Hunt where they ain't

[Muddyboots]

We all know this saying far too well but we usually "just know" where certain guys are hunting on your favorite state or private ground. I was doing some post season scouting a few years ago and had brought GPS with me to mark certain features etc. While I was scouting, the usually tree stands were left up past season. So I started to mark them in my GPS, uploaded to my DeLorm Topo USA software and an interesting pattern showed up when I uploaded the stands to the topo map. Where I hunt was pretty good even with pressure but what jumped out was the reason why. Deer were skirting certain stands and had no choice but to come through the thickest cover where I hung my stands. They normally wouldn't have to but the stand pressure pushed them into my area very nicely. So I started to do in-season scouting during the week to mark stands and adjust accordingly. When you see the stands marked on a map, it is a real eye opener. Basically I still mark rubs, scrapes and so on but the stands really added value to my mapping. So just sitting here looking at my latest post season map and thought I'd popped this in this forum for comments.
Muddy

[minecreek127]

 I have had a lot of success using the same tactic.

 I typically hunt out of a climber, and one of the things I do, especially a few weeks into the season when others have begun to educate the herd, is to set up in areas around or between stands. Sometimes I may even be able to see the stand, and have seen deer in the past stop in a covered area and stare at the stand before they move out into the opening to see if anybody is there.

[Land_Owner]

I usually hunt where they ain't...

[SHOOTALL]

of course ansewering the call of nature near the competors stands dosen't hurt either I'm told . Some say PETA uses the sae tatic.