Can you guys please share your knowledge about this property

[Huntin Farmland]

Watched your hunt on Deer & Deer Hunting and was very impressed with the hunt/tracking. I would love to gain some knowledge when it comes to stand sites/funnels/saddles/and other things (determining buck beds from doe). Thanks in advance for your help in these regards. We have had decent luck on this farm (290 acres including fields), but I attribute my recent success with neighboring land being QDM and some bucks spilling over the fence. What can I do to make my land a bit more of a buck farm considering the huge chunk of forest to my West (North is to the top on all maps).







As you can see from my work on these maps, I like to put time in - but with four young kids and a wife who works nights I can't get to the field as much as I would like. I have not bowhunted this land yet, but started last year and was wondering what you thought on possible bow sites.

Thanks,

Wes
Huntin Farmland

[BigHunt]

well first off welcome to the beast ...im Tyler


i put red dots were i would expect the buck bedding........they like to bed off the tips of points in the thermal tunnel on the down wind side of the ridge about 1/3 from the top.....basically were ever the thermal tunnel is.......its not always going to be right at the top , when you scout this i would walk the 900 elevation line all the way around , or what you can hunt.......when are you hunting this ...early season , rut???? i put red lines were there should be cuts ....cuts are basically the opposite of points, filled with fallen trees and big rocks that makes it hard for the deer to cross, cuts are a good pinch points to set up in during the rut. the bucks will be scent checking the area cursing the 1/3 elevation at the top of the ridge. when a cut comes along they get pinched up and cross in cretin spots....when you scout this, you will find the trails in the cuts were they can cross....thats were you want to set up, ...personally i would set up as high as you can so your scent isn't rolling around in the thermal tunnel....usually the first trail on the high side of the cut is where there going to cross.

[dan]

I agree with big hunts assessment... I would expect bucks to be bedding off points, especially those with the wind coming down the point from above. The bucks will bed right where the natural wind meets the rising thermal current from the valley.
Its hard to tell thickness by your aerial. But if its open woods they could likely see your approach from a distance, and in private land learning exact locations of primary beds and coming up with well thought out approaches where the bedded bucks won't see or smell you, or blocking site paths can make a world of difference...
Not trying to push a sale here, but I have a very detailed scouting DVD thats over 3 hours long that goes into great detail about how exactly bucks bed in terrain just like yours. Its called "Hill country bucks" its available in our online store. Most of the people on this forum have seen it and I don't think I have ever had someone not think it was an awesome DVD...

Welcome to the BEAST!

[Huntin Farmland]

Thanks for the info guys! Maybe I will have to make that DVD a birthday present for myself Dan (1/31). Big Hunt seems to be right on with the bedding points near the pond on the map. I set up a trail cam just out of the woods off the point where he put two right dots (on a scrape) and had about 12 different bucks come to the site in a week. This property is just gun season land right now as my grandfather isn't too keen on letting bowhunters on (myself included). In Wisconsin that is late November as you already know Dan. We have had the most luck during gun season in the back valley to the NW of the property. We had a 6 1/2+ year old buck taken this year crossing from the marsh to the East to the timber. Thanks again for any info as I am more of a visual learner. I can read all the magazines I want-but can't seem to transfer that info to my hunting scenarios. Below is one of the bucks that came to the cam/scrape near that point in 2010.

[DEERSLAYER]

Welcome to the Beast! I agree about the Hill Country DVD. I think you would be quite happy with it and how it applies to your hunting area. It's an instructional DVD, but it has some kills on it. If you have a marsh you might want to get the Marsh Bucks video too. I don't even pay attention to what's in magazines anymore. I have found their hunting tactics rarely work in high pressure areas.

[dan]

Thats a nice buck Farmland... I hope your grandfather sees the light sometime soon and lets you bowhunt.