RIVER VALLEY and OZARK AREA — Deer-hunting season is under way now in Arkansas, and as hunters take to the woods in pursuit of The Natural State’s favorite game animal, they must answer a very important question: Where, exactly, should I place my deer stand?
If the right spot is chosen, the hunter could see the buck of a lifetime.
If the wrong place is selected, the hunter will experience disappointment.
Every deer hunter should scout to determine the ideal stand location, looking for hot spots like these.
Active scrapes
Finding a line of fresh scrapes helps identify a mature buck’s travel route
Putting a stand nearby is definitely worthwhile, but it need not be right on top of a scrape, as long as the hunter can cover the route.
It’s best to use terrain, cover and local wind flows to maximum advantage when selecting a stand site.
For example, predominant winds may not allow killing the buck down in the draw where the biggest scrapes are, but there’s a chance up on the ridge, where the travel route leads.
Study local conditions and place the stand accordingly.
Escape areas
Each morning when hunters start dispersing en masse into deer territory, deer go where they can avoid humans. These escape areas usually feature dense cover or steep terrain.
The hunter should situate a stand where he can see likely entrance or exit paths and be there watching when other hunters start stirring.
Look for rugged coverfilled areas where wary bucks might feel safe: thick creekbottom brush, hollows full of vines and blow-downs, a bench just below a ridge top, or brushy knolls overlooking feeding areas.
Trails
Heavily used deer trails can be choice hunting spots.
For example, one good stand site is where the huntercan watch a trail that deer travel between a daytime bedding area in dense cover and a nighttime feeding area, such as a crop field.
For those who will hunt more during the morning, it may be best to have a stand closer to the bedding area.
That way there’s a better chance of seeing a deer coming to bed down after the sun is up.
Those who plan to hunt more in late afternoon probably should put the stand closer to the feeding area.
Funnels
Always watch for stand sites where terrain features funnel deer through a small area.
In farmlands, this often is a tree line or overgrown fence row connecting two tracts of woodlands surrounded by agricultural fields.
When a buck moves from the south woods to the north section, it will follow the apparent safety of the cover strip and can be intercepted by a watchful hunter in an elevated stand.
Other funnels include crossing spots on deep ravines, saddles between ridge peaks, benches on mountainsides, heavy-cover strips between open feeding areas, and open paths through clearcuts or thickets.
Swamps
Lightly hunted swamps of te n h ar b or bi g - r a cke d bucks.
An ideal stand site is on a long “ridge” of higher ground that deer can travel and keep their feet dry.
These aren’t distinct like mountain ridges. They appear as slightly higher elevations on a topo map, often adjacent oxbow lakes or near the swamp’s outer perimeter where lowlands give way to dryer terrain.
Scout for crossing places between water bodies, too.
For example, a slough connecting two oxbow lakes may have a beaver-dam “bridge” where deer cross, making this a good stand site.
Likewise, a narrow spot in an otherwise broad bayoumay serve as a travel route, even if deer have to swim across.
Edge areas
Deer are edge lovers, often traveling and feeding where two habitat types come together.
For example, whitetails are more likely to be seen where a pine planting abuts a hardwood stand rather than deep within the pines or hardwoods themselves, makingthe edge area best for stand placement.
Crop field/woodland edges and edges of rivers and lakes are deer hot spots, too.
Power or gas lines
Rifle hunters love these open areas. They allow longrange viewing and shooting, and can be planted with foods that attract whitetails.
A tall stand that allows distant viewing and easy turning to tag a buck from long range is desirable.
Finger ridges
Look at a hand placed flat on a table with fingers spread.
Pretend these are finger ridges coming off a main ridge. The hub - the back of the hand - is where most deer pass through, and the hunter should scout there for a stand location.
If the hub is also a nice oak flat with plentiful acorns, that’s a real hot spot.
These are definitely places to scout and put a stand if signs indicate deer activity.
Fence crossings
Deer travel the paths of least resistance, so they habitually pass through gaps in fence lines.
A concealed stand with a good view of deer crossing here can be a real producer.
A blue-ribbon stand site is where a tree has fallen across a fence. Deer will jump through repeatedly until the fence gets fixed.
Wooded points
Strips of brush or treesjutting into feeding fields can be golden stand locations. These often exist because there’s a draw there or the ground stays wet.
Whatever the reason, the hunter who finds a place like this should examine it thoroughly.
Chances are that deer use it to enter and exit the field, and a properly placed stand can help bring a deer down.
River Valley Ozark, Pages 208 on 10/30/2011