where to start?

[mauser06]

so i found a gamelands that is catching my eye....


its 5,000 acres or so...


my biggest "hurdle" is it is F L A T FLAT...were talking hardly topo lines on the map...there might be 20-60 foot changes TOPS and they are REALLY gradual...from the road it looks like a lot of hardwood timber..looks like a lot of maple...20ish year old not completely mature but not saplings..


the things that are catching my attention...its relatively remote...theres a few roads but you can really get in there...access is limited...there is naturally a lot of WET areas....those things alone mean your average guy just isnt going in there...which means the bucks should be on the bigger/older side of the fence...


from the aerial and topo it shows a lot of creeks...lots of bends and curves in them...they vary in size...some look to be surrounded by wetland red brush and i know they are very prone to flooding with any amount of rain..there are also some ponds throughout...cant tell if theres any logging but there could be some cuts in there...

looks like there may be some pine or hemlock stands...

some fields...both agriculture and probably CRP type stuff...some in it...mostly outside on the private land borders...dont get me wrong...its mostly all timber...or bottomland type stuff...


also...throughout rifle and the late season theres hardly ever a hunters truck anywhere...

ive hunted farmland and hills all my life...

this is like looking at a map of the moon to me....


were getting snow starting tonight...i wanna start scouting and every time i drive through i just think thats a good place to start looking at...


any thoughts on where to even begin??


i am assuming habitat changes...bottom/wetland type stuff and timber edges...timber and pine or hemlock edges...???


i THINK any type of elevation may be a spot worth looking into being so wet looking...


hopefully snow on the ground can help lead me to deer and i can take the GPS and mark the truck and just follow tracks till i get a handle on things....

thats one thing....its so flat and so similar looking it'll be dang easy to get lost in a hurry...glad i just got a GPS!

[UPbowhunter]

We are flat here too. Deer will use laurel, and holly strip like ridges. Creeks will also force deer movement. Remember cover along creeks provide most cover.

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[seeds]

Change in vegetation often shows change in elevation. Where it's wet,a change in inches can be significant.

I hunt mostly marshes and rarely look at a topo....Dramatic changes in elevation - large hardwood islands in the cattails for instance - often draw more hunters than deer during daylight in season.

So where to start? Edges. Edges,edges edges. Just like fishing. Where rock meets mud. Where mud meets weeds. Where coontail meets curly pondweed....Points,inside turns.

Where goldenrod meets poplar.

[Wlog]

Lack of hunters is the most important ingredient so I'd be willing to bet you'll find good bucks. Most of my areas are really flat too with not much to go by on a topo map. But there usually are some subtle elevation changes that I find beds on.

Sounds like an interesting spot. Good luck with your scouting.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[mauser06]

Thanx guys!


I will keep you updated...I plan to focus my efforts there this winter...unless I can't cut a track...


But rifle season pressure was almost none...I highly doubt archery season pressure is high...


I think its worth a good look at...

[ Post made via Android ]

[checkerfred]

I've hunted some bottom land by a river this year. It's tough. I've got some some deer bedded but couldn't confirm what or what big. I went straight to an oxbow on a feeder Creek and jumped a lone deer. Not sure what it was. Gonna do some scouting in the off season.

[ Post made via Android ]

[briar]

I think I know what gamelands you are talking about....One time years ago I drove there to coonhunt. After looking around a bit I turned around and went home. That place game me the willies