codman Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I have a aerial photo of my parents land i hunt on i would like to hear from some of you guys where you think a good stand spot would be. Map legend>yellow-boundaryorange - current ladder stand locationbrown - atv trails / deer trailsgrey- stonewallblue-river We do get quite a bit of deer just seems to be wrong place when im there . The woods are somewhat thick with wetlands. what do you guys think Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I think in the top right corner between your stone walls and the river somewhere along that line would be a good place to add a stand. Would also look at the inside corner of the 4 wheeler trail on the left and at the spot that cuts in out of that field where it meets the middle 4 wheeler trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I like William's picks along with the southeast corner. Can't tell for sure what the wooded area west of the pond ties into toward the northwest. From what little I can see it appears to just end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 My guess is that you have does entering from the North and West. I cant see south so it hard to say if there is some natural draw from that direction. The problem I can see is that the does never have to use the same trail. A little pressure or something that doesnt add up and they will move down field a hundred yards. If it were me I would draw them to one location with a feeder, crop, etc. Set a stand up about 10 yards in the timberline and get ready for the fireworks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 First question I will always ask in these type scenarios: "What is the prevailing wind direction during hunting season"? Have you really looked at the aerial photo yet? Notice the different colored trees first of all;) The larger, darker, green trees are more than likely Oak. Check the area near all of them for any sign. William and Rhino have the funnels covered already with their reccomendations for the southeast, northeast funnels along the river and the other larger corridor between the lake and the field edge. Lastly it is always a good bet to walk the entire field edge to see where the deer are entering. When you find a heavily used trail to it walk it backwards and see where it leads you to and what kind of cover the deer are leaving to go eat in the evening. Find the edge of that and you have a great standsite!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeinwalker Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) I concur... First question I will always ask in these type scenarios: "What is the prevailing wind direction during hunting season"? Have you really looked at the aerial photo yet? Notice the different colored trees first of all;) The larger, darker, green trees are more than likely Oak. Check the area near all of them for any sign. William and Rhino have the funnels covered already with their reccomendations for the southeast, northeast funnels along the river and the other larger corridor between the lake and the field edge. Lastly it is always a good bet to walk the entire field edge to see where the deer are entering. When you find a heavily used trail to it walk it backwards and see where it leads you to and what kind of cover the deer are leaving to go eat in the evening. Find the edge of that and you have a great standsite!!! I have to agree with this. This is a small area. If that field has anything planted in it that will draw-in the deer, that corner where the stand is currently located should allow him to cover the entire field, though, I would have put it in the right bottom corner near the river as there will be some deer that will travel the river corridor during the day, but will not come out until night, winding the filed and scenting for does. However, I think there may be somthing other than stand location that may be having an effect on his hunting, just as you have suggested, like wind, or some other factor. The first thing that comes to mind is the approach to your stand. Are you coming down that trail early in the morning and spooking deer? Are you riding an ATV into the stand or walking? Which way does the prevailing wind usually blow? I would try to get into this stand with as little intrusion as possible. If I could, I would approach the stand from the end of the property where it is located, keeping the wind in my face, if possible, or a crosswind-anything that keeps me from being upwind of where the deer are bedding. The advice about scouting and finding where they are coming into the property is good advice, as this will tell you the general direction of thier bedding areas. These are areas you want to avoid traveling through on your way to the stand. Generally, hunt either edge of a bedding area and approach your stand from that side. Most hunters don't like to do that if the wind is blowing them into the bedding area, but if you've done your scent control routine, most of the time you can pull it off. Don't travel through the bedding area. If you're hunting the mornings, get into that stand in the least intrusive manner possible. If you have identified a bedding are and have to go through it to get to the stand, then you need to choose a different approach, even if the wind is not favorable. I once had a stand between a bedding area and a creek. My only approach was through the thickest part of the property-the bedding area. On my way to the stand nearly every morning, I could not be quiet enough to keep from spooking deer. The only solution I had was to walk all the way to the end of the property (around the bedding area) and back to my stand. This solved the probelm of spooking deer out of the bed, which I feel may be more of a problem for you on this property than stand location alone. It's hard to give