Small parcel advice

[Cardinalbuck]

Hoping I can get some advice on the best thing I can do to improve my odds this fall...I just came into about 30 acres in Ashtabula county. Let me tell you a bit about it...

It's almost entirely wooded with a thick canopy so not much sunlight hitting the floor. Lots of trees but overall they're pretty young - only a few giants. There is a small sun exposed area where an oil well used to be. It's got a swampy corner with a small pool of water on the property line. It borders woods on two sides, one side that borders a vacant field, one borders a road. It's kind of far from home so I can't be there too often to tend things. So...what one or two things should I do to improve the habitat, and my odds of holding deer this fall?

Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[Bigslam51]

By "coming into" do you mean that you inherited it? An aerial view of the property would also help. What kind of trees do you have, is there hunting pressure on surrounding property?

 

[MK111]

You have to have a new type of crop to draw the deer to the area. I doubt you can hold them there unless there is a good food source but you can draw them to the food. Other wise it's just a pass through area then look for good pinch points for stand locations.

 

[Bigslam51]

I would clear that field and plant a food plot. You have to have a new type of crop to draw the deer to the area. I doubt you can hold them there unless there is a good food source but you can draw them to the food. Other wise it's just a pass through area then look for good pinch points for stand locations.

From the way it sounds I don't think he has access to that field, his property just borders it.

 

[MK111]

From the way it sounds I don't think he has access to that field, his property just borders it.

May bad. I see that now. Then plant in a cleared forest area.

 

[bowhunter1023]

An aerial would make it much easier for me to throw out suggestions. I assume it is flat given the location, so there won't be much in the way of terrain to funnel deer.

Are there any oaks? How about thickets? What is growing in the vacant field? How is the tree line on the side with the vacant field? How about surrounding properties; what do they offer?

For me, I'd be focusing on the tree line along the vacant field. My best treestand is located on the edge of an overgrown field. Deer love that type of habitat.

 

[Cardinalbuck]

Thanks for the replies. I will post an aerial pic this evening. There are some oaks, not much in the way of thickets, and pretty flat.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Access is going to be crucial. We can look at this once you post the aerial.

 

[Cardinalbuck]

Attached is an aerial view of the property. It's the parcel in the center with the "abula" part of "Ashtabula" on it. I'd appreciate any advice.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I'm from the hills and don't hunt flat land, so take this advice for what it's worth. Here's how I'd approach things...

White Star: It appears there may be a creek in this vicinity, along with some oaks. I can see deer crossing the road in this area and deer feeding in/around this area. If the woods are open in that spot, it would make a great south wind spot to slip in to and observe. I'd scout the area for access first, then proximity to oaks, and if possible, a trail leading to/from the road in to the oaks or that overgrown field.

Red Star: Access for this spot is going to suck, don't see much around it. However I like this area for another south wind set as it makes a nice travel corridor from the crops to the west, along the field to the south, to the overgrown field to the east. Most fencelines where I'm from have good mast producers in them, so I'd think things could be similar up there. I'd scout this stand for a nice triple trunked tree about 35 yards off the field edge. Looks for trails paralleling the field edge and make sure to back off them 20 yards or so. Best case scenario, you still have a shot to the field edge.

Yellow Star: IMO this is the best spot on the property and I'd hunt it on a N-NW wind. I'm digging this spot. You should get some traffic crossing from field to field, and you get to be on the inside corner of the overgrown field. This spot resembles my best spot and I see this being a great spot. Access is going to be tough and this could be a stand best accessed a good 1.5 before sunrise, or a couple hours after. I'd save this stand for the pre-rut and rut, and plan on sitting most of the day. I'd be scouting for the best tree to hide me, then I'd figure out how to get in/out of the best I could.

 

[Hoytmania]

I also hunt some flat land farms. 1023's yellow star is right where I would first look, or this would be my primary start. Like he said, it is a natural flat land funnel. Inside corner to inside corner. The only thing I would change is I would move the yellow star a little up and to the left. So that I wouldn't be crossing the path that connects those two inside corners. I make that statement assuming that you are entering the property from the far upper left of the property. That is where I would start and adjust from there.

Is this your only property? If so, it will be easy to overhunt and ruin this spot. It may be beneficial if you are able to set up a camera on this crossing.

 

[Cardinalbuck]

Thank you both for the advice on placement. I see what you're saying about that corner - I will set up a camera there. This will be my first season owning this property so don't have experience observing deer movement yet, but can see lots of prints on the game trails. Is it worth trying to funnel (hinge cuts) or draw the deer (mineral licks) to stand locations at this point or better to go a season, get some experience, then make improvements?

