Bow Hunting New Places

[Witty]

I'm just curious how you guys approach whitetail hunting new places. Right now I have access to about 100 acres. Here is what it looks like.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I will be putting up some trail cams this weekend. I've only walked through the open parts of the property. I haven't stepped into the wooded areas. Where would you set up trail cams? <br />I'm very excited about the creek running through the property. There is a pretty steep ravine it runs through and when I was there early spring you could see the deer runs on the small ridges between the two hidden fields.

[phade]

I know this stinks with the weather and bugs, but I'd personally dive into the woods now or as soon as possible. Sure it is thick, but you can decipher trails, maybe find a bed or two, and pick out specific stand trees to either set up now or when you hunt.

 

Don't rely on just game cams to do the work here. Set the cams in areas of high traffic to get an inventory of bucks #s and quality.

 

The ravine will need inspection. Does the ravine run n/s or e/w? What is the predominant wind direction?

[phade]

BTW, this looks like a great hunting spot.

[Witty]

Wind is south/southwest to north/northeast. The creek runs north to south and there is a big beaver dam on both sides of the road.

[Arrow Flinger]

I would keep my eye on the deer trail that runs the ridge between the creek and the hidden field. It looks like a great funnel. They will run that ridge instead of climbing down the steep bank or stepping into the open field. I also see some other nice funnels there. I would set trail cams on the field edges you think they are feeding in and also try to locate bedding areas, that way you have a general idea of where they are coming and going to.

[Witty]

BTW, this looks like a great hunting spot.

Yea I'm pretty excited about it. I've seen deer almost every time I've been there. Even the little walking I've done has shown me a little about how the deer move around the fields and power lines. All the fields are planted now. Two are corn, two are alfalfa and another I think is a bean of some sort. I might dive in on Sunday when I put some cams up.

[josephmrtn]

BTW, this looks like a great hunting spot.

+1

 

how many cams are u putting in?

 

these red lines i drew are where i suspect there are prob deer trails.... just from personal observation ive seen a lot (NOT ALL) of deer trails enter fields in the corners... (esp connecting fields) I would also recommend walking that creek and looking for crossing areas....

I dont really have much to say about in the woods tho....

 

BTW I sent you a PM

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I am by NO MEANS an expert and i would HIGHLY recommend you take the word of the older more experenced hunters over mine...

[Witty]

Lol I have 6 cams in my truck waiting to be put up, I have another 6-8 at my dads house collecting dust.

[phade]

Set some of the cams at creek crossings. Good spot to inventory with no baiting/licks allowed here.

[G-Man]

This time of year you are simply inventorying the population. Wind direction and natural funnels will allow you to harvest deer rather than just observing them in fields, TV has made us think big bucks simply stand in open fields. This is NY it had a high hunter density 100 or more per square mile, not iowa with low hunter populations 10 or less per square mile. Hunting pressure should be taken into account in stand locations as well as wind direction. Face it even if property is posted it seems someone always crosses over the lines be it a few feet or yards, and many hunters hunt the property lines of their own property. I'd look for trails and bedding areas near the center of the property, a good funnel there will be the ticket..

[PREDATE]

It does look like good hunting ground. I agree that at this point trailcams are just for observation.

This is a good time to plan a few stand sites overlooking good sign and to start planning your routes to/from stands. There are deer there and if you keep your scent outta their noses, they will come by at some point.

I like to get an early mock scrape or two started in late mid/late September. I practice scent control while making scrapes.  I'll add a few drops of buck urine/musk to the scrape, but most importantly put some buck preorbital scent on the overhanging branch. This will aggravate the dominant buck and cause him to cruise by often to catch the intruding buck. The does will start visiting regularly too. Throw a camera at the scrape, you might get a surprise visit from a P&Y buck!

Get in there and scout. You should be able to topple a good buck in there and remember that there's nothing wrong with being picky. Take your time and it will happen!

[apoallo]

can I come and play too???

[PREDATE]

can I come and play too???

