How would you hunt this property? New lease.

[BJE80]

I have picked up permission to hunt this 20 acres of woods near where I work. It is all private land around. It is a very high AG area and this is pretty much the biggest block of woods within miles. I have some pictures of good bucks. This year it is corn all the way around. Currently all corn is down except for the west (left) side of the property which is all standing yet. Since prevailing winds seem to be West and North I find this property tough to hunt. My access is down the driveway to the house. I can park by the tower and access the woods there and have done that. Looking for that south or east wind but then how do I stay downwind of a traveling deer?





Look closely there are two main walking trails. One coming from the house going south. The other making a loop from the driveway.



Obviously I have an inside corner going on the right side of the property. Access with the right wind is tough though.





Also, I suspect the neighbors are hunting their little strip of edge woods on the right side of this land. I don't know if it is hunting for bow or gun.

It is pretty windy on this land often because it is on top of the hill. Because of this lots of trees go down and it is a thick nasty mess. Which is good. But hard to predict natural travel routes. I have no idea where they are bedding. The tree area to the east looks like potential bedding with grown up grasses and pines.

If I go in for an evening hunt I have to be careful not to bump the deer off the property.

Any suggestions as I have sat three times out there and have not seen a deer. I know they are there. At least at times.



Stand locations? Strategies? Only hunt mornings? Walk the entire perimeter to access the other side with a north wind and get into that corner? This is not my primary place to hunt it is just something to hunt when I am at home and not up north. Or after work. I would not mind just shooting a few does off it and fill the freezer here and leave them alone up north

[kenn1320]

As you have experienced, evening hunts are tough. If you bump a deer they wont stop till the next cover, which means you wont see them again that night. Morning hunts are better, since you can get in prior to the deer returning. You need to locate bedding in the off season and determine where you can access. I find in a situation similar to this that the deer will bed with wind to their back and view towards the direction of common danger, in this case the house. I've been set up on the far end of a woods like this, and watched deer file past me single file in the winter time as my dad came in the far end to cut some wood. You will sometimes see the same deer twice in an evening as they come in check the woodlot and leave.

[BJE80]

As you have experienced, evening hunts are tough. If you bump a deer they wont stop till the next cover, which means you wont see them again that night. Morning hunts are better, since you can get in prior to the deer returning. You need to locate bedding in the off season and determine where you can access. I find in a situation similar to this that the deer will bed with wind to their back and view towards the direction of common danger, in this case the house. I've been set up on the far end of a woods like this, and watched deer file past me single file in the winter time as my dad came in the far end to cut some wood. You will sometimes see the same deer twice in an evening as they come in check the woodlot and leave.

I agree mornings might be better out there which sucks because after work would be nice. But that is another story.


OK, so assume I am going in on the morning. What wind would you look for and what spots would you consider? How would you access those spots?

[BJE80]

When the deer bed on the property I believe they mostly bed where the two red circles are. The black circle is also a very real possibility. I still think they bed more to the east. Not sure though. Once the real cold hits I bet this property goes bad since there is no thermal bedding and the wind really whips through there. Finding bedding in the spring might be tough since I suspect they won’t be there until green up and temps start going up. I know I would of have a shot at a real nice buck on an evening hunt that a got a trail cam picture at last light walking south on the main trail about middle of the property. And that day was a west wind.


I forgot to mention we get a lot of acorns on this piece.

[dan]

In that block of woods, I would expect the bucks to bed along the East edge with wind to back watching the cut cornfield while smelling the woods... Assuming the land owner owns the eastern corn field, I would observe the field from the Eastern property boundary and find a kink in a bucks plan that comes out to eat or look for does in the evening and then develop a plan.

[Stanley]

I like this spot with a south wind or a west wind. A lot of times with a gradual flat hill the bucks hug the top side. The approach would be along the hill bottom not over the top. You don't want to silhouette yourself.