Jimmy S

You are invitedto hunta new area with close hunting friends for a week.
You are hunting bucks only.
This area is 'Big Woods', no farmland, no crops or fields.
You can literally walk miles before ever hitting a tar road.

Before Opening Day you will have the chance to scout one full day.

You have a topo map that shows relatively flat land with many swamps and old logging roads.

The woods are extremely thick and the deer population is about 10 deer/sq. mile.
The peak of the rut will be about 10 days away.

What have you found during your scouting that makes you decide where to setup the next morning?
You have a self climber or you can hunt from the ground.

millagerobert

Look for locations where multiple deer trails come together and natural funnels created by the terrain, check for tracks, and if the right time of year scrapes and rubs. Try and get back in to areas that most people won't and don't go, larger bucks will work the terrain to remain unseen, such as small ravines and ridges.

CamoCop

you pretty much described the area's i hunt. pay special attention to transition lines. where area's of different terrain meet, like swamp and hardwoods or oak hammocks. these will more than likely be area's with lots of sign, including rubs and scrapes.

Snook384

First off GOOGLE earth the area.

It will save you a crapload of time and walkin.

bdosas

Look for deer trails. I have had a lot of success in big woods by finding a heavily used deer trail near some thick cover.

MichaelT.

I would first look at google earth and try to find any larger groupings of hardwoods.... Looking for the most likely food source....... then look at that relative to the logging roads that would give you relatively easy access, without disturbing the world getting in, and try to place it all in the closest proximity to a " swamp " area. The deer look for good cover that is not abused by every hunter out there, where food is close and water is plentyful....

WHen you can place these areas together, look closely for the main travel corridors through it and use the climbing stand. You will stand less chance of getting winded, and of spoiling the area with scent.... giving more days of possible productivity when the other hunters are driving the deer deeper into the shadows....

Good Luck,

God Bless

MET

toby

try looking for funnels first. swampy areas should have plenty of them and when you do find one the deer trail will probably be big, this is what the does should be using. Try to find another less used trail parrallel to this on the downwind side, this is what the bucks will use to cruise for does, and 10 days before the peak of the rut means that they'll be lookin.

White-tail-deer

Try to find a transition area between two doe bedding areas (very thick cover). Bucks should be cruising 10 days before rut tryiing to find the first hot doe. It also depends whether you are bow or rifle hunting as to how close to the bedding areas I would setup.

salukipv1

I'd drop the climber, hunt/scout on foot that 1st day, then re-evaluate that night about if I wanted to bring in the climber and setup somewhere.

Maybe hike into/scout areas then setup for a good hour or so, then repeat....

Colorado Luckydog

Rifle or bow? Rut or no rut?

If I was just looking for a buck, I would find a super highway and set up there. If I was looking for a trophy buck, I'd go into as thick as cover as I could where there was still sign and still shooting lanes.

Plan B- You're gonna be there for a week. If plan A fails have plan B! This may sound stupid, but, I would listen to what everyone else said their plans were nightly. I would try to set up somewhere, and let them push the deer to me. I've been in a ton of hunting camps. Most guys cannot sit still for very long. Most guys don't take the wind into consideration. I know there are a lot of good hunters out there, but there are more bad hunters out there.No matter what they say that night around the campfire, they will sit for an hour and then they will be up and moving. Happens all the time, especially when it's cold!