nvrhapy

ive been hunting in harrison michigan for about 10 yrs now, i own an 20 acre area thats 90 % wooded with oak trees and have yet to get a buck but usually get a doe every year. last couple years ive been experimenting with a 1/4 acre food plot that i plant oats and winter rye, the plot comes up so so need to raise the ph in my soil, i also have two corn feeders and a mineral block set up throughout the property with three moultrie cameras set up . well i took the first week of oct off to bow hunt and i got to say im very disappointed, when i checked the cameras i barely had any pictures of deer and there were piles of corn under my feeders. usually the corn is always gone and i have tons of pics mostly does and maybe one or two small bucks. During the week i seen absolutely nothing a couple deer visited my mineral block at night but that was it nothing hit my corn feeders or plot i even put a gallon of apple buck jam and peanut butter jam at got nothing, i talked to one of my neighbors and they said that nothing hit there feeders or sugar beets either. what do you guys think is going on last year i had tons of deer on my feeders they couldnt get enough of corn and this year i had to turn my feeders off because of all the corn on the ground any body familiar with the area or maybe have any suggestions on whats going on ?????

AF Hunter

Look for other environmental changes in the past year (construction closeby, etc). Look for signs of increasedcoyote activity. If all previous years there was high and seemingly this year there is a drastic change, there is a cause you haven't found yet. Keep looking and keep us posted of what you find. Good luck.

mauser06

all that bait and food on 20 acres...plus neighbors that do the same.....id say your deer are way over feed and baiting and feeding usually lead to deer becoming nocternal and really spooky.

also bedding areas and thick areas come to mind....to have and hold deer, you need thick stuff and good bedding areas...and gotta hunt smart to see deer.

not taking a buck in 10yrs sounds pretty odd to me...unless you continually pass all the bucks you see...i dont know....

nvrhapy

your right mauser06 the deer have become more nocturnal over the years and this is why i have nvr seen a buck while sitting in my blind let alone killed one. The biggest buck to my knowledge that has been takin in the area is a 7 pointer in the last few years the average buck usually doesnt get bigger then a 4 pointer. Gun season is rough in my areathe land owners across the road have a bunch of there buddies come up and what ever is brown is down and the guy down the street bow hunts a month before the season actually starts. I nvr use that much attractant on my property but i got desperate i seen my week of hunting slowly slipping away and this year was the first year my fiancee hunted and i wanted her to at least see a deer. i dont know but every year hunting my property seems to get more frustrating and this year was the worst. where are all the deer could the population took a downfall for my area i mean there arent even any deer at night and im not doing anything differnt then i have done the previous years that i have got tons of deer traffic.

jerseyhunter

Sounds like my spot. I would say atleast here, lack of rain is causing the deer to eat more forbes and greenery to get their water, or are hanging out closer to a water source. Once the weather changes so will their habits.

davidmil

I've said it a million times. Bait takes deer off their feeding patterns. They know they can gallop in after dark and pig out in about 20 minutes. They don't have to get out and forage like normal wild critters who rely a lot on some daylight. Rather than oats I'd throw that food plot into alfalfa or something like that that stays green even with snow. Bait works great in some place like Texas where there's nothing to eat and the herd is over populated and competition high. It works great if that's your style. I don't like it myself.

pm69442

"Bait works great in some place like Texas where there's nothing to eat and the herd is over populated and competition high. It works great if that's your style. I don't like it myself. "

That is the dumbest, blanket statement about deer and deer hunting in Texas I have ever read. And doesn't even need any more explanation of why it is!

nvrhapy

well as for baiting i understand everyone has there own opinion on it but the deer arent even hitting my feeders at night i actual turned the feeders off because the corn is just piling up on the ground, and i nvr had that problem. i actual had to turn my feeders off. maybe the heat was the problem but it wasnt to bad oct.1 it was like low 70's and got hotter as the week went on and a couple of nights it rained.

skipperfishflipper

if the deer population is weak why are you shooting doe?
doe make more deer!!!

I can somewhat feel for you. I have 40(thats not jack) and 2 neibors hunt. the deer basicaly run the gauntlet

nvrhapy

ok maybe you miss understood me the previous years i have had ton of deer traffic mostly does and a few small bucks so why wouldnt i shoot a doe????? whats confusing me and the question is why would this year there be hardly any deer in the area?