I hunt a small strip of woods  that is basically one bid valley. I set up in the back of the property just off the line in a small "bowel". A small creek winds around my back with a step slope on both sides and open trails running through the middle. Lots of deer sign in this bowl. Here's my question the whole area is about 50-75yds diameter and the paths are about 15-25 yds from my stand. I'm back as far as I can go and if I move to get more distance I lose clear shooting lanes. Should I be worried about the deer coming in at such close range ? My stand is only 15' tall also. Any advice how to hunt this area ? -Thanks

Sounds like you are fine to me. Good bow setup and that would be great fun for a handgun as well.



 

15 feet is low for a stand. But if you have good back cover to break up your form in the tree and you don't move and you sit still, you should be fine, assuming the wind is blowing the right way and you de-scent.

I only started hunting 5 years ago, I hunt with a bow on the ground behind a ghost blind ( mirrored panel ) I have arrowed 3 dear in the last 3 years
ranges were 9, 16, and 20 yards.

You can be close, but you need to play the wind, make no noise, remain still, and only make movement to shoot when his head is behind a tree or brush.

Hunt that only when the wind is blowing in a direction to take your scent away from the shooting area and away from the approaches to the shooting area.

It would be helpful to know when they are moving through this area. What type of sign?

Scapes at this time of year may never be hit again because they are likely boundary scrapes.
If you have a rub line going through it, the rubs will tell you which direction the buck is moving, they will walk facing the rub, ie, they do not turn around to rub.

Then look at what is at the other end of the trails and rub line if you have one. Is one side thick cover for bedding? Is one side a food source?
Is this bowl a choke point? Are they moving through the bowl as a least resistance path or are they moving through the bowl in order to stay out of sight because there is not much cover in the area. The mature bucks will stay in cover, the does not so much. They will all use it if it is the easiest path due to elevation. The does will use it as low country and might even be bedding there if there is sufficient cover for bedding. The mature bucks will likely not be on those trails during the pre-rut, they will travel their own less visible trails offset the main trails and scent track the does on the trails, so expect to see bucks in the thick stuff off of what you see as trails. Have some shooting lanes into the thick cover.

If as the pre-rut intensifies you see more and more scrapes, like several under the same tree and several trees have scrapes, then that is the gold. That is a primary scrape area and does and bucks will be back as long as they are not spooked. That would not be a transit area, that would be a destination area.

It all depends on why there is sign there on how best to hunt it.

The answers to these questions will help you determine when it is best to hunt it. If those are doe trails, the bucks will show up because the does are there.

Thanks. I'll be blended in with the hill behind me so it's breaks up my outline good. It is a bit of a choke point and the sign right now is a lot of tracks coming through and droppings. Food source is up the hill and about 75 yds, to a corn field. I may put a hang on stand and get higher up the tree.

that sounds like a great hunting area.