Advice needed...aerial and topo maps provided!

[whitetail4ever]

Thanks guys! Any more feedback would be appreciated everyone! Dan, you got anything to add?

[BigHunt]

what he takilng about it werei have the orange lines that is the sattle ....and if the map is face in north then i would be sitting your stand locations on the north facing slope on a south wind


another ting is i need you line out the proprty that you can only hunt

[dan]

Here is my take on the swamp... This is if I was going in blind just based on your photo.
BLUE: POTENTIAL BUCK BEDDING AREAS
GREEN: HUNTING POSITIONS
YELLOW: BUCK CRUISING ROUGHT DURING PRE-RUT

I might or might not end up hunting deeper into the swamp based on trees and such, looks like just brush from here. Most likely I would end up hunting a few spots in the swamp but they would have to be well thought out and a good scouting mission in spring would need to be done to determine exact buck bedding positions to know your not hurting yourself more than helping... However, if sitting back fails, go for it and just move in. Especially if you see one in there and see a way to get in there and set up on him.
I have gotten my stand into bushes only 6 or 8 feet off the ground.. Or just hid on the ground. Whatever you gotta do to get in the game.

[dan]

On this topo I marked hunting positions I would pick based on terrain elevations in the hilly area... I believe your positions are to high, and too low to have great results... I did like your position where the woods meets the finger that leads to the swamp for peak rut... And I also liked your position at the end of that little finger point as an observation stand. I circled it in blue. I would be worried that it could be a position a big buck beds also to observe the fields. Scouting in spring should reveal that... The bucks should be cruising up in the top 1/4 of the ridges that drop off... Your going to be a little worried cause the majority of buck sign will be in the bottom, and at the field edges. The majority of that sign is made after shooting hours. If you want to shoot a nice buck in daylight your highest percentage spots are going to be right where the ridges start to drop off steep. Especially now that the rut is starting. You have really good odds in the late mornings when bucks will begin checking doe bedding areas for does they know are bedded during those hours. They will cruise the wind tunnel if possible so you should try to pick spots with a leeward wind. It will work without the lee wind, but probably 1/2 as effective.

[whitetail4ever]

Wow...thanks Dan! Hey, I guess the reason I have those low spots along field edges is for a few reasons...early season meat hunts (does), so then I am not trampling in the woods as much, and secondly, because I have few, maybe one, mature tree along that north facing ridge that I can actually get up into. If I hunt from the ground, it is so thick...I wouldn't have much for shooting lanes. I probably could not even get up into a bush like you mentioned. How would you hunt the north facing slope with a west wind? Not the best wind for that situation probably. We seem to have a west wind frequently. Also, if I hunt on the top 1/4 of the ridge, access points become iffy. I may try hunting from the ground closer to that swamp. So, do you think bucks come out into the open fields as much? Kind of like your IOWA hunt Dan. I put those field edge stands up, banking that a decoy could lure a buck out into the open. All great advise...keep it coming guys!

[dan]

If its as thick as you say, access should not be a problem. Sounds like trees is more of an issue... I would want the wind blowing over the ridge from top over the valley. The bucks will cruise right where the thermal wind hits the regular wind... I am sure you can find some way to hunt somewhere along that ridge if you put your mind to it...

[Bucky]

Before I saw Dan's response this is my go to spot...



I think James was describing same area for cruzing... access is the issue.. how do you get there? Is there road going up?

[BigRed]

Would defenitely hunt that saddle, that south facing ridge between the two bedding points could be good also depending on the wind. I would think you could catch some bucks running that ridge

[whitetail4ever]