advice to people on stand location based soley on the layout of the land. Without getting some boots on the ground, it would be difficult to rule out other factors that may be playing greatly into the total equation. Things like traffic on that road, or a neigbors barking dog, etc. Could all be factors. Loud exhaust on your truck could help deer associate to danger. For instance, one or two mornings you spook deer out of the bedding area as you approach, then they learn to associate that with what happened right before that-your dual exhaust on your truck, the shutting of a truck door, etc. We once had a hunting spot where, in the morning the neighbor's dog would raise cain when we pulled up. After a few morning hunts, we realized this dog was serving as an alarm for the deer. We started hunting the spot in the evening when the dogs could see us and were less likely to start jabbering away. Also, we could get there earlier, giving the dogs time to calm down and forget about us before "primetime". This worked out better for us and we saw lots more deer this way. Again, there are many factors that could be coming into play here. I feel like, due to the size of the field, moving the stand would not have as great an impact on your success as identifying some other factor that must be coming into play, and the only way to identify that factor is to do some homework, be observant of your surroundings and try a few different things to see what results you get. Edited July 14, 2009 by treeinwalker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codman Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Heres some input i had to get going for work so i rushed the post. The field goes down hill about halfway over from the stand location. My stand is behind the stone wall with a break in the wall to access the field. About 60 yards to the right of my stand is another break in the stone wall where i get does coming through. They have a tendencey to cut straight across and then go left so outta my way for a shot. They seem to randomly walk the trails but i usually see them wear the main entrances. I have oaks all over and maples with plenty of acorns. The upper rt corner of the field is a dirt road way, the south end of the land is where deer seem to be in the early mornings for bedding then they come out in the field. I would like to plant some forage or plot mix for the season to try and hope for the best. Ill get some pics this weekend on foot so you guys can get a idea. Id like to get 2 more ladder stands and drop them in the area. I wear all scentlok/blocker gear had a spike walk up on my stand last year using the same trail i came in on which was the atv trail that goes to my stand. I always walk to the stand on foot , ive tried walking the east border to the south and the most luck i had was by walking the atv trail to the stand. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layin on the smackdown Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I was thrown for a loop from the get go....I've never seen a "stone wall" or heard of one on a farm unless it is a code word for something i have never heard of...If you could elaborate on that for a few i would appreciate it...How long has it been there? How tall is it? Why is it there? etc... Sorry, i just cant get past the wall thing. I keep generating a picture like the great wall of china thinking to myself, dude, youre screwed, you gotta knock the wall down...lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I was thrown for a loop from the get go....I've never seen a "stone wall" or heard of one on a farm unless it is a code word for something i have never heard of...If you could elaborate on that for a few i would appreciate it...How long has it been there? How tall is it? Why is it there? etc... Sorry, i just cant get past the wall thing. I keep generating a picture like the great wall of china thinking to myself, dude, youre screwed, you gotta knock the wall down...lol. Try more like this size wall: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/nyregion/07wall.html?ex=1328504400&en=03584c8cf645f905&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss They are all over around here. Many of the state lands have old homesteads on them and all thats left is the remnants of what once was there. Most of them are only a couple feet high if that but if you can find a spot where it's even less than that you will find a deer crossing there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codman Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 GW nailed it. The walls range from 2-3 feet tall the deer do jump over them. My stand is set up right near a knocked over one so they cross it. The walls are/were for cattle and boundary markers. They have been there for at least 100 years we find old horse shoes from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codman Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Ok well i have found my spot that i believe will be a good choice. I cleared out some land in the woods about 60 to 70 yards from my previous season stand spot. Im going to plant a throw n grow plot inthe woods i cleared out which is about 35-40 yds x 15 yds wide. Theres a tree across the atv trail across the plot that is 10 yards or so from the edge that is on the stone wall with some good cover. It also is on the edge of the field where they seem to walk out to so im hoping it will be a good call on my part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Codman, if I could tell from an aerial where to hunt, I wouldnt be covered in red bugs from walking around my place this weekend looking for sign, so I'll keep my mouth shut. Dan's prob got a thing about the walls from doing time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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