Hey all,
I know this is entirely subjective, so it's your guess against mine. But I was just wondering on input for the latest (or how close to the season) you'd build a permanent stand on your deer land.
The land I hunt is private (free to build) and has a fairly large clearing in a depression with draws coming in from several directions. I've always seen good sign in the area, consistently seen deer there for years, including iffy bucks, and shot a nice buck down there last year. The problem is, I took a look at the plat map last year, and I didn't realize the property extended to include the far slope, which is out of my comfortable range from an unsupported tree stand. Further, the clearing is a long oval - so I can either shoot at the entries/exits on either end, or hedge my bets by setting up in the middle but having lousy coverage of the ends. So far I've chosen the middle, it's been alright, producing one wall-hanger and the potential for almost unlimited does (they often run under my stand).
To be able to cover the area, and have a better idea what kind of deer are skirting the edges, I thought a permanent elevated blind smack in the middle would be a productive option. Well placed, I would be able to hit all edges of the clearing, the hillsides, entries and exits. My shots would be better supported. And, although the last two Novembers haven't been nearly as bad as I've seen, it would really be a lot better for breaking the wind up in the Wisconsin cold.
So it seems like a good option, provided I maintain my entry/exit routes to allow me to get there unnoticed.
My question now, is it too late? I know the land like the back of my hand, but because of life in general I get up there maybe once or twice a summer to poke around. I can't scout as much as I'd like to, and I don't know how things I do impact the local deer. They are fairly wary, as hunting pressure is very high - although it's all private land in the area, I doubt there's an unhunted acre for 20 miles. On the flip side, this can work in my favor, as I've seen whole herds of bumped deer work either side of the clearing during the first couple days of rifle season.
So what do you think? If I could round up some guys to go up in July, think the big ones would still be spooked come late-November?
For reference, in the past, I've hung stands and done shooting on the property as late as August without much worry.
Thanks for the input.
I know this is entirely subjective, so it's your guess against mine. But I was just wondering on input for the latest (or how close to the season) you'd build a permanent stand on your deer land.
The land I hunt is private (free to build) and has a fairly large clearing in a depression with draws coming in from several directions. I've always seen good sign in the area, consistently seen deer there for years, including iffy bucks, and shot a nice buck down there last year. The problem is, I took a look at the plat map last year, and I didn't realize the property extended to include the far slope, which is out of my comfortable range from an unsupported tree stand. Further, the clearing is a long oval - so I can either shoot at the entries/exits on either end, or hedge my bets by setting up in the middle but having lousy coverage of the ends. So far I've chosen the middle, it's been alright, producing one wall-hanger and the potential for almost unlimited does (they often run under my stand).
To be able to cover the area, and have a better idea what kind of deer are skirting the edges, I thought a permanent elevated blind smack in the middle would be a productive option. Well placed, I would be able to hit all edges of the clearing, the hillsides, entries and exits. My shots would be better supported. And, although the last two Novembers haven't been nearly as bad as I've seen, it would really be a lot better for breaking the wind up in the Wisconsin cold.
So it seems like a good option, provided I maintain my entry/exit routes to allow me to get there unnoticed.
My question now, is it too late? I know the land like the back of my hand, but because of life in general I get up there maybe once or twice a summer to poke around. I can't scout as much as I'd like to, and I don't know how things I do impact the local deer. They are fairly wary, as hunting pressure is very high - although it's all private land in the area, I doubt there's an unhunted acre for 20 miles. On the flip side, this can work in my favor, as I've seen whole herds of bumped deer work either side of the clearing during the first couple days of rifle season.
So what do you think? If I could round up some guys to go up in July, think the big ones would still be spooked come late-November?
For reference, in the past, I've hung stands and done shooting on the property as late as August without much worry.
Thanks for the input.
