Best Youth Set Up

[Nomad]

If you had 250 acres of private land to hunt with no other hunters, consisting of hardwood ridges, overgrown fields, and cedars, how would you try and set up a 10 year old hunter to try and get their first buck with bow, gun and muzzle loader.  One stand with a lot of bait in a secluded thick area or multiple set ups?  Mineral blocks first then bait etc.?  I have a couple of two man ladder stands.  When would you start putting things together, now?  Thanks for any input!

[BHC]

Only knowing with the information you gave, I like hardwood ridges during the rut, and with added hunting pressure from the lands around you. But then does will try their best to get away from a rutting buck and the overgrown fields, and cedars will be good also. Try your best to find where most of the does are, and you will find the bucks !!!  The more the set ups the better your chances. If your going to bait, start soon, get them patteren and comfortable .......If you have a topo map of this land that is a huge asset ......good luck to you both !!

[RifledSlug]

One spot in a secluded area with a lot of bait would NOT be how I would start a young hunter, I don't think there are many real aspects of hunting to learn doing it that way. I have nothing against baiting but that's missing a lot of what hunting is all about and as important as a harvest is for a new hunter, the journey getting their is even MORE important.

 

That's a good bit of land and will take a few cameras but I would get as many as I could set-up to figure out where they are, where they're bedding and when they are moving and to what food source. A couple mineral sites would help to get more pics of the deer around but I wouldn't set them up over that either. See how that works out and introduce the young hunter to the information you acquire through the trail cams and why you are making sets at certain spots (morning set for food source near bedding etc.) Do some boots to the ground scouting with them and teach them how to read sign, droppings, tracks, direction, last years rubs, etc. Get them involved in the whole thought process of the hunt and it will be a much more rewarding experience as he/she recalls everything leading up to their first harvest.

 

I don't think you should think that you're limited to 2 ladderstands. With all the downed trees, a natural ground blind might already exist for you or can easily be made with very little disruption to the surroundings. That's what I've done with my kid in the past and last season got him in a ladderstand to get a feel for the view leading up to this coming season when he will be tested/licensed and hunting his first season.

 

Start now or really soon so they know that it's not just during the season that you work for your deer, it's all year long.

 

Good luck and WTG on getting another youth in the woods, good stuff for sure.