Learnng a new property
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: great white
01-Feb-18
So you found a new 100 acre spot to hunt. It is flat no contour no water. 60 acres overgrown pasture, the remainder is wooded but fairly open. No pines for thermal cover.Nearest water 1 mile away across the street After walking it with a week old snow on the ground, I see no real defined travel routes just random tracks her and there. I want to do a camera survey but should I wait til spring for Increased activity? Have not seen rubs or scrapes but midday did find deer beds that are in the open 50 yards from cover .Where would you start? Thanks for your input.
From: Pigsticker
01-Feb-18
Look at on google earth for bottlenecks, choke points, and fence rows. Look at adjacent property to try to figure out the big picture for feeding and bedding areas. Your woods may provide some food. Also, your deer may have moved a to get out of the cold weather. I know am are in southern Ohio where when it gets really cold and wind the deer will move to a cedar thicket that has some topography to get out of the wind. Did you see any rubs?
From: great white
01-Feb-18
no rubs or scrapes only beds in pasture in the wide open.
From: Bowriter
01-Feb-18
Wait until spring and walk it again. There may not be deer there this time of year. You got 40 acres, start with the perimeter. There cannot be deer in the center if they don't come in from the outside. Look for mast trees and woodland food sources. And keep in mind, it may not be worth hunting. Not all land holds deer.
From: Proline
02-Feb-18
Agree with Bowriter. I've had acces to spots that just don't hold deer regularly and not worth hunting.
From: Mike-TN
02-Feb-18
I would start by seeing if I could turn some of that old pasture into a food plot. Based on your description I would not expect this property to hold deer. If you can get food in a portion of that 40 acres they will come. If the 40 acres is out of view from a road that will be much better. You probably don’t want to plant 40 acres so think strategically about where to plant to draw the deer in for a shot. If you can’t plant food that will be a tough property.... no food or cover does not typically attract deer.
From: great white
02-Feb-18
Yes have only walked all of it twice didnt want to disturb it to much.Did set up a mineral lick last visit.Will try some throw and mow away from the road traffic in corner near the 40 acre wood ed area.
From: Bake
02-Feb-18
I'm a slow learner. This last year was the first time in a while that I hunted a new farm. I started outside in. Didn't hunt until Halloween, then tiptoed around until Nov. 8th. The 8th was the first day I went in off a field edge.
I saw lots of deer. Learned a lot. Didn't kill, although I had some chances. Two of which I blew. The others were young bucks. I did learn that the property gets trespassed heavily in rifle season, and the neighbors put crazy pressure on the little cover there is. I'm now trying to decide if I wanna go back this year. . .
Bake
From: Bowriter
02-Feb-18
Great White-this time o year, you can do anything and not hurt it. Don't worry about being there too much. Now, is the time to learn it. Look at the terrain. Deer hate flat ground. Even a slight dip can provide cover to a deer. Do not consider it or anywhere near it a bedding area. From description, it is at best, a travel path and it quite likely is not used on a regular basis. However, it may be a diamond in the rough during the pre-rut when bucks start traveling. Look for old rubs. Don't expect much action on the lick until warm or even hot weather.