How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I suppose not just archery land, but your hunting land in general. How many of you actually use ythe land where you hunt for other recreational purposes? Are you one to only enter the land to scout, place stands, and hunt, or do you frequent it with walking, biking, atving, etc? I'm curious to see how many of you utilize the "low impact" approach to your land and whether or not you feel this has a direct bearing on deer activity and your success. I, for one, am out walking it almost every weekend when during the school year when I'm teaching, and almost DAILY in the summer. A post I made a while back about my lack of buck sightings this year, Quick made the comment on how he suggested not hunting just one small chunk all season and moving from point to point throughout the area. I respect Quick's opinion and it seems valid, so is that really the case? Should I really not be out walking, riding my fourwheeler (I do stay to the main road and I'm not ripping through bedding/feeding areas), driving my truck around, etc? For me, I hunt the land I live on and live on the land I hunt, so it's hard for me to just reserve it to "hunting only." However, is this the best approach? Thoughts?

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I do absolutely nothing in my archery haunts other than food plots. I encourage everyone, meaning the landowner, to have low impact on it as well. He doesn't get it but after all, it is his and I'm very appreciative.:)

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I have 100 acres and lease 113 right next to mine from a cousin. I use my land soley for hunting purposes. I have one other person occasionally hunting with me, but in the past couple years he has hunted very little. I don't drive around unless I'm loading a deer. I'm pretty particular about disturbing the wildlife( deer and turkeys). My cousin is about to have her 113 acres thinned.She said she would wait til after turkey season though. She will be cutting about 1/3 of the property, which will probably enhance it a bit.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I have about 200 acres of woodland - and other than trespassers and relic hunters, virtually no one else is down there. I make a couple of trips every quarter during the off season -- posting, wildflower photographing, habitat improvement, and the occasional camping trip. I do plan on doing a selective harvest of some of the timber before the 08 season starts, but to be done several months before.

I believe that the deer will settle down and occasional activity won't have any lasting impact -- likewise, judging from the deer in my neighborhood and by my office, regular activity won't bother them either. The only thing that seems to bother them is scent free camouflage up in a tree!

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

Wow, interesting to see everyone really does dedicate their land to hunting only. I suppose it's because I live on mine that I feel that I can't simply stay off of it. I wonder how much this impact of me always being out and about has on the deer movements on our property. I don't ride the 4wheeler really much at all anymore, and the only machinery that gets run is our tractor to work the food plot, drainage work on the roads, mow the pasture. I really can't just not use the land, though, so I suppose finding other land would be ideal. I am a new member at our hunting cabin that has ~1200 acres, so I can hunt there on the weekends, but the hunting (albeit somewhat low on buck sightings) is much better at my home.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I too live on the land I hunt and it would be hard not to appreciate the land. I fish and ATV on it now and will be camping on it next year. I have set aside a deer sanctuary area that I will stay out of, but I fully intend to enjoy my land.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I wish I could but the property I hunt on is used.. Atv's, hunting, logging, cattle, etc...

Still good hunting though and I'm very grateful to have a place to go close to home..

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

we fish, scout, hang, hunt

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

Question to those who live on your land, and dedicate it solely to hunting...what do you do in the offseason?:D I just can't fathom living on a great piece of land (they aren't making any more of it), and just looking it it for 8-9 months out of the year. I'm not knocking the decision to dedicate it to hunting only, I just can't really comprehend it. On one side, the argument can be made that the deer movement is altered due to heavy activity (especially in and around core areas) and even moreso on smaller parcels of land (such as our 90 acre tract). However, couldn't it be said that the deer have adjusted accordingly (i.e. became accustomed to it)? I mean our land has seen constant activity for 30 years (my dad built our place in 78). Could it be said that as long as the activity was "low impact" as possible (walking, hiking, etc) the deer herd would not dramatically alter their behavior?

