overhunting a stand
 

GMMATs post brought up a good question to myself..

lately, i been questioning my hunting ability..my scouting ability..

last year i hunted pretty dang hard and dont think i broke 20 deer sightings in bow season. 5 were buck. 1 was legal.

i KNOW i overhunted my stands. honestly, i hunted 1 spot here at school and one spot at home..heck id hunt the same stand at home friday evening and saturday morning and leave and come back saturday evening.

that stand got hunted HARD..too hard i know. i didnt hunt it for 3-4 weeks and rifle season came..2 bucks ive never seen before came through. one whopper big nasty mature 11pt(i seen pics after he got killed 2 days later by some kid over a mile away that got lucky![:@]) and another smaller buck..honestly didnt look at him because he didnt compare to the biggun...didnt get a shot..but that proves my thinking.

also got winded pretty much my whole first week till i started practicing scent control...

most of the times when i saw deer it was when i hunted new stands, first time i hunted stands or stands i havent hunted hardly at all.

my question is...what do you consider "overhunting a stand"? i dont have 100 different spots to keep me busy all season long. i could possibly switch trees..move 20 or 30 or 50yds here and there etc...i do have spots to keep me not hunting the same stand for atleast a week, maybe more..being at school helps..but usually weekends(fri evening, all day saturday) im home...during the week i will probably hunt mon and wed evenings..

just curious how often i can hunt a stand and be safe?

also...do you guys hunt different stands for the rut?? i know my one spot doesnt really hold bucks..but it holds a handful of does...its a small finger of woods..i know one day during the rut im sitting there all day. going to try to find other such setups for the rut..and try to hunt food sources for the first month...

im just trying to get the odds in my favor...sometimes it seems impossible..i just dont see too many shooter bucks..

then again....getting a shot at a legal buck here in PA is almost unheard of your first year bowhunting...so im proud of that...even if i did blow it:)

RE: overhunting a stand
 

I hunt on 10 acres, and I have 5 ladder stands, and 1 ground blind set up. I dont hunt many mornings, but I hunt about 5-6 evenings a week. I am sure I probably over hunt my stands too, but what do you do when you only have a small amount of land to hunt on. I have gotten at least 1 deer there every year for the last 4 years. Now I probably jinxed myself for this year.[&:]

RE: overhunting a stand
 

one of the reasons I utilize climbers - here in the south the deer wander around looking up - so I hunt a different tree everytime in the woods - they can't pattern me as easily

RE: overhunting a stand
 

Don't do that.... reason number one that hunters constantly fail is because they do not trust their instincts, abilities, or "gut feeling". Be humble, and always seek to learn more... but I know I messed up a few opportunities at turkeys this past spring just because I couldn't make up my mind and trust myself... Its very easy to do... so don't. Its better to hold what you got and be conservitive... not spooking game etc then go charging through and hoping to get lucky.

Lesson learned... good for you!

Thats how the rut works. Deer will range over miles looking for receptive does. The way you connect during the rut is by being in "a place" at the right time. There is no one RIGHT place... but there are places that put the odds in your favor. You cannot depend on a deer you have been seeing all year to show up during the rut.... it does happen sometimes... but not often.

Or wind control. Watching the wind is MUCH more important than what I consider scent control. I'm not saying you can wear your tennis shoes and gym shorts while smoking left handed cigarettes just because the wind is right... but you'd have a better chance that way...

Thats almost always the case. The best time to hunt a stand is the day you hang it. its your best chance to kill a big buck in that area, especially if you time your hanging right.

Thats a good plan... move 50 yards or so... mix it up... keep them guessing. Its a trick I learned with duck hunting. Ducks know where blinds are... and will start skirting them... even decoys sometimes.. so all you do is move 75 yards down from where you normally set up... sometimes I even leave the decoys in front of the blind... you can slay'em as if it was cheating. Deer work the same way. Deer learn very quickly what a stand is... and where they are. I have seen deer stop in thick cover and wait for 30 minutes just staring at an empty stand to make sure no one was in it. You can often see exactly how their patterns change after a stand has been hunted a time or two.

