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Stand placement question.

moosehunter

moosehunter

PMA Member
The last three seasons I've had a stand on a hardwood hilltop that is bordered by a small CRP field. I've sat in the stand several times and have noticed most of the deer use an old logging road 100 yards inside the woods. The trail they use kind of splits up close to thier bedding area. I don't want to get any closer to the core beds than I am right now.

If I were to go straight down the hill and place a stand somewhere around the trail, would that be smart or dumb?
 
I'd go get em as long as there isn't things like swirling winds down there. If I'm in a more invasive spot that's top notch, I wait til Nov 4 on to hunt them & if I thought I'd be bumping deer, I'd hunt it all day only (depends on the spot and lots of variables) but that's me. Can you get in there and have your wind blowing in a direction that isn't going to screw it all up?
 
Sit 50-100 yards downwind of the trail of possible. Prly catch the big guy trying to scent check the main trail. Just a thought.
 
Sligh1 said:
I'd go get em as long as there isn't things like swirling winds down there. If I'm in a more invasive spot that's top notch, I wait til Nov 4 on to hunt them & if I thought I'd be bumping deer, I'd hunt it all day only (depends on the spot and lots of variables) but that's me. Can you get in there and have your wind blowing in a direction that isn't going to screw it all up?
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Seems like I have swirling winds in every stand I got but it would be worse in that spot. I always have to make a decision which stand to hunt and cross my fingers the wind stays steady.

I have a couple of rut stands already I like to leave alone but another wouldn't hurt anything either.
 
Sligh1 said:
I'd go get em as long as there isn't things like swirling winds down there.
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Was thinking the same thing and believe that hunting the observations we witness is the best strategy there is, but you have to weigh risk/reward.

If you could get in and get out, and find an area that limits any swirl, I would 100% move.:way:
 
SaskGuy said:
I'd take the chance and without a doubt move my stand personally.
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yup. Reward is greater than the risk in this case. Just be smart and pick your days. Also a lot of times in the bottoms here in NE Iowa, I have found that your thermals will be above your head and that the wind may feel "bad" but is actually over the head of the deer. Take your wind checker and see what it's doing ever half hour or so. I think you 'll be surprised.
 
Are there any White Oaks on that hard wood hilltop?

The deer are hitting the acorns hard down this way right now.
 
blake said:
Are there any White Oaks on that hard wood hilltop?

The deer are hitting the acorns hard down this way right now.
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X2! We killed 3 does from the same stand/same night this weekend in Northern MO as the deer were munching on acrons moving down to a Turnip/Rape plot. Awesome weekend!

Can you split the distance and potentially keep yourself in a better wind position and call to the deer if need be?
 
As suggestd, I'd wait until closer to rut activity and then make the move. I have some stands set just like you mentioned here...outside of the action with a view that can pattern deer movement. I've killed my biggest bucks on Noe. 7 and Nov. 17th by hunting stands that were placed after Nov. 1.
Hunt that hilltop late in October and see if you can spot and pattern the heaviest travel route. Move the stand and hunt it that same day, all day. Hammer it hard when the wind is right and go for broke.
 
moosehunter said:
Seems like I have swirling winds in every stand I got but it would be worse in that spot. I always have to make a decision which stand to hunt and cross my fingers the wind stays steady.

I have a couple of rut stands already I like to leave alone but another wouldn't hurt anything either.
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As soon as you wrote, "down the hill", in your original post I thought of swirling winds. It seems like 90% of the time I have ever tried to get a stand "down low" I end up regretting it because of swirling winds. Generally speaking though, I agree with what others have said, go for it, just try to get your wind as good as you can and then do it.
 
haven't read the other replies, but if you've seen consistent movement the past several years on trails that are 100yds away, I'd be moving my stand about 60-75yds closer...to put me within bow range of the movement.
 
My two most exciting rut stands are on the bottom of draws. Once in a while I get busted in them by does but I really can't remember ever getting caught by a buck during the rut in those stands.

I think I'll roll the dice and dump a stand on the trail and use it during the rut. That trail leads straight into a bedding area that the mature bucks seem to like pretty well. I've always left that area alone so those deer always have a place to go where they feel safe.
 
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