We purposeful set these aside as sanctuaries. We never hunt in them but certainly hunt around the edges of them.

Same thing here. We use our CPR fields as sanctuaries.

Got it...my Latin sucks....so the back forty of my grandpa's farm that we haven't hunt in 10 years would be like this? De facto sanctuary.

Yup.

A long-term research project I worked on was all about locating de facto sanctuaries, and then once located, measuring the results hunters had hunting in the de facto sanctuaries compared to areas outside these sanctuaries. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least.

I guess I need to make a trip to North Georgia and check Grandpa's old farm and the back forty. Like I said no one has hunted that property in 10 years. I might get lucky...

We purposeful set these aside as sanctuaries. We never hunt in them but certainly hunt around the edges of them.

What I am working towards,lots of saw work

Tricks to the trade we will call them, they are a necessity.

You've got that right. However, the biggest problem is constantly having to develop new ones to stay ahead of the deer!

I guess I need to make a trip to North Georgia and check Grandpa's old farm and the back forty. Like I said no one has hunted that property in 10 years. I might get lucky...

I'm a huge proponent of creating and protecting official sanctuaries on a given piece of hunting land. Deer need locations--even fairly small ones--where they know they can escape hunting pressure.

[/i] sanctuaries is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT TECHNIQUES FOR CONSISTENTLY SEEING AND KILLING MATURE BUCKS.

A "pocket" is not a sanctuary. A pocket away from the "main
stream" is an emergency area after the "sanctuaries" have been
found out by many roaming hunters. These areas are very often
avoided by MOST hunters.

A "pocket" is not a sanctuary. A pocket away from the "main stream" is an emergency area after the "sanctuaries" have been found out by many roaming hunters. These areas are very often avoided by MOST hunters.

...simply pick the one place that you would never hunt, then hunt it...lol.

seriously.......

Exactly right.

Awesome info BSK. What size grid do you use for scale on the map? Guess it matters on the size of the map.

I'd really like to try this on our place.

sometimes they are in the most obvious spot!

Many "pockets" can be where there is alot of human activity.

That's how I killed one of my top bucks. I've told this story many times, but I was using the technique described above to locate "unhunted pockets" on my own property, and one of the areas the map highlighted was around our hunting cabin. Well of course no one hunts around the cabin, considering the amount of human activity that goes on there. But I took the program's advice and set up a stand so close to the cabin I could look in the windows. The first time I hunted that stand, here comes the oldest and biggest buck on the property, just ambling along in broad daylight. I shot him at 20 yards.

BSK---a couple questions....

Is the map shown here a 3 year grid map?
Do you look at that map prior to opening of hunting season and "aim" for those areas or do you hunt them on into the hunting season when your favorite spots aren't producing?
You ought to add kill pins to your map denoting when those little hunted areas produce.