Hello,

Curious how people play this setup… 20 acre property, you pull in for the weekend. Feeder but no blinds on the heavily wooded property. Trail cam shows deer coming to the feeder after dark and before sunrise. Do you put up a pop-up blind and risk spooking the animals… do you try to hide in the woods… stalk? Tree stand is not an option.

Thanks!

Not a lot of still hunting or stalking going to happen on a 20 acre property. Maybe find trail leading to and from the feeder and try to intercept there?

First thing I do is change the times on the feeders. If that's not an option, I try to find a spot on one of the main trails where the wind/sun/etc. is in my favor. I love just finding a spot to sit on the ground.

20 acres square is only 440 acres wide. Not big enough to still hunt. Set your pop up blind over looking game trails, down wind side from the prevailing wind direction on the property and stay put.

Keep the wind in your favor. No on the pop up. Full camo, find a spot on the ground and lay prone trimming any vegetation that will get in the way of your shot lanes. If there's not a suitable spot for a prone positon, invest in a Bogpod Deathgrip and sit with your back against some cover.

I use a pop up blind in the woods and have deer walk within 15 feet of me. The trick is having an access point to the blind that won’t spook your deer.

I walk the edge of property for access and set the blind up facing the interior. There is a feeder about 100 yards down that shooting lane and a lot of deer trails. My property is a narrow 40 acres of mostly timber and essentially a deer funnel between much larger agricultural properties.

Most of the bucks I see cross in front of me down that shooting lane. I usually only have a few seconds to evaluate the deer and decide if they are legal to shoot. This was my first year using a see through blind and I loved the added visibility.

Sni
Am I looking at this wrong? How is 20 acres square, 440 acres wide?

I think he meant 440 yards.

Comfort, the wind, and the ability to break up your outline are my priorities. Anyone who’s spent a windy, freezing morning in a tripod will tell you that sitting absolutely still for hours can be challenging. Also, in bug infested areas, like wetlands, the pop up / themacell combo is a real winner. I prefer using a pop up unless it’s really intrusive. If you do have to hunt without one, be sure to take a good insulating seat pad for all the obvious reasons.

My favorite way to hunt. No stand, no chair, just a very stable shooting platform when I can't get prone:

If a pop up isn't an option get some camo burlap (sold at Academy, Cabelas etc.) And make a sitting area so your not exposed.
It comes in 12'x5' sections but get enough to double it over because one layer you can see movement.