Need some advice!

[Tripleplay]

Just confirmed I secured a deer lease of 80 acres (about 70 is pretty wet!) but at least have someplace to hunt after having a couple of other leases sold by that owner after many years of great hunting. Haven't hunted for a few years and hadn't been successful yet on a Potlatch lease. The current property owner says they would use their 4-wheelers to drive around and knock some of the grass and lower brush down to create some deer pathways and shooting lanes. He used to do some mowing as well. I don't have a wheeler.

If I rented a brush hog type whacker what is the latest any of you would go after some of the brush heading up to opener? Probably going to try to ferry my stands in on the weekend of October 18th (maybe the 11th) to get the deer used to them for as long as possible. Just don't want to mess up the deer movement by making a buch of racket this close to the season but also want to give my son and I a fighting chance.

[Powerstroke]

Its all a matter of what the deer are used to. If its s piece of property that never sees humans and you make a bunch of racket the day before your hunt, that would be bad.

If the deer in that area are used to vehicles coming and going, then they are used to seeing the activity and will adapt. On our 70 acre property, there is farming activity and some wood cutting activity most of the year.

2 weeks ago we were out checking a fall food plot on 4wheelers and there were deer bedded just 60yds away and didn't spook until we got within 20yds of them. Had we known they were there I would have never gotten that close, but it shows how tight they will hold if they think you will pass on by.

If you've got work to do, sooner is better, but don't be afraid of "scaring them all away". It is their home after all and you're making noise, not driving the whole woods out.

[Bear55]

Ideally if you can find a way to hunt it without disturbing anything that would be the best, otherwise get in there asap do what you have to do and then stay away until opener.

[PropsterII]

What kind of stands are you planning to use, and where are you placing them, that they will require getting used to?

[BLACKJACK]

Part of the fun of deer hunting is the scouting and trying to figure out the right spot for your stands, considering different wind directions, deer travel routes, food sources, etc. Enjoy!!!

[Tripleplay]

Yes, the first year or two is all guess work typically. When I walked the dry portion of the lease with the property owner he was able to share his experiences but he hasn't hunted the property for 10 years so the vegetation is a lot taller and thicker. I'm pretty sure I know where to place the two main stands and probably where I'm going to hang a ladder stand as a backup. We think there is one viable stand left on the property as the owners nephew hunted out of it last season for a day. I'm going to check that one out this weekend.

I own both a 4'x 8' Blynd stand that I typically share with my daughter who hunts. She has sat on her own in the past but we both really enjoy spending the time together. I also have a 4'x 6' from the big fleet store. Neither sit really high which is why I want to do a little cutting for some shooting lanes. Property has some poplars on it but their locations are probably better for bow hunting than seeing a ways and reaching out and touching something moving to or from the swamp with a rifle.

First year I'm going to focus on the edge of the swamps and try to catch the deer moving from the neighbors pines to the swamp as well as the flow from the swamp out to the neighbors food plots and some corn that I think is a bit too far away to really help me out. I could be wrong on that though. There isn't any other corn that I saw in the area.

I'm definitely fired up for this after having a few years away. I love the challenge of figuring out a property.

[bigbucks]

If you mow it a couple weeks before you'll be fine, but the sooner you can the better. I just finished mowing at one of the three places I mow on Sunday, but I've done it much later than that when I just couldn't get to it. I just wanted to get it all done sooner so I can bow hunt it.

This summer at my place, where they're used to the noise, I got back to the yard from mowing & saw deer come out right by a post I'd just driven past in the last 10 minutes, maybe 150 yards away. They're not very scared of tractors most places, unless it's really remote.

[loadmaster]

Just ask a logging company how deer get spooked during logging operations. A couple of years ago got a nice buck but had to wait for the skidder to get out of the way. Loggers see alot of deer while running their equipment.

[bigbucks]

My biggest buck ever (14 pts, 214 lbs.) was shot with my bow in 80 degree temps while listening to a brush hog that kept coming to the property line about 50 yards away every 20-30 minutes. I was frustrated almost every second of that hunt until he showed up.

[Wanderer]

Property has some poplars on it but their locations are probably better for bow hunting than seeing a ways and reaching out and touching something moving to or from the swamp with a rifle.

Seeing more can make you feel like you're covering the area better but if you're not covering where the deer will try to sneak through after the shooting starts, you're not really covering anything. If there is sign in those poplars, put your ladder stand there.

Sounds like you're putting up some big stands otherwise. I agree with the others; get it done ASAP but I wouldn't go hog wild on brushing out and mowing a ton. Just get what you NEED cleared. They will find another place to go if you change it too much, too fast.

Good luck and enjoy your new place!

[Tripleplay]

I'm most used to hunting hay fields so have always liked to be able to see as far as I can realistically shoot. There is one real nice area that probably sees the most traffic to the neighbors food plot but it is down range of their main stand and to keep things peaceful I told him we wouldn't set up in that area. He and my properties owner have had issues in the past with the easement, etc. so I decided to stay out of the way at least for this year as he immediately told me not to park or setup in that area. Understand he can't control where I set up and where I hunt but I'd like to have a good relationship with him if at all possible. I may be able to place one of the stands where I can see some of that crossing area and if I can safely stay away from their stand's shooting zone I'm going to try to be able to hunt that crossing area as best I can.

The best stand of poplars is basically off limits due to it's location in that downrange neighbors shooting zone. I'm going to spend some more time on the property this Saturday to get a better feel for where I want to set up and to get a better feel if possible on where all of the neighbors permanent stands are located on the other sides of the lease assuming I don't have to swim to them.