New Guy, big problems
 

Hey folks!
Just a little introduction to myself first - I am 23 years old, been hunting since I was 12 but this was my first bow season. I bought a brand new Bowtech Tomkat, and I love it. It shoots straight, I'm as accurate as I need to be according to targets. Here's my dilemma - Bow season started in mid september, and doesn't end until January 31st where I'm hunting at. I've hunted religiously one entire daya week, if not more. I've seen a total of 6 deer in 4 months, while in stand. Here's my routine - I wash ALL my clothing before I go to bed in "scent free" wash. Throw it in the dryer with a dirt scented fabric softener flag. I get up 2 hours before sunrise, shower with scent free shampoo, body wash, and freshen up with scent free deoderant. I dry offwith a towel that was washed with scent free soap. As I put clothes on, I spray each layer with dirt scented scent eliminator and cover scent. I don't smoke, and I'm set up about 40 yards away from a 2 gallon pile of corn and apple buckjam. I've put salt licks out, but the deer do NOT eat them. There are deer tracks everywhere around me. I've hunted all hours - I usually get to stand at least 45 minutes before sunrise. I see nothing all morning. I'll sit until 1 hour after sunset, and still no deer!! I will sitcompletely still in that stand all day, andnot see anything. I've sat as late as 11 p.m. and still not seen deer. And i'm hunting a management unit that is so "full" of deer that we can hunt them an extra month! I KNOW deer are around, because as soon as I start the truck and head back home, I can see up to as many as 30 deer. Within 2 miles of my stand in whichever direction, they're everywhere. I continue to refill my corn pile, and since there are deer trails that go to it, they are the ones eating it. But they are just NEVER there when I am for some reason. Oh, I'm also about 40 feet up in a pine tree, with plenty of cover. I know they can't see me. Shouldn't be able to smell me, so what gives? What amI doing wrong? [:@]

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

Do you think they have patterned you? If you hunt at least 1 day a week in the same stand they might have pegged you. I would set up down one of those trails leading to your bait. I would follow that trail for a while, maybe and 1/8th of a mile even more. And catch them as they are coming to your bait.

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

Here's what I would suggest doing. If you can afford it buy a trail cam. You can get a decent one from $99 up to $200 Stealth Cam 2.1 and put it over your corn pile. Unfortunately its getting close to the end of your season but you still have time. Make sure you get a digital cam so you dont have to go through the pain of having 35mm pics developed, its worth extra money trust me. If you cant afford one see if you can borrow one from a friend for a few days. This will tell you what time the deer are visiting your corn, obviously they are hitting it at night but the cam will tell you exactly what time. I would definately say to move your stand close to a bedding or just move it to another spot period being you have hunted so long and not seen deer. I have the same problem with my corn pile, I get lots of pics at night and hardly any during daylight but I dont hunt over my corn because I know they dont come in until after dark typically. Moving your stand to a different type of area is probably the only thing thats going to get you a shot at some deer. Get in some thick stuff if you can.

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

Dude, I live in Indiana...where deer are nowhere to be found in most counties. I don't practice much scent related activities. I wash my clothes once or twice every season...and spray down with earth scent. I piss out of my stand every day...and see deer every day. Deer aren't half as smart of what the hunting companies and industries try to tell you. You either get lucky and see them, or you don't. It's probably much different where you hunt. I don't hunt over bait...just scout and ambush them to/from food sources.

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

Diesel pegged my suspicion which is that where you have set up, the deer may not be there until dark and may not visit there often.

It also does not take much more than a few does going in and out of an area a few times to make an area look well used.

Outside of the rut, deer are pretty predictable and stick to somewhat regular patterns with nothing pushing them. You might just have a "bad" spot picked out.

You may also be hunting an area where the deer are there when you arrive. If you spook them out a couple times without knowing it, they'll pattern you and hang out just far enough away to avoid you.

As suggested, do some mid-day scouting following the trails looking for trail intersections, old rub lines or scrape lines nearby.

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

Well you said that as soon as you start the truck you can see as many as 30 deer so you know they are there.

What I would do, skip hunting for a few nights, find and area where your visibility is as good as it can be, and just sit and watch. See where these deer may be coming out to the fields, see where they may be moving. Too many times just because it IS huntign season, we quit scouting and just hunt. I also agree with others that you may be using your stand too much. Many times people put up a couple of stands and think that is where the HAVE to hunt. Forget that, move around! Build some ground blinds move move move because obviously what you are doing is not working. Good luck to you.

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

They know you are there.I suspect they are still smelling you.Maybe too much cover scent.



Deer will come in to a food source or bait from downwind and if something isn't right,they will move on,so my suspicion is they smell you and move on.



My suggestion is to forget the cover scents and just take a bath in scent free sope,wash clothes in scent free sope and put the clothes on when you get to the woods.I have had to do this in the past and I saw a lot of deer.Use some scent elimination spray ,like carbon blast and put it on you and your bow.


Next thing I would do is move down wind and down the trails from the bait,a 100 yards or so,making sure you are coming in from the downwind side.


Next thing i would check is that I am not disturbing beds when entering or leaving.


In my area it is really hard to hunt late season for various reason.One is they get REALLY smart after gun season and secondly,they like to herd up late seasonand you can't ever seem to find the herd.You find one and you find them all but finding the one can be tough.

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

40 ft holy %^*# they are there you just can see them things

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

Wow what a mess. I like the above comments but have to agree they've got you pegged. Go elsewhere- another tree, another lot, around the corner- anywhere but where not seeing deer for days on end.
I've been there & done it myself, but when 3 or more hunts goes by without seeing a hair- time to move.

When you drop bait they pattern the bait. They know it didn't fall from the sky so they make a large circle around it before committing to it. Everytime you rebait, you leave a smell trail of where you've been. BTW, racoons love corn.....

Congrats on the Tomcat, it's a sweet bow.

RE: New Guy, big problems
 

The problem is often seen around areas where people are baiting. The more you bait the more nocturnal your deer will be. Get rid of the bait pile and start hunting.............dabow