Watering hole help

[JMAR85]

A month ago I was scouting a large piece of public. For the most part it is completely flat and solid timber. There are different sections of clear cuts of various ages. For what ever reason I decided to go into one of the cuts which is fairly thick, with no leaves on the trees I could see about 30 yards. About 1/4 mile in I came up to a large hemlock that was left standing with a nice scrape below it and a 30x20 water hole which I suspect stays wet all year and a trail leading down to it. The spot immediately caught my interest, furthermore there was no sign of human presence. My question is how do I go about hunting this when the deer could be almost anywhere. I'm going back in a week or so to do some trimming and considering cutting myself a small "hidden" path to slip in and out of it. Any tips?

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[blizzardhunter]

From my experience any time you cut a path deer start using it.

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[Lockdown]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if they're bedding very close to it. Especially if most of the area is pretty homogenous terrain. I would follow EVERY trail within a few hundred yards and pay close attention to rub direction. If you can establish a rubline it could lead you to good bedding. And if you find beds near the water hole, use the rublines to determine what direction he is leaving.

Flat groves/timber is tough. Pay close attention to any deadfalls... I find tons of beds in them. That water hole could be a great spot for a camera.

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