Advice with 2 sits left.

[hert2005]

Only my second season bow hunting and still looking for my first deer.

I got permission to hunt new land a week and a half ago. 150 acres of mostly pine trees in central Minnesota. A small creek runs thru the property and I know that it's still open. There is a cut corn field to the west of the property and before I received permission, I saw deer in the field.

I hunted the edge of the corn the first few evenings, saw some deer but wasn't in the right place at the right time. The last couple of times out, the deer haven't come out to the corn or at least not during daylight hours.

I took a scouting trip into the woods and there are tracks and sign everywhere along with numerous beds. In fact there were beds right on the edge of the corn.

I guess my question is with only 2 sits left, would you stay on the edge of the corn or find a trail that leads to the corn? There are several trails going in and out so picking the right one seems like a roll of the dice to me. Maybe hunt the water? Any thoughts from those who have more experience than me would be appreciated.

[Stratosman]

I would still sit the edge, the colder it is, like now, the earlier they tend to move, sometimes even mid-day. They need the calories to keep warm. Another reason, is lots of times I have noticed that late season deer will bed close to food sources, if there is adequate cover, to avoid burning excess energy. So that makes it more difficult to move far into cover to hunt travel routes. But if you know they are still bedding far enough in that you can set up, then that can be a great option as deer become pretty regimented in regards to travel routes.

I guess it depends on your setup and the lay of the land, next year, if you can, I would set up some trail cameras to give you an idea.

Oh, yeah, dress warm, but not so bulky that you can't draw your bow at the moment of truth!

[surewood]

Hunt the trails from where you saw their beds to the corn. Go in as quiet as possible and as close to the bedding area without spooking them.

[TruthWalleyes]

Get right in on them beds shoot one at sunrise.

[hert2005]

Sat on the edge tonight. Nothing moving. Going to try to sneak in close to the beds tomorrow morning. Do deer typically bed in the same area? I've seen them scattered all around so it's hard to pin point a spot where I can get to within 30 yards..

[Bear55]

I am just guessing but I think if you walked their trails and found some beds you probably pushed them all out of the area. Don't bother hunting the morning this time of year, save it for an afternoon hunt. I would hunt a different par tof the property or maybe some different land.

[hert2005]

Appreciate the thoughts. You are probably right Bear. I tried to limit my movement in the area, but the sightings aren't there the last 3 days, and I did stumble upon an area with 7-8 beds. Probably pushed them or they decided it was safer in the dark.

Going to have to take a stab in the dark tomorrow. Better than sitting on the couch though. If nothing else I got a lay of the land and if I get permission again next year, I'll have a better understanding.

Thanks again!

[deets22]

look further in if you can they might just stage there to go out and feed at dark. seen a few deer do this a ways off of major feeeding areas. they move in and wait till dark to move on to the food.