what to do? kinda long
11-12-2006, 07:39 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location:
Posts: 138
what to do? kinda long
okMy girlfriend and i struck out this last week , we didn't see anything out in the woods for 7 days[:@]. Very dissappointed in the out come considering that during the month of sept throughthe beginning of octwe had a ton of pics on ourcameras (5 differnt bucks, 2 four points one five point a spike and a 7 point and there were an average of 4-6 does at my feeder a night).So i went and talked to the guywho owns the 80 acres next to me and he said thathe already got two buks on his property (the 5 point and the 7 point)and that thereis a ton of hunters in the woods and everyone has bait out. Including him(he hasthree corn feeders anda 1 acre feild of rye. He also said that the guy across the road that owns 160 acres dumps a couple truck loads of bait the week before gun season so alot of deer go overthere. Iasked him what he thought about shooting small bucks and if he would consider passingthem up so maybe we can getsome bigger bucks in the area and he laughed, he said that the bucks are lucky to live 1.5 years in our area because of so many hunters during bow and gun season and if i seea buck big or small i better take it because some one else will.Ive been hunting my 20 acres since 1999 and average one doe per year and have yet seen a Buck. i also only get to hunt during the weekends and maybe if i take a week off of work like i did this year because my property(harrison, michigan)is 3 hours away from where i live.Ive been getting into hunting seriously for the last couple years and this year is the first year i took a shot at doing a small food plot in september(rye oats and a fall plot mixture by tecomate) and after trial and error got it to grow and got pics of deer eating it. My property is covered in oak trees with a few small openings and logging roads and i have one corn feeder and a mineral lick. My concern is what can i do to make my hunting more successful on my property? Sorry so long but i'm banging my head trying to convince myself not to sell my property but i don't know if its possible to compete with the larger surounding properties.[&o]
11-12-2006, 08:23 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern IL&Southern IL
Posts: 963
RE: what to do? kinda long
They are probably there when youre not.As hard as it may be to do,you have to be there as much as you can to maximize the encounters.Also those adjoining properties with all the hunters around,maybe those guys will push the deer your way.Also if they pressure too much on their land with alot of firearm shooting the deer will shift to your spots.Hang in there!
11-12-2006, 08:30 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Iowa (Heartland USA)
Posts: 3,249
RE: what to do? kinda long
Post your property put in a good food plot spend time there when you can during season but don't pressure them. The more the surrounding properties pressure the deer, the more you'll have on your property. Patience will pay off in the long run. Happy Hunting.
11-12-2006, 08:42 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location:
Posts: 138
RE: what to do? kinda long
i heard mixed opinions on this but my cabin is deep in the woods so we use a generator to power it, do you think this may scare the deer from coming on my property when i'm up there. i can definately here it from my tree stand. i try to turn it off when i head into the woods but majority of the time were at the cabin its on.
11-13-2006, 07:40 PM
#8
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location:
Posts: 62
RE: what to do? kinda long
How long has the generator been in place. I hunt three farms that are all connected and I can here the silo dryers from each farm and the deer dont mind it. But it has been there 10 years or more. I just think the deer have to get used to the sound and adapt to it.
11-13-2006, 07:51 PM
#9
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location:
Posts: 138
RE: what to do? kinda long
well ive had the generator there since 1995 but i do not live at this property, i only get to go there when i have a free weekend. so i might make about 10 visits a year consisting of 2-4 day periods throughout the year.
