Looking for advice! 450 acre private Upstate ny

[upstateNYhunter518]

Hey Beasts!

I have been hunting this property for about 5 years. We have shot deer on the property but never a mature buck. I am looking for advice on what you all would be scouting for mature buck sign, stand setup locations, food locations, bedding locations, etc.

This first pic is the property and region around it:


This next pic shows the property boundary lines:


Here is a topo pic of the area:


I broke up the area in four different sections for easy reference:


Section#1


Section#2


Section#3


Section#4


I would appreciate any and all feedback guys. I can offer a bunch of information as far as sightings/harvests/trails/past sign.

I have 4 cameras and recently went in and did some scouting and put the cameras out where i found sign. I put 1 camera in section 1 and 3 cameras in section 2.
I was wondering, should I stick to one section with all the cameras or space the cameras our over the entire property? This early of a jump on info for next season, what would you guys do?

This is a couple pics of one of the bucks i got on camera in the last few years:



I know there is opportunity in the woods I hunt. I just need to know better how and where to hunt it. I will continue to post on this thread as time progresses and i gather intel on my scouting trips. Thanks again to @dan and all the hunting beast members for all you do for this forum!

[wolverinebuckman]

Nice looking piece of property! I'm in no position to give advice on killing deer...but i will say, you will likely get more response if this is posted in the scouting or deer hunting forums. Good luck!

[matt1336]

Guys could give you ideas about this property through the forum here till everybody is blue in the face. IMO this advice might not go too far. Here’s why.....
the best advice I could give you is to buy the dvds, spend a large amount of time reading through the best tactical threads amongst others and then with using this learned info spend as much time this winter spring and summer walking all over that property. If you can’t get to it as much as you’d like scour those maps. There are no short cuts. You have to put your time in and you have to walk that property countless times. You have to have failed hunts and you have to have successful hunts. It takes me seasons upon seasons to figure properties out. Most guys probably connect the dots faster than me but I doubt most will say that they got it all figured out in a season or two.
All the info is here for you. You gotta decifer it in your own head for it to really click. That’s my experience anyway.

[justdirtyfun]

When I took a look it was difficult to give good info. and here is why.

Beating the smartest deer will be hard. Traditional parking spots and access routes change their behavior and we need that info.
Also the predominant winds during the season shift their activities enough that again we need that info.
Who is hunting, how often, gun, bow, both?

Tracks don't lie. Find the biggest tracks and study everything you can with them. Trail cams near bedding will have predawn pics and post sunset pics and are VERY HELPFUL. 1 month between checks is worth shooting for. Weatherunderground can provide cross reference details for any mature buck pics.

Good luck and straight shooting.

[EdC]

just taking a quick look section 4 the swamp looked like it has islands

I like hunting swamps and transitions so this would be my first area I would look for bedding and expand from there

as mentioned before if you haven't viewed the DVD's great stuff on them

[TPE]

What exit off 87 is it man we are pretty close.....

[upstateNYhunter518]

Nice looking piece of property! I'm in no position to give advice on killing deer...but i will say, you will likely get more response if this is posted in the scouting or deer hunting forums. Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback @wolverinebuckman! Ill try posting it elsewhere for more info. I am hoping to head out there this weekend and do some boots on the ground scouting. Bed hunting is so much fun!

[wolverinebuckman]

Nice looking piece of property! I'm in no position to give advice on killing deer...but i will say, you will likely get more response if this is posted in the scouting or deer hunting forums. Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback @wolverinebuckman! Ill try posting it elsewhere for more info. I am hoping to head out there this weekend and do some boots on the ground scouting. Bed hunting is so much fun!

Well, good luck! Dan always preaches scouting transitions for bedding, that is where I would start.
I will seek out those spots where the other hunters have funneled deer movement. Last year I found some great bedding in an area that had no trees to hang a stand.

[upstateNYhunter518]

Guys could give you ideas about this property through the forum here till everybody is blue in the face. IMO this advice might not go too far. Here’s why.....
the best advice I could give you is to buy the dvds, spend a large amount of time reading through the best tactical threads amongst others and then with using this learned info spend as much time this winter spring and summer walking all over that property. If you can’t get to it as much as you’d like scour those maps. There are no short cuts. You have to put your time in and you have to walk that property countless times. You have to have failed hunts and you have to have successful hunts. It takes me seasons upon seasons to figure properties out. Most guys probably connect the dots faster than me but I doubt most will say that they got it all figured out in a season or two.
All the info is here for you. You gotta decifer it in your own head for it to really click. That’s my experience anyway.

