DoubleLung55

I hung a stand tonight about 75 yards form a foodplot we have been seeing alot of nice buck in. It seems 75-80% of the deer exit to this area. It is thick with saplings, and underbrush. There is a small creek running through the middle of this tiny hollow, with a few major crossings leading to a huge intersection in the middle of this area. so i hung my stand about 20-25 yards away from the big intersection, and cut a few lanes in the bush tops , but remembered to change the woods the littlest bit. There are many rubs throughout the area, and like a million trails. but i was wondering if this was a bedding area , or a throughway or what? because i have seen deer go in and out , but i didnt jump any in there or anything and i didnt see any beds. But i was wondering if it is a NO NO to enter these areas to put up a stand, or if anyone has had much luck hunting in these areas where by the time u can shoot the deer are well within bow range? Anyone ever try hunting these areas??

BuckAlley

My guess would be from what you' ve described, its a travel route they prefer because of the safety of the thicker cover. The only thing on your stand you didn' t mention which I' m sure you took into consideration was wind direction. I' ve had field entrances where bucks would entry there only with a certain wind, and entry from another spot with a opposite wind. It made it tough for stand setups, but I did see deer from them. Wind direction is the first thing I look at with my setups.

click

I love gettin in spots like that. esp. on public land because nobody else wants to get cut and scraped by going through the thick stuff - but the one thing you have to remember is that you need to be able to get in and out with out makin too much noise. SHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

nub

Sometimes its hard not to just dive right into a great looking spot. Most times I think its better to start out a bit farther early in the season and slip in after you know for sure what they' re doing.

MOSSY_HORN

I' ll second that one nub. From what was described about this setup, I would first spend some mornings and afternoons right before the season checking it out from a distance. Some of the most promising looking spots turn out to be a waste of time during the season. One easy rule to hunt by is " hunt where the deer are" . What I mean by that is don' t hunt deer sign. Hunt deer. That means you need to be out there seeing deer during what would be normal hunting hours. Once you' ve seen (from a safe distance) how deer move through an area, it makes the setup a lot easier!!

BobCo19-65

doublelung, you may want to ask TR Michaels on the Forum, he has his own forum room on the site. I bet you get a great response from him.

Tazman

DoubleLung you have gotten a lot of good advise, I will throw in a few more suggestions, first would be you may want to check out side trails, trails that parrelel the main trails, mature bucks normally will not travel the same lanes as doe and lesser bucks until the rut kicks in. Also consider spending a bit of time in the stand well before the season and see what trails they use in the morning and which ones they use in the evening, many times they will travel different trails at different times even though it is the same general area. You may discover that your stand needs to be moved and it is a lot better to do this well before the season then after it is in.

silentassassin

Sounds like an excellent spot to me. I would also takes nubs advice. I like to get in and put up stands as early as possible and leave them alone until it' s time to hunt them but I would hunt the edges for the first day or two and observe what is going on and then move into my prepared spot.

Also, remember deer pattern us alot more than we pattern them so don' t go sit the stand until it' s time to hunt. It just gives them a chance to pattern you and possibly start avoiding the area.

DoubleLung55

As most of you have said to stay a distance away and watch the deer activity through the area, I have been doing that alot lately. Atleast 2 or 3 nights a week i go to the edge of the food plot and watch how the deer enter and exit. Most deer come from the spot i have hung a stand , and then the spot directly across the field. Althought a few come from outta the wood work, the main consentration of deer are entering and exiting in these 2 area. Both of which have a stream running through them , some thicker area , then it eventually opens up into bigger woods. Thanks for the advice though , and I will try to sit the stand atleast a few times before season to see how the deer are moving. But if nothing else this has to be a good spot for the rut . On the top side , and bottom side of the area is tractor trail , usually i only will see a tiny buck , or does with fawns on this , while i see the bigger buck stayin in the cover of the woods. I have a standboth up hill across the top tractor trail and in the woods there, and below in the woods. I have seen many deer from both , disappearing into this area, so as most of you said to watch deer goin to and from this area i have seen them goin in and coming out.

DoubleLung55

Nice point Silent. on the deer patterning us, I never really thought of that, but now that u mention it it does seem that towards the end of season or , early rifle they seem to get few and far between, meaning the deer that i see seem to get lower in #. thanks