The science of Cutblocks

[youngbuck]

Hey All,

I was out last week and came across the following scenario.
We were driving down a new road in an area that we have hunted before.
We came to an are that 2 large cutblocks.
I thought to myself this would a great place to sit and wait for the deer to cross.
then I thought to myself, where is the optimal place to sit and i wonder what others would do.
We were hunting whitetails and had a doe tag.
The layout is depicted on the image.
In you opinions where would you park your butt and wait of the deer to come out?

I leaned up against a tree in location "A". The cutblock was approximately 400 yards from end to end and 200 yards from top to bottom. The wind direction is indicated as well as the slope.

[fozzy]

That would be better if the wind was from the opposite direction. I would guess that the deer would cross/enter the cut block in the upper left side of the cut block, it's farthest from the road. You might catch them coming for a drink in the creek and crossing from one timber to the next.

[3kills]

i think u pick at pretty good spot...its hard to tell...if whities have been comin though there find where they are comin through and set up shop by there path and wait...

[youngbuck]

I did leave out that some whities did showup just to the right of the elevation gain arrow. I figures that they would come out of the ravine and up into the bush. I watched them for about 20 minutes, it then stated to rain and they were starting to move into the bush. I had previously fashinoa a shoting stick from a branch, aimed and shot but they took off. I am notorious bad at judging distance as I thought they were approx 200 yds away. turns out they were 330 yds away(via GPS). Man I need a range finder. But, that stump behind the deer dropped dead in it tracks:biggrin: . All was not lost. The next morning we were driving into the same spot and there was a doe standing on the road staring at us. One freezer dear down.

[Fred]

I would be tempted to set up a treestand about 25 to 30 feet up, in the corridor between the two blocks. Overlooking the road and the creek would be an asset. How far apart are the two blocks at their closest point? Fred

[huntersdad]

Hey this is kinda neat
This is something we should do more often as it keeps the grey matter working.

A couple of questions. How old are the slashes? Is the road used lots? how is the hunting pressure? How noisy is the timber and ravine to walk?
As is, I would setup in the lower left corner of your map just back in the trees, or park on the edge of the road on the way in and hike down through the ravine and setup close to where you seen the deer just in the trees. I think the deer will associate the danger from the road not the ravine. Sounds like you have the makings of a good 2 person setup. 1 walking up the road and 1 sneaking into the ravine. JMHO

[BCrams]

You know what --- this is what I would do .... you see that bend in the road on your drawing .... I would walk to the left along the creek and find a game trail that likely will cut across the creek draw for deer moving between the blocks and then once you find a well used trail .... set up the tree stand and be patient !!!

I guarantee you will catch a savvy buck moving between the blocks on a trail inside the timber to check out the does that feed in the open.

[rock]

As all cut blocks or logging areas I try and hunt were the tree lines are close, this gives animals more cover when crossing, elevate myself so wind is not that much of a problem, the rest is patience, If I know were the does are hanging around I key on those areas.

[todbartell]

looks to me you picked a decent spot, but it's hard to tell by a napkin drawing. certainly having the wind in your favor is always key

[Ken the Kanuck]

I would scout the edge of the cut block about 20 -30 feet in. Deer will often move to the edge of a clearing and wait before venturing out. Often they seem to take a crap at this time, so the pellet piles might tell you which way they are approaching the block. As was said before looking for the way they are crossing from from one cut block to the other agin will help you in your choice of location. The direction from which you approach and where you leave your truck too is important. If the deer are using the road to travel between cut blocks then I would worry that the wind would betray you at point A and move downwind towards the tree line to minimize the spread of your scent.

Then I would go home shaking my head and say " Them dang deer were holding up today ".

KTK