I do have access to another property, so will split my time and try not to over hunt this one.

 

[hickslawns]

Thank you both for the advice on placement. I see what you're saying about that corner - I will set up a camera there. This will be my first season owning this property so don't have experience observing deer movement yet, but can see lots of prints on the game trails. Is it worth trying to funnel (hinge cuts) or draw the deer (mineral licks) to stand locations at this point or better to go a season, get some experience, then make improvements?

I do have access to another property, so will split my time and try not to over hunt this one.

I agree with Hoyt on the yellow star. Then again, on the ground you may find there are only a few trees which will work. You may be limited on where you can hunt that corner.

In regards to doing anything extra? I would personally wait. Once you hinge cut trees, you cannot undo it. I think I would observe for a year at minimum before cutting anything. Mineral licks won't help you much during the season. I find them pretty good for summertime pictures, but by September I don't see much activity on them. If I were to do anything, I would do it as soon as possible. If there was one thing I were going to do, it would most likely be clearing a quiet entry path to that back corner.

 

[Bigslam51]

Like Phil said, I wouldn't do any kind of cutting at all this year, and I probably wouldn't next year either. It'll take some time to figure the deer out. Get in there asap and hang a couple stands though where Jesse pointed out. I also like the yellow star.

 

[Cardinalbuck]

Thanks again for the advice. I appreciate the help.

 

[Redhunter1012]

Are you allowed to shoot into the field? That would be my first priority if I were you. If I were hunting mornings, I would find where the deer like to cross the road and set up not to far from it. I know it seems lame, but a couple of our best spots that we kill deer from around my flatland area are within 50 yards of the road. If the deer like to travel in that area, I guarantee you will get a crack at some in the mornings. I would almost guarantee there is a primary trail on both properties on both sides of the road that branch off within 50 yards of the road. The will use primary trails then branch off on secondary trails depending on their agenda. Almost every woods in my area that butts up to a road is set up just like that with those trails, and the deer all behave almost the same every year.

 

[Bigcountry40]

I like his yellow star approach also, I would try to get permission to walk through the crop field all the way to the far left and try to stay in field to get to the yellow star location as much as possible, basically making a "L" to get to my stand.(the least amount of disturbance possible). I would also caution the amount of activity in this small parcel. Woods in the Northwest Ohio that I used to hunt are flat and small just like this, limiting the amount of activity before hunting season in that woods as much as possible will help you (even checking trail cams). In these kinds of woods it is supper easy to kick deer out and ruin a hunt as your walking in. Like others have said this woods could be easily be over hunted. I would even consider a scout/hunt to limit my interaction in the woods.

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

30 acres doesn't seem like a small parcel to me!

I would do your due diligence to see if you cam get access to the triangle to the left off that field. With the hedgerow there and a nice for sided area, seems like a good place to be in the evenings before they go out into the field.

 

[Cardinalbuck]

Are you allowed to shoot into the field? That would be my first priority if I were you. If I were hunting mornings, I would find where the deer like to cross the road and set up not to far from it. I know it seems lame, but a couple of our best spots that we kill deer from around my flatland area are within 50 yards of the road. If the deer like to travel in that area, I guarantee you will get a crack at some in the mornings. I would almost guarantee there is a primary trail on both properties on both sides of the road that branch off within 50 yards of the road. The will use primary trails then branch off on secondary trails depending on their agenda. Almost every woods in my area that butts up to a road is set up just like that with those trails, and the deer all behave almost the same every year.

The property I hunted in the past was just like you described. I see east to west trails on this property but none leading to the road, but will keep scouting.

 

[Cardinalbuck]

30 acres doesn't seem like a small parcel to me!

I would do your due diligence to see if you cam get access to the triangle to the left off that field. With the hedgerow there and a nice for sided area, seems like a good place to be in the evenings before they go out into the field.

...and to BigCountry...

Was thinking the same way on how to access to limit interaction. That farmer is a friend of a friend, so asked for an introduction to see if I can hunt on that area to the west, or at least get permission to walk through to get to my stand. The landowner of the field to the south is not local so don't have a good lead there.

Appreciate the advice. Since I'm pretty new at this it's helpful to hear I'm thinking about it the right way...and I am thinking. In fact, it's hard not to think about it all the time. Is that normal?!?