Remington Rebel

I've been hunting whitetail since i was about 10 with a gun but me and some buddies got gifted a piece of land that we can't use guns on. We had always been interested in bowhunting but never had a good spot until now. we are all geared up and have been doing some serious scouting over the past season and this offseason. Opening day is coming fast (October 15th in south alabama) and i was just curious. Our land is 70 acres of thick pine and oak with a big trail through the middle and quite a few creekbottoms, we have about 9 stands set up in what we believe to be favorable spots. all about 25 feet up. This area has not been hunted in 20+ years, do you think three bowhunters spread evenly over 70 acres would cause deer to feel pressured? we would only be hunting maybe two to 4 times a month through the season. Thanks in advance!

V8Ranger

25 feet up? WOW!! I don't think they will feel pressured at all, not hunting them only a couple times a month.....

Remington Rebel

We had to get them Up there because the underbrush is so thick and we didn't want to clear out more than we needed. Got the best shooting lanes at that height.

mackesr

Sounds like you have put in the time and effort and all that is left is to have fun and hunt hard. From what you described I dont think the deer will be pressured much at all. Sounds like a very good situation to me. ENJOY!!!!

Terasec

should get your buddies together and put together a plan for the land,
hunting 3-4 times a month wont pressure the deer,
but if you each take 2-5 deer a season that can have an effect,
should find their bedding area, and make that a safe zone, none of you enter the bedding area, hunt trails to/from bedding area, but keep out of the bedding area,
also determine how many bucks/does you should each take,
if your all taking bucks or does that could affect deer there.

7MMXBOLT

70 acres is a good size chunk of land. Like others have said, based on what you discribed you won't have any trouble blowing them out of there. Your stand height is what we use for the same reason. You got a good deal going and you could keep it that way if you manage the buck to doe ratio right. If you can bait, set out some camera's and get an idea of what's out there. If I had that much land I would be seriously thinking about putting in some food plots or at least one and keep it close to the best water source if you can. You don't need a bunch of fancy tractor equipment to do it either. Also that property has been a sanctuary when the hunting pressure get's high on the adjacent lands. More deer should move in as the season progresses so keep the camera's rolling all season. You'll soon get an idea as to how often you should be hunting it by the end of this season and just adjust accordingly for next. Thick brush is my favorite. We cut trails to our stands and the deer will use them cause it is the least point of resistance. We actually make them come to us. Our trails are raked right down to the earth so tracks are easy to size up. I got some tricks if your interested!

Good luck and let us know what your seeing.

Remington Rebel

I appreciate all the advice! We have spent the last year and a half slowly changing the land so the deer can get acclimated to it. We have planted 3 different clover patches near creek bottoms throughout the land and put out a number of mineral licks near our cameras and have seen some nice bucks and more does than we could possibly keep track of. We have all decided on 2 doe max per hunter this season and we will adjust as necessary, and a 1 buck max (8 point or a 140+ lb 6 point). We are all ready and cant wait for the 15th to come. I would love some more advice though on hunting hardwoods and thick underbrush areas. I'm used to taking shots from 150 yards across a turned peanut field so this is all foreign to me.

7MMXBOLT

What we do is when we find bedding area's that are in the thickest most nastiest, snarliest brush like mountian larual, dogwood and so on, we will cut trials through the middle of it to where we want to set a stand. Make them a foot wider than shoulder width either side. Make it so when your walking it to get your stand your body won't come in contact with any branchs or bushes. This is so you won't leave any scent from your cloths or any part of your body. Clear the trails real good and rake them right down to the earth. I suggest you do this in the spring and let them get use to using them all summer. I often bait these trails before the season starts and put up camera's. Two weeks before the hunting season begins re-rake them again. During the beginning of the hunting season (September / October) before I walk in to my stands I like to spray the bottoms of my boots with Tinks Mock Scrap. Suppose to resemble Doe Pee, has a faint smell of Ammonia. When I know the ruts starting to kick in ( end of October thru mid-November) I spray Buck Bomb Doe in heat on the bottom of my boots. Both leave a slight scent trail to my stand. I also spray the Buck Bomb a few time (Not a lot) just a quick squirt on some of the bushes along the trail. This helps calm any Deer that might be nearby that may of heard me and are less likely to spook. Scent draggs work good too. These trails become a main run and are active all season. Buck's will scrape on them and rub tree's. I basically dictate where I want the deer to go because it's easy walking for them and they use them. My stands are set up just down wind of where I know they're bedding in an open area just outside of it near feeding. When bucks are seeking & chasing doe's these runs work to my advantage and then it's game over! That buck in my avitar is one many that fell victim to this. I harvest at least one nice buck every year and countless doe's.

Try it you'll be glad you did I promise!

Remington Rebel

Thank you! i was wondering about scents to use! i never worried about them before as i was so far away in a shooting house but it seems that scent blockers and some kind of attractant scent are necessary when bowhunting. I notice you are from southern New Hampshire. I am hoping to get a hunt in up there this fall. My grandparents are in the Dover area and my great uncle offered to take me with him on a hunt. hopefully i will get to experience something different than alabama deer!

7MMXBOLT

Cover scents and scent control are key when hunting here in the Northeast as I'm sure it's the same elsewhere. I keep all my hunting cloths in zip lock bags even my snake boots. I don't even put them on until I get to where I'm going to be hunting. I keep scent-away dryer sheets (fresh earth) in the bags so the cloth absorb it in. Works better than using them in the dryer. A scent-away shower before I leave the house is a must. Truth is you can never get yourself 100% scent free but every little bit helps. Where I have so many stands I am able to pick the best one to sit in based on wind direction. I found this website called Scoutlook outdoor weather guide that helps me determine what the wind direction is at my stands on any given day. http://www.scoutlookweather.com/ It lets you personalize it with a scent cone map. I just check it before I leave. During the rut I use James Valley scents like "Full Draw Doe in Heat Urine, Lethal Weapon Estrus scent, and Extasy. These gel scents are the best I have ever used next to my own mixtures. http://www.jamesvalleycompany.com/pages/deerlures.html

I've been told I go a little over board but hey I like having action when I go hunting. I see plenty of deer all season and get at least one every year and usually 3-4. Not trying to brag but it is what it is, I love to hunt