I get that @matt1336. I have been scouring the maps, hiking in the woods and property as much as possible, reading up on books and through the forum threads, listening to podcasts and informative videos whenever I can, I have been pretty much using every available time I can to figure out the properties main trails, food and bedding locations. I also have 2 children and a wife who I also try my best to give as much love and time to as well. I was just hoping I would get some general advice from people who are looking at the maps fresh and see what they thought. If the areas I have been using is consistent or if there are things that I am just not seeing. Or... if there is an area I have not been through yet and on the maps it looks real good, I want to check it out. I also am trying to narrow some of the property down so I dont have to walk every square inch of the property. But if thats what I have to do, no problem, little by little Ill get it done. Thanks again for the feedback!

[matt1336]

Guys could give you ideas about this property through the forum here till everybody is blue in the face. IMO this advice might not go too far. Here’s why.....
the best advice I could give you is to buy the dvds, spend a large amount of time reading through the best tactical threads amongst others and then with using this learned info spend as much time this winter spring and summer walking all over that property. If you can’t get to it as much as you’d like scour those maps. There are no short cuts. You have to put your time in and you have to walk that property countless times. You have to have failed hunts and you have to have successful hunts. It takes me seasons upon seasons to figure properties out. Most guys probably connect the dots faster than me but I doubt most will say that they got it all figured out in a season or two.
All the info is here for you. You gotta decifer it in your own head for it to really click. That’s my experience anyway.

I get that @matt1336. I have been scouring the maps, hiking in the woods and property as much as possible, reading up on books and through the forum threads, listening to podcasts and informative videos whenever I can, I have been pretty much using every available time I can to figure out the properties main trails, food and bedding locations. I also have 2 children and a wife who I also try my best to give as much love and time to as well. I was just hoping I would get some general advice from people who are looking at the maps fresh and see what they thought. If the areas I have been using is consistent or if there are things that I am just not seeing. Or... if there is an area I have not been through yet and on the maps it looks real good, I want to check it out. I also am trying to narrow some of the property down so I dont have to walk every square inch of the property. But if thats what I have to do, no problem, little by little Ill get it done. Thanks again for the feedback!

Absolutely. I’m a dad of 4 and simply expressing my opinion. Sorry if I came off harsh. Maybe it’s cuz I’ve been here on the beast for so long. But there really aren’t short cuts. You can’t see a big blown over maple that’s forcing travel a certain way or a wet spot that does the same or maybe a fresh water seep these are hidden jules that can’t be seen on a map. They can only be found the old fashioned way.
I totally understand wanting others’ opinions. But agian, it’s usually the same answers over and over again. So here we go, tell me if you’ve read this before...
Here’s my advice. Find out where other hunters are hunting and what they’re doing wrong. Use these errors to your advantage. Hunting pressure creates opportunities somewhere. You have to get out and scour the property. It’s ok if it takes you five years to do it. But it’s gotta be done. Agian, IMO scouring should be done with an open mind. Bucks want to be where you’re not and will surprise you about where they show up

[upstateNYhunter518]

Guys could give you ideas about this property through the forum here till everybody is blue in the face. IMO this advice might not go too far. Here’s why.....
the best advice I could give you is to buy the dvds, spend a large amount of time reading through the best tactical threads amongst others and then with using this learned info spend as much time this winter spring and summer walking all over that property. If you can’t get to it as much as you’d like scour those maps. There are no short cuts. You have to put your time in and you have to walk that property countless times. You have to have failed hunts and you have to have successful hunts. It takes me seasons upon seasons to figure properties out. Most guys probably connect the dots faster than me but I doubt most will say that they got it all figured out in a season or two.
All the info is here for you. You gotta decifer it in your own head for it to really click. That’s my experience anyway.

I get that @matt1336. I have been scouring the maps, hiking in the woods and property as much as possible, reading up on books and through the forum threads, listening to podcasts and informative videos whenever I can, I have been pretty much using every available time I can to figure out the properties main trails, food and bedding locations. I also have 2 children and a wife who I also try my best to give as much love and time to as well. I was just hoping I would get some general advice from people who are looking at the maps fresh and see what they thought. If the areas I have been using is consistent or if there are things that I am just not seeing. Or... if there is an area I have not been through yet and on the maps it looks real good, I want to check it out. I also am trying to narrow some of the property down so I dont have to walk every square inch of the property. But if thats what I have to do, no problem, little by little Ill get it done. Thanks again for the feedback!

