i am a little late joining in on this one - but I would consider having more than one location to hunt from... and I would not be afraid of a ground blind.

It sounds like your primary stand is a ladder stand or chain on - which is fine... but if you have a climber or can establish a well hidden ground blind as an alternative - that may serve you well.

With alternative locations, you can hunt on varying wind conditions and can aslo "change up" your patterns, which may give you and edge on the deer.

Also, if you have some thick and nasty woods on this property, look to this area as it gets later in the season and the deer become more reclusive - you might even catch a great buck slipping through this area.

I have had pretty good success with mock scrapes, using two special brews I make - if you are interested, look in the Hunting Tips section or drop me an email.

Congrats on the success - way to go!!

Yeah I'm with Jim here getting late to the party. First off congrats on the great hunt. Sounds like you did your homework in your scouting and it paid off with meat in the freezer. Like you I jut got back into deer hunting a couple years ago. it's really tough to find places to hunt here and I finally got my first NC deer last year so I can feel your excitement. Regardless of the size, I always get excited when a make a good harvest. Keep up the good work and keep us posted on future hunts.