experienced opinion needed please

gene62 · 11-16-2005, 08:21 PM

I have this land 140 acres and no exaduration it has 75-80 rubs and several scrapes and a pond covered in tracks. well a coupleweeks before season started I sat in my newly placed stand and seen lots of does and buck I could not believe my luck one day I had eight bucks therebut ever sence opening day Ive seen nothing just does and there evengeting fewer and fewer. One thought I have is they went eleswhere during the rut and might come back shortly after? could this be the case? the only bucks ive seen is a 6 point and he shows up at my gate like clockwork.

SyPTo · 11-16-2005, 09:24 PM

deer are not the dumbest creatures in the woods, that why the big boys get like that, when season starts and the hunting pressure goes up significantly , it pressures the deer in altering their routes , and feeding times...i bet if you would hang a trail cam you will catch those bucks at night instead of during the day...another good idea is between 2 and 5 pm... tried that yet ?...

deer seem to know when we are eating and not in the woods...

then again i haven't seen alot of activity the past 14 days ,i'm not sure what's going on, but the area i took both my buck 4 weeks ago doesn't show any life signs deer wise. i'm just going to keep at it , as i know they walk that route...it can't be the hunting pressure as i'm the only one hunting about a 600 acre tract...unless there are poachers and tresspassers around ofcourse...and i don't hunt it 24/7, only 2 days out of the week and only half days... liek in my case they might be coming out at 2pm in teh afternoon , that's when i'm not in the tree...

Wingbone · 11-17-2005, 04:58 AM

Move your stand. Deer movement changes throughout the season, food sources change, cover changes, rut. Late season deer are not in the same spots they were in the early season. Besides, every time you go to and from the stand you leave enough scent to let the deer pattern you. The best chance of seeing deer from any stand is the first time you sit in it.

DoctorDeath · 11-17-2005, 05:03 AM

I think you will find that the doe's are going to follow the food ...if the food sorce is getting limited in your stand area you'll have to find another area where there is food ... you'll find the doe's and thus find the bucks when the ole rut kicks in ...JMHO

dd

thndrchiken · 11-17-2005, 05:46 AM

I think the key here is " Newly placed stand, " The deer know every inch of the woods, they know when something is new and out of place. Should have had your stand up sooner. Happens to us all.

gene62 · 11-17-2005, 07:19 AM

Thanks everyone. A little more Info. I have three stands up. Have been up for two months now. No guns have been shot at all. the land to the east and west is not hunted. Around the two ponds there is lots of tracks but no longer any buck tracks. for last two years I went with my uncle to feed cattle two three times a week always seen deer from truck but never hunted.

jimmy the foot · 11-17-2005, 09:52 AM

make sure your careful with your scent and don't leave to many clues that you've been in the area if possible. like the other guys said, those bucks probably went nocturnal. but be patient and u may get a crack at one. sounds like a nice spot. it will stay that way as long as it's not over hunted, ie lots of human oder and activity around your spot. try some antler rattles or scent, it may be what u need to bring out the big boys. good luck bro.

THE FOOT

georgia hard hunter · 11-17-2005, 12:37 PM

I agree with Dr Death find and stay with the Does and sooner or later the bucks will come. If rut is in the bucks won't have much trouble finding Does with the numbers you are describing so they WON"T BE CHASING Does all over the woods they will be holed up tending the Does he already has. If this is the case the bucks will finish with thier Does and come looking for others but you may not experience classic chasing behavior. Only seat time in the stand will even your odds