~Buck~

with the drought weve had in maine..do u think setting up stand on a river bank will be more productive than in a feeding area? a small cove where the deer usually drink from is only a few hundred yards from a large feeding area loaded with acorns. i'm planning on settin up stand this year right on the river bank inbetween the feeding and drinkin area...then hunt that stand when the wind will blow my sent straight across the river..what do you guys think?

wolfen68

Good post! If it is still dry come next year I think it's a great idea, although me personally, I would not hunt "right on" the river but about 75 yards from the river to the feeding area. I like transition areas. IMO when deer are going to feed or drink, especially big bucks, they tend to hole up prior to entering a feeding or watering area for a while to make sure things are ok. They scan the area they want to enter with every sense they have and often that can take a long, long time...usually daylight can run out before you even see them. Just my two cents...good luck!

davidmil

NO..... you're planning a stand on a river thinking there will be a drought 9 months from now. Even if there is... you can't plan that stand on "being on a river". It should be at a crossing a bottleneck, a trail or something more concrete than "on a river". It has been my observation that out west in desert like conditions there is the possibility of such a thing as "A drinking area". I have never run across a place you could rely on as being a "drinking area" anywhere from NY to Georgia. Acorns are not predictable at this time. The drought you talk about really whacks a crop. You plan today for a fall crop and you might be very disappointed. You want food, bedding and travel corridors or trails. That's about as good as it gets. Enjoy the spring and early summer with some fishing and a couple trips to the woods. Then start looking to see what you've got. Then ask yourself armed with your fresh up to date info... where should I hunt.

ram96

Try to find a good stand between the two.

Deleted User

[Deleted by Admins]

rochelle

Hunt where the fresh tracks and droppings are. Thats the only way to know what area to hunt.

HuntingBry

If you can find a place along the river bank where there is a lot of sign you may be onto something. Look for a lot of tracks localized in one area, which should be easy on the river bank because of the mud, and then follow that back toward the acorns looking for a good trail. When you find that scout the river bank from far away to find out when they show up. Then you should be in good shape.

JagMagMan

You will be better off finding a good trail to the water from the feeding area.
I found that hunting a water hole can be frustrating!
At the end of a long drought, I found a small water hole that held water year around, it was loaded with tracks! I thought I'd found the perfect place! After hunting the area this season, I only saw about 4 deer there! There are still tracks everywhere around it, but the activity is happening at night there! Deer will find water they need, so set up in a good transition area, preferably nearer to the food sources. Good luck!

~Buck~

alright, thanks alot we'll see what this summer scouting brings..good luck
josh