New property question

[buckmaster_b]

First off I want to say I found this site after a fellow member from a local forum recommended it to someone in a post. I have read probably 30-40 threads all the way through in the last few days. Needless to say I haven't been getting much done here at work The spirit and comradery of the guys on this forum are outstanding. Truly impressed and excited to join!

Anyhow, I have scoured the site looking for something that may touch base on my main question, but haven't seen much so I figured I would just start a thread. I acquired a new piece of hunting ground about 20 minutes from my house. It is around 200 acres of private ground and is only lightly hunted in gun season (1 guy that hasn't taken a deer off the property in years). My asking for "bow only" rights paid off, and now I have the whole place to myself until Nov 15th. The property is hilly terrain for west central Indiana with a few small bean fields and 3-4 larger CRP fields. It also has a creek running the back west end of the property that seems to hold water. The property seemed like a dream come true, and still may be however the owner asked me to come out to show me the perimeters and that's when I learned it's covered in dirtbike trails. The boys race bikes so between them and their friends they use the property to practice and hold the occasional race. The property looks great, has a lot of sign and I seen about 6-7 deer on the walk through but I'm worried about the mature buck potential with all the riding.

I am new to hilly terrain, and to CRP fields. The fields are not hammered with trails. I actually believe they have zero trails in them per government regulations? I'm just curious what you guys think as far as the potential of mature deer living in an area that at times has a lot of human presence, but not much hunting pressure. I was originally thinking bucks may use the CRP to bed, but after reading some of the bedding locations I've found here I'm not so sure I'm confident in that idea any longer.

I did find a nice thicket in the back that seems to be untouched for the most part with trails and it's tore up with fresh rubs/scrapes/droppings. This trail comes up a ridge point leading from a CRP field. After reading the last few days on beast type tactics I'm debating sitting the sign tonight considering its opening day and the sign is fresh. Also wouldn't mind some opinions on that idea. For the record I scouted that area about 2 weeks ago with the owner and haven't touched the property since, however I have no idea with the riding if anyone else has. I didn't bump anything in that area to my knowledge, but I'm sure we left plenty of scent. The owner himself stepped in 2 scrapes and was holding a rub while talking to me haha. I didn't say anything considering, and I was able to leave a cam on one of the scrapes just hoping to see who's using it, if they are sticking around and if it's daylight activity.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated.

[exojam]

Bumping for you but you may want to add a photo of the land with any names blacked out and possibly a topo.

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[backstraps]

I also think a topo and aerial would get you lots more help. Can only picture in our minds what you are dealing with.



Welcome to the BEAST!

[Stanley]

I have actually hunted properties with similar conditions. I had 4 wheeler trails through mine though. I would gear up for morning hunting. Evenings were always a chance and I did have occasional wheelers go right by the tree I was in on more than one occasion. I killed one nice buck on the property in about 12 years of hunting it. I did miss one other buck.

It is so hard to hunt a property like that. I would hunt it like you suggested and see what happens. If it rains go hunting. If the weather turns bitter cold go hunting. You have to catch it when the bikers aren't racing around.

[Lockdown]

Crossing off CRP for big buck bedding might be a mistake. Last weekend me and a friend were taking the long way around to access a our spot at a public swamp and we jumped a 140+ ten point bedded in the CRP not far off a highway. He had miles of prime bedding in the swamp but bedded where we least expected it. The type of grass matters too. The taller the better... big blue stem can be a magnet.

[C&T Archery]

Crossing off CRP for big buck bedding might be a mistake. Last weekend me and a friend were taking the long way around to access a our spot at a public swamp and we jumped a 140+ ten point bedded in the CRP not far off a highway. He had miles of prime bedding in the swamp but bedded where we least expected it. The type of grass matters too. The taller the better... big blue stem can be a magnet.

I agree with this. When I had my pointers and pheasant hunted Iowa, we would jump huge deer out of little draws in the crp and even cut corn fields.

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

I am currently hunting a simalar property with ATV's and many of the propertys I hunt have trails. Deer will become acustomed to those trails... On a hunt last year in Iowa the land owner and his some use ATV's to get to each of there stands becuase of the size of the property. I watched deer rise up out of there beds when the ATV's would go past and watch them, then just lay back down after they pass and go about there business as usual when evening rolls around... Just find the buck bedding and your fine. The bikes will be an occasional annoyance, but the bucks are still around.

[buckmaster_b]

Thanks for the opinions so far guys. Here's an aerial and a topo. I can't access photobucket from my work comp otherwise I would have uploaded them originally.

After more research on the forum, and receiving my Hill Country and March Bucks dvd's and watching them back to back I decided not to sit that spot I had found. I have yet to return to the property, somewhat out of confusion of what is the right tactic. I originally thought hunting that spot needed a west wind, but now I realize the buck wouldn't bed there on a west wind and even if he did he wouldn't travel up the point with the wind at his back. I'm not sure why these things never crossed my mind, but I realize now I have been hunting blind for years and as frustrating as that is it's interesting to look back and now see where things went wrong on specific hunts. Just glad to know now so I can improve and continue to learn from my mistakes.

