? about scent and location

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

My "close by, before or after work" huntin hole is a 30 acre wood lot with dense woods surrounding it, with a 3 acre foodplot in the middle.  

I got natural blinds built into trees at the corners of the plots, and I choose which one I hunt out of according to which way the wind is blowing.  

The issue I'm having is these deer won't enter or leave the field in the same spot ever it seems.  I've sat and watched a trail that a buck entered the plot on the night before, only to have him show up 10 yards behind me the next evening.  

How do you hunt a spot where the critters are so unpredictable?

[Bob B.]

It helps to have an idea where they were before and why they were there.  That said, it is hard to do ... I guess that is why they call it hunting eh?  

Good luck, it sounds like a cool place to hunt.  I hope to see a hero pic of you soon.

Bob.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

Originally posted by Bob B.:


Good luck, it sounds like a cool place to hunt.  I hope to see a hero pic of you soon.

Bob.

I think you can look in my previous posts...about 2 years previous....and find a hero pic... I killed a small buck off this place.  It's always good for deer....as long as you're in the right spot at the right time!

[wooddamon1]

Maybe you can try blocking trails to direct them in front of you.    

[D.Ellis]

You think whitetails in a woodlot are unpredictable, try to pattern timber country mule deer for an excercise in futility    
I have no advice for you, but best of luck.
Darcy  

[Sam McMichael]

Even with diligent scouting and preparation, there is always a bit of "By guess and by golly" involved in deer hunting.

[KSdan]

I would have to see the wind, but deer sure learn how to pattern people QUICK!  Most of the time deer are scent checking that food source/field before they get to the edge. If the wind is in your favor on the edge of the source it is most likely in their favor too.  1-2X of that (and you may not even know it since the nailed you before you saw them) and the gig is up.  I would at least be considering how to hunt them before they get to the plot if I could- like just downwind of where they come in to scent check the source.

Just my 2C
Dan

[owlbait]

How about a decoy and some scent/lure?

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

Originally posted by owlbait:
How about a decoy and some scent/lure?

It's been considered.  I've thought about the scent trail stuff for this place.

[owlbait]

WELL? Give it a go! If your after bucks, use a doe in heat scent, if anything use a pre-rut/curiosity lure. Trail some figure 8's in the food plot and set that decoy in the middle of one of those 8's.

[Jake Diebolt]

Hunting fields are always finicky. A lot of times they come out from every direction, but if you look deeper into the bush you may find a major corridor that they follow before splitting off into the fields.

You could try looking for something like that. I have a field like that in the place where I hunt - trails come from every direction, and it's impossible to determine where the deer will emerge into the field. It's a tough one to be sure.

[toddster]

Where are they bedding?  they will use the wind to and from the bedding area.  How much browse and food do they have to eat in the timber?  This time of year, deer don't really have to move to eat, they just browse more for social behavior.  By the wind direction, they will usually favor one trail over another, find it with the changing winds and block one trail.  I found out long ago, don't just hunt one trail.  Find and intersection of a few trails, this obviously increases your odds.  Keep a log of wind, temp, weather, food and action as well as time of day, in no time you will see a pattern emerge.  I Like to use some thing I learned from the Wensels books, set up a stand a distance away and pattern the animal's without disturbing them, then move closer, then you will have them narrowed down.  hope this helps.

[SheltonCreeker]

Toddster hit the nail on the head and so did whom ever else said something about blocking trails. Id pattern them best you can either yourself or with trail cams and go from there. Also I've found sometimes the "right" wind for my food plot doesn't really work because the deer have wised up to my game. You have to be careful how you enter and exit as well if you have stand placement on all four corners you got your scent there as well. Mature bucks won't tolerate much in the way of new scents in there bedroom. Good luck! Hope my rambling made a lil sense.

[onewhohasfun]

I also agree with Toddster. Near the field edge deer move thru an "area" more than a designated trail. Scent checking and feeding on dried leaves as they go.
Move back 80 to 100 yds. off the edge. 70 to 80% of the bucks I see moving in late afternoon move with the wind at their "back", quartering over one shoulder. Does out front where they can't smell and wind at their back where they can't see.
Dont forget the milkweed seeds to check swirling winds at a distance.