[zach_454]

Included is a picture of where I have 2 hunting stands, and I show the routes I took last year to get to my stands. I shot a nice 8pt buck from my south stand and seen a lot of deer. From scouting I have found a lot of deer beds where I have the green dots. As you can see I just walk right thru their bedding area and right to my stand. I always walked in the morning before sunrise and at night just past shooting dark. Do you think there is a better way to get to my stands? I'm afraid I might be scaring the bigger bucks out if I walk right thru their beddings? Also, there are scrapings all along the edge of the timber where I walk by.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks!

 

[hilt xlr8]

depends on what way the wind blows? Trust the wind

 

[ftshooter]

yep walk with the wind blowing your scent off your place ...say the top of pic is N. if you have wind blowing N ..walk straight from tuck to the N. fence line ...down it to your N. stand ...Now if you have a S. wind walk just outside your S. fence line behind those bedding areas if you can from your truck..then at the corner cut back walking N to your stand ..Wind should be in your face blowing your scent out behind you .... If you are catching deer coming w out of the woods going to bedding ,,then a E wind will be bad as it will blow your scent in to the woods ,,for a morning stand ...Evening stand W wind will be bad as your scent will be blowing too their bedding area ..Hope this makes sense ...

 

[VAHUNTER01]

depends on what way the wind blows? Trust the wind

agreed.
it also depends on what direction most of the deer you are hunting are coming from.
stay scent free as possible especially your foot wear. more deer are spooked by crossing your path than you think. i'm usually in my stand in plenty of time before deer are heading to there bedding area
is that a fence row to the right of your truck?? if so that would be a good route to follow to your stand.

 

[jlh42581]

deer bed with the wind at their back so they can smell what they cant see. they approach from down wind into the bedding area so that predators can only cut one scent stream not the scent stream and the track from multiple directions. based on your beds, id say the area youre walking through are doe beds and theyre bedding in there on a north east or east wind so they watch you pull in and leave before you ever have a chance. if theyre bedding in those areas on a north east wind to smell the woods and watch the open fields you need to find a path approaching from the south where visually you cannot be busted and travel west to your stand at such an angle that a north east wind wont blow your scent right into the bed. the path youre taking is killing you for sure.

 

[jlh42581]

also, in that area where youre showing a ton of beds, you most likely have multiple doe's sitting in there on that same north west or west wind and watching multiple directions, unlike a buck who beds alone is going to most likely only be able to see at max 270 degrees.

 

[jlh42581]

i cant stop posting in here... jesus. i have one last question, how do you know that those are not nighttime feeding beds?

 

[zach_454]

I'm not sure what the difference from a feeding bed is. The beds are all in CRP ground with grass up around knee high with pine trees, and the beds are next to timber line and around the pines and some just out in the open. Forgot to mention, there is a heavy deer highway from another timber coming from the south going right thru the bottom beds which they travel to go north and south. Where my truck is parked and where my stands are at, there is a hill you can't see over, and when I walk I shine my light every once in a while looking for eyes, but don't see any. In the mornings before I could really see anything, I would always hear and barely see 1 or 2 deer come in basically the same direction I did and I was just able to make out it was a deer. Then toward the evening right before dark, all the main activity I seen was the deer coming from the woods out to this CRP ground. Sometimes they would walk out the timber and go north slowly or go out and go south. And I've seen them come from the direction of my truck! Now last year was my first year hunting, so I was learning and still learning, but I never hunted the wind. I sprayed down with hunter specialties products and just walked in the directions shown. I can't remember, but I think some mornings i didn't even feel a wind, it was very calm, what do you do then?

Also, pretty much all the areas that look like a fence is there is a fence.

 

[BOE_Hunter]

When you are in your stand, which way do the deer run when they are spooked? My guess would be toward the woods. The wooded area looks to be a sanctuary and that is the area I would avoid having my scent blow into when walking to my stand and while hunting.

 

[Stanley]

Stand aproach

This is how would approach those stands with those winds.

 

[JB17]

This is how would approach those stands with those winds.

I agree, and use the wind in your favor.

 

[ftshooter]

This is how would approach those stands with those winds.

I agree, with this ...on days it seems like there is no wind ,there may be a little breeze one way or another ,,need a wind checker ,of some kind to check it ..but, Also,they will be able to hear better ,so go in as quite as possible and a way they are not as likely to come from..or be at ...And I would not shine lights at them ..In fact, use a light only when you really have to ..I like to use a red one if needed ..I don't ever use a green light ...You don't ever want them to know you are there if you can keep from it...