Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
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Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
Some background - I've been trying to get close to this farm since 2012, I regularly see 3-4 shooter bucks in this field mid to late August in the years it isn't corn. To date, the closest I could get to the field edge was about 200 yards. I found out yesterday that a friend of ours purchased the 40 acre farm. He doesn't hunt, and is at least decently likely to allow me to hunt. I would really only hunt it opening weekend (or into the week), as there's only about 12 acres of woods and I suspect they only linger while on their summer pattern.
I don't have a lot of farm country experience, so any advice is welcome. I realize by Sept. 12th he may not make it to the field edge in daylight. I've attached a few different versions of aerials/topos to give some perspective. Please feel free to mark them up with suspected bedding or stand spots, entry routes, etc.
I don't currently know what crop is in the field this year. I am going up tomorrow and will observe from a distance tomorrow and friday evening and hopefully get to observe some good deer exiting from specific spots. I've marked where they historically exit from, but wasn't remotely beast-educated at that point, so don't have much idea as to the wind direction. Probably SW though.
Red is property line. Star is bachelor group location, exit from wood point, and retreat when they were spooked. They would always come right back out into the field when spooked by a vehicle that lingered too long.
My take on the property. Thin blue lines are transitions. Thick blue line is a walking trail I have hunted before. Everything to the right of the red is private property. Everything to the left is public. White dots are my proposed stand spots.
Topo-Hybrid... Hard to tell without boots on the ground. Might show some areas of thicket. Mostly aligns with the edges in the map above.
I don't have a lot of farm country experience, so any advice is welcome. I realize by Sept. 12th he may not make it to the field edge in daylight. I've attached a few different versions of aerials/topos to give some perspective. Please feel free to mark them up with suspected bedding or stand spots, entry routes, etc.
I don't currently know what crop is in the field this year. I am going up tomorrow and will observe from a distance tomorrow and friday evening and hopefully get to observe some good deer exiting from specific spots. I've marked where they historically exit from, but wasn't remotely beast-educated at that point, so don't have much idea as to the wind direction. Probably SW though.
Red is property line. Star is bachelor group location, exit from wood point, and retreat when they were spooked. They would always come right back out into the field when spooked by a vehicle that lingered too long.
My take on the property. Thin blue lines are transitions. Thick blue line is a walking trail I have hunted before. Everything to the right of the red is private property. Everything to the left is public. White dots are my proposed stand spots.
Topo-Hybrid... Hard to tell without boots on the ground. Might show some areas of thicket. Mostly aligns with the edges in the map above.
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
I would expect bedding to be right on the point where your seeing them exit and enter (red dots) that would be the typical type of point a mature buck would prefer to bed on in farm country. White arrows mark wind directions. If the new owner or old owner constantly used the field/woods edge trail, it might kick them farther back and I would expect them to be somewhere in the blue areas. Your stands look to be the wrong direction in regards to buck travel.
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
Thanks Dan. I was worried that could be the case, it presents challenges for an approach if there's alfalfa in the field. (Kind of the point, from the buck's perspective.)
Would you expect the bed(s) to be just inside the woodline, since that point is pretty close to the road from two directions?
My other concern is the sheer numbers potentially bedded near this field. I've seen you say bumping a few does isn't necessarily the end of a hunt. Entering inside timber edge from the south would probably be too disruptive. Plus I'm anticipating a SW Wind. Are they more likely to bed in one of the blue circles on a SE wind?
SW Wind, maybe I could enter from the north inside the far west timber edge, sneak along the wood line toward the point and set up inside corner of point?
I will hopefully know more after this weekend.
From 2012, a typical August evening for this 3/4 mile stretch of road, but otherwise not at all typical for the area. But you see what I mean about numbers...
Would you expect the bed(s) to be just inside the woodline, since that point is pretty close to the road from two directions?
My other concern is the sheer numbers potentially bedded near this field. I've seen you say bumping a few does isn't necessarily the end of a hunt. Entering inside timber edge from the south would probably be too disruptive. Plus I'm anticipating a SW Wind. Are they more likely to bed in one of the blue circles on a SE wind?
SW Wind, maybe I could enter from the north inside the far west timber edge, sneak along the wood line toward the point and set up inside corner of point?
I will hopefully know more after this weekend.
From 2012, a typical August evening for this 3/4 mile stretch of road, but otherwise not at all typical for the area. But you see what I mean about numbers...
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
Thanks Dan. I was worried that could be the case, it presents challenges for an approach if there's alfalfa in the field. (Kind of the point, from the buck's perspective.)
Correct... The way I handle it is to watch the bucks and see where they go before closing time from an observation point. Try to find a weak point in there travel where you can sneak to and set up. Maybe even wait till there in the field, and then come from behind.
I recall a rather cool looking non-typical I was hunting that was doing something very similar and there was seemingly no way to get close... Its times like that when you need to open your mind and try something, (failing is better than giving up) so I devised a plan and had my buddy drive out on the road and park and get out and make a bunch of noise while the buck was in the field watching him from a bedded position in a clump of brush... I belly crawled to what I thought was about 40 yards behind the buck that was fixated on my friend and then rose to my knees and drew and waited while my buddy moved towards the buck, when he stood I fired and shot right over his back. I was much closer than I thought.
