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This will be my first time setting up a Tree stand for bow hunting. Iv hunted deer before eg. doging bushes, morning and evening sitting in fence rows.
I was planing on making a mock scrap with some doe estrus near by. Maybe a salt block. I dont want to over do it
Looking for opinions!
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps00dd2442.png
I wouldn't be making mock scrapes or using scents associated with the rut until late October, the deer would be weirded out if you did that stuff to early.
The mineral block is good to put in now, do it at the same time you put the stand up. I leave mineral blocks year round so there's always something there.
Don't hang the stand to high and place it so that you won't be silhouetted against the sky if you can avoid it. Clear enough brush so that you can shoot, but not so much that it's a clear cut desert. Focus on the interception between food and bedding areas for the opener and into the third week of October (ish) then you can move into the pre rut and rut tricks.
Thank you for the reply. My biggest concern is scaring them away with bad stand placement or over doing it on attractants. A mock scrape, doe estrus, and a salt block wont be too much? I plan on rattling some as well.
I wont get a chance to start hunting till late October anyway. Saturdays and Sundays only.
get salt out ASAP,,,,,,,,,,dont face to the west if hunting in evening,,,,,,,,sun will kill you
Thank you for the reply's so far.
My biggest mistake to start was setting the stand to close to where I expected the deer to be, back off 20 yards from the game trail or where you expect them to show, pay attention to predominant wind direction.
IMO all the suff above plus: Get 8-10 trees cleared and set up ready to hunt to take advantage of the wind.
There is a Guy in who hunts in Michigan called Eberhart who wrote a few books about hunting pressured deer, since you are in Southern Ontario this may apply to you, if your spot is not pressured his methods will make your hunting even more successful. Though he is a bit over the top at times.
If you can do two stands then that's great as you can hunt different winds. Weekends are short.
For this years crops anyway, I would have at least one stand along the long corn field to the east, where it meets the small corn field to the west, and take advantage of all the cover the corn provides, which can promote more activity, even during the day. That is, if the corn is still standing by then.
I also like stand two better than one. The hay fields provides much more than the pasture, plus that tree line looks thicker and is better for most wind.
Things will be different late October. I agree, keep it simple. Come November I keep it real simple. Find the girls and the boys will be sniffin about. :) Clear shooting lanes for sure, but no more than that. Don't change anything that you don't have to is my motto hehe.
If you haven't shot your bow from up high you may want to practice some, you'll feel more confident when that moment comes.
Good luck with your hunt. I look forward to some stories.
Cheers
Your plans look good. I'd presume the rougher area to the NorthWest is the bedding area and I'd also place a stand somewhere just inside the trees in that area right up in the top left part of the picture (if you have permission for that area too).
I would presume you enter from the West, but you didn't say. How you enter and leave the area can make or break success, although agricultural area deer are less skittish than forest deer about occassional human scent.
You're not too far from me, and unfortunately I've seen few deer all year (but you only need one!). There were no second tags for 78A or 75 this year as far as I read, unless some surplus tags become available, bummer. Don't forget to apply for the controlled hunt too (free but telephone application closes at 11:59PM TONIGHT). Good luck and post a few pics of that big buck you get.
Great diagram, and looks like a nice property. A stand near the corn is a good idea