bobcat 10

well i just got a farm to hunt it is 100 acres of just hills and hollers..i will be the only one hunting this farm.....well i went and scouted out this place....i believe this will be my honey hole if i can figure out the deer movement on these steep hills.........i will be bowhunting this only...do deer like to travel along ridges or side of the hills.....well i scouted out most of the farm.....man i found out quick that i was out of shape....these hills are straight up and down.....well i went up this one holler it has a small branch in there......i did not find much sign of deer travel at all...one side of the hill in this one holler is steep and has alot of rocks good big trees....well on the other side of the hill in this holler has more timber preety clean ....well i went up the hill...got on top...i found a old rub and a old deer path.....not much sign....well i drop off into the valley....there is a branch runs down thru this holler...it is preety flat in the valley...i found a preety good deer path in the valley...in between the hills....there is a hill on the left and one on the right...there is big timber in this particular holler compared against the other holler...well i realy liked this spot...so i started putting out my orange blaze tape...on the small trees to help me get to this spot......well i went to the truck and got my salt rock and dug me a hole in this holler off the deer path and placed the salt rock....well on the left side is a hill that is steep with big timber....well on the front of the left hill starts out in cedar trees preety thick but not that thick....well i was running out of time to scout..but my dad was with me...so why i was in this one holler he droped over the left hill into another holler which has a waterfall in the valley......he said he found a old logging road...that had a few old small rubs on the logging road...........so here is the layout of this farm in a short manner...

the farmer lives at the start of all the hollers...well from his house there is a holler with two hills one on the right and one on the left.....no deer sign did not look very good....that was the first place i scouted.....well i went up the left hill and droped off into another holler...holler number two...is where i placed the salt rock...had some respectable deer sign...looks like the deer like to travel the side and the lowest flat part on the bottom of the hill......well my dad went of the left hill which has very good timber..but steep....and he droped off into another holler...and found a logging road on the side which had a few old rubs....well i did get to go that far.....the left hill in holler 2 is steep but good timber...i wonder if the deer will travel the top ...feed on acorns along the ridges....i'm going to make time to go scout these tops of these hills out more....man it is going to be tough to hunt these hills....if i kill a deer with a bow in this kind of terrain...i have done something...

what is your intake on this type of hunting..........what kind of gear do i need for these big hills. i will be by myself alot...sorry about this long scouting report.....thanks for reading....

forgot to say...... the farmer walked the place when he bought it and he said he jumped 10 deer in holler number 2 where i placed the salt rock...

hoytusa10

bobcat, its nice to see that you have at least a decent layout of the property and how the deer are moving...i do have some advice and since its 1:15 am here i'll keep this short and sweet....BUCKS like to bed high and rut low...

bow-nimrod

I hunt in the hills and the first thing I look for is a saddle or a funnel. Sounds like you have a good spot. Remember the wind and practice on severe down hill shots. I hunt alone most of the time also. Always let someone know where you'll be hunting, and when you'll be back. If possible have a radio or cell phone for emergency help. Have dry matches, water, a snack and a back up flash light. I always bring a small plastic tarp and around 100' of 1/4" rope on my four wheeler to help get the deer out. Good luck and be safe.

Danny45

Saddles and ledges my man, saddles and ledges. That's where the deer will be traveling. Saddles, low spots where they can go from one valley to the next, and ledges, where they travel along the sides around the hills. You'll probably notice multiple ledges. Look for the tracks. Find their water and food source, and then find the thickest brush you can. That will probably be their bedding areas. Then all you have to do is find the path of least resistance between the bedding areas and the food sources. Deer are lazy, like us, and will take the easiest path from point a to point b if possible. You might go down to the county soil conservation office and see if they have any topo maps, or aerial photos of the place so you can study them. Aerial photos allow you to find things without spending hours on foot. Try to make sure they are recent photos.

bobcat 10

...i still have alot of scouting to do.....the next holler might even be better..

bobcat 10

there is only one hill with ledges...and that is the first holler....