Where to park?

[jtpeagle41]

What factors do you consider when deciding where to park the truck? I'm talking more about private land than public, since most of the public I'm familiar with requires that you use designated parking areas.

Do you consider the wind from your vehicle?

Keeping it out of sight from deer?

Sound? Do you park closer on a windy day? further away on a real quiet morning?

Until I started thinking more about pressure, for me its always been just plain ol' convenience.

I'd say it varies greatly depending on how much the deer in the area are exposed to vehicles, or if its a common vehicle. Like say the old farm truck that the deer are used to. Should i be jumping in the old farm truck or on a tractor to go in?

Am I way over thinking this or is there more to it that I've over looked?

[elk yinzer]

I am 95% public but definitely the handful of spots I have close to a road, I consider access, and park such that I am not spooking any deer going in be it wind or noise. Those type of spots are usually the overlooked type spots also, so I am putting some thought into evading other hunters so they remain overlooked as well. If I am hunting in deep, I just park wherever and don't really worry about it.

[Bowhunter4life]

Pretty much hunt all public anymore but if I were on a private piece I would take that into account. Access is a big deal and the deer pattern people a lot more than we pattern them. That being said if this area your taking about sees regular traffic and you park in the same spots everytime the deer will catch onto that. Some may even bed according to that to watch the area you park and enter the woods from. Biggest thing I would say to consider in where you park is knowing where your deer are and how they bed that property. Terrain and type of land be it big timber, swamp or farmland will all play a roll as well. Farmland they can often see a good distance and especially once crops are harvested so that is something to really consider is their sight advantage but in all types you have to really pay close attention to where your wind carries too.

If your typically around this piece or say someone is pretty often I would use the same parking for going to check a camera or whatever it be but come time to hunt I would park somewhere else and try to come in completely undetected by any game if possible. I still try to use this in hunting on some of my public spots, will park along the side of the gravel road where allowed and enter the property completely different than 90 percent of your other hunters. That’s still all based off my scouting and where the deer are likely bedding at.

[Nelson87]

My opinion is do whatever it takes to slip in undetected, which I've found can be difficult to do on the private land I hunt once the crops come out. On one property I hunt I spent 8 hours with a chainsaw and pruning shears opening up a creek across the neighbors (with permission) so I could use it to access a certain spot, and another otherwise flat field has drainage ditches that I use to access. Both situations take 3-4 times longer to access than the easiest route, but it's neccesary.

I've had people drop me off and pick me up in certain situations, that can work well in some cases on private land.

If you have public land available I would hunt it to keep the pressure down on the private land and try to time your private land sits for the best odds in each spot.

I guess I kind of got away from your question on parking, but access is everything. When I was 16-17 and just getting into bowhunting I would pull into the field in the mornings and shine the field with my headlights and often I would see deer. I'd park in the same spot and walk across the corner of the field to the woods never realizing I was alerting every deer around to where I was.

[Scratchman]

Always across the road 200 yards down. I don't want anyone patterning me, humans or deer.

[NYBackcountry]

I dont think your overthinking anything, access is a huge part of the hunt.

Definitely consider where you park, consider having someone drop you at your spot with a farm vehicle if possible. If not, ask neighbors if you can access from their land. Consider walking all the way around etc. If you park in the same spot for the most part, look around see where a deer could watch you from you may find a some helpful info.

[megavites]

I have one private that the resident deer "know" when I pull in and I still take'em home in the back of the bed. I've also used it as a tactic by driving in like a farmer, dropping a buddy off and pulling away.
He shot a nice buck 1hr later.
I'd say if they are used to traffic, then not a problem.

[jtpeagle41]

Thanks for all the good info!

I've been hunting the same 50 acres of woods on our home farm for 20 years now and we always park by the same barn near the timber (when we are hunting the timber). The barn blocks the view of the truck from the woods and it is east of the woods edge. Some of the best bedding on the farm is right in the edge of that wood lot just 100 yards from the barn.

I'd say the parking spot is good on sight and scent factors, but the road is gravel all the way to the barn. I'm sure they can hear the truck pulling in. Now this barn probably gets weekly or biweekly farmer traffic, but not at two hours before daylight. The deer probably get up and think "Here comes that good ol boy again. Wonder how long it'll take him to get up in a tree this time lol"

Thanks for helping me think through it. Seems obvious now. I always parked there bc that's where we always parked growing up. Makes me feel super smart

I'm going to try parking further out this year. Thanks again!