Need help figuring out how to pick a spot to setup

[Lord of War]

So this being my first hunting season and doing it with a bow I went out yesterday and saw no deer.  So after i decided it was time to leave i figured i would scout some more and maybe find a better area to setup.  Well not 5 minutes in i found a huge clearing with tons of tracks running thru the sand and forest surrounding it on all sides.  I found a few shrubs i could use as cover (ground blind) with some at a higher vantage point and some a little lower.  Does this open sandy field sound like a good place to hunt?  Is there anything i should do in terms of setting up in order to increase my chances?  I dont have any trailcams this year so i have no idea what time these deer that leave all the track behind are walking thru there.  What do you guys think?   Also, in all my scouting i have found many tracks but no rubs, scrapes or dedicated food sources.  Where i am hunting there are acorns and food on the ground everywhere so hunting a food source has kind of escaped me.  Thoughts?

[Jeremy K]

Is the area flat? I always look for valleys first .

[Nomad]

I ve been bow hunting 25 years , and I ask myself those same questions each year.....

For me its a matter of putting the time in,hunting the wind,learning from my mistakes, and seeing what's happening during hunting hours.

You may not want to try to shoot them in the open, but a spot with cover before or after the clearing.

[Lord of War]

The area is In this sand bar there is a downward slope into the middle where there appears to be heavy traffic and seems like a good ambush area since there are shrubs above it from which i can hide behind.   Probably the best part of finding this sand bar....huge tracks the size of my fist, which i hope means a big buck passes thru. 

[Jeremy K]

Sounds like you already found where to hunt or at least keep and eye on.

[jjb4900]

The area is In this sand bar there is a downward slope into the middle where there appears to be heavy traffic and seems like a good ambush area since there are shrubs above it from which i can hide behind.   Probably the best part of finding this sand bar....huge tracks the size of my fist, which i hope means a big buck passes thru. 

I would assume there are deer trails leading to this open sandy area.....can't hurt to sit there a time or two, but next time you scout, try to find the trails that are leading to this area and see where they come from or go to, you may find a food source or a bedding area..........do you have a treestand? hunting from the ground is gonna be tough unless you have a ground blind...........are you hunting L.I.?

Edited October 6, 2013 by jjb4900

[WesternNY]

Deer love edge habitat.... edge is where on type of habitat meets another.....  field edges, old farm fields along woodlines tend to have decent deer traffic.

 

Are you hunting on the ground?  

[Lord of War]

Yes I am currently hunting ground and yes I am hunting long island.   I have a climber treestand but havent used it at all yet. The areas that i have scouted that seem to have the best trails and most activity do not have large trees to climb so i am sticking to the ground for the time being.

[jjb4900]

Yes I am currently hunting ground and yes I am hunting long island.   I have a climber treestand but havent used it at all yet. The areas that i have scouted that seem to have the best trails and most activity do not have large trees to climb so i am sticking to the ground for the time being.

it sounds like you described the sandy areas that are all scrub pine....I'd follow some of those trails and see if they lead to any Oak Trees, which should be dropping acorns.