What would you do?

[eagle24]

I have a piece of property near home that I have been hunting for the past 7 or 8 years.  I pretty much know how the deer move on the property at different times of the year.  I usually have 4 to 5 lock on stands in place, but last year I pulled them all and have not hung any stands for this season.  Bow season in AL opens on Oct 15 and I have not set foot in the woods on this property since Jan 30, 2009.  There is a ridge finger that runs off into a bottom that I will hunt the first few weeks of the season.  I've seen bucks feeding down this finger every year early in the season, just no mature bucks in the last few years.

Here is my dilemma.

1. This is an evening stand location IMO.  There are always deer feeding in there before daylight in the early season.  I'm afraid to try going in even very early in the morning.

2. It is very close to the bedding area, but I can't back off any further because it is near the property line and I cannot hunt the adjoining property.

So my question is this.  Go in this weekend and hang a stand as quietly and scent free as possible? or go in opening day (midday) and use a climber?  I'm confident that I don't need to scout the area.  I know pretty much where the deer will travel from past experience and nothing has changed on the property that should alter that.  The only thing I don't know is what the acorn crop looks like in there this year.

[adeeden]

I would go in this week end and hang the stand myself.

[wisconsinteacher]

I would to what ever works best for you.  If you have time and the wind is right, set the stand early, if not take the climber in and kill one that day.  I set a loc on the other day and my wife shot a deer 2 hours later.  We had 9 deer with in 25 yards of the stand.  The first time you hunt it is the best.  Good luck.

[Flatshooter]

Looks like another bumper crop for acorns again this year in TN. I don't imagine the situation would be much different in northern Alabama. You still have two weeks before hunting season so it may not matter which option you choose. If it were me I'd  go in with a climber the first day for two reasons. First, you will greatly minimize noise and scent in the area. If there is a big boy in the area, you might just run him out as you set up the hang-on. they say the best time to kill a big old wise buck is in the early season. Second, by setting up in a climber the first day you will be able to see where the deer are and how they are moving (feeding under a large white oak. etc) If you can establish where they want to be, you could move the climber before leaving the area, I'd leave the climber over night and return the next morning ready to hunt. Just my opinion. Good luck

[bornagainbowhunter]

I would set the lock on the first time I hunted it and have it there for the rest of the times.

[TroutKing]

I like the climber myself. I love mine. That way, you keep your scent to a min.

[AMB]

Stay out of there and let me go hunt it and I'll tell you if I see anything!

[eagle24]

Originally posted by AMB:
Stay out of there and let me go hunt it and I'll tell you if I see anything!

ha!  I figured you were lurking.

[customcrester]

I would use the climber the first time you hunt the spot and see if the deer are useing the area like they were.You can slip in there with the climber and try to kill a nice buck your first time in.Once you see what the deer are doing you can then set your lockon if you want.Good luck and enjoy your hunt.

[Blaino]

like others have said i'd try to hang them before you hunt. if you can't then i'd use the climber.  either way you can't shoot one sittin at the house.

[BobCo 1965]

As long as your climber is quiet, I'd go that route. Personally, I can not be quiet with any climber.  :confused:

[Gatekeeper]

Hang your stands now and get out. It takes roughly 3 days for your scent to fade.

[eagle24]

Originally posted by Gatekeeper:
Hang your stands now and get out. It takes roughly 3 days for your scent to fade.

I guess I am more worried about a mature buck smelling where I have been and changing his patterns.  If it were 4 weeks before opening day, I would hang a stand.  I think I will go in with a climber and see what happens.  The only disadvantage is maybe a little noisier, but if I get there late morning and really take my time I should be able to get in a tree quietly.

[adeeden]

Just to expand on why I say to hang it now. Your always better off taking a quick look even if you are familiar with the past patterns.

example: A tree could have fell blocking the favorite trail and the deer could be detouring the area slightly.

You could have company, the landowner could have let someone else hunt this year and they may be in your spot. Or for that matter there could be a trespasser set up in your spot!

Shooting lanes will probably need trimmed a little, I know mine do every year even the ones in spots Ihunt year after year.

Seasons two weeks out, your scent will be long gone. I also would not even try to be quiet when setting the stand in fact i would make excess noise so the deer will have time to move out way ahead of me. This seems to cuase much less alarm in the long run or at least works for me.

[eagle24]

Good points adeeden.  This is a unique situation.  The landowner is my business partner and is in the office next to me.  He doesn't hunt and there isn't any access to the property.  I park in his driveway and this stand is less than 200 yards from his house.  A tree could be down, but it is pretty open mature hardwoods.  I should be able to see where the deer are walking around it if that is the case.  Last year I had a stand up that had been there for 3 years.  Climbed in it around 1:00 and had 4 young bucks feed right through around 2:30.  They were just exactly the deer I didn't want to kill.  One of them may be ripe this year.

Truth be known, it's probably 6 of 1 and half dozen of the other.

[xtrema312]

I don't like to set up in the dark unless I know exactly what the score is.  I have hunted the same farm for 35 years, and I wouldn’t just go there the first time in the year in the dark and set-up for a hunt.  I would be in there for sure ahead of the hunt.  My preference is always a hang on when possible on private land unless maybe for an afternoon one shot hunt.