Need Opinions...Aerial and Topo Included

[hesseu]

Well, I have drawn a coveted managed hunt down here in Missouri. The hunt is scheduled December 10 and 11th. I am planning on going to do some "boots on the ground" scouting Thanksgiving weekend. However, I feel like I've done around 10-20 hours of e-scouting and aerial scouting now...And, I believe I am thinking I'm falling into the Echo Chamber of myself. I've got around 20 places marked on my map to check out that weekend.

However, I wanted to run these maps over fresh eyes and see if others confirm the spots that I've marked, or if they locate things that I am overlooking. Would love for all the IWT members to take a look and PM / DM me their thoughts on this. I'm hoping to have some of the spots I've marked be backed up by other members thoughts / opinions as well.

 

[letemgrow]

That bottom right corner sure sets up nice for a brisk NW wind that time of year.

There's surely some low water spots deer would be crossing the river to get to the grain I'd look at as well.

 

[sep0667]

Checking out the spine of this ridge jumps out at me the most.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

The 4 spots along the river would be my first choices and I would try to access by boat if possible. The SE corner where it enters ag field is probably a good spot as well... right next to river.

 

[hesseu]

Gotta say...I'm liking the reply's so far!! Some are exactly where I have waypoints to check out.

 

[NextBuk]

Wow, that property looks phenomenal. Is it public? So, there will be a bunch of others on it those 2 days also? Rifle or bow? How will you access? (i.e walk-in only, boat is option, e-bike?).

Remember, it'll be post-rut so this will be bed to feed, feed to bed type of hunting... find your food sources... I don't mean hunt them necessarily... find what they are CURRENTLY feeding on and back track to where they'll likely bed for those food sources based on the day's wind direction.

Start by running, walking or biking the perimeters of the field edges...learn what the food status is in each... check browse damage, tracks, scrapes, etc. You'll get a good indication of where most of the deer congregate on the property.

They'll bed on the lee side of the hills each day... so, north winds, they'll bed on the south facing slopes. West winds, they'll be on the east facing, etc etc. And they'll favor the points. If it doesn't screw up others hunting at the time, dive into some of the points and see what you kick up. I'd aggressively scout this since you're going a couple weeks ahead of a 2 day hunt. Limited time to make it happen so you need to find where the bucks are living as fast as possible.

A lot of my actions would depend on what I can learn about hunting pressure on this, food sources, wind/weather on the days of my hunt, etc.

Pay super close attention to your entry and exit once you have figured out a couple options for the hunt. If you want some more help, PM me, or you might check out my Hill Country Bucks video. This is a classic hill country scenario and an amazing looking chunk of ground...I'm salivating!

Good luck!
Jarrod

 

[hesseu]

Wow, that property looks phenomenal. Is it public? So, there will be a bunch of others on it those 2 days also? Rifle or bow? How will you access? (i.e walk-in only, boat is option, e-bike?).

Remember, it'll be post-rut so this will be bed to feed, feed to bed type of hunting... find your food sources... I don't mean hunt them necessarily... find what they are CURRENTLY feeding on and back track to where they'll likely bed for those food sources based on the day's wind direction.

Start by running, walking or biking the perimeters of the field edges...learn what the food status is in each... check browse damage, tracks, scrapes, etc. You'll get a good indication of where most of the deer congregate on the property.

They'll bed on the lee side of the hills each day... so, north winds, they'll bed on the south facing slopes. West winds, they'll be on the east facing, etc etc. And they'll favor the points. If it doesn't screw up others hunting at the time, dive into some of the points and see what you kick up. I'd aggressively scout this since you're going a couple weeks ahead of a 2 day hunt. Limited time to make it happen so you need to find where the bucks are living as fast as possible.

A lot of my actions would depend on what I can learn about hunting pressure on this, food sources, wind/weather on the days of my hunt, etc.

Pay super close attention to your entry and exit once you have figured out a couple options for the hunt. If you want some more help, PM me, or you might check out my Hill Country Bucks video. This is a classic hill country scenario and an amazing looking chunk of ground...I'm salivating!

Good luck!
Jarrod

I'll PM you some more info...