Describe your best stand spot !

[Hardwood11]

I’d be interested in hearing some real life descriptions of killer stand/blind spots .. for bucks, or deer in general .

What makes it so good, and how have you capitalized on it ! Fire away !

 

[sep0667]

The stand I shot my buck out of last year was a pretty good set up I felt. Its on the north side my timber with open ag to the north, so any south wind is good, ideally south or southeast. I approach from the west coming across the open ag. The open ag I walk across is up high so any deer in the timber/cover do not see my coming across the open field. I think walk the north edge of the cover downhill towards the stand. Where the timber edge starts on the west is high and it slopes down hill to the east. I have a stand about 20 yards from the north edge that I have the access through the brush cleared out pretty good. In the stand setup I face south and have good cover behind me. In front of the stand is sort of open and few trails intersect about 20 yards in front of it and there was already a nice scrap there when I set it up last year. When sitting in the stand I can see across the brushy overgrown field to the east. Deer will travel from my timber in front of me and then across the brushy field to the timber to the northeast of me. So overall access is pretty good and with a south wind its a pretty solid set up.

red: access (x stand)
blue: ideal wind
green: deer travel

 

[Hardwood11]

I have a go to spot in Iowa that has a ridge behind it, a tucked away crop field in front of it .

Bucks come from the east. A South wind is perfect here. It’s money almost every night (wind permitting)!

Tall stand that has good cover and if they walk this edge . It’s game on !

 

[Hardwood11]

Let me add you don’t have to post a map .. a description is fine .

 

[Windlooker]

One of my best is a large creek that borders a 40 acre crop field. The field is to the east and nasty bedding to the west. The creek runs north and south along the field with 10 foot banks making crossing difficult. At one spot the bank whittles down at a wooded finger that protrudes into the field. My stand is on the west side of the creek 20 yards off that crossing. I need a north wind to slip for evening hunts. Usually walk the creek to the stand. It’s a killer!

 

[Sligh1]

Not much to look at but it’s a blob on the timber where about 7-10 massive trails or travel directions intersect. For some reason I got lucky & no matter the day or time…. Thermals go UP. I don’t recall ever being winded out of this stand. I slip in on the downside of ridge for entrance & the deer are generally in AG fields opposite direction of where I walk in. Get in when it’s dark. It’s usually an hour before it picks up. Probably due to how far off crops it is. 830-11am is usually great. A good rut hunt…. Usually see maybe 10-25 bucks depending on the day (if include dinkers). It’s kinda a “hornets nest” type of spot. It’s 100% natural movement based on terrain. Deer follow it but so do coyotes for example. I have my personal best out of this stand: 6 coyotes in one morning with my bow. I got out of my stand 1 time to pick arrows back up. The amount of mature bucks I’ve seen out of here is one of highest ever. I’ve shot one big one outta here & bro shot one outta here. Red is ballpark stand location. Yellow is entrance. Blue is made up approximate travel areas and paths. The trails & rub lines through here are bananas. Surrounded by TSI & countless bedding thickets.

 

[203ntyp]

My go to stand for morning hunts sits at the top of a hill with a really thick bedding area to the west. Behind it on the east side is a wooded staging area that joins the crops, beans and corn rotation. On the north side there's a small stream and a steep hollow, on the south side, timber and a grass field bordering another small hollow. Come the middle of October buck will be cruising through here anytime of the day.

Evenings I prefer a stand in a fence row between another known bedding area to the southeast and overlooking an apple and pear orchard with thick pines to the south. Bucks cruise through there from one bedding area to another to the west. Both locations have served me well over the years.

 

[Stoney]

Big white oak at the corner of one of our ponds. NW wind puts scent out over the water. My best archery buck was traveling N on the dam, didn’t work out for him. Great spot every year if November is cold.

 

[Obsessed]

Unfortunately, my best stand location belongs to someone else now. I'll try to find another one, but believe I'll hunt mobile style most of this season.

 

[Windlooker]

I have another where I killed my deer last year. A 9 acre stand of switch separates two bedding areas, one west and one east, with deer moving back and forth all the time, especially the rut. A deep ravine runs north and south on the edge of the east block; with two wooded fingers protruding west into the switch. These fingers funnel deer to only two land bridges that cross the ravine. I’m 25 yards east of the ravine guarding one bridge. Another great setup for all day rut sits.

 

[Hardwood11]

Unfortunately, my best stand location belongs to someone else now. I'll try to find another one, but believe I'll hunt mobile style most of this season.

On public ? Or the farm sold ?

 

[Obsessed]

On public ? Or the farm sold ?

Private land sold. Public is always a crap shot.

 

[newfarmer]

I have a spot on a ridge I’ve killed my last several deer over in Allamakee County. About 8 trails from the north and 8 trails from the south all come to this point in the ridge. It’s basically where the bottom on one side switch to top and same for the other. They can’t get behind me- which is where the scent blows with a prevailing wind. Sit there any day in November and you HAVE to be paying attention. Every deer I killed there had been between 11 am and 1 pm.

 

[Hardwood11]

This inside corner is a killer spot in Minnesota. Everything to the south & east is timber, CRP and no food.

The deer come the east and feed in the plots to the west .. or rut action. Either one.

The only negative is the access is very average. But we make it work. I’ve shot 3 good bucks in that corner.

 

[Stoney]

A farm I bow hunted for many years before it sold. The yellow line is a trail on top of a steep bluff. The top of that bluff is very narrow and drops off precipitously to the north down into a creek. On a south wind, in the rut, bucks will cruise it looking/scent checking the field to the south. I hunted from a climber in an oak 10 yards south of the trail on a south wind. I would get high enough my scent would blow over their backs and they never knew I was right on top of them. I never had to cross their trail either.

 

[Hardwood11]

I would think—ponds, water holes and creeks could be “best spots” this fall with the dry weather!

 

[2.5YR8]

Stand is X and sits in a large oak on an open ridge top that used to be pasture. Only trees on the hilltop are oaks that are loaded every year with acorns. Steep and thick timbered ravines are to the east, west, and north. The deer come out of the ravines in the evenings, and work their way to the ridge top, and then south to the ag field.