Hunting open hardwoods

[Stubborn1vt]

A camera on a mock scrapes shows I have a good buck or two that are passing through an 80 acre piece of hardwoods that I have access to.  The does are crossing the road to feed in the hay fields, but they cross back and through this chunk of hardwoods to then bed in the softwoods further up the hill.  I don't have access to the softwoods, as it is a separate posted property.  The whole piece is on a side hill with the road at the bottom and the posted property above.  The deer come down at night and go back up in the mornings.  There isn't much sign, I presume because they are just passing through and the woods/terrain don't pinch them down.  Some questions:

Hunt it only in the afternoons and try to catch them coming down?  Or try to beat them up the hill in the morning?

Pop up blind, natural blind or ladder stand?  

If I'm rifle hunting, how mindful should I be of my thermals?

Are there any features I should be looking for to narrow down my setup?  (I did find a couple "walking" scrapes and small rubs)

Any advice or questions welcome. 

I have hunted this block in the past and killed two 4 pointers.  One at the bottom coming to an apple tree and one way on top, before the neighboring property was sold/posted.  The past few years there have been some decent bucks passing through, but I have had no luck laying eyes on any of them.  

 

[corydd7]

Open hardwoods is a morning hunt for me. I've had good luck hunting slight slopes above a bench.

No luck hunting open hardwoods on an evening hunt and I've tried a bunch lol.

[Stubborn1vt]

[grampy]

Hunting a side hill in the morning will carry the thermals up high, so hunt the deer coming up. I prefer a natural ground blind, made from what you can find nearby on the ground. Put it on the lip of a bench looking down. A ladderstand may work too, but from the ground, you'll get a better view looking down. If there is a ravine or gulley going up, place it at the very top of the gulley. Normally that creates a funnel that the deer will use crossways. Walk in to your set up from the side of the hill if possible. Don't want to bump deer on the bottom you hope to see. Just a few small tips I've learned hunting ridges and hills most of my life.

[Wormser]

Agree with grampy.  Unless you have a low pressure, rainy type day your thermals will rise up the hill making the morning best. I prefer being off the ground.  Hunting in Central PA in the mountains I'd use a ladder stand but wouldn't use all the step sections.  It was steep enough that I didn't need to be more than 8ft high.  I'd definitely spend time near that fallen white birch tree.

[Stubborn1vt]

A bunch of white birch tipped over this summer, caused by heavy rain I think.  Camera is on a grape vine/mock scrape.  It's fairly close to the road.  I will probably try to set up a couple benches higher, closer to bedding.  I plan to pick a spot this weekend and build a natural blind.  

[just lucky]

Is there a brush patch, or area thicker then the rest? Try setting up near edge of that if you can.

[G-man]

Hunt  high  in am..  that birch will become a  travel area  .  Deer prefer cover thethicker the better.

[dbHunterNY]

on those open side hills deer will often pick a bench to run or hit any spots with food along it. a random oak or where white birch fell, opened the canopy, and let green browse grow are specific spots to get closer to for bow or have within clear sight for gun. bucks might cruise through late morning after the doe are back in beds and settled. evenings they're typically too far behind unless you get one at last light heading down to check doe out in fields. thermals definitely have an influence but you have to be of stiff wind curling back after it comes over the top. late morning you have to be careful coming or going with random bedded doe if you're coming from the road at the bottom.

[Stubborn1vt]

I set up on the opposite end of the property, 2 benches higher than the camera.  There are well used trails that the does use to go from bench to bench and a couple where they cut across the corner of the hardwoods on their way to bed in the neighbor's hemlocks.  I picked a spot behind a few smaller, fallen, crisscrossed trees on top of a steep, rocky part of the hill.  I had a stump to lean against, a flat rock to sit on and a bit of a hollow for my feet.  

Here's the view from my setup.  Also, the view the buck had from below.  And the finally, the buck.

Thanks for the tips and insights everyone.  Sometimes it works out!

[Stubborn1vt]

47 minutes ago, Rusty said:

A chainsaw can fix your open hardwoods problem.    

Don't I know it!  If only I owned it.  I'd patch cut it in a heartbeat.  It hasn't been logged in about 35 years.  If it was up to me, that 84 acres would get hit with "orange lightning".

[Stubborn1vt]

I started patch cutting at our farm when we do firewood.  Got some good raspberry patches, poplar and other saplings.  I stack up the tops so the deer can feed on them when the snow flies.  Blocked 2 cord for my brother this morning.