Hi Guys -

I'm brand new to bowhunting and since this Midwestern heatwave finally looks like it's ending, I'm ready to go out out in the woods.  I recently bought a 70-acre property this Spring that's kept me pretty busy.  The previous owners left several wooden stands and tree stands behind.  I didn't have a ton of time to work on existing stands until now and I'm not sure if it makes sense to.

There are deer everywhere and I've tried to stay quiet and avoid most areas in early morning and late afternoon/evening.  I planted two foods plots that are roughly 3-4 acres total of winter wheat, turnips and radishes.  The majority of the property is tall marsh grass that has not been touched by a human all year.  I've ran 6 cameras in areas that are easily accessible.  The smaller western food plot is stacked with deer every morning and the larger food plot always has deer as well.  Now that I'll be up in trees I'm trying to figure out where I should be spending my time.

Should I be hunting over food plots?  There are so many deer that I'm worried about entering/leaving the stand.

I dont know exactly where they are bedding but I'm assuming in the marsh when it's dry.  Is that a safe assumption?

Should I go for same 8-10pters that have been near the food plot or roll the dice and go to the untouched treeline in the marsh?  I went back there once to see where the stand was and there are deer back there.

Since there are neighbors and ourselves close to the deer, do I need to worry about wind direction?  What wind strategy would you recommend?  Predominate wind is west or northwest wind.

I've included maps of the neighboring properties along with a zoom of my property.  The northern border is a shared easement road for neighbors and I have a neighbor living during weekends in a small trailer in the northwest corner.  This road is occasionally traveled down.



Green = Food Plot locations
Blue = Ladder bowstands
Red = Permanent Wood Gun Stands

Where is this located?
PM me if you'd like.

Looks like you've got some potential here. Nice deer in broad daylight.

Right now, get between bedding and food, on the downwind side of the trail.  Hunt early morning and late afternoon.


Once the rut hits...get to a wooded area that's semi-secluded and sit all day.  The bucks will try to push the hot doe into those secluded areas to breed.


You have good daylight pics of deer, get a stand up on the down wind side of those camera sites and you should be golden.

I would hunt the food plots and just get in the stands real early. With the trail cameras up you can pattern them and they can be fairly reliable until the rut comes. For example if they are consistently coming into a food plot at two get in the stand no later than one. If they're used to you being out on the property and not hunting them they probably won't even be as wary as they might be if there wasn't any activity until hunting season.

Manosteel00,
I'm in the People's Republic of IllAnnoy,
I hope you know how fortunate you are.  Me and a friend are hunting on public land in Northern Ill.  We were out on opening day.  Saw nothing...except two knuckle heads come trapsing right past our tree stands discussing how they would be coming out tomorrow morning to hunt.....

I wish I had that problem.  Mind me asking how far up in Wisconsin you are (generally speaking of course...for OpSecs sake)?

Howdy.  I'm a former IL resident (I actually think we might have met a long time ago at one of Remman's Hooters get togethers).  I'm 3 hours north of Chicago, sportsmans paradise.  Excellent waterfowl and deer hunting in Marquette & Green Lake counties. I would suggest making a trip hunt WI public.

Good public land with decent numbers in Marquette and Green Lake.  Gets a lot of traffic though and the herd in public areas is predominantrly very young deer.

Lost our private land this year to hunt and going almost excusively public only has been...frustrating.