critique my plan for new stand

[Charlieyca]

So the last 2 years we have added 10 acres to the south line both years. We have yet to use that area as anything except for a sanctuary. Now that we have noticed more trails migrating towards to the south. We want to get some stand set up for hunting the south line on a north wind.

Here is the location of the south property line and proposed stand location.

Blue represents the tree lines still present. (green is pine and thick shrubs). Most of the blue is oaks and hardwoods left by the paper company forester.

You can see the some of the trails north to south and I would like to stay 75 yds from that heavily used trail to not interfere with normal patterns. The x shaped green lines would be clearings with the 2 angled slightly south staying clear, and the 2 headed slightly north becoming plots in the future. Access would be down the red line and then north to the stand.

 

[Charlieyca]

Edit: the property to the south was clearcut this spring and lots of new trails headed to that area to feed.

 

[X-farmerdan]

Sounds like a reasonable plan, but I'm no expert on stand setup. The aerials are a little short on resolution (Google Earth?) making it difficult to see much detail. If you know the imagery vintage - what year it was taken it would be helpful to know. I know, that's a lot to ask. And, finally, I'd like to see a larger area. Something bigger than just your property. I assume the scale is quite large and north is up, etc, etc. A trained eye can see the relief on the map, but a topo would make it much easier to see elevation changes. If you're interested I can give you links to better resources. I would need to know your state.

 

[Charlieyca]

Image was from late winter early spring before green up 2016. Very flat in this part of the farm, maybe 5ft variation from flat sections to creek bottoms. I am in southeastern NC. Picture is most recent from the county GIS

 

[X-farmerdan]

Not a lot of help, are we? I'll stick my neck out. I'm confused about a couple things. Are you using trail to mean both deer trails and people trails? You want the proposed stand 75 yards from the path(?) to the west of the X? That's a people trail, right? I guess I'm wondering why your proposed stand location is where it is? I get the south location, but east to west why there? Don't mean to freak you out, but I looked at 2016 NAIP imagery after the leaves are out and it looks a whole lot different - as you might expect. The tract is less than 50 acres?
I would recommend expanding your thinking about stand location not just inside the boundaries of your property, but in a large area outside. It seems to me yours might be a place deer pass thru more so than a destination. If the deer are coming into your property from the south, the clear cut area, then, can't you hunt your proposed stand in a south wind, too? Double bonus! Your two blue lines represent the buffer area of the previous cut. If there is an elevation difference, it's in there? And if there are oaks would it be a good area for a setup?

 

[Charlieyca]

First off thank you for responding! I didnt want to write 2 pages and everyone ignore it, but i hoped questions would come. People trail is the south border (red line) until the stand is directly to the north. No other people trails, all the green is clearing to see deer and possible food plots. I know getting all the area clear enough for plots wont happen this year. Tract is 45 acres. That X is between to groves of oak trees. other than those 2 spots not a lot of acorns hit the ground around me. Looking at big picture my deer mostly work straight north south and then east west. (pink is general deer movement from bedding (blue) to feeding)

I have deer coming from all 4 sides of me, but the major movement is from the blue bedding areas and north south. Yes, i would hunt it on a south west wind also, but i do have stands on the north side of property that are better sutied to these winds. The two blue lines are 2 creek bottoms that join and there is a stand setup going right where the meet. Deer follow those 2 creek bottoms to a pinch point there. The proposed stand has very little elevation change. Building a box stand that is going to be permanent, I cant decide whether to put it inside one of the oak groves for some blending in, and clear the undergrowth for visibility. (floor will only be 6ft off the ground. OR build it in the open area between 2 groves and keep the deer from getting to close by building a barricade around my blind, and be able to hunt 2 oak patches.

 

[Charlieyca]

Option 1 blind built into the oak grove, lanes in green, access people trail in purple


Option 2 blind in a clearing back off of the oaks, access stays same, angle of clearing changes

 

[Charlieyca]

Mostly sweet gums and red maples on the creek bottom. Most of my hardmast and soft mast is getting planted in the center of the farm. Due to it being long E to W (1000yds) and narrow N to S (200 yds) having food away from north and south edges is a little bit harder.

 

[Charlieyca]

here is the NAIP image I found. yellow is current stands. Red is 2 options. blue has been clear cut since the image was taken.

 

[nchunter1989]

If you go with the options you have marked up- I would do #2: Pull the blind south of the oaks. In a "perfect world" I would say hang or build a stand on the south side looking E/W along a cleared & planted lane but I know you're having issues getting a dozer in there.

Have you considered a stand in the V of trees? looks like that would be a funnel as well,depending on your visibility & if anyone is hunting the existing stands to the north.

 

[Charlieyca]

There is a tree already picked out for the V of those 2 creeks that is getting a stand. There is 200 yds between that stand and option 2 stand. Little close together, but with only 45 acres, tough to get stay spaced out. Normally my father or bro in law hunts with me, but occasionally all 3 of us do hunt, and that is alot for 45 acres.
My initial goal was to have 3 northern stands and 3 southern stands and the back 10 acres a sanctuary. But after looking at the overall map, I have a de facto sanctuary to my west and south, so I may end up moving further west to hunt than in my original plan. All the while understanding those are high impact stands.

 

[nchunter1989]

Right. You’ll probably see a lot of movement to the south into the clear cut over the next 2-4 yrs.


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[Charlieyca]

Sounds like a reasonable plan, but I'm no expert on stand setup. The aerials are a little short on resolution (Google Earth?) making it difficult to see much detail. If you know the imagery vintage - what year it was taken it would be helpful to know. I know, that's a lot to ask. And, finally, I'd like to see a larger area. Something bigger than just your property. I assume the scale is quite large and north is up, etc, etc. A trained eye can see the relief on the map, but a topo would make it much easier to see elevation changes. If you're interested I can give you links to better resources. I would need to know your state.

South Eastern NC, thanks for the resources in advance!

 

[Charlieyca]

If you go with the options you have marked up- I would do #2: Pull the blind south of the oaks. In a "perfect world" I would say hang or build a stand on the south side looking E/W along a cleared & planted lane but I know you're having issues getting a dozer in there.

Have you considered a stand in the V of trees? looks like that would be a funnel as well,depending on your visibility & if anyone is hunting the existing stands to the north.

There would never be someone in a north stand and a south stand for the same section. Hope to have 3 stand for any north wind (south side) and 3 stands for a south wind (north side). Some of the north stands were built and cleared lanes before I really looked at habitat management and low pressure hunting setup.

 

[nchunter1989]

Totally understand that..Revamped our stand locations to the outer perimeter & seems like our sightings have gone down.Looks like you are on the right track.

 

[Charlieyca]

As much work as we will have to do to get south line cleared and some shooting lanes, I know it will disrupt their patterns. But long term, It will make hunting late season much better. Right now North and east winds blow from our stands to the thickets.