Point is, find a way to hunt him. Maybe if a vehicle occasionally drives down the path along the woods have your buddy slowly drive over there midday and you climb out and slither up against a tree as the deer shift back. When the vehicle continues past they think it was just the farm equipment again and come back to there beds an hour or so later after they think its all clear. If not, they come out just before dark like usual.
Yes... As long as no one walks over by the bed very often and there is adequate cover they will bed real close to human activity.Would you expect the bed(s) to be just inside the woodline, since that point is pretty close to the road from two directions?
My other concern is the sheer numbers potentially bedded near this field. I've seen you say bumping a few does isn't necessarily the end of a hunt. Entering inside timber edge from the south would probably be too disruptive. Plus I'm anticipating a SW Wind. Are they more likely to bed in one of the blue circles on a SE wind?
Looking at the pictures, I see what you mean, thats a lot of deer. I would expect the "bucks" to bed farther back on an East wind, but not the does that are bedded just inside the treeline.
SW Wind, maybe I could enter from the north inside the far west timber edge, sneak along the wood line toward the point and set up inside corner of point?
That thick little brush line from the road to close to the tip might work, inside corner might work too... But going in without 1st observing from a distance and "guessing" would be foolish. Let the bucks tell you how you need to hunt them.
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
Affirmative, thanks Dan. I'll be spending the next two evenings observing, hopefully under similar conditions to September 12th/13th. Might have to take an impromptu day off if the weather doesn't work out. It's not real close to home, but I'm guessing this spot will be early or not at all.
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
Well, it didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. The farmer was cutting the field Thursday evening up until about an hour before dark. He finished up on Friday. The deer that did go into the field weren't there until late.
And though this next part isn't necessarily good news, it damn sure isn't bad news. This fella was two farms down when I first saw him, and on the neighboring farm when I saw him at last light. He was just starting to slink/fast walk north (toward the farm I have access to) when what sounded like a young wolf started barking. It lit off with a howl and the other 5-6 bucks in the field blazed out of there to the north. The big guy had a 75-100 yard head start on them and was already out of sight at that point, so I don't know if he ran or not. The wind was to the advantage. I don't know if I'll be able to get close enough to hunt him. I doubt it, but there's public about 400 yards off the field edge, so maybe I'll scout and hunt off doe bedding in the pre-rut.
These pictures make him look huge with his ears pinned back...
And though this next part isn't necessarily good news, it damn sure isn't bad news. This fella was two farms down when I first saw him, and on the neighboring farm when I saw him at last light. He was just starting to slink/fast walk north (toward the farm I have access to) when what sounded like a young wolf started barking. It lit off with a howl and the other 5-6 bucks in the field blazed out of there to the north. The big guy had a 75-100 yard head start on them and was already out of sight at that point, so I don't know if he ran or not. The wind was to the advantage. I don't know if I'll be able to get close enough to hunt him. I doubt it, but there's public about 400 yards off the field edge, so maybe I'll scout and hunt off doe bedding in the pre-rut.
These pictures make him look huge with his ears pinned back...
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
Wow those are some nice bucks! I know I'm a rookie I got no bucks on the radar like that.
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
eastwoodhunter wrote:Wow those are some nice bucks! I know I'm a rookie I got no bucks on the radar like that.
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Haha, I wouldn't call this guy on my radar. Knowing he exists and having the access and information to kill him are two different things. But yea, pretty sweet buck.
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
Great looking buck!
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
To me the set up is text book perfect. You have access from the east. You know where the bucks are coming from and going to. You don't' know the exact beds but you know the bedding area. I doubt if the pattern will hold but if it does I would hunt it like pictured below. You have a perfect bottle neck with inside corner and the opening in the timber.
You never did say what is planted in the fields the bucks are going into? CRP, Hay, Pasture, corn, beans? This could be key if you plan on hunting later on. I absolutely love the set up. This is the exact type of area I look for. Doesn't get much better than what I'm seeing in my opinion. Good luck
You never did say what is planted in the fields the bucks are going into? CRP, Hay, Pasture, corn, beans? This could be key if you plan on hunting later on. I absolutely love the set up. This is the exact type of area I look for. Doesn't get much better than what I'm seeing in my opinion. Good luck
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
It's alfalfa right now, which was what I suspected because it's been corn the last year or two and it's corn less often than most fields I think. An early season NW wind could be a solid option, since I do think it might have them feeding north to south. I did see a young 8-pt leave a bedding area just south of the house, I suspect he was bedded under the apple tree you can see on the edge of that heavy grass area. Thanks Stanley, I appreciate your insight. Do the crops affect your take, or more just the duration of its benefit?
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
BuckyHunter13 wrote:It's alfalfa right now, which was what I suspected because it's been corn the last year or two and it's corn less often than most fields I think. An early season NW wind could be a solid option, since I do think it might have them feeding north to south. I did see a young 8-pt leave a bedding area just south of the house, I suspect he was bedded under the apple tree you can see on the edge of that heavy grass area. Thanks Stanley, I appreciate your insight. Do the crops affect your take, or more just the duration of its benefit?
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The alfalfa is a good draw even up into the post rut late season. I like alfalfa late season I think it is about the best with the exception of standing corn. I like the spot I marked up until rut, and then post rut again. Even during the rut if some does are feeding in the alfalfa it could be good still. To me that spot has everything, big timber to the west, a great food source, plus a good unobtrusive approach from the east.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Summer Pattern Field Edge Scenario Help
BuckyHunter13 wrote:
Yea, I would take a day or week off as well if necessary. Jeez.
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