rarely hunt the East side of the property and is hanging / living over there.

X2

Cross out anything within shooting distance of those permanent stands IMO. Mature deer, both bucks and does, figure out really fast what a hunter does on small parcels like the examples you have posted. I used to vastly underestimate how fast deer learn what you are doing even if you don't bust a single one entering or exiting the stand. If we are talking a few acre woodlot (like your other examples)...I would hunt them a couple times a season max. When I started doing this (most of what I used to hunt was small properties before I switched to public) and became more mobile, my success with mature bucks skyrocketed.

[Bucky]

Looks like inside corner in the very SE corner... Might be worth a sit?!?!

[ Post made via iPad ]

[Maple_Ridge]

Yes bucky, I have hunted that a few times with the climber, I don't think I have seen a buck there yet. Not saying they aren't there though.

I can't tell a whole lot on bedding based on that aerial.... But, it does appear to me that your under hunting the property, and putting all the pressure on the west side... I would spread out and cover that whole property and constantly move to new positions or areas... I would not dougbt it if a bruiser has learned that you rarely hunt the East side of the property and is hanging / living over there.

X2

Cross out anything within shooting distance of those permanent stands IMO. Mature deer, both bucks and does, figure out really fast what a hunter does on small parcels like the examples you have posted. I used to vastly underestimate how fast deer learn what you are doing even if you don't bust a single one entering or exiting the stand. If we are talking a few acre woodlot (like your other examples)...I would hunt them a couple times a season max. When I started doing this (most of what I used to hunt was small properties before I switched to public) and became more mobile, my success with mature bucks skyrocketed.

Thanks for the feedback.

This is more encouragement for me to go mobile. I think last year, I might have had 3-4 mobile hunts. The year before, I hunted the south end hard, after a nice buck. Never saw him. Had around 5-10 mobile hunts in that year. I have in years past, hunted the NE, center East, and SE corners.

But, I need to hunt it more. My fault could be, that I generally hunt it later in the season than earlier. Nice bucks have been known on the east side early, but once pressure is applied from cutting firewood, walking around, etc....they go nocturnal unless seen during the rut.

This was my best mobile hunt, happened in 2010 on november 9th. Not boasting or anything, but its relevant to the topic. I shot him just East, of the 2 far East permanent stands.

After the shot, he traveled to the far East bondary and expired. Could possibly be where he bedded, and I should have marked the spot. Still learning! I looked this spring for beds in that area, no luck.





This could be the start of my journey, away from small parcels of private land to the public land.

[Black Squirrel]

I found the bedded buck, and is that a shed laying on the big stump? Sure looks like one.

[Maple_Ridge]

No shed antler, Its grass around the stump and over it. That little buck bedded there, with 2 or 3 Does, during firearm season. Was cool to have them in front of me.

[JoeRE]

This was my best mobile hunt, happened in 2010 on november 9th. Not boasting or anything, but its relevant to the topic. I shot him just East, of the 2 far East permanent stands.

After the shot, he traveled to the far East bondary and expired. Could possibly be where he bedded, and I should have marked the spot. Still learning! I looked this spring for beds in that area, no luck.





This could be the start of my journey, away from small parcels of private land to the public land.

Cant beat that feeling of success that way can you! Sounds like a good job!

I started out bowhunting the normal way....scouting and hanging stands two weeks before season, hunting most of them half a dozen times each season, and wondering why I always saw way more big bucks out of "new" stands than ones that had been there the previous year. I cut way back on hunting fixed stand locations and I am not exagerating it was the best single thing I ever did hunting big bucks. Good luck!

I have only ever killed 2 good bucks out of stands that were in a single tree 2 seasons or more. Thats out of a dozen or so. Sometimes moving 60 yards is all that is needed, sometimes you need to pick up and move to the other side of the property. Always stay mobile tho!

[Maple_Ridge]

This is a topo of the prop. If it helps with areas I should look for bedding.