10/26/10 - How much land does a deer hunter need to hunt deer? Western hunters require much-more land than eastern hunters, because often the deer are spread out, the land's more open, and the habitat isn't as thick in the West. But in the forests east of the Mississippi River and in many sections of the Midwest and the Northwest, hunters may not need more than a half-mile to hunt and will be much-more effective in those areas, if they learn how to set-up and hunt a specific half-mile.

• * Shrink the Amount of Woods and Water - A woodlot with 30,000 acres is too large a region to hunt. To decrease the size of your hunting area, determine where the deer will be, because of their normal seasonal and migratory patterns. Before hunting season, deer have a normal routine they follow to and from feeding and bedding areas. Prior to the season, search for deer in places that provide one of these two needs for the whitetail. During the rut, buck deer often will make scrapes and be in places where they can breed does. When heavy hunting pressure is present, deer generally will go to thick cover to avoid hunting pressure. Deer have preferred foods at certain times of the year that only are in season then. Depending on the time of year, you can assume where the deer should be and begin to narrow-down the sections of land where you look for deer by also studying the terrain. One terrain break that drastically shrinks the woods you have to hunt is a clear cut. My book, "How to Hunt Clear Cuts," available at www.jwaynefearsbrand.com, will give you many-more ideas on shrinking the area you hunt.