I'm sure Witty's got a funnel or two that you could use! The black arrow points to your your funnel. LOL

 

Edited June 5, 2013 by PREDATE

[josephmrtn]

Ok here is the property outline...

per OP's request i covered all road names so as too not give away the location...

Edited June 5, 2013 by josephmrtn

[josephmrtn]

And here is a topo of the area...

[G-Man]

looks like pressure from right side of last photo will be heaviest, the powerline doesn't make me happy, to easy of access for 4 wheelers and tresspassers. the funnel created by the hills with small creek hold promise as an escape route as well as natural movement, if its thick enough. the old roadway / rail bed tough to tell from pic is also an access concern, looks like a lot of brush/overgrown pasture on most of it,good bedding possible there and possible stand locations in old hedgerows there if wind and access will allow. I personalyy would concentrate on center of photo between the two fields, and saddles where ridge splits to let creeks/drainages thru.  

[Witty]

The old roadway runs to my in-laws through 1 field. There is barbed wire running the whole northern boarded of the property, I haven't walked the fence yet but I have been to each corner of the property and the fence seems to run the whole length. The creek ends up running right through my in-laws property. The north west corner seems to be brush/thrash with a small patch of hard words before the property line. Along the creek on the east side, the bottom seems to be very swampy and uncrossable by humans.

[josephmrtn]

here is the other one you wanted witty...

[phade]

Looks for fence crossing sign along the barbed wire fence border.

 

If deer are funneling through in a few spots and they are good to set up...then do so. If they are, but the set locations stink. Block the path and wire strands of the fencing together close by at a spot where you can set up smartly. They'll cross at the new spot accordingly.

 

This is assuming nothing needs to stay in that fence, lol.

[Witty]

Haha I don't know how a feel freeing cows and bulls altering the fence but I'm going to check I out.

[phade]

If there are cows around...that impacts things.

[Witty]

They are usually up around the barn. I've yet to see them anywhere else but near the barn. I've go by the place daily.

[Witty]

Got a chance to walk part of this property yesterday before my fiancé sliced her hand open at home and I had to bail. I walked smaller field along the creek. It's about 20-25 yards wide from the edge of the field to the creek with a very steep drop, almost 90 degree. There is a pretty beat up trail running along it. I set up a camera on that trail and a plot watcher on this field. <br /><br /><br />(See next post photo 1)<br /><br />Thanks to SplitG2 and Growsalot I believe this to be a pea/triticale mix. This field is totally surrounded by woods so I decided this would be the field to put that cam on. <br /><br /><br /><br />I did find something I'm not thrilled about, along the norther property border there is a fence running the entire length as far as I can tell. It even runs over the creek (which is much deeper then originally believed to be). I'd say the fence is about 4 feet high. I did find one area where the top wire got knocked down about a foot. I didn't see any indication the deer are jumping it there. It appears the deer are walking along the fence and not over it. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />(See photo 2)<br /><br />This is the area where the ridge starts to get wider. I was thinking about putting a stand here. There is a tree that can watch the field and this narrow stretch.<br /><br />(See photo 3)<br /><br />It's obvious deer are using this area. I just have to find a stand location that uses the wind in my favor. I know this sounds stupid but I've never considered before. I've always hunted with my father and learned from him but its something that never came up.

Edited June 10, 2013 by Witty

[Witty]

(I couldn't edit these in from my phone.)<br /><br />Planted field<br /><br /><br />Fence<br /><br /><br />Stand location?<br />

[PREDATE]

Wind can be your best friend and also worst enemy. It can change in a blink.

Set stands for every wind direction and you should see deer. A few ground blinds should be set too, just in case the wind changes direction.

 If you're planning on hunting that parcel in early season, you should devote a few evenings in late Sept. to glassing from a distance. This is good because the deer will be patternable. Trailcams are great for locating deer, but watching where they come from(beds) and where they're going(food) is the best way. You'll also know which route they're traveling as well as what time they're moving through.

 You could just pick the correct stand for the wind and sit, but then you're also taking a chance on spooking the deer and leaving human scent. We have a long season, so take your time and make it count!