Absolutely. I’m a dad of 4 and simply expressing my opinion. Sorry if I came off harsh. Maybe it’s cuz I’ve been here on the beast for so long. But there really aren’t short cuts. You can’t see a big blown over maple that’s forcing travel a certain way or a wet spot that does the same or maybe a fresh water seep these are hidden jules that can’t be seen on a map. They can only be found the old fashioned way.
I totally understand wanting others’ opinions. But agian, it’s usually the same answers over and over again. So here we go, tell me if you’ve read this before...
Here’s my advice. Find out where other hunters are hunting and what they’re doing wrong. Use these errors to your advantage. Hunting pressure creates opportunities somewhere. You have to get out and scour the property. It’s ok if it takes you five years to do it. But it’s gotta be done. Agian, IMO scouring should be done with an open mind. Bucks want to be where you’re not and will surprise you about where they show up

Oh I have definitely found that to be true. The deer seem to have been bedding in areas right under our noses, and hanging in areas where we did not have a lot if any hunting focus on.

I have been hunting for about 10 years now but I have focused a lot of attention the last 6 months or so. Everything is so subject to change it seems depending upon so many different factors.

Mainly i was hoping people would offer suggestions based off a quick look at the map. I wanted to see if my thoughts concurred with others and also compare that with the evidence I currently have. See what types of sign or areas I can call consistent and what are random.

I also want to pair what I learn with hunting other areas. There is a lot of public land hunting available in Upstate NY I would really like my family and I to take advantage of. Being a bit more proficient in reading/deciphering Topo maps and Aerial photos would certainly help in being more effective in hunting these vast areas.

Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to offer any feedback at all, i Really appreciate it!

[NYBackcountry]

Can you elaborate on what direction most of the hunting pressure comes from? Are there any permanent sets (stand, blinds, etc.) on the property? Seems to be a good amount of field acreage, what crops do they rotate?

[upstateNYhunter518]

What exit off 87 is it man we are pretty close.....

exit 42

[upstateNYhunter518]

Can you elaborate on what direction most of the hunting pressure comes from? Are there any permanent sets (stand, blinds, etc.) on the property? Seems to be a good amount of field acreage, what crops do they rotate?

We have a few access points. We also have some trails connecting the power lines and gas lines. The maps are oriented where as North is top of screen. The power line going through the property is the horizontal line moving east to west. The gas lines run just East (to the right) of the Pond in section 2 and travel the entire map heading vertically north to south. The gas lines also provide a trail from the inner corn field in the middle of the map, heading south along the East side of the swamp.

East side of the map I have 3 possible access routes. North side of the map we have trails that access across the field right in the center of the map, trails around the pond on both sides. On the West side of the property, we can access into the wood patch in which we have a trail the runs west to east from the road to the southwest corner of the field closest to Route 11. Other than that there are a few trails that were old logging trails and trails we cut as well. I have marked all the access, trails that we currently have in black.


I also have a map with Permanent Stand setups, (one is an enclosed stand on the field, a couple homemade blinds in a funnel point on south edge of the cornfield, and there is a stand built into a tree on a north facing ridge just north of the flatrock area. These locations are marked with yellow dots. The yellow dots with orange dots in them are portable stands either ladder stands or hang on.

[upstateNYhunter518]

Can you elaborate on what direction most of the hunting pressure comes from? Are there any permanent sets (stand, blinds, etc.) on the property? Seems to be a good amount of field acreage, what crops do they rotate?

We have a few access points. We also have some trails connecting the power lines and gas lines. The maps are oriented where as North is top of screen. The power line going through the property is the horizontal line moving east to west. The gas lines run just East (to the right) of the Pond in section 2 and travel the entire map heading vertically north to south. The gas lines also provide a trail from the inner corn field in the middle of the map, heading south along the East side of the swamp.

East side of the map I have 3 possible access routes. North side of the map we have trails that access across the field right in the center of the map, trails around the pond on both sides. On the West side of the property, we can access into the wood patch in which we have a trail the runs west to east from the road to the southwest corner of the field closest to Route 11. Other than that there are a few trails that were old logging trails and trails we cut as well. I have marked all the access, trails that we currently have in black.


I also have a map with Permanent Stand setups, (one is an enclosed stand on the field, a couple homemade blinds in a funnel point on south edge of the cornfield, and there is a stand built into a tree on a north facing ridge just north of the flatrock area. These locations are marked with yellow dots. The yellow dots with orange dots in them are portable stands either ladder stands or hang on.

This is also the stand setup locations zoomed in
area #1

area #2

area #3

area #4