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

My neighbor drives his truck and tractor through his land all the time. I have been with him when the deer are bedding within 40 feet of the road when he drives through and they don't even look up. If there are common sounds and sights, they adapt and accept them.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

We own 194 acres here in WV and we hunt everything there. Deer, Squirel, Turkey,coon with dogs, bear with and without dog. We walk in it ride 4 wheelers and whatever we want. We enjoy our land and the deer don't seem to mind.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I actually don't live on my 100 acres, but I live close enough to it to where I can monitor it pretty often. After turkey season is over, I really don't go there too often.I'm pretty much fishing from midMay tilmid July.Late July and August I start working for the upcoming bow season ( checking stands, clearing trails, bushhogging, etc...). I like to be finished with all my work by the end of August.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I have 30 acres where we live, with 40 that my grandmother owns neighboring it. I'm out there at least once a week from Feb-July checking trail cams, shed hunting, mushroom hunting, hanging stands, etc. I've killed my 2 best bucks in the past 2 seasons since I bought in in Dec 05. What some may call intrusion of the deer habitat, I call extensive scouting. I can't just look at the ground, I did buy it to hunt on, but I also bought the ground to use.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

My place I stay out of most of the time. I have certain chunks though that I don't go in except the last week of PA's season (one good 20+ acre chunk, my honey hole), and another few chunks I never go in at all except for a single quick walkthrough in February/March to look for sheds.

I do turkey hunt in the spring, and I do usually go out calling for yotes at least 1-2 times in the winter post season and use the yote hunting as a time for post season scouting as well. During these times I still stay out of my honey hole though as well as the sanctuary.

This upcoming summer I may poke around in there a bit more to move a few stands, I also plan to create at least 2x man made funnels as well in specific areas.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

We have 180 acres - and enjoy it in one form or other at least once a week. I cannot imagine not having the property and not being able to enjoy it. Sometimes my "enjoyment" is foodplots and other times its "cutting wood for the cabin" -or letting my dog have "free run" which he doesn't get at home. Other times its a casual walk through the woods.

That said - after winter - I pretty much stay out of bedding areas - and I don't Rabbit or Grouse hunt anymore in the fall.

FH

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

Mine is 140 acres. I drive by it everyday on my well route, so it is easy to just drive in and circle through. Most of it is thick brush, though and it doesn't bother the deer in the least. This is cattle country and deer are used to seeing and hearing pickups driving in and out of pastures all the time. We cook out out there some times, too.

During the season, though I try to keep it down to a minimum and If I have to go in there other than hunting I try to go around noon.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I live on mine.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

We ride colts thru the woods all spring and summer, bowhunting is important but so is getting the colts started right.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

Our lease consist of 2000 acres of timber and pastures for cattle. The cattle owner rides his atv around 4 or 5 times a week checking on his cattle. I too ride my atv around on the property to check for deer and sign all spring and summer long. It doesn't seem to bother the deer too much. I also turkey huntthis same property, so I'm out there 10 or 15 times in the spring walking around locating and calling. We also have 3 ponds stocked with a ton of fish. One pond is 13 acres and 40ft deep in the middle. I like taking the boat out almost every other weekend during the late spring and summer. We have been doing this for years and I've never noticed that it bothered the deer in any way.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

We own 850 acres on 3 farms...So we also raise cotton, peanuts, wheat, corn and soybeans...We have also laid some the edges back for small game, so we quail, rabbit, squirrel and turkey hunt as well...

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

I live on 140 acre farm and me and my DH use it all year round. I try to stay out of some of the areas during bow season with some exceptions. I do fall turkey hunt with a gun a couple days each year and we rabbit hunt, but not until after all our deer gun seasons are over. Then there is turkey in the spring. I sometimes like to just go for a walk and even out of season, I will sometimes go out dressed in camo just to sit and watch.

1/2 of the farm is used for crop/vegetable production. Especially with the vegetables, there are always people out picking or driving the tractor or whatever. The deer don't seem to mind. Although, I do wonder sometimes if it does make them more nocturnal than in other places. But you know, during the pre-rut and rut, it doesn't seem to matter. I always see deer during the day then.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

My land is used for hunting of all sorts. I also cut wood there and other things.

RE: How many of you USE your archery land?
 

Off subject a bit, but here goes: I'd love to own a piece of hunting land and a tractor. I'd maintain a strip of land 2 disk widths wide right along a woods edge, with my tree stand all set up. Early bow season, I'd run that disk up and down, then climb up in my stand. I've noticed that when you open up fresh earth, deer are on it immediately. There's a strong odor, and a change in their environment. It would be a great way to fill a doe tag.