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dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
First off, I've never "named" a buck. but after seeing this guy on camera regularly and actually seeing him in person tonight, I've dubbed him "Turk". He has been given this title because he stepped out tonight in the same spot I saw those turkeys last week.




He stepped out at 5:45 at about 40 yards along the right side of a beanfield I was sitting over. There were a couple maple saplings and branches from an oak tree in my way so I couldnt take a shot. I was expecting him to come over and work a scrape about 15 yards in front of me but instead he skirted the opposite side of the field. I grunted at him and got him to stop in an opening but he was 50 yards out and he only paused for a second before he continued on his way.

I was surprised to see him so early, and coming from this direction. I was sure he was bedding on a property to the east and coming through here in the evenings. I have him on different cameras and his path leads him from east to west at night and west to east in the morning. I think another hunter bumped him tonight, which would explain his early appearance, But seeing him come from the west was a total surprise.

This is the place.



The yellow dots are where scrapes have been opening up. the yellow lines are obvious trails. The beans are trampled down where they are going from point to point in the beanfield.
The red dots are my stands. the one on the fencerow to the east is a blind, the one to the west is a hangon, and the one on the edge of the field next to the scrape is where I had my climber this evening.
The red line is where Turk came out tonight going west to east. after I got down I went to look at the place he cut through the "south point" and there is a trail there as well, not as well used but it is there.
The blue dot is another guys blind. When I left this evening his truck was parked down the road from mine. He usually hunts across the road, but he did tell me that was his blind on the south side of the thicket. with a south wind this evening his scent would have blown right up into the area that Turk came from.

So here is my problem, As you can see, the corn in the middle, and the beans to the east and southeast are the only crops left, I believe my best chance to kill this buck is to get him before the crops come down, after that who knows.

I am thinking about setting up about 20 yards inside the tree line to the west of where I was tonight, about a third of the way to the hang on stand. I like a south southwest wind.

i would like to set up along the fenceline that borders the trail but this is full of pinoaks and there isnt a spot for a stand.

The terrain is relatively flat other than the obvious drainage that runs to the pond to the north.

anybody see something that screams "set up here!!!"?
 
If it were me and it is possible, I would move the stand that is the first red dot from the left on the map. I'd move this stand a bit to the left on the map in to the corner of the inside corner of that cove in the field.

But, if the standing corn is gone as of today I'd go with the stand that SP suggested.
 

dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
figured I'd update the thread with some recent scouting info.

All the crops are now gone. But there is an area to the north that was planted with winter wheat last fall that was never taken down. Beans were planted right over top of them, and now that the beans are gone this area is green with wheat, timothy, clover and other assorted grasses.

once again, the yellow dots are scrapes. the new ones that I found to the north are the size of car tires. I put a camera up to see what is happening there.

The blue spots are other hunters set ups. The one to the south of the bedding are is a blnd and the other is a ladder stand that I have never seen anyone in until last night.

The white line is the property line, I asked and was told no because the landowner hunts there. After speaking with the guy that hunts out of the blind i found out that he dosent really hunt, but what can I do?

The green spots are rubs, I havent seen any out here before, but then again i havent really had reason to go so far back in the woods since turkey season.

The yellow lines are known trails

The red spots are permanent set ups. The one to the left is a hang on stand that I intend to move, i noticed that since the leaves have come of, this stand sticks out like a sore thumb. The one to the right is a blind. I was figuring on hunting out of it for gun season, hoping to catch them coming out into the cut corn in the evening. But after the combines came through and then the field was immediately disced, there isnt much left on the ground. I might move it as well.