Map Help!!!

[Jorden]

Hey guys I am running out of ideas. I go out hunting and rarely see deer. Maybe 5 times in my 8 years of hunting have I seen a shooter buck while on stand. I was wondering if you could take a look at the map of my property and maybe give me some ideas as to where I could put or move some stands or something. I find it hard to read a map of my property because it is largely wooded, almost all mature hardwoods, with very little terrain features. Any insight is welcome. I color-coded things to make it earier. The red represents the boundry of my property, the green are alfalfa fields, the yellow is corn and the blue are my food plots. The red dots within the property represend my current stands and the orange represents an area that was clear-cut about 4 years ago.

Again guys thanks, I really appreciate it:)

[rhine16]

Dunno if you're looking for bow or gun stands??

If for bow, what about where that cutover necks out right there at your food plot? Looks like that could be a place where some action might happen.

[Strut10]

I attempted to scratch a couple black "X's" where I'd look awfully hard for a stand location.

[Flintlock1776]

With those food areas I am surprised you don't see more deer. Any chance you have marked out deer trails, sources of water; acorn trees etc? That may help everyone give you an idea where to set up stands for bow and rifle

[fly]

A little more than half way up it looks like a creek bed (low spot). I don't believe you have a stand there? I'd follow it to the far East part of your property (on the north side of the low spot). Deer might use that low area to enter the fields. (Not sure what the orange is?)

[ShaneB]

my advice is not to hunt over the food plots hunt on a trail leading to and from same with food source your more likley to catch a buck inside the woods not on the fields during day light and also trails to the neighbors property might be good to

[buckbuster11]

Any thick cover on the property? If so, start there.

[GWSmith]

What is the prevailing wind direction during the hunting season?

What direction do you approach your standsites from?

Have you tried to look at a topo map to see any terrain features?

[Jorden]

I marked down a few more things

With those food areas I am surprised you don't see more deer. Any chance you have marked out deer trails, sources of water; acorn trees etc? That may help everyone give you an idea where to set up stands for bow and rifle

The brown circular areas I marked are what I think are staging areas(I have found many many rubs in these areas every year). The black lines are deer trails that I know of...I find it hard to find real distinct deer trails on our land but these are the major ones.

A little more than half way up it looks like a creek bed (low spot). I don't believe you have a stand there? I'd follow it to the far East part of your property (on the north side of the low spot). Deer might use that low area to enter the fields. (Not sure what the orange is?)

We do have a creek that runs through the center of our land...I marked it with the light blue line... but it is dry most of the time and the cover there is not much thicker than anywhere else on our land

Any thick cover on the property? If so, start there.

Not really, it is mostly open hardwoods...some spots I can swear I can see from one side of the land to the other...they have been suppose to come and log for the past couple years, but for whatever reason they havent made it...the only spot with real thick cover is where they clear cut 4 years ago(the orange area).

What is the prevailing wind direction during the hunting season?

What direction do you approach your standsites from?

Have you tried to look at a topo map to see any terrain features?

I marked what I believe are the prevailing winds with the white arrows. I will usually come in from the west because that is where we have access roads and my house is right accross the road. I have a topo map but to me it doesnt seem like there are any real terrain breaks it all seems relatively flat...what else should you look for on a topo map?

[backwoods07]

like there are any real terrain breaks it all seems relatively flat...what else should you look for on a topo map?

Topo maps only show elevation changes. However, there is a ton of information you can extrapolate from these elevation changes. Obviously, you can tell the degree of elevation changes based on how close the lines are together. Deer are more likely to walk on top of a ridge or in a valley than on the side of the hill. Water passages become visible, hills may have an affect on wind direction on a very small scale, etc.

However, a topo map might not be the best tool to use for your situation. Your land looks very flat. The best thing you can do is to get out there and look for sign. The guys above me have some great ideas (don't hunt right over the food plots, scout the creek, etc)

[GWSmith]

JordenP, Did you rotate the aerial photo of your land???

They are normally orientated North/South=Top/Bottom.

Also the road names are upside down?

As far as terrain features deer relate to just about anything even what would seem insignifcant to you or me.

For instance around here where it is relatively flat the deer travel along lines that are close to features people here call frost heaves(which are only a foot or slightly more high).

Around here where there are some hills deer do two different things. They either go straight up or down the hill or they travel around it slightly below the horizon.

Of the deer trails here that are on the side of a hill they are fairly level and do not snake up or down the hill. Eventually they meet another trail that does go up or down the hill.

An interesting feature I've noticed where I hunt about the trails are that when they reach a food source area below the trail they are different. Instead of going directly up or down a hillside...they go down at an angle...like a flight of stairs on the outside of a building.

If I had the chance to walk the deer trails on your property I would take extra batteries for the GPS. Spend a few days with a backpack and plenty of water. Then come back and download the information from the GPS to show the Deer Trails relationship to the Topo Map;)