Bowhunting small woods?
 

The last several years I have bowhunted about 400+ acres near my house and have had success, and seen a lot of deer. However, I am moving in 1 week, and the place we are moving to has only 10.5 acres with it. The good thing is it is all wooded, has a pond on it and it covered with deer tracks right now. And I found an old rub from last year on a small pine tree.

It looks likeI may be bowhunting a little on my new place, but when I think of only having 10 acres I get kinda discouraged about it. The land is covered in Oak trees and I say many big white oak acorns from last year. And I got a spot around my pond where I may plant a small food plot (1 acre). And the land surrounding it is pretty open pasture, which Im hoping will persuad the deer to hang close to my place, where there is cover.

So, there should be cover, water, and plenty of food on this small place, and I could probably stick a young deer but Is there anything I can do to help my chances of having big deer passing through my place?

Who else hunts small woods successfully?

BTW, I cna still hunt my old place, I just cant hunt it alot like Im used to.

Thanks.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Never ever get discouraged by the size of the woods. The biggest deer I've seen taken are a lot of time taken from smalls woods.

With that said, be very picky when it comes to shooting deer. I hunt the smallest places you can imagine. I've hunted on next to tennis courts, golf greens and tees, kids tree houses, and once off a power line pole. I hunt where the deer are and I don't judge by the size of the woods. I only judge it by the trees I can climb.

If your allowed to bait, I would set up a feeder. Corn is the best thing to fatten them up and sweeten the meat before the slaughter. Farmers have been doing it for years with cattle. That steak you ate last night was grassed raised and then put on corn a few months before slaughter. Do the same to your pet deer. It helps you out as well as your pets.

Good luck

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Don't count out small woodlots, they can be very productive. I'd try to stick to the edges of them so you don't run things out.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

I've hunted and continue to hunt some REALLY small plots. One of the best I ever had here in suburbia was 25 acres. The best one I've seen in a couple years is a small 5 acre lot we hunted a couple years ago. Len got permission for us to hunt it again yesterday. The deer travel through it, but it's one of those deals where they just can't help themselves. They travel through it every morning like clock work, wind, rain, sleet or hail... they're always there. The key to these places is LOW IMPACT. Find your trees for your climber ahead of time. Hang 2 or 3 stands and DON'T over hunt. As hard as it is, if the wind is wrong, stay out. Start slow. Hunt the fringes, watch the movement, sneak in on them, and back out, and in... don't become patterned. Don't crowd them and you can have a heck of a gold mine. Get high.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Nothing to worry about. I hunted an empty house on 3 acres. Probobly only 1/2 an acre wooded, yet plenty of woods behind the lot. Large concrete patio in rear around an average size built in pool, all encircled with hedges about 3-1/2 ft. tall. I got two nice does from the cement bench on the patio as they came in from the front from across the road. I put my friend Brian (who tragiclypassed 2 Fridays ago - God Bless his soul) in a giant ladder stand in the rear more wooded area and he shot a great 9/10 pointer his first time out there. There's tons of deer there and although the property changed hands in January, I have secured exclusive hunting rights to - get this ....... the same 3 acre lot (by new owner), the neighboring 5 acre lot (about 75%wooded) and the new ownerhas another 5 acre lot right down the road, that's right, FOR ME.

Hey, I'll ride the tractor around some this season mowing grass and whatnot - but I got those 3 lots to bowhunt and they're probobly only 4 miles from my house as the crow flies - and deer season ain't even in sight yet!

Quick rundown of the opportunities set for this season.

1. The 3 acre lot.
2. The 5 acres the same guy owns.
3. The adjoining 5 acre lot next to #1.
4.Offer to do some hunts out in McHenry county on about 140 acres
(this from a guy I just did a fire sprinkler job for yesterday - yes
on Sunday - 16 hrs.)
5. A 5 acre lot backing up to a small river that has a 2 nice longfarm
fields parallelingthe river divided by tree lines. (This one isn't definate
yet - but I think it's 90% there!)

Now all these I'm talking about are not very rural at all! So I don't see the deer feeling pressured by people, odors, etc. But if your property is very rural, you have to be careful about stinkin the place up. I'd get my stands up (what looks good and some fall backs), lanes rough cut and funnels created early so come season, just a little trim and your in business.

Iteach hunter safety ed here in IL and there's always some invitations that arise from there, too.

THINGS ARE LOOKING SO SWEET RIGHT NOW!

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Hunt it basically the same way you would any other woodlot. Overhunting will bea big problem as you are very limited to your stand sites. Find the funnels and use them. Hunt the wind perfectly, and pull up an arial photo of the place to become familiar w/ what's around you. That will help in picking out your ambush points.

