Early public land archery - field edges and stand advice?

[CarlTuesday]

I'm a new whitetail hunter now that I live in the east and exclusively hunt public because it's what I've got. I flailed around a bunch last year, did some good learning, and even though I didn't get an archery deer I got close to a shot a few times... Things worked enough where I had some success with the longer range of gun season.

Anyway, most of that hunting last year was October and November... Early season is pretty new to me. Our state/region uses a reservation system and unfortunately getting thru on the phone is tough so the places I had scouted are not an option. I had some stand ideas figured out, but now I'm thrown into a new spot I've only seen once or twice.

it's a captital T shaped property with the top of T backing up to a woods and marsh. Most of the t is ag field, with woods generally surrounding it. The top of the T is soybeans and the "vertical part" is standing corn. I got out there once and saw a few deer wandering in/out of the corn, plus a variety of footprints and trails in/out of the marshy woods to the soybeans.

Since I don't have any more time to scout before the opener, any advice on how to work the property? I've never been somewhere with standinng corn and/or soybeans like this place.

My other big concern is getting in. You are required to park at one of 5 spots that are generally right in the middle of the field areas, and then you walk along the edge. I'm worried a morning sit will have me drive right through the field to the parking spots, and then walk along the fields that may still be holding deer early morning.

Is a field edge a good idea early season? And when people say field edge, do they actually mean right on the edge? Other particular things to look for?

Any help is appreciated.

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[Whitetaildown215]

Any chance you have an Ariel view of the area you can post up? It may be helpful to get a better idea of how it lays with the parking areas. Are there any creeks along the edge or anything that would create a funnel area?

 

[nastynick]

There are a lot of factors at play. As mentioned an aerial image would help.
depending on how much the deer are around trucks in that area. Drive your truck in and try to just sit in your truck and glass for deer for an evening/morning.

a couple thoughts though:
- Early season with standing corn or beans, I would recommend evening sits. It’s likely that the deer will move into the field just before dark.
- the deer are likely bedded during the morning or day in the woods, so for evening sit walk in whichever way will push your scent away from where you expect the deer to enter the field.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is get in and find a good scouting stand location to get a sense of the deer movement. A good vantage point.

I like to sit over beans more than standing corn since it’s tough to do much over standing corn even if the deer are visible in it. Depends a bit on how much separation there is between the corn and the trees Otherwise you won’t even be able to take a shot

 

[Palmetto_Archer]

These deer are bedded just inside the hedge, next to a bean field.

They don’t stand up until just before dark.

 

[huntingfishing]

Any chance you have an Ariel view of the area you can post up? It may be helpful to get a better idea of how it lays with the parking areas. Are there any creeks along the edge or anything that would create a funnel area?

This would help a lot to paint the picture. Green bean fields and fence lines with surrounding woods are generally good in early season. Sit

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[180splitg3]

Generally speaking, hunting the edges of crop fields in the early season is just going to educate the local deer. Evening sits are your best bet but you should try to find a way to get out at the end of the night without walking the edge of the food (again, don't educate the deer if you can help it). If I'm hunting a field edge I like to stay inside the woods about 10 yards. Public will be tough but it can be done - hope that helps!

 

[CarlTuesday]

Here is the map, with some markup, and an aerial. I stripped some info out because I don't know if locals will yell at me, but none of this is top secret, so ....

My only scouting day: Noonish - I walked the field edge and woods, checked for trails in/out along the whole SE edge of property figuring the marsh offered good bedding cover, but didn't figure out aforementioned access problem. Found some sign (prints mostly), possible beds, maybe old rubbed areas, definite game trails. Early/Mid afternoon saw movement of does, button buck at green check marks.

Last year I mostly hunted the middle part near my green arrow.

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[CarlTuesday]

Generally speaking, hunting the edges of crop fields in the early season is just going to educate the local deer. Evening sits are your best bet but you should try to find a way to get out at the end of the night without walking the edge of the food (again, don't educate the deer if you can help it). If I'm hunting a field edge I like to stay inside the woods about 10 yards. Public will be tough but it can be done - hope that helps!

Here is my thought... It's public land, hunted every day mid September thru January, and I'd bet money at least half the other guys there on a given day (5 per day max) will be on/near field edges, so it seems moot as far long term education goes.

But I'm new to this, admittedly...


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[Jagger0502]

You know the great thing about hunting pressured whitetail is most of the pressure comes from the same areas. If I was scouting and planning to hunt this area I would mark the bedding and feeding areas and hunt between the two closer to the bedding area. Field edges look grand on TV but pressured deer only hit the edge AT dark or right after when they know it’s safe. And I would expect most pressure to be here because of the easy in/out access. Find a good area in the woods or thicker fields, that is accessible with the right wind not blowing towards the bedding area or trail they will come out of and walk in and catch them leaving their beds. Then find another that will work in the opposite wind so you have options. If able, get two more for cross winds.
My first look would be the “old fields now supper thick” area. Get into the opposite side and get spots for two wind directions if possible and looks like you can with two different parking areas.

Next would be deep down Summerville creek. Not sure the size of it but creeks are a great place to sneak down and get around. Check out crossing areas between the lake/creek/woods. Seems like a nice hidden corner most will overlook. I would expect this to be good during the rut for smarter bucks traveling but in cover.
The more time you spend there the more you will get the hang of it. Take some milk weed in and if you plan to hunt a stand see where it goes. Being flat and thick you might be surprised where your scent ends up. You can’t beat a deers nose. In the right wing don’t be afraid to hunt on the ground. I have shot more bucks in thick areas on the ground than open areas in a stand. You just need one good shooting lane and be ready for him.

good luck bud!

 

[CarlTuesday]

Thanks - two follow ups, if we're expecting a wind out of the north (which is the forecast for the weekend), how does that affect what I might want to do in that "super thick area"?

I'm trying to think about it for the morning and the afternoon.

East west, either way, I think I have an idea because I can park at either end and use a creek bed to move along E/W.

For mornings, given the fields to the north and south, is a north/south wind an automatic "no go" for the morning because one of the two fields would get your scent? Particularly since I'd need to move east-west to get in.

Given that I can't hunt the south woods or the closed center woods anyway, is walking in along the edge of the closed area or even back along the road before turning north into the woods (and therefore keeping the standing corn upwind) a bad idea? Something like the attached, maybe keeps my wind mostly in the track I just walked in on, and deer moving along the low spot between the thick stuff and the corn come past, or as they walk the corridor between corn and trees?

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[Jagger0502]

If you have a north wind and know the trail they will likely come thru just stay to the East or west of it to walk in and set up beside the trail. Take the most unlikely side that will have your scent shoot into the area below you that might be bedding area. If anything else play it safe this weekend and try to figure out what trails they are using and stay off as far to the outside as possible and get an idea for a better game plan. It’s not worth blowing out your first time in there if you can help it. Try to set up for observations and maybe get lucky and then come in with a better game plan next time or with better winds.