Here is my attempt to show you the different areas on the map.
This is the topo map of my hunting area in SW Pennsylvania. You can see where i have placed my ladder stand. There is a deep cut to the right that is labled Strip mine. It is basically a cliff. The deer seem to either come up from that area over the top in front of my stand. Saturdays hunt had the deer come from the left as indicated by the orange trail. He was about a 110" 8 point. He should be taking a dirt nap right now but the ladder stand squeaked. It was about 20 mins before dark. This is highly hunted public land.
I was wondering where you guys would think he is bedding. I typically hunted this convergence of terrain and never paid attention to beds before wathcing the hill country video. The deer almost always run this hill in a west to east direction. I feel the buck is bedding to the left of my stand. I can hunt tonight but it will be rainy. I now am back on the saddle again after a near death climbing incident 6 years ago. I was wondering what wind i should be looking for to hunt the buck as he is cruising the hill side. I have yet to check the wind with milk weed but i believe that where my ladder stand is there is a thermal tunnel. I have never been winded while hunting this spot and prior to watching the hill country dvd i assumed it was my scent control methods. The terrain is mostly open hardwoods coming across the hillside.
I was planning on making my way across the hillside and hunt the elevation where i feel the wind tunnel is. This buck would be the biggest I have ever harvested. I want to get closer to his bedding area and get a better shot at shooting him with more daylight. Should i be above or below the wind tunnel/ deer trail. What directions should I face the climbing stand. I am thinking the beds are as shown. I typically leave this area as a sanctuary and never go in that thicket or hunt near it.
MORINING: If i set up on the hill side 1/3 down with wind coming over the top of the ridge in the morning and thermals rising up is this the best chance to get this deer in the morning?
EVENING: If i set up below the bedding area with a wind coming up the ridge and the thermals coming down is the best chance of seeing this deer? That would be the conditions for tonight but it is rainy today. I was thinking of taking the bow and just looking for a tree and access to get closer to the thicket to set up on for saturday. Do you guys see the deer moving in the mid afternoon times as well?
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. I have really been upping my game and observing this site and the hill country video might be the final piece to my puzzle and finally put one on the wall. Thanks in advance to any help i recieve.
Mike
I have seen a lot of deer using this area but never linked why certain days where hotter than others. Please help me reach my goal and harvest my first deer 2.5 years or older.
