how to locate a food source

[jumpacablez]

i started to hunt a big chunk of public land and am wondering what the deer are eating. there are not any crop feilds around. so what are they eating acorns are the only thing i can think of. but can that be enough to feed a bunch of deer or are these deer getting to the corn and beans. everyone says to find a funnel between the beds and the feeding ground but what if you cant locate the food? where does one place a stand? i also have no luck finding beds.

being the rut is right around the corner do i just find a beat down trail in the thickest part of the woods and set up on that?

[DHost21]

Im kinda in the same boat there with you. Another thing i like to look for also is water i like to be close to water food and bedding and i know a lot of times if you arent finding the beds they are somewhere between the other two. Deer would like to be able to get up even in the middle of the day for a drink and a bite to eat really quick so being close to both is good. As far as food that they are eating they will graze on the acorns and certain grasses and leaves but im not sure what else either i would like to know if there is another food source that they will graze on also?

[DHost21]

Same for the rut too with the water. Finding a good trail is good but if you can find one between water and food thats the best because they use a lot of energy during this time and need to replenish more often so they will be hitting food and water a lot all day long

[Bear55]

Do you have any agriculture or field in the area? Not necessarily on the public land but within a mile or so of the general area. Or is this more a bigwoods type setting with some logged out clearings?

Chances are the deer are feeding on acorns, leaves, browse, and anything that still has some green on it like grass or various weeds. A lot of times when I can't pinpoint a food source I will hunt just outside of bedding areas. You might not be finding bedding areas but they are there, hunt the edges of swamps/marches or the thick nasty areas. Chances are if you have trouble getting in there because its too thick or wet some deer will be holding up in there.

[jumpacablez]

Their is a big swamp in the middle with tons of cat tails, the backside is the minnesota river and on the front side there is a corn feild about a mile away from the swamp just before 169. inbetween the swamp and the corn their is a big woods. and around that woods is tall crp. hope this helps

[fishermatt]

When all the green is gone, deer that aren't near crops eat the buds of trees and brush as much as anything. That's why new slashes in big woods are magnets for deer. Lots of succulent new growth to chew on. On your property, there has to be trails leading from the big swamp through the big woods toward the corn if the corn is only a mile away. They might even be living in the corn or within a few hundred yards of it if they haven't been pressured. They could able be bedded in the CRP if it's tall.

[Bear55]

Their is a big swamp in the middle with tons of cat tails, the backside is the minnesota river and on the front side there is a corn feild about a mile away from the swamp just before 169. inbetween the swamp and the corn their is a big woods. and around that woods is tall crp. hope this helps

The deer are bedding in the cattails, you can just about bank on that. Hunt the edges of the swamp or if you can find any islands of high ground that would be a great place to sneak in and setup. When I say sneak I mean go slow and don't make much noise, if you go crashing in there you could chase everything out. Some of them could also be bedding in the crp but that might depend on what cover is available.

[MattL]

One thing I like to do in a situation where I am hunting new land is to either set up a stand or find a location where you have a visual of several areas. You may spend one day in the stand and not see anything close by, but you can move right in on the location they are using on the following hunt. This might not work well for you depending on the location and lay of the land, but in Southern Minnesota where everything is small woodlots, treelines, and sloughs it has worked well for me.