Let this serve as the place to think out loud and ask advice from the brotherhood...
Sunday morning will mark the first hunt at the farm and it looks like shooting light will roll around with wet leaves, low 50s temps, and a slight N to NW wind. I have three options to choose from and wondered what you guys would prefer.
The first is a stand on the edge of a flat on a hardwoods right between two ravines. There is good bedding to the east and the westerly side is mostly open timber, with a few thick spots scattered between the flat and the end of the ridge. Access is a 7 out of 10. This is where I saw Daryl Dawkins last year.
The second option is a stand at the crest of a hill over looking a shelf that's just above the big creek bottom where all my pictures are coming from. There are does down there every morning. I'd be 200 yards off the bottom, but could see it. The shelf connects two sanctuary bedding areas. Behind me is a nice flat that is mostly hickories. Access is a 9 out of 10 and it serves as a great observation stand, with a chip shot as your only option.
The third option is a stand another 100 yards behind the second one at the very crest of the ridge. (Other side of the hickory flat.) This is one of my better stands, but it's getting tight to the thick stuff. Access is iffy. It just depends on where deer want to lay down. It can be perfect, or you can jump deer. It's really a roll of the dice. In another 10 days, it'll be one of my preferred spots.
I'm leaning towards Option 2 right now. Curious as to what you guys think.
Sunday morning will mark the first hunt at the farm and it looks like shooting light will roll around with wet leaves, low 50s temps, and a slight N to NW wind. I have three options to choose from and wondered what you guys would prefer.
The first is a stand on the edge of a flat on a hardwoods right between two ravines. There is good bedding to the east and the westerly side is mostly open timber, with a few thick spots scattered between the flat and the end of the ridge. Access is a 7 out of 10. This is where I saw Daryl Dawkins last year.
The second option is a stand at the crest of a hill over looking a shelf that's just above the big creek bottom where all my pictures are coming from. There are does down there every morning. I'd be 200 yards off the bottom, but could see it. The shelf connects two sanctuary bedding areas. Behind me is a nice flat that is mostly hickories. Access is a 9 out of 10 and it serves as a great observation stand, with a chip shot as your only option.
The third option is a stand another 100 yards behind the second one at the very crest of the ridge. (Other side of the hickory flat.) This is one of my better stands, but it's getting tight to the thick stuff. Access is iffy. It just depends on where deer want to lay down. It can be perfect, or you can jump deer. It's really a roll of the dice. In another 10 days, it'll be one of my preferred spots.
I'm leaning towards Option 2 right now. Curious as to what you guys think.