Yes I do hunt/hang new stands for the seeking phase of the rut. If I have a good line of cover with several different doe trails running in and out of it... I will set myself up on the downwind side of it... usually 20 yards off the edge. The bucks will scent check several trails at once. I also set up at intersections, where does frequent. If a hot doe comes along with a buck behind her... there is a decent chance she will run a familar trail. However, as it always is with the rut... you just don't ever know. The only sure fire tactic is to not be on your butt inside somewhere. You have to be in the woods... there is no telling when it will happen... or where it will happen.... but if you put your time in... watch the wind, and have faith in your abilities... it will happen for you.

RE: overhunting a stand
 

I'm guilty as well for overhunting a certain stand.[&o]I say its better than not hunting at all though.

Do you think you can overhunt a stand during the rut? I don't think so because of the fact that those bucks are so unpredictable during that time. IMHO.

RE: overhunting a stand
 

Don't strain your arm patting yourself on the back, you are going to need to draw your bow soon. ;)[8D]

Depending on your goals overhunting stands may or may not impact you to a horrible degree. If you just want any doe or 1.5 buck, don't let it worry you too much(but I'd still avoid it if you could), but if you are after an older buck, it will lower your odds of success.

Wind, entrance and exits and if you spook deer all affect how much a stand can be hunted before burning it out. Also where it is. Funnels can sometimes take more pressure if you are good with scent control and can leave them easily.

Deep spots where you are passing deer areas and have a long walk to leave scent can be easy to burn out. Sometimes doing what ever you can to find hunting spots even if they aren't that good, helps you spread around days to keep pressure off your good spots.

And yes I have stands that I don't even think about hunting until the last week of october or later. Depending on the type of activity I am seeing.

RE: overhunting a stand
 

Wander around looking up....that made me laugh. Something has to MAKE THEM want to look up...and deer don't really 'wander'......they have a definite place they're going to and why!
That's funny...:)

RE: overhunting a stand
 

thanx alot guys...

swampcollie...i know confidence is key...ive been a hunter all my life. but honestly...when i stand hunted, dad picked the spots. he taught me alot of stuff...id help him piece things together and give my input..he taught me since i could walk and hes killed alot of bucks in his time..but last year was the first year bowhunting...dad didnt come with me to pick out my trees...i seen deer...but not what im used to...but as you noticed i picked out many problems with my hunting already...cant get better if you dont learn. i just get frustrated sometimes...

i dont hang stands..i use my climber so moving around is definently a good option...even if i can move 50 yds once a week or something..a little farther up or down the trail or whatever...i think that might work well for me IF i find myself hunting the same areas often...

since my bucks gotta be 4pt to a side im mostly lookin at 2.5yos+ dont usually shoot does..only because my areas have taken a pounding and i like to save them..but if i find an area thats loaded with does i just might take one home with me...i know some of my areas hold some big boys...i just gotta hunt them smarter. maybe only hunt those spots 2-3x a season and thats it. make it ALL day hunts and dont leave or get down.

thats another thing i know i gotta work on...getting up earlier and in the tree earlier(act like everyday is opening day..im on stand 2+hrs before daylight!) and stay ALL day anytime i can. opeing day of rifle those 2 bucks came through at about 1030. i wont lie...1000 is about when i leave usually...eat..go back out around 2 or so...i need to break that as well when i can...

i do try to hunt the wind...by man does that get frustrating sometimes..the wind in that one spot changes every day and throughout the day...its one of the highest points around...its wierd...


RYBO....i aint pattin myself on the back too hard...im just pretty proud of that...i dont know of to many others that have done that...exspecially on a 2.5yo buck..wasnt a monster..but was far from a dummie..our fawns are smarter than most guys mature bucks:D

i do gotta start babying my drawing arm...i AM putting a buck down this season!! (haha got my confidence back...:))

funny how just talking helps me...gets me thinking..think of problems i didnt see before...most of the time i can fix my problems on my own too...just takes some talking to get me to realize them...one day i will be a buck killer...this year is going the be the start...

i need to quit doin homework...i got topos to study to save me some leg work next week while scouting up here at school:D

RE: overhunting a stand
 

I now all the experts say that but back in Indiana on a farm we hunted for over 13 years wehad the deerpatterned to the point that we all built large permanent stands and hunted the same stands all season and killed the heck out of deer.

