RE: Wounded animals
 

IMO I would not consider a Whitetail Deer that goes 100+ yards wounded....

Last season my bud had a clean 1 lung + Hart shot. The deer went 160 yards and fell over, dead as a doornail.

I hit one two years ago on a hillside and he ran for 225 yards at a dead downhill run. I watched him step out into the field at the bottom and walk another 30 yards or so, he dropped within 40 yards of my 4 wheeler! :D

How many have I really wounded? just 1 shoulder shot. never recoverd him. The bow string hit my sleeve and the shot just went bad.


Good Hunting

RE: Wounded animals
 

I've been hunting for 12 years and have only seen one buck while hunting that might have made Pope & Young. Most people here are out to fill a their tag including bow hunters. Up untill the last couple of years I was also guilty of shooting smaller bucks just to get a deer. Maybe everything here is just fine, but I hear of other States with mature bucks and just deer all over!
Your right their around I probubly just need to learn more! I have good land that isn't hunted to much I guess I just have to do some more homework.

RE: Wounded animals
 

i've been bowhunting for only 2 years now. i have been fortunate eneough to take 3 deer, all of which were retreived within 30 yards. no misses or wounded to date.

RE: Wounded animals
 

YEAH I'D BE WILLING TO SAY THAT THE BUCK TO DOE RATIO IN YOUR AREA IS OUT OF WACK. HOW MANY DOES ARE YOU SEEING IN RELATION TO HOW MANY BUCKS? EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT SEEING THAT MANY MATURE BUCKS DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE NOT THERE.

I HARVESTED MY BUCK THIS YEAR WITH A MUZZLELOADER. I HUNTED HARD ALL SEASON AND PASSED ON A FEW SMALLER BUCKS. I FINALLY DECIDED TO TAKE A 120 CLASS 9 POINTER. I KNOW THAT IN MY AREA THERE IS MATURE BUCKS CAUSE EVERY YEAR THERE IS SIGHTINGS OF THEM, BUT VERY RARELY DO YOU EVER HEAR OF ANY ONE HARVESTING ONE OF THEM. I HUNT IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY NEAR THE OHIO RIVER. THIS SPOT IS A DREAM FOR TROPHY WHITETAILS, BUT YOU JUST DON'T SEE A LOT OF MATURE BUCKS, THEY'RE THERE YOU JUST DON'T SEE EM.

YOU CAN ALSO SEE A GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN YOUR DEER HERD EVEN ON SMALL TRACTS OF LAND IF QDM IS USED AND USED WELL. FOR INSTANCE IF YOU HUNT A 100 ACRE TRACT OF LAND AND YOU ARE USING QDM PRINCIPLES SUCH AS LETTING THE LITTLE ONES WALK AND GROWING FOOD PLOTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. EVEN IF THE NEIGHBORING HUNTERS ARE SHOOTING EVERYTHING THAT MOVES YOU WILL STILL SEE MORE QUALITY DEER ON YOUR PROPERTY BECAUSE THE DEER KNOW WHERE THEY ARE GETTING BETTER TAKEN CARE OF. ;)

RE: Wounded animals
 

I'm on about 80 acres, small river through the middle RIM & CREP on both sides (Native grasses a newly planted trees). So the hunting I think will get better every year. About 3 miles down the river is a deer haven. well managed and alot of acres 300? Do you think that helps or hurts me?
I've been puting deer mineral blocks out the last couple of years and have been trying to convince my father inlaw to put some deer mix in for a food plot instead of corn. We've got corn everywere here. He's more interested in the Pheasants, but there thicker than fleas on a dogs back which is awsome.Turkeys moved in the last couple years and I got a chance to hunt them this year, no luck shooting one with the bow, I had them close enough but just couldnt take a shot. Alot of fun!!
Thanks for you advice!!!!!!

RE: Wounded animals
 

WELL I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT THERE SHOULD BE PLENTY OF MATURE BUCKS IN YOUR AREA. THE PROPERTY 3 MILES FROM YOU CAN ONLY HELP CAUSE DURING THE RUT A MATURE BUCK HAS BEEN KNOWN TO TRAVEL UP TO LIKE 15 MILES OR SOMETHING. I'D SAY JUST START LOOKING FOR SOME BUCK SIGN NOW. LOOK FOR OLD RUBS NEXT TO NEW RUBS. GENERALLY MATURE BUCKS WILL USE THE SAME CORE AREA YEAR AFTER YEAR UNLESS SOMETHING FORCES THEM TO CHANGE.

LAST YEAR I HUNTED A CORE AREA WITH ABOUT 30 RUBS AND ABOUT 15 SCRAPES ON THE OUTER EDGE. THIS AREA WAS DEEP IN A THICKET WITH A LOT OF CEDAR TREES BUT NOT A LOT OF PLACES TO SET UP A STAND. THERE WAS 3 DIFFERENT RUBS AROUND MOST OF THE NEW RUBS. IT LOOKED AS THOUGH THERE WERE RUBS FROM THE PREVIOUS COUPLE OF YEARS ALL AROUND THE NEW ONES.

ON ONE PARTICULAR DAY DURING THE RIFLE HUNT IT WAS GETTING TOWARDS MIDDAY SO I GOT DOWN FROM MY STAND AND DECIDED TO TAKE A LITTLE WALK AND DO SOME STALKING. I WALKED UP THE HILL DEEP INTO THE CORE AREA. THE WIND WAS ABOUT 10MPH IN MY FACE SO I KNEW I WAS GOOD. AS I CRESTED THE SMALL HILL I SAW HIM JUST ON THE EDGE OF THE HILL GETTING READY TO JUMP DOWN INTO THE THICKET. HE WAS LOOKING RIGHT AT ME FOR JUST A SPLIT SECOND BEFORE HE VANISHED. HE WAS ROUGHLY A 160 CLASS BUCK AND WHEN I REALIZED THAT I WASN'T GOING TO GET A SHOT I STARTED LOOKING AROUND THE TOP OF THAT SMALL HILL AND