Like you are going to do, a good clover patch would help alot. Remember, you're going to get almost 100% pass through deer, but I'm sure you'll have a couple of "residents" as well. That pasture you speak of may hold a bed or two. david said it best.....low impact, and I mean VERY low impact.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Sounds like it should work fine;food,cover,water...this should bring in the does and that means bucks. Careful not to overhunt. I would only hunt once a week. Hunt where you can slip in and out with the least disturbance. I would get several stands hung at least a month in advanceso you can hunt whichever way the wind is. They have to get to your land somehow; watch for travel routes to your land.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Thanks for the positive encouragement, My plan is on my days off, to travel to my current place which is awesome and we got 40 acres about 25-30 minutes away but it historically hasn't been very good hunting and its 95% pasture which many hunters nearby, In fact right now this 10 acres looks 5 times better for an occasional hunt. And then there is public land I can hunt (but hate to). My place will mainly be for going after work for a few hours or in the mornings before work. I was figuring 1 day a week more or less.

I will try to gain permission for other land close to home, but in case I can't I wanna be able to shoot a deer or two.

I also talked to a pretty successful trophy hunter the other day and he said he has killed many of his largest bucks on small tracks of land less than 10 acres. I guess many hunters overlook small tracks of woods.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

I have 10.5 acres and have taken a couple of nice buck plus seen quite a few more.These are 2 that I tagged on my property.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Hunt it very carefully. Hunt the edges not the middle.Do not pressure the deer

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

I'm not sold on the "hunt the edges only" theory. If the deer are in the middle, hunt the middle. Wear knee high rubber boots and be careful, but if I only hunted teh edges of the wood lots I hunt I would get nothing. Instead I hunt near the bedding areas and "safe" areas and do pretty well. I also am not a believer in only hunting once a week in an area that size. I wouldn't hunt the same tree 4 days in a row but you can get away with a couple days, then move to another sight you have set up. I say hunt the deer, not the edges and when the rut is going hunt all you can, not just once a week.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

My dad's place is small - 17 acres but it's been VERY productive. We have a membership at a 15,000 acre hunting ranch 3 hours away that we haven't used in 3 years now. The key is LOW IMPACT. Also, in the spring, we always do two or three projects to improve the habitat. So far we've planted three food plots (bucks banquet, rye, clover), pumpkins, corn, turnips, pruned a buch of overgrown apple trees that are once again productive, cut travel routes through VERY dense brush, added a pond, and planted over 200 trees. We also use corn feeders in the off season as well as mineral blocks. In three seasons I've killed two decent bucks and he got a big 9 point. The surrounding property is mostly open fields with some wood lots. We don't have resident deer but they are always passing through to feed. The biggest problem is the neighbors are a bunch of low life violators. Bow season sounds like Vietnam sometimes. But we've always got our deer despite the idiot neighbors.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

huntingson, why run in and hunt the middle. If you have any resident deer your gonna run them out. What size are the areas you hunt. I bet its bigger than this. Hunt the edges( not the actual edge of the woods) so you can see whats goin on. Your gonna catch deer passing through and, if there is any, your resident deer making there way to feeding areas. I just dont see the point in going in the middle. You may get busted only one time but thats all it takes

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

I just feel like I should hunt where the deer are. My farm has 2 wooded areas. One is about 12-15 acres and the other is about 10. I hunt right next to the bedding areas in both of them and the results have been good. I spent the first 8 or so years hunting the edges and the results are: 1. I spook just as many deer there (which isn't many) 2. mature bucks will not come by in the daylight, except for on rare occasions in the rut. You have to hunt mature bucks where they feel comfortable around here unless you want to use a spotlight. Now, I do leave a large section of both woods as a "safe area" that I do not touch... ever. If I spook one walking in I have noticed they go back tot he safe area and I may see the same doe later that hunt. Hunting the edges of woods around here (stress that) is for hunting immature bucks and does in my experience. It may work great for someone else though, but never has for me.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Hillbilly Archer, I hunt a small track of woods we own in a fairly residential areaand the deer come through it almost every day. I often hunt the middle as that is where most of the action is - most of the trails cut through our property at that point. If I were to hunt the edges, the deer would run out into a neighboring farm field I don't have permission to hunt or worse yet, a county road. So I hunt the middle. I find the key is like the others have said - not to pressure thedeers.

But I think a lot of it depends on what your definition of pressure is. Several driveways 1/4 to 1/2 mile long, including our'srun through the woods/swampland Ihuntand its not uncommon for us to see deer munching on browse in clearings as I drive out for work in the morning - or for me to wave at my neighbors from my stand as they are leaving in their vehicle down their driveway.: ) Thankfully, all of them seem to appreciate hunting, though they don't do it themselves luckily.

Anyway the deer don't seem to mind the vehicles or sometimes when I take a walk, they pay little to no attention to me until I start encroaching upon their personal space - usually when I get within 100 yards of them or so. So seeing vehicles and people and the associated smells aren't as big of an issue where I hunt. But getting close to the deer in terms of sight and smell is still a pickle, so I take all of the necessary precaustions you read about that people who hunt in the outback take, etc.

I've rambled on here but my point is, I've hunted such an environment and enjoy it. I see lots of does every year and the occassional bruisers who come through (and increase their visits during the rut). I feel a small woodlot might present just as many opportuntiies as a huge property. The key is to make sure its along a regular travel route.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

I was saying that the very middle of this small patch should stay a safe area so u dont run them out to othere people.

RE: Bowhunting small woods?
 

Jim, those are some nice deer, gives me some encouragement.

It'll work out, if not I have other places to fall back on.