RE: overhunting a stand
 

How much land do you have to hunt on? That is the first question. If your hunting a small piece of property 40 acres or less I would hunt it 3 or 4 times before the rut.Let me tell you what I do.I hunt my honey holes 2 or 3 times and then save them for the rut. Then I will try totally different areas a mile away or so.Last year I hunted one of my best spots twice all year long and killed a doe and a 15 pointer.You wantto hunt the areas where you see the most does during the rut.The edges of very thick cover on the downwind side are excellent spots for cruising bucks. If you want to kill nice deer and see deer consistently you should not overhunt your stand early. To many peopleburn out their stands early then when the good hunting starts the deer just aren't there no more or have went nocturnal.Moving your stand 50 myards or so I don't think that is really going to help you much. Hunt your area 3 or 4 times then save it for the rut. You already have seen some big deer so you know the deer are in there.Another thing is you need to be very careful how you walk in and out of your stands. Don't walk down the deer trails.If you have creeks or ditches you can use to access your stands that will help you.

RE: overhunting a stand
 

I hunt a 10 acre "farm" and also have limited ability to move but I try to rotate to differnet sections- say 100 yards away or so, on a regular basis pending wind direction. Bucks are few and far between though, so- Take a new approach if you only have a small plot to hunt- hunt does, they eat just as well and its better for population control anyways. If a great shooter buck walks by- bonus. I take five does and save a tag for the buck should he walk through but if at the last week I still have it- another doe gets into the freezer. I never get too discouraged taking this approach, there are always opportunities. Then again, I live in Northern Va were you can't through a rock without hitting a doe and they are just as big as the bucks:D

RE: overhunting a stand
 

I think it depends on the lay out of the land and where it is located.

My main hunting spot is a small 18ac. tract of land located in SC. The lay out of the land allows me to hunt it more that a "normal" tract of the same size. The upper end of the land is high and dry, but VERY thick with pines and briars. They bed in this. The bottom is a creek bottom full of white oaks.

Over the past couple of years I have determined that the high side is the evening hunt and the low side is the morning hunt. The creek bottom is a GREAT funnel. The deer use it in the mornings on the way from the neighboring farms back to their bedding area.

I don't hunt the center of the land b/c this is where the deer bed. I hunt the outer edges of it. I have hunted with hunting clubs that have had over 14,000ac of prime land, but I still see more deer on this little 18ac. tract. It has everything that a deer needs. Food, water, and cover.

The location is also great. Its bordered by a 1,000ac farm that doesn't get hunted. The other side borders a good sized cut over. Another great thing is that my property line is the NC/SC line with Anson county. Anson county's deer season doesn't come in until almost two months after ours. So, all together I am in a great spot in a state that has one of the highest (if not the highest) deer population in the country.

RE: overhunting a stand
 

Maybe you did overehunt your stand, I however have mixed opinions on the subject. I've hunted the same stand 5 days in a row, morning and evening. Keep in mind 1. It was rifle season 2. the deer were more than 80 yards away 3. it was late season and the only green ANYWHERE was where I was sitting and 4. I only saw 5 legal deer. That said, can you overhunt a bowhunting stand? Sure. It's more up close and personal w/ a bow and I'm sure the deer will smell you if you hunt the same stand on a RELIGIOUS basis. However, w/ you hunting the stand so much and never killing deer(waiting on the big one), is there a possibility that maybe the deer become accustom to our scent, and aren't scared? I don't know. I try to keep about 6-8 stands a yr. I have one for each wind direction and try to have one or two more, just depends on how much scouting I get done. In your situation, it may not be a bad idea to try out public land(if thats an option) or start asking permission to hunt private land. You'll be surprised how many old widows will let you hunt just for cleaning up their yard on a once-every-three-week basis.