Finally getting work done on the property

[Thelonegoose]

Having watched the habitat and deer patterns change on my place over 35 years, we found it really hard to choose "permanent" stand locations. Every year the patterns are different. When we finally erected shooting houses, we just decided to choose the locations that we expect to always want a stand. Basically, overlooking our biggest, most productive food plots.

I have noticed something similar at my place. I have only been hunting my place avidly for about 4 years. It's usually just me hunting so it can be hard to keep up with all the deer movement but I have a few buddies and family members that hunt a couple of days of the year. Anyways, I have noticed that each year, I have one area that is a "hot spot" that gets more activity than all the other places on the farm and much more activity than the year before. One year it was a food plot right in the middle of the property, the next year it was ridgetop with mature hardwoods, the next it was an older logging road coming out of some thick stuff from a clear cut a few years ago, another year was a big bottom with mostly mature hardwoods.

 

[BSK]

I have noticed something similar at my place. I have only been hunting my place avidly for about 4 years. It's usually just me hunting so it can be hard to keep up with all the deer movement but I have a few buddies and family members that hunt a couple of days of the year. Anyways, I have noticed that each year, I have one area that is a "hot spot" that gets more activity than all the other places on the farm and much more activity than the year before. One year it was a food plot right in the middle of the property, the next year it was ridgetop with mature hardwoods, the next it was an older logging road coming out of some thick stuff from a clear cut a few years ago, another year was a big bottom with mostly mature hardwoods.

And that will continue. I've got 35 years of exceedingly detailed hunter observation data, with 23 years of very comprehensive trail-camera data. Every year, the "hot spots" are different. Although I find they tend to recycle over time. A real hot spot one year may be hot again in 6 or 7 years. Just no predicting it.