Just closing out this thread for the year. Been spending less time on AO these days but wanted to sum this up.
So out of the +- 12-15 sits, I only have 3 times where deer did not come out. Having only hunted this field this year only, it took a few sits and some camera intel to get a grip on exactly where and when the deer traveled. It was almost like clockwork in the early going. The bucks were coming from the east and came about 250 yards to the west. From there they usually crossed the barbed wire at a low spot and decided whether to head north into a patch of bush or south into the hay field. Once I established that pattern, I moved my set up to that crossing and had a lot of close calls with flat tops, but the bucks dried up towards peak rut for whatever reason. One morning alone I had 4 antlerless deer 30-50 yards swirling around me. It's an absolute paradise in there. I had my target buck (a big fork horn-hilariously big for a forky) cross a field at 90 yards, nose to the ground where of course I did not have permission. I know for certain this area will produce a good buck for me. Now that I have the upper hand on intel, I will be able to get into bow range next year right from the get go. The closest I came to the 2 bucks I wanted was about 90-100 yards on the land I hunted on. I was busted while drawing on 2 younger bucks, and was totally fine with that.
The cams will be deployed there early next fall to make sure that pattern stays the same. There's no reason it won't as it's such a perfectly funneled corridor.
Had a great time and saw countless deer. Having it 800 yards from my front door was a huge privilege.
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