Scouting Report: F6

This morning I did some scouting/stalk hunting in Cornell's EAB Zone F6. This is one of the EAB properties located in the 7R WMU, which is where my doe tag is valid.

F6 is an interesting piece of property. On the north it is bordered by two soy fields, which have already been harvested by this time of year; on the south it is separated from one of the local pheasant game farms by an eight foot high fence; slicing through from east to west is a decent size creek - 15 feet wide and up to two feet deep; and smack in the center is a triangular field of wild grass. The remaining wooded area is very dense, so there are a just a few major deer paths. I've indicated these on my map below.

And here are a few photos of the area:

 
In terms of deer sign, I found that the main paths were heavily used, and there were also many smaller paths cutting through the thick brush. There were lots of tracks and lots of scat, but there weren't the large numbers of rubs that you can find in some other zones. I found some sign indicating that there is at least one big buck in the area, but you'll have to go look yourself if you want to find his exact location.

I also found the full skeleton of a mature buck that probably died last year. Someone had sawed off the horns as you can see below. Not sure what set of events led to a dead buck with the horns sawed off, but its always a shame when a deer goes to waste.

Back to business... I see three great ways to hunt this area:

1) If you're looking to put up a treestand, the place to do it is definitely along the edges of the triangular field, especially in one of the three corners. Indeed I found three treestands overlooking that field (two new and legally marked, one old and unmarked wooden stand).

2) If you are looking to set up a ground blind, I would try the main north-south deer path in the center of the zone, especially in the small area north of the creek.

3) If you don't have time for either (or if you're a busy college student) theres a super creepy empty shed with open windows that's ideally located for use as a ground blind (see orange star on map and image below). Just bring a bucket to sit on and you'll be dry and well concealed.

Also be sure to check yourself for ticks after you're done in F6 - I had one on me when I got home. Good luck!