Hunt my Private, or expand to the Public?

[Swamp Stache]

If it were me and both properties are roughly the same for quality I would start on the public and try and stack them towards my piece that I may know better for later in season.

[Cchez]

Sounds like I'll be hunting both properties!

Im fortunate enough where i do get quite a bit of time to hunt our gun season. I get the first week of the season off work, my only stipulation is i have to drop my daughter off at daycare and pick her up on weekdays. I haven't set foot on this one area of the public im looking at. Not sure if ill get time to before gun season comes around, if not it will be a hang and hunt scenario. I've scouted a little bit of another section last year and found some good sign. They've done a little logging over the last few years so theres a bit browse back in there and some real thick stuff as well.

Its taking me a bit of time, but im forcing myself to walk and hunt new areas of our private every year to learn what i can. Middle of october is when it starts to fire up.

I marked the boundaries of what i can hunt in yellow (everything inside), and the area im considering circled in red.

For point of reference I will say your map is standard (up) North (down) South. You see were the thick woods are towards the North East! There’s 2 fingers of what looks like sandy cuts coming from both North and South. Take a look right at the tip of the thick woods at the gap of where those 2 sandy areas almost meet. Put a camera there and let it soak all season. Should see a series of trails merge there. If to wide of gap to cover with a camera drag in some dead brush and choke it down. Camera and sign should reveal something. At least that’s how I would first look to attack that particular piece.

Boogie, yes my map is oriented as North being top. I circled the areas i think you're referencing in the following picture. The sandy cuts you're referring to are actually a mix of marshy grass/cattails/brushy alder. Theres a small creek that runs through the middle. I use the leaf off pictures a lot in my virtual scouting to make out vegetation types a little easier and compare with leaf on photos as well. They have been logging the east side of the creek in different areas over the last 6-7 years, so theres multiple age classes of timber.

What drew my attention to the area i circled in read in the initial picture was that the large chunk of higher ground was surrounded a large area of ash, alder, and conifer swamps. Also, that chunk of land is furthest from the public access to the east, and i know that no one from my group sets foot over there, and judging by where i scouted last year im pretty sure no one accessing from the east heads back that far. My plan was to access from our land to the west and walk the entire edge around to see what i find for sign and trails.

[Cchez]

forgot to attach the picture.

[Boogieman1]

Sounds like I'll be hunting both properties!

Im fortunate enough where i do get quite a bit of time to hunt our gun season. I get the first week of the season off work, my only stipulation is i have to drop my daughter off at daycare and pick her up on weekdays. I haven't set foot on this one area of the public im looking at. Not sure if ill get time to before gun season comes around, if not it will be a hang and hunt scenario. I've scouted a little bit of another section last year and found some good sign. They've done a little logging over the last few years so theres a bit browse back in there and some real thick stuff as well.

Its taking me a bit of time, but im forcing myself to walk and hunt new areas of our private every year to learn what i can. Middle of october is when it starts to fire up.

I marked the boundaries of what i can hunt in yellow (everything inside), and the area im considering circled in red.

For point of reference I will say your map is standard (up) North (down) South. You see were the thick woods are towards the North East! There’s 2 fingers of what looks like sandy cuts coming from both North and South. Take a look right at the tip of the thick woods at the gap of where those 2 sandy areas almost meet. Put a camera there and let it soak all season. Should see a series of trails merge there. If to wide of gap to cover with a camera drag in some dead brush and choke it down. Camera and sign should reveal something. At least that’s how I would first look to attack that particular piece.

Boogie, yes my map is oriented as North being top. I circled the areas i think you're referencing in the following picture. The sandy cuts you're referring to are actually a mix of marshy grass/cattails/brushy alder. Theres a small creek that runs through the middle. I use the leaf off pictures a lot in my virtual scouting to make out vegetation types a little easier and compare with leaf on photos as well. They have been logging the east side of the creek in different areas over the last 6-7 years, so theres multiple age classes of timber.

What drew my attention to the area i circled in read in the initial picture was that the large chunk of higher ground was surrounded a large area of ash, alder, and conifer swamps. Also, that chunk of land is furthest from the public access to the east, and i know that no one from my group sets foot over there, and judging by where i scouted last year im pretty sure no one accessing from the east heads back that far. My plan was to access from our land to the west and walk the entire edge around to see what i find for sign and trails.

Believe I put my foot in my mouth on this one. When I glanced at your first map it immediately reminded me of one of my fav spots.Thought the areas I referred to as sand was open, appears that’s not the case at all. That type of terrain and cover is something I don’t have much experience with. I’m a ridge and water junkie. Looks like a great spot with lots of edge and diversity.

[218er]

I’d definitely explore that public. If that the public gets minimum pressure it’s likely to hold mature bucks. That area of MN should have snow come rifle season. Get out and try some tracking. I’m a hack at it, however there are some great threads on here. It’s a great way to see the areas the deer use and allows you to eliminate large areas that have limited deer traffic.

[OH nontypical]

Hunt them all.
On my friends place in SE OH we have that same situation and hunt both.

Some bucks will bed on the public and come to yours and some will bed on yours and go to the public.

All depends on food and pressure. We have killed good ones and seen good bucks on both sides of the fence.

Good luck.

[stash59]

Even without snow I've done well covering groun d during gun season. Especially in new to me areas. You quickly learn an area. And can often find hot sign to set up on. Even from on the ground if you're going light and standless. So I'd hunt both.

[Cchez]

I’d definitely explore that public. If that the public gets minimum pressure it’s likely to hold mature bucks. That area of MN should have snow come rifle season. Get out and try some tracking. I’m a hack at it, however there are some great threads on here. It’s a great way to see the areas the deer use and allows you to eliminate large areas that have limited deer traffic.

This is sort of how i killed my buck last year. We had snow and walked into an area i had a pre set stand already and noticed heavy deer traffic in the area. Within a half hour i had my buck. May just have to try it on the public.