Where do you prefer to set-up?

[HauntedWinter]

Hi everyone. I live and hunt right here in North Carolina. Believe it or not, I hunt a little different than some. I will not bait a deer no matter what. I will not use a blind but will use a treestand sometimes. I will scout out deer trails and rub marks and if possible, where they have been feeding. For instance: Thanksgiving day last year I hunted my families 9 acres with a small river going through the property. Several weeks earlier, I saw a trail along the river but seen one spot where the deer have been crossing the river. I decided this would be a good place to hunt but also decided to not use a treestand. To me, it would have been a disadvantage to the deer and I hunt where the odds are a little more even. So, that morning, I went to the tree that I figured would be decent to hide behind. LOL Well, the odds turned to the deers favor when this 7 pointer came our behind me. I saw him out of the corner of my eye and when he put his head down, I would move a little more. After about 10 minutes, I was able to get my 30-06 to my shoulder and sighted him. He was 15 feet away from me wwith nothing but air between us. He kept looking but didnt know what I was and didnt pick up my scent. I thought to myself, this is not a fair shot with him being so close so I waited. he walked in the direction he came from and then came back again. I was afraid to even breath cause he would have seen my breath. Almost passed out there for a minute. LOL..Then he turned away and walked into the woods. I thought to myself, maybe I should have taken the shot but realized it was for the better. After about 3 minutes after he walked away, it hit me that he may very well come out down near the river. I brought the rifle up again and aimed in the area I thought he might come out of. Sure enough within one minute, out he comes and was about 30 yards away. Then I bagged him. It a amazing feeling when you and the deer try to outsmart the other but have the same odds

[dtrain56]

great story...sounds like a great hunt but from some other threads it seems that North Carolina hunters need to shoot more doe ...
 
Since you are a NC hunter what is going on with the push to increase the length of the gun season for the entire season???

[weasel012]

I prefer to set up in travel routes between bedding and feeding areas. In MN where i hunt there are alot of acorns in these areas as well as some thick cover.

[WayneL]

Since I hunt mainly in populated areas land is hard to come by. Typically I am covering a 2-3 acre area and the largest piece of land is 60-70 acres and I am sharing it with 2-3 other hunters so I choose to look for the property lines. They tend to have a stone wall seperating them. Usually there is a natural opening in them (maybe a tree fell on it). I will typically setup there. If I can't find a hole I make one!
 
The issue is that I only get travel traffic. I don't get many deer "hanging around" but I have been successful with openings. I have also been known to pile a lot of brush up to create that wall.
 

[djohns13]

Have to agree with FFKevin on this one.  Of all of the books in my library, this is the best one and is very applicable to all Midwest states but also applies to all other whitetail states.
 
Good shooting.

[psefirex]

WHITE OAKS!!!!  they are great trees to set up in--the only prob. is to find one with the right amount of back cover. And cedars are great too. they cover your sent a fair amount, and are always in some of the best spots in the woods if you look in the right area.

[oneshot 1]

Around here we don't have fields and this time of year don't have much in the way of rubs and no scrapes.Don't find many defined trails.
 
So I hunt where I think they will travel,just a matter of feeling,it might be down in a holler or draw,a saddle or ridge.
 
Plus I hunt from the ground.Most of the time I like to find a blow down,or I might crawl up under a Cedar.
 
oneshot

[Squirrelhawker]

I hunt broken agricultural habitat on the lake plains of Lake Ontario.
I'm a funnel/travel corridor fan. I almost never hunt scrapes, but I like to know where they are. I did a trail sensor study years ago on scrapes in my area and most where actually visited at night. I also like creek bottoms.
 
I also lament the travel into a stand in the morning through open fields whre deer may be standing all over the place.

[weasel012]

I think a person should always take into consideration wind direction first and the time of year you are hunting.The land we hunt weather is you or me may not always offer field edges or pinch points for a couple of examples. So if you take into to cosideration the time of year (rut)for example find the does and there bedding and treavel corridores there you will find the bucks, and always pay attention to the wind!

[NYarcher]

no matter where your hunt takes place the first and most important thing to consider is WIND DIRECTION. you could find "the perfect funnel" but if the wind isnt right you could be in for a long day. I have stands for opposing wind directions. the next things i look for is elevation changes and where different habitats come together (crop fields, thickets, old timber, overgrown fiels, etc..) these areas typically produce nice funnels in transition areas between food sources and bedding areas. But be careful not to encroach to closely to a bedding area. ive found that deer need a safe haven free of human intrusion to keep them comming back. bedding areas are the best areas for this. Good luck!