Pressure
Hey gang, I'm pretty new and am here to become a better deer hunter. I can hold my own with ducks and geese, but I pretty much gave up deer hunting for about 6 years due to lack of interest and work.
Well, being things change and now I'm an avid bowhunter. I shot my first buck last year on some family property and this year I've got a lease as well. So here's what I'm dealing with:
The total patch of woods is about a square mile when you add up all the angles and stuff. As far as I know, I'm the only hunter that hunts it. Its a vegetable farm and there are plenty of does to go around, but the other day a MASSIVE 8 point came out. It was literally the biggest deer I'd ever shot at and I shot just under his belly at 30 yards. I went back two days later and was covered up in does and fawns again.
My question is I've hunted this place three times in the last two weeks. I have to walk across the entire field to get to my tree (using a climber for now, Gorilla comes this week) but am absolutely anal about scent control. Often when I get down, there are deer in the field, so I wait until its pretty dark to walk out and don't use a flashlight.
What are the chances I'm gonna see this buck again? I want him...bad. Am I hunting it too much or should I be letting it rest longer? Is always hunting the field edge where I see the deer come out a bad strategy or should I move into the woods as the season progresses?
Thanks for the help in advance!