Hunting Area Change

[Bowhunter57]

One of the areas that I hunt has typically been a bedding area for the does. The bucks frequented it, in the fall, but otherwise weren't seen in the area. So, my hunting of this section has been predictable to movement times.

However, in February of 2019, the landowner went into an agreement with surrounding farmers to install a drainage ditch, to improve the surrounding fields. This has worked out for the farmers, but it has changed the deer's patterns considerably. Having a continuous water source is good, but all the brush (downed trees) along one side of the ditch has changed how the deer use this area. The bucks seem to cruise through it more often (all year) and the does....well, I've not seen more than one or two all year long. Until hunting season, I stay out of the woods and only view it from a distance. Perhaps I'll learn more as the season progresses.

Due to this environmental change, I'm leaning towards hunting it from the edges and staying out of the interior. Perhaps along the ditch or the field edges to the north.
In years past, I've hunted crossing paths/trails inside the woods. However, the new ditch cuts the wood lot in half diagonally from S.E. to N.W. Since the prevailing wind is usually out of the S.W., this forces me to hunt along the ditch or I'll be downwind of any deer movements inside the woods.

Would you continue to hunt it as I have in past years or would you make some changes?
Thank you, Bowhunter57

 

[giles]

I change how I hunt every time I hunt. Weather and deer patterns change with pressure, food, wind direction, season and many other reasons. Adapt and overcome

 

[Bigcountry40]

Whats the AG field standing corn, beans, hay? How dense is your deer population? And do the deer hang around later in the season once the foliage has died and the crops are gone? I've hunted Western and North Central Ohio tundra land my entire life and the particular county I grew hunting the deer density was low . I always hunted hard while the corn was up and tried to stay out of fields/woods until it was hunting season. Then I would use a self climber setting up on the corn field edges. if the your bedding area was ruined, the deer will most likely move to the woods and middle of the corn field or patch of tall grass/weeds within the cornfield. I would hunt edges (like you mentioned) and be very wind conscious using climbers.

 

[Bowhunter57]

Whats the AG field standing corn, beans, hay? How dense is your deer population? And do the deer hang around later in the season once the foliage has died and the crops are gone? I would hunt edges (like you mentioned) and be very wind conscious using climbers.

Bigcountry40,
Standing corn to the west, beans to the south, but it has 2 passes taken out of it (outside edges), earlier this week. The 35 acre wood lot is triangular in shape, so the north and east sides are against a State Route....and more woods with a creek directly across the road.
As for the population, there are more bucks than does. 2 years ago, I took photos of a bachelor group of 11 bucks....4 of which had antlers out past their ears by mid-July. This is typical of this area's deer heard. The doe population is less than half of the buck population, so there's lots of competition, come breeding/rut season.
As for the wind, I'm always conscience of the wind direction each day and how it changes during that day. I hunt from a Cruzr XC saddle, which allows me the choice of any tree, according to wind direction and travel routes, per hunting day.

Bowhunter57

 

[hickslawns]

Hunt the edges. Stay out. Observe from the edges or with binoculars. Move in when you have figured out a more consistent pattern or when you're closer to the rut and all day sits.