How to Find the Best Stand Locations for Taking Trophy Whitetails!

So you’ve finally gained access to piece of deer hunting heaven! A piece of ground that has been un-hunted for years. How do you go about deciding how to hunt it? Here’s a some answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions.

Where do you start?
How do you narrow down hundreds of acres into a handful of top stand locations?
How do you find that perfect spot to ambush a trophy whitetail?
How do you pick the right tree?
How will you access the stand?

You Found a Piece Great Piece of Property, Now, Where do You Start?

Once you have secured access to some ground, the next step, if you have not already done so, is to get a good aerial photo of the property. This will be one of the most valuable tools for getting started and can save a great deal of time and effort. I keep a small, laminated version in the truck to refer to all the time. You will be surprised just how off your perception of the lay of the land can be. A good detailed aerial will reveal more about how to begin your scouting and how to hunt a piece of land than you can imagine. This works extremely well for northern areas but a little less so in the south. However, a great deal of useful information can still be gained from an aerial even if you’re a southern hunter, such as a change in the vegetation or edge in the woods where an upland hammock changes to a marsh or planted pines change to a cypress strand or pond. Creek drainages, island, hammocks and other terrain features that are keys to deer movement can be derived from the aerial. In the northern part of the country such as the Midwest you can literally plan your entire strategy from an aerial before you ever set foot on the property. Even bedding areas can be easily determined once you learn how to interpret them. They are typically going to be the thick steep draws, especially if they have been select cut. After that, you are going to need to scout some of the areas you found on the map to verify whatyou have learned from them.

How do you Narrow Down Hundreds of Acres into a Handful of Top Stand Locations?

With your aerials in hand you will be able to identify the most likely stand locations.
I like to start with the fields. Look for inside and outside corners and points that project out into the field. Next, look at the general lay of the land for obvious travel routs for any buck looking to cross from one side of the property to another. Bottle necks or any features that funnel the deer travel will be a key spot. Also try to identify possible saddles that tie two ridges together, this is another great ambush site for all deer and especially Trophy Bucks.

How do you Find the Perfect Spot to Ambush a Trophy Whitetail?

Now that you have some potential key locations identified, its time to put on your hiking boots and get a first hand look at each spot. Any outside points are no brainers, they cut down the width across the field and increase your shooting range. You can have an 80 ac field and if it has a point that projects out into it, more often than not a buck is going to be drawn to walk by it.
If I had to pick one kind of stand location, it would be bottle neck or some kind of funnel that helps force the deer to move thru a narrowed area. This can be formed by fields on each side of a narrow strip of woods. Fences or some natural thick barrier.

You can even create your own funnel if you are hunting on private land. I have a favorite stand overlooking a strip of crp and a lot of the deer I was seeing were passing out of bow range, so I spent half a day cutting 2-3” maple saplings to create a big “v” to force the deer closer to my stand. It was a lot of work but it worked great!

Another spot to always keep an eye open for is a location where multiple types of edge all come together. The more the better. An example of this would be the stand that I killed the doe in the picture here. It’s an inside field corner that butts up to an open wooded bottom to the north and a thick cutover bedding area to the east. This can be a deer magnet. Another good example would be different age or type, stands of timber abutting a cutover or head, etc.

How do you pick the right tree?

Once you have zeroed in on the perfect spot, now comes the delima, picking the right tree. This is often a difficult choice, especially for a bow hunter. One of my favorite hunting buddies Cpt. Rick and I often debate over the right tree for 30-45 minutes before we come to an agreement. There never seems to be a good tree right where you need it and you usually end up in something with a dog leg or crook and it usually takes some head scratching to get the stand on the tree. Personally, I want to be as close as possible to as much sign as I can cover. In an ideal situation you would want to set up so deer don’t come from behind you but sometimes this can’t be helped. It’s a lot easier if you are a gun hunter but when bow hunting, you want to cover as much ground as possible. If you are gun hunting, get back off the sign a little to avoid spooking deer. If you are bow hunting, don’t get to close to a trail you expect deer to travel. Try to stay back 12-15 yds. If you can. You will have less deer busting you and have a better shot angle. On calm mornings it is nearly impossible to draw on a deer that is under 10 yds.

How will you access the stand?

How you access the stand can be extremely important. Always avoid walking in front of your stand and approach from the rear or side. There are hundreds of different scenarios you could consider but in general try to avoid approaching where you expect the deer to be. Use any possible cover to hide your approach. If you are hunting in thick woods like in the south, make a chop trail to your stand so you can avoid contact with the vegetation. This will help you avoid contaminating your walk trail with scent. Many times deer will start using your trail but it’s a trade off you have to live with.

If you will follow some of these tips and apply them they will get you that much closer to your goal of putting a Trophy Buck in the back of your truck!

Good hunting!
Larry Stephens