Still Scouting

[brock ratcliff]

While I was out running snares yesterday I took the opportunity to look over some ground I have never been on. I have hunted one farm since 94. I have hunted on the east side of the main road the entire time. The farmer owns land on the west side too, but it is wide open...I mean not a tree. There are deer in those fields at times, but I have never thought much about trying to kill them. Usually when I see them they are traveling across the open ground from one of the other distant woodlots. I always thought it would be a good area to gun hunt for that reason, but never have.

So anyway, I asked the landowner if there were any old fence rows or ditches back in there that were not visible from the road...it appears there is nothing out there from the road but often in this country there is more to it than meets the eye. He told me there was a ditch 1 1/2 miles back. Waterways are highways in this country! He said it was 8 ft below field level (as many of them are). I got on the four wheeler and took off. Sure enough, I found what I was looking for. There is one place where the waterway is tapered on the edges to allow farm equipment to cross. For those of you that have never hunted on a pool table, this is gonna be a money spot this season!!!! It will be planted in corn this fall, meaning I will have one pinch point in a sea of crops to hide. The more I think about how this place will likely be, the more excited I am about hunting it early in bowseason. The deer should be ultra relaxed out there, as I know for a fact no one bothers them there.

IMO, this is the BEST part of hunting and scouting...looking forward to what might be!

 

[hickslawns]

Jackpot! Good luck next season Brock!

 

[brock ratcliff]

Thanks Phil. I've shot a number of really great deer off this property, the best of which Sean killed in 07 or so...188 and change gross. They show up from only God knows where in late October or early November. I have always figured they spend the majority of their time out in the wide open spaces and only show up in the timber when the girls drag 'em in. I really think this may be one of those places a guy could kill a good deer every year!

 

[finelyshedded]

Sounds like a heck of a good set Brock! Does the prevailing wind cross the ditch or blow with it?

 

[brock ratcliff]

Usually, it should be blowing across it. With corn on, it may do all sorta funny things. But, I'm not too worried about it. Another neat thing with the way it will be surrounded by corn, I can set up wherever I need to and still be able to shoot the crossing. You know how it is when you find one of these places, just can't wait to hunt it.

 

[buckbuster217]

sounds like a hell of a spot, good luck with it next year Brock!!

 

[jagermeister]

Sounds like a real sweet spot there, Brock. All you have to do is slip in undetected, and those deer won't know what hit 'em!

 

[brock ratcliff]

Sounds like a real sweet spot there, Brock. All you have to do is slip in undetected, and those deer won't know what hit 'em!

That is the real beauty of the place. The ditch runs out to another county road. The township keeps the waterways mowed. My access in is going to be like walking up a fairway! Its probably 3/4 of a mile from that road, but easy as it gets.

 

[jagermeister]

That is the real beauty of the place. The ditch runs out to another county road. The township keeps the waterways mowed. My access in is going to be like walking up a fairway! Its probably 3/4 of a mile from that road, but easy as it gets.

Oh dang, that's awesome man. I was wondering about how tall that grass would be. I've seen a lot of deer bedded in waterways with high vegetation inside of cornfields... If they keep it mowed, you probably won't have to worry too much about bumping deer on your way in or out.

 

[brock ratcliff]

The property line is where it gets real intersting. It is actually the confluence of three properties. There is an old fencerow about 100 yards from the crossing. The fence is no longer there, just posts and brushy, weedy mess around them. One fence row runs directly to another woodlot (that I have never been in). The fields are divided into opposite rotations on the third property creating another edge leading to the crossing. These deer often travel the patch between corn/beans like a highway! That dividing line runs all the way to a creek bottom to the north (about a mile) and another stand of timber to the south (again close to a mile away). If I were tempted to label the area as we often due a stand, I'd call it four corners. Just standing there looking around makes you feel like you are at a four-way stop sign. There is a stand of huge old oaks 500 yards or so to the SE that I have seen deer in on numerous occassions, but never hunted them due to it being so open...the landowner has horses in the oaks. Checking the fence along the stand of oaks shows the deer are still going to visit the horses. This is such a wide open spot it gives the feeling you get when traveling or hunting out west, like there is NOTHING around. I love it!

 

[hickslawns]

Have you ever shed hunted the location? If not, I have a feeling I know where you will be burning up some boot leather in the next several weeks. mischeif.gif

 

[brock ratcliff]

That was the first time I have ever stepped foot on that side of the property. I have hunted the farm since 94 or 95. There isn't a tree around, and nothing really jumps out at you to say it's a place you should look at, at least not from the road. It just goes back to having to work at the game harder with less deer around, take a peek over the next hill sort of thing...but there isn't a hill around either. On the side I do usually hunt I saw two dandy bucks while checking snares. Both were still carrying antlers. I hope to find 'em.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Great news Brock! I sure hope it pans out; sounds like it will make for some exciting hunts!!! :smiley_clap:

 

[brock ratcliff]

I think it will. I just came back from that property. I didn't go to the west side, but I think I'm gonna have to. The landowners were out in one of the barns working on equipment so I stopped to chat. I told them I wasn't seeing much yote sign on the east side and one of 'em said "You need to go set up in the back ditch. I hear 'em back there every night, sounds like there's 100 of 'em". When I was snooping around back there the other day all the I saw tracks I believed to be yote tracks, and a good many, but the snow had melted enough to make it impossible to say for sure. It would be a great area to set up to call. I really need to get a howler and see what happens. I've used distress calls in the past and have only killed two using it. Seems the howler would be the way to go, especially this time of year.