Anyhow. If anyones bored and wants to mark where likely bedding may be, id much appreciate it. I will upload a topo soon with the spot marked I found the sign and I believe one bed may be. I wish I had found this site before that scout so I could have located the beds exact position since I already muddied up the spot. Oh well.

[buckmaster_b]

Let's try that topo link again..



[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Motivated]

Bump

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

I miss a lot of these threads with all the traffic on the site lately... Thanks for the bump. Red would be bedding. Blue would be likely ambush spots.

I have yet to return to the property, somewhat out of confusion of what is the right tactic. I originally thought hunting that spot needed a west wind, but now I realize the buck wouldn't bed there on a west wind and even if he did he wouldn't travel up the point with the wind at his back. I'm not sure why these things never crossed my mind, but I realize now I have been hunting blind for years and as frustrating as that is it's interesting to look back and now see where things went wrong on specific hunts. Just glad to know now so I can improve and continue to learn from my mistakes.

Bucks will bed on the points with wind to back looking over the valley... Wind is coming from above. They will walk in any direction from the bed, not just wind to back. A lot of the time they follow the elevation line the bed is on... I like to hunt point beds best from above, and on a just off wind that carries my scent down a ravine or off to the side.

[buckmaster_b]

Bucks will bed on the points with wind to back looking over the valley... Wind is coming from above. They will walk in any direction from the bed, not just wind to back. A lot of the time they follow the elevation line the bed is on... I like to hunt point beds best from above, and on a just off wind that carries my scent down a ravine or off to the side.

Thanks Dan.

So based on your markings it looks like I only have 4 spots (on the property) most likely a buck will bed with our typical west winds. The fresh sign I seen (a month old so no longer fresh but had promise of a nice deer) was on the west end of the bigger CRP field on the west facing ridgelines. Would this be mainly Eastern wind activity (which as I am sure you are aware is rather rare) or could the buck(s) be using the CRP up top to bed? I can't seem to understand why it would make sense for them to bed in the CRP now that I know they like to use wind at their back and eyes front to cover both bases. I can't imagine they see well out of the CRP while bedded.

I'm just leary of walking in and busting things up so trying to get as much intel as possible first to make the smartest moves.

[buckmaster_b]

Crossing off CRP for big buck bedding might be a mistake. Last weekend me and a friend were taking the long way around to access a our spot at a public swamp and we jumped a 140+ ten point bedded in the CRP not far off a highway. He had miles of prime bedding in the swamp but bedded where we least expected it. The type of grass matters too. The taller the better... big blue stem can be a magnet.

I am not sure the type of grass, but I remember at the time it was probably waist to chest high. Do you remember anything particular about the spot you jumped that big 10 that would make that spot in the CRP better than any others?

[dan]

Bucks will bed on the points with wind to back looking over the valley... Wind is coming from above. They will walk in any direction from the bed, not just wind to back. A lot of the time they follow the elevation line the bed is on... I like to hunt point beds best from above, and on a just off wind that carries my scent down a ravine or off to the side.

Thanks Dan.

So based on your markings it looks like I only have 4 spots (on the property) most likely a buck will bed with our typical west winds. The fresh sign I seen (a month old so no longer fresh but had promise of a nice deer) was on the west end of the bigger CRP field on the west facing ridgelines. Would this be mainly Eastern wind activity (which as I am sure you are aware is rather rare) or could the buck(s) be using the CRP up top to bed? I can't seem to understand why it would make sense for them to bed in the CRP now that I know they like to use wind at their back and eyes front to cover both bases. I can't imagine they see well out of the CRP while bedded.

I'm just leary of walking in and busting things up so trying to get as much intel as possible first to make the smartest moves.

They might be bedding in the CRP, or in a ravine, or some other spot that gives them an advantage I can't see with the maps... However, the sign your seeing could be night time sign too...

[Lockdown]

Crossing off CRP for big buck bedding might be a mistake. Last weekend me and a friend were taking the long way around to access a our spot at a public swamp and we jumped a 140+ ten point bedded in the CRP not far off a highway. He had miles of prime bedding in the swamp but bedded where we least expected it. The type of grass matters too. The taller the better... big blue stem can be a magnet.

I am not sure the type of grass, but I remember at the time it was probably waist to chest high. Do you remember anything particular about the spot you jumped that big 10 that would make that spot in the CRP better than any others?

Yes. We jumped him out of a low spot that had the thickest, tallest grass in the field. It was also on a transition line changing from Big blue stem to brome grass. Look for anything different. Lone trees, a low spot, a transition, places that are hard to approach without being seen. I actually jumped two smaller bucks on the other side of that property bedded in a low spot in taller grass just like the big one. The funny thing about the big buck, we were actually gawking at the size of 3 beds at the thermal tunnel line (watch dan's DVDs if you haven't) 1/3 of the way down from the top of the hill. We walked 10 yards and he jumped out of the low spot 100yards away.