[TAYLANEMILYME]

i would like to hunt saturday morning and i know that some people hunt close to bedding areas but i just did a little scouting and found some sign off the edge of a large field (that deer use) and there were fresh droppings and white oak acorns there - now please tell me that it would not be a waste of time to hunt this edge during the morning? isn't there a chance that the deer will either travel the field edge, eat the acorns, or enter the grassy field?
thanks
Eric

 

[snoopy]

Eric,

A couple of factors come into play on this.

What type of cover do you have to get into the stand without being spotted? If there is good cover you might spook a few but there may be many more that you don't.

Are there other food sources that the deer also use? If so this might be an area that they hit as they travel.

This is probably a better spot in the evening. If I did hunt it in the morning I would try to get in very early to give things time to settle down and to beat in the deer that are still traveling.

 

[TAYLANEMILYME]

Access

i can get to the stand by walking acroos the field and i think that most of the deer are coming down the ridge from above the stand and hopefully some are walking the edge of the field in the woods. the field was not planted in corn or anything this year, there are just some hay bales out there. but i have seen trails coming from the woods into the field anyway - so isn't there a chance the deer still come to the field and or eat the acorns in the morning?
thanks a lot

 

[Team Hoyt PA]

I agree with snoopy.
I'd save it for an afternoon hunt. It sounds like a good spot for them to hang up back in cover and munch some acorns while waiting for dark to set in.
I think a morning hunt could do some harm to the area as they are traveling back to the bedding area. It's too hard to tell what deer might be hanging around in the white oaks.

 

[Cooter144]

I also agree that an evening hunt would be safer as far as bumping deer and probably be more productive too.

 

[BOWGOD]

i can get to the stand by walking acroos the field and i think that most of the deer are coming down the ridge from above the stand and hopefully some are walking the edge of the field in the woods. the field was not planted in corn or anything this year, there are just some hay bales out there. but i have seen trails coming from the woods into the field anyway - so isn't there a chance the deer still come to the field and or eat the acorns in the morning?
thanks a lot

you'd be much better off on the ridge you speak about. sure a few deer may feed around the edge of the feild right at day light but the majority of the deer will be headed up the ridge by time leagal shooting light arrives. the few deer that you may see at the feild in the morning will likely be does and their young. your best bet would be going in as far away from the feild as possible and getting to the top of the ridge before the big boys show up.

your feild edge sounds like a much better evening spot.

 

[TAYLANEMILYME]

Ridge

even if there is not any sign on top of the hill - that i can see - would u still hunt at the top on the morning??

 

[BOWGOD]

even if there is not any sign on top of the hill - that i can see - would u still hunt at the top on the morning??

i typycally rely on alot of topography when picking stand sites. deer up there on the ridges. so right at the top of the ridge will be your best bet. if you can find a draw that comes up the ridge that would be even better.

your not going to find alot of sign up there deer don't leave alot of tracks or scattered dropping while they sleep. of course there is going to be alot more sign down by the field because that is where they are feeding and doing their nightly ruotines so obviously there will be alot more sign there but when you look at the facts you'll see the ridge even with alot less sign is the better morning spot.

the facts:
1.mature deer esp. buck typically vacate their preefered feeding grounds well before first light and slowly feed back toward their bed.

2.all deer preffer to bed on higher ground with the wind to their backs facing down hill (this way they can smell danger coming from the ridge behind them and watch for danger in the bottom and along the hill)

3.aproaching morning stands through a feild will alarm any deer annywhere near the feild edge.

4.early season success ofter requires hunting in or as close to the bedding area as possible.

in short although the bulk of the sign is near the field the bulk of your am activity will be on the ridge obove the field. if you have topographic maps of the area find a spot where the hill leading up the ridge is not as steep and hang your stand right at the top of that draw. or if you know of a place along that hill or ridge where the cover is a little thicker than the rest hang a stand there. slip out quietly at lunch and then hunt your field edge in the evening