Hm Puzzled...

[Jrichard]

Okay so I know I have been MIA but I have a ton going on.

But recently I got some time away with the new girlfriend and she showed me this cool dirt road that she had stumbled upon a while back. And as I was driving down the road I saw all these public land pins. I hurried home and checked the public land map of this state forest, and low and behold hunt was permitted on this land.

So long story short, we went back the next day to do some scouting. It seemed like a great spot. No parking anywhere. we took my girlfriends SUV and parked on a big hill on the side of the road. I walked up and down this old dirt road. no tracks on the side of the road. And still no parking. So I pulled out my phone and I scouted this place top to bottom. I must have covered over 100 acres. on my hands and knees. looking for beds. looking for scat. You name it I was looking for it. All I could find was the occasional pile of poo here and there. There was not a huge amount of tracks. No beaten trails. No nothing. It was INCREDIBLE. I could not believe that this land had almost no deer. There was no a single place to start looking for stuff. I saw a few areas that were heavy in cover and thick. Also a good strip of pine trees and a creek. I checked the heavy cover for beds. I checked along the creek for beds and crossing areas. I checked the transition between the pines and the oak trees. I must have walked along these areas for hours. I checked high and low. I zig zaged my way up and down the hills to find beds.

The weird part is I know there are deer here. There has to be. The conditions are too perfect. And I talked to the farmer and he told me hes got deer in his fields every night coming from this piece of public land. I figured there would at last be one heavily used run. or something. I didnt get permission to go on his property but all of his land on this side is cleared up to public land.

What would your course of action be to figure it all out. I am looking just for inventory. And I know sometimes your best spots dont show much sign at all because the deer are traveling too and from bedding and food. And they dont always take the exact same trail.

[Jonny]

Trust your gut. Some of the best spots I have ever hunted have zero sign 50 weeks out of the year. Most would walk past it. But on an aerial and topo, its perfect. Sign just shows you where deer have been, and usually you only see recent sign. This spot would explode with sign once the ag fields were cut. Then it would be good for a week at best, and then go cold. Why? No idea. But it happened enough years in a row where I know when to hunt it.

If it looks good, hunt it. Whats the worst that happens? You don't see any? You still learned something new which makes hunting it worth it IMO.

Don't give up on a spot cause there was a lack of sign in late spring.

[Hawthorne]

Sounds like some of the public land I scout in Michigan. Great habitat but very few deer. What time of year does the farmer see the deer? They could be on private somewhere with a better food source or the hunting pressure is very heavy leaving a low deer density on the public. You might have to walk a ton of land to find the pockets that are holding the deer. If the deer are using the public there would be some sign.

[dan]

No sign? I would look for a different pc... If its all you got, look for the over looked areas where no one else goes.

[Dewey]

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to wait for the right wind and glass the area in the evening as they make their way to the fields. A few cams could work too but may also hurt you as well. I prefer long range glassing in a case like this. Patterns especially closer to the season are huge especially if there is a good food source.

If nothing shows up move on. Sometimes land looks awesome but just doesn't hold deer for whatever reason. Most likely some other human pressure you don't realize till later.

[matt1336]

Do more homework. If you still don't find sign and deer- My bet is that there's a lot of pressure put on that property. People see a gravel road and they automatically think it's a place nobody knows about. It could totally be the opposite. Gravel roads attract people where I'm from- SE WI

[tgreeno]

I would ask the farmer if he'd mind you glassing from his property? Park your car next to his barn or something. See what is coming out, and where they are coming from. Then go in and get the intel you need or move to another property!

[Edcyclopedia]

Wo-wo-Wo here!

I'd be asking the new Gal "how" she found that new dirt road - just saying, does she take all her new Bo's to the "dirt road" - hmmm, hah sunshyn?

[Dewey]

Wo-wo-Wo here!

I'd be asking the new Gal "how" she found that new dirt road - just saying, does she take all her new Bo's to the "dirt road" - hmmm, hah sunshyn?

I thought the same Ed but figured it would be better coming from you.

[Edcyclopedia]

Wo-wo-Wo here!

I'd be asking the new Gal "how" she found that new dirt road - just saying, does she take all her new Bo's to the "dirt road" - hmmm, hah sunshyn?

I thought the same Ed but figured it would be better coming from you.

Are you saying that I have a keen knack of dumbing conversations up