Topographic public land help

[oapiastos88]

Ok... I hope I make sense with this post... I’m going to hunt public land that’s attached to my private land ( the private sector is crazy pressured by the neighbors). I did a little research on reading and understanding topo maps to use the public land to my advantage (see attached photos of topo and satellite images). And here is what I was planning. I was going to hunt a water source then realized it was super low on the hill and near the back road... then realized there was a decent saddle by the top of that hill which connects to surrounding private land and another saddle to the right of that ( indicated by my drawn arrow). Now I know wind thermals plays a big role in this but I was just curious what you guys thought about this set up. I was planning on setting a tree stand both high up by either saddle and one low by the water source and try and get and early season and early gun hunt in on either one of those stands depending on wind . Should I try and hunt high in the morning and low

at night because of raising and dropping thermals. How would you guys hunt this or do you think I should just scrap the idea and try something else. I know a lot more goes into this but I hope I made sense.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Steve D]

8 minutes ago, oapiastos88 said:

do you think I should just scrap the idea and try something else.

Boots on the ground should be the deciding factor.

[Daveboone]

Get in the woods. If possible, get a game camera or two up, but there is no other way around seeing what the woods tell you. 

[oapiastos88]

Boots on the ground should be the deciding factor.

Man just like you said boots on ground really told me that even tho the topo map showed some good stuff the actual terrain was impenetrable. This hurts because I was “sure” of it. I’m not going to lie my moral took a beating today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[G-Man]

15 hours ago, oapiastos88 said:

Man just like you said boots on ground really told me that even tho the topo map showed some good stuff the actual terrain was impenetrable. This hurts because I was “sure” of it. I’m not going to lie my moral took a beating today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If it's that thick it's where you should be.

[oapiastos88]

If it's that thick it's where you should be.

I always hear that’s the case but how would you hunt something that’s thick that doesn’t offer good shooting range for a bow. Could be a real amateur question but how does someone set up in the thick?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cabin Fever]

You can't always. Aerial photo's are a tool, but you really need to get in there to do some scouting to find out what's it's like! If it's too thick to bow hunt, check out along the edge.

[oapiastos88]

You can't always. Aerial photo's are a tool, but you really need to get in there to do some scouting to find out what's it's like! If it's too thick to bow hunt, check out along the edge.

That’s what I was thinking of doing possibly doing (the area is on public land that was logged a few years back) .. the clearing has a awesome watering hole and apple trees around it. The high (and I mean high grass/vegetation ) is full of deer trails running to the watering hole to the edge of the thick wood.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[crappyice]

That’s what I was thinking of doing possibly doing (the area is on public land that was logged a few years back) .. the clearing has a awesome watering hole and apple trees around it. The high (and I mean high grass/vegetation ) is full of deer trails running to the watering hole to the edge of the thick wood.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Those trails have to come from and go to somewhere that could offer a shot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rachunter]

21 hours ago, oapiastos88 said:

Man just like you said boots on ground really told me that even tho the topo map showed some good stuff the actual terrain was impenetrable. This hurts because I was “sure” of it. I’m not going to lie my moral took a beating today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I learned this the hard way had a bunch of areas picked and ready to hunt until I went in to hunt it.Where there deer signs in the lower elevations leading to the saddle? That's what I found in a few areas and will be hunting them this year.I should mention the areas i'm looking at are all state land up in theADK's.

[G-Man]

1 hour ago, oapiastos88 said:

I always hear that’s the case but how would you hunt something that’s thick that doesn’t offer good shooting range for a bow. Could be a real amateur question but how does someone set up in the thick?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My bow stands I'm lucky to see 40 yards ot of most of them some only 20 , small shooting holes ,makes some people closterphobic, use your ears stop being a visual hunter, you dont need to see a deer at 100 yard walking in.. find the spot you expect a deer to be at, trail.crossing for example and find a tree 18 yards or so from it. Get a hang on because the right tree is rarely correct for a climber.. build a natural blind under trees if need be ...set up Downwind.. hunt

. It's better to get a deer that you might see, then to see deer you only might get.

Edited September 29, 2019 by G-Man