I want to start off by thanking Dan & everyone on the Beast for their insightful posts! It is really amazing all the info I have been finding for this great passion we all share. Within the last 3 years I have really caught the bug and have been spending some seriour time in the woods but after stumbling onto this forum I have come to the conclusion that I really know next to nothing about how to trully scout/hunt a property and try to use the information to my advantage. Our current stand placement has pretty much been determined by wandering around the woods and looking for deer trails, rubs, scrapes or really anywhere we think looks good. So no other thought was really put into it. We have a bunch of great buck pictures but haven't actually seen them in person. The trail cams are over the main ATV trail down at the bottom of the valley. Now that I am in the process of learning what should really be done to create the "right" setup I would like to get everyones opinion and start fresh.
Some info on our propoerty: Located in Western WI it is trully hill country with deep wooded valleys and crops/farmland at the flat tops. No food plots are on the propoerty but I know that the neighbors have some at the botttom of the valley to the East. We have ATV trails (shown in yellow) for access (typically with an ATV) and the propoerty lines are shown in red. The current tree stand locations (all permanent wood ladder stands) are shown with a blue x.
I would be interested in knowing where everyone thinks a good setup would be for different winds including where to search for buck beds after the season and where I should concentrate my scouting to. Also I would like to know once I find a bed where would you setup and for what winds. Thank you in advance for all the insight!!
Hill Country Help!!
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
I love google topos, there really is no better choice. First thing that jumps at me is the south fenceline where the western most ravine tops out at the fence. I like these heads of ravines, especially where two create a straight line from top to top and connect to a main ridge and that's the case here. Hunt this spot on a south wind and use the ravines bottom for your approach. Spots like this are really good for all day sits if the wind is consistent, which it likely could be considering it's a top. Predawn thermals keep your scent in the bottom of the ravine and stay that way longer on the north side because the sun doesn't hit it until late. By the time the sun does hit it, winds have usually picked up and keep your scent high over the valley. The last hour thermals kick in and again channel your scent to the ravine. If you hunt this on a good moon, like this coming Friday's moon, you're pretty much guaranteed you'll get a crack at one of the better bucks in the area.
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
, I got all excited and forgot to look at the aerial. Skip the south fence, I now see it's a field
North east corner is good on north east wind. Best to hit it from the southwest, that hill looks steep...
MIddle of east fence line on east wind. There's a blue X there already but it needs to be a little closer to the fence and and a little more south closer to that neck of woods.
Lot of valleys on this property and look to be pretty good ones. They're great for gun and best for bow on a light wind day with a calm cool evening.
There's my 2 cents, good luck!
North east corner is good on north east wind. Best to hit it from the southwest, that hill looks steep...
MIddle of east fence line on east wind. There's a blue X there already but it needs to be a little closer to the fence and and a little more south closer to that neck of woods.
Lot of valleys on this property and look to be pretty good ones. They're great for gun and best for bow on a light wind day with a calm cool evening.
There's my 2 cents, good luck!
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
Thanks so much for the quick reply! Based on your initial reply I should try to talk the farmer into planting some fast growing trees on that top farmland
Just to make sure I follow you I attached another aerial and marked with a green x where I believe you are saying to setup but let me know if I am not following you. Only a couple of problems...You are right that that NE corner is very steep and without any approach trails close I would have a of a time trying to approach it from the bottom. What about approaching it from the top through the field? Also the one you mentioned on the East fence would be very doable however with predominant SW winds do you see any spots that would be good for the predominat winds? FYI the areas seems to always be windy and the valleys just swirl with wind!
Just to make sure I follow you I attached another aerial and marked with a green x where I believe you are saying to setup but let me know if I am not following you. Only a couple of problems...You are right that that NE corner is very steep and without any approach trails close I would have a of a time trying to approach it from the bottom. What about approaching it from the top through the field? Also the one you mentioned on the East fence would be very doable however with predominant SW winds do you see any spots that would be good for the predominat winds? FYI the areas seems to always be windy and the valleys just swirl with wind!
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
I marked this map up for you... The PINK dots represent my pic's for stand locations. The rest of the dots represent potential bedding areas. They are color coded for which wind deer would bed there in.
NORTH / RED
WEST / GREEN
SOUTH / BLUE
EAST / YELLOW
I don't like the "valley" set ups... I think guys are fooled into hunting low based on the amount of buck sign, but I believe the majority of that sign is put there at night. The thing with the valleys that also really screws hunters is that the bucks tend to bed off the points watching the valley floor and possibly seeing you set up. But more importantly, the thermal wind will pull your scent right up those points to the bucks bed. They bed in what I call the thermal tunnel. They bed on points where the wind is blowing over the valley so they can smell any danger from above, but the thermal wind from the sun heating the valley floor comes up the hill and they can also smell you from below. They bed right where these two winds meet. The way you access your stands is going to be very important.
If it were me, I would also leave the four wheelers parked at the farm and just use them to retrieve dead deer. When those things fire up every mature buck that has lived on that property knows "the hunters are here"
the majority of daylight movement where you can intercept mature bucks in daylight will occur about 1/4 from the top on the side hills. Set ups outside of the rut should be as close to buck bedding as possible to get daylight movement. During rut the pinch points between the major bedding areas should rock.
I would strongly recommend you pick up a copy of my Hill country DVD,
not trying to make a sale, the DVD lays out the exact plan I use to kill bucks in terrain exactly like yours. Its not just another hunting DVD. I am sure a few of the members here can attest to that.
NORTH / RED
WEST / GREEN
SOUTH / BLUE
EAST / YELLOW
I don't like the "valley" set ups... I think guys are fooled into hunting low based on the amount of buck sign, but I believe the majority of that sign is put there at night. The thing with the valleys that also really screws hunters is that the bucks tend to bed off the points watching the valley floor and possibly seeing you set up. But more importantly, the thermal wind will pull your scent right up those points to the bucks bed. They bed in what I call the thermal tunnel. They bed on points where the wind is blowing over the valley so they can smell any danger from above, but the thermal wind from the sun heating the valley floor comes up the hill and they can also smell you from below. They bed right where these two winds meet. The way you access your stands is going to be very important.
If it were me, I would also leave the four wheelers parked at the farm and just use them to retrieve dead deer. When those things fire up every mature buck that has lived on that property knows "the hunters are here"
the majority of daylight movement where you can intercept mature bucks in daylight will occur about 1/4 from the top on the side hills. Set ups outside of the rut should be as close to buck bedding as possible to get daylight movement. During rut the pinch points between the major bedding areas should rock.
I would strongly recommend you pick up a copy of my Hill country DVD,
not trying to make a sale, the DVD lays out the exact plan I use to kill bucks in terrain exactly like yours. Its not just another hunting DVD. I am sure a few of the members here can attest to that.
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
Thanks so much Dan! After reading through the site I actually ordered the egress before I even posted! Couple quick things. Would u recommend approaching the stands from the bottom or down from the fields if possible? Also when is it best to see if there's bedding at those locations?
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
When approaching those set ups I would keep in mind the positions I marked for bedding and if those deer can see your approach or smell your approach... How you approach your stand position is a very important matter that has to be considered each hunt based on the deers sight, his hearing, wind, and crossing deer trails. You also have to consider if your hunting AM or PM.
Scout the beds next spring / winter before green up.
Scout the beds next spring / winter before green up.
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
One other thing I thought I would mention... The 2 biggest bucks we ever got on camera were both at the location marked my a light blue circle on the map. One of them was photographed last year 11/7 at 6:30pm traveling North on the marked ATV trail and the other one was filmed this past 10/30 at 8:30pm traveling South down that same trail. I was suspecting that they may bed down that valley to the SE but I know that you didn't mark anything in that valley. Should I chaulk up those 2 siteings to them just out searching for does or does the time they were photographed suggest they may be bedding somewhere close?
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
Whoops forgot to attach the file to prior post.
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
The dates you captured the bucks image suggests to me that his movements were rut related..
I rarely see bucks bedding in valleys in hill country. The biggest exception being if there is swamp or marsh in the valley, which I do not see here.
I rarely see bucks bedding in valleys in hill country. The biggest exception being if there is swamp or marsh in the valley, which I do not see here.
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
Agreed. Thought of one other thing... We currently are using permanant wood ladder stands for hunting as we don't have any portable ones. they are all around 3x3 platforms with a wood ladder going to the ground. They vary from 12' to 16' in height. What are your opinions on using these permanant stands? If I am setting them up in areas that are somewhat close to bedding (especially prerut) do you think the bucks will notice them and cause them to change their bedding locations? Or do you think that if we set them up in the Spring that they will eventually become use to them and continue to bed in the area?
Or do I just need to make the investment in a portable...
Or do I just need to make the investment in a portable...
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Re: Hill Country Help!!
The main problem with putting up permanent stands is not the deer noticing them, its the deer smelling you and your hunting partners use of them. If you hunt those stands more than once every month or so, in my opinion you are over hunting them. We know deer can smell better than bloodhounds and a blood hound can follow human scent trails several days after the human has been there. I am not sure how long they can still smell the scent but not follow it... Most of my success on mature bucks has come by catching them off guard and moving constantly. Basically hunting mobile.
I am in no way saying you should not use permanent set ups, but rather suggesting you also have a mobile set up, and think about not over hunting any one position.
Another good thing about mobile stands is its easy to move to a different tree if the action seems to have moved over. In some of my hunting spots I have several different trees I hunt out of and generally pick my exact location based on the exact wind.
I am in no way saying you should not use permanent set ups, but rather suggesting you also have a mobile set up, and think about not over hunting any one position.
Another good thing about mobile stands is its easy to move to a different tree if the action seems to have moved over. In some of my hunting spots I have several different trees I hunt out of and generally pick my exact location based on the exact wind.
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