My Hunting Area..Need Advice

[AB_Vinny]

Ok finally figured out how to post images.

The area I have access to hunt is outlined in red. Basically everything is on higher ground with river flood plains surrounding it. (North is Up)

I have walked the ridges that face north and walked the ridges to the east. The east ridges have a lot of willows near the point and there are woods everywhere else and I found a few beds in the SE facing wooded areas.

My farm is right in the middle and there is a lot of sign (rubs, scrapes, etc) in that island of trees just above where I wrote "1/2 Mile". The problem is my cameras show bucks coming by at night. I was walking on the smaller of the two islands in that North-South dry slough (looks like a dark line 1/3 of the way from the west end of the island) and I noticed heavy deer traffic on beaten paths heading towards west. Perhaps both does and bucks travel from the islands everynight and the higher ground at my farm is where they only visit in the night. This is just a theory.

Anyway I would like to hear other's comments on the area. Note that topo maps in my area are very basic and are in meters. The attached map does not include the islands however.

[dan]

Its possible there are some nice bucks bedding on the islands... But I would not rule out the farm. I think you need to find, and hunt closer to the buck bedding.

[AB_Vinny]

Its possible there are some nice bucks bedding on the islands... But I would not rule out the farm. I think you need to find, and hunt closer to the buck bedding.

Dan, below are pictures of that east point (looking NE). One picture is of the point and the other is just a continuation to the west. Notice the small group of trees all by itself in the willows; it had a single bed in it when I walked through. Also the woods to the west of the willows had beds on benches as well.

[dan]

I would think a good place to set up would be along the side of the ridge at about the same elevation to the beds and between beds if possible while they are rutting, and between beds and the general direction of food if its outside the rut.
The key is to pick and choose the hunting days wisly, because you don't want to over hunt the area near the bedding.
I would assume the spots you pointed out do indeed hold some nice bucks.

[AB_Vinny]

I would think a good place to set up would be along the side of the ridge at about the same elevation to the beds and between beds if possible while they are rutting, and between beds and the general direction of food if its outside the rut.
The key is to pick and choose the hunting days wisly, because you don't want to over hunt the area near the bedding.
I would assume the spots you pointed out do indeed hold some nice bucks.

Thanks for the advice Dan. And from your experience the bucks would prefer ridges like this to the islands below do you think?

[dan]

Thanks for the advice Dan. And from your experience the bucks would prefer ridges like this to the islands below do you think?

From my experiance you will find some bucks prefering the islands, and some the ridges. Some might even do both.