Lay of the Land Key to Successful Deer Hunting
by Tom Seymour
A basic homemade tree stand at the edge of a clearing. Tom Seymour Photo.
Two features on the author’s Mid-Coast Maine woodlot dictate deer movement. One, a little knoll, covered with young beech trees and the other, a valley, carved by a small stream, serve as examples of the kind of terrain that deer hunters need to examine with a fine-tooth comb.
First the knoll. This second growth woodlot offers a combination of open, cut-off areas as well as thick, softwood sections punctuated by 40-year-old fir trees that average about the diameter of a 16-ounce coffee can. Neither of these places stand as prime places to look for deer. The animals avoid these open areas during daylight hours (although they may skirt the periphery at dawn and dusk) and the softwood sections are simply too thick for anyone to walk through, much less raise a rifle to shoot a deer.
The knoll, though, has a little bit of everything. A relatively open cutting bounds one side of it and a devilishly-thick patch of scrawny fir lines the other side. The knoll itself provides relatively decent views of the open side, while being protected by the thicket on the other side.
The small beeches atop the knoll give protection from oncoming danger and there, deer often bed down for the daytime hours. And given that beech leaves remain on the trees throughout the winter, rattling in the slightest breeze, a skillful hunter can gain a close approach without being heard over the rustling beech leaves.
Also, at dawn and dusk, sitting near the knoll allows for a chance at any deer going to or from the knoll. All in all, it’s a perfect situation.
Mental Support
Having a spot like the knoll and knowing that it offers a fair chance of spotting a deer has tremendous mental benefits. Sitting out on a deer stand in the cold, or during rainy or windy conditions can at times make a hunter dubious of success. And not being assured of the value of the stand’s location does little to assuage any fears of time spent in vain.
Trusting in the value of a hunting location inspires confidence and confidence, along with a bit of luck, can go far toward success in putting venison in the freezer.
Two Visions
While on an October woodcock hunt in a favorite bird cover, the author found two different deer stands. These varied greatly in not only construction, but also location.
The first, an elaborate, wooden structure, was along the wood line overlooking reverting farmland. Here, what was once an agricultural field has given way to alder, raspberries and young poplar. But yet the field remains open enough for someone sitting in the stand to see any deer that might either pass through the field or, more likely, sneak around the field edge.
Without question, the stand sits in a promising location, as indicated by buck rubbings on a sapling within sight of the stand. But how often do deer come by this area? Most buck activity, with the exception of the height of the rut, happens mostly at night. But deer need to rest during the day, not only to recoup spent energy from the previous night’s ramblings, but also to avoid prying eyes from hunters.
It seems unlikely that a deer would bed down in the field, but one might possibly seek to bed in the brush alongside the field. Most activity here, though, undoubtedly occurs at night and also at dusk and dawn. So the treestand really only offers a good chance of success early and late. Sitting in it all day would likely prove a waste of time.
The second stand presents a very different picture. This consists of a folding chair, set near a large tree in order to break up the hunter’s outline. No ladders, no boards or nails, just a chair. But the location makes it a winning situation. And in fact, if the hunter had built a ladder-type stand, it would not be as effective because deer could probably see it. Deer sometimes look up and when they see a hunter in a stand, they have sense enough to avoid it.
This stand sits on a sidehill overlooking a ravine. At the bottom of the ravine, is an ancient, well-worn deer trail. Without a doubt, countless deer over the ages have used this trail for egress and access to their bedding areas.
Also, just off the trail, a buck has constructed a ground scrape. While the tree rubbing (where bucks rub the velvety material from their antlers) by the treestand simply indicates a buck’s presence, the ground scrape tells much more. Bucks scrape the ground and deposit their scent there, often topping off the job by biting the tip from a balsam fir branch and placing it in the center of the scrape. In human terms, that seems kind of like putting a cherry atop a pile of whipped cream on an ice cream sundae.
After constructing any number of scrapes, the aggregate of which is called a scrape line, the buck makes regular inspections of each scrape to see if a doe has visited and left her scent. If so, the buck pays extra attention to that particular scrape.
The hunter’s folding chair overlooks the ravine and trail and the ground scrape just happens to lie about 100 or so feet away, a perfect setup if ever there was one.
But more important, the folding chair stand sits near a well-used and well-defined deer trail. And such trails often see daytime activity as well as nighttime, dusk and dawn. The treestand location, while useful early and late, represents only a hit-or-miss situation.
It seems likely that separate individuals set up these two different stands, since the ravine stand makes excellent use of the local geography, while the treestand location does so only to a very slight extent.
Universal Application
The lessons learned from examining these two stands have potential for universal application. We find that deer do not travel about willy-nilly, but rather (again, with the exception of bucks in rut) with a definite purpose in mind.
Fields, knolls, ravines, mountains and even eskers (high ridges formed by glaciers) often dictate game movement. Figuring out just how these geographical features figure in to deer habits is key to hunting in an educated and informed way, rather than randomly walking in the woods or simply taking a stand and sitting.
Also, remember not to overlook the obvious. For instance, a nearly impenetrable thicket, even one near a well-traveled road, can serve as a bedding area for the biggest bucks. Many a trophy deer has reclined in its roadside hiding place, safe and serene, despite passing traffic.
Finally, while most of us wouldn’t consider wetlands as suitable places to hunt deer, wetlands, heaths, swamps and bogs can prove invaluable. All this requires is that the place have some high ground, or at least dry areas. Deer can walk on mighty spongy turf without breaking through and they don’t mind getting wet in order to locate a protected bedding area.
The trick here amounts to finding where deer enter and leave their wetland hiding places.
Being in a place with a clear view of such a trail at break of day can bring great rewards. Simply standing with back against a tree for the first half hour or 45 minutes of daylight should suffice.
Also, deer sometimes seek their wetland haunts when spooked or pursued by hunters, coyotes or even domestic dogs. This can happen at any time, so for a daytime stand, it’s hard to beat such a setup.
It all amounts to looking at the land with no preconceived notions and letting the landscape speak for itself. Ask yourself why a deer would want to travel through a certain place. If no good answer comes to mind, then perhaps the place has little to offer. But if the lay of the land fairly shouts “deer activity,” then it pays to take a closer look.
In the end, knowing the lay of the land and understanding how it relates to deer movement can pay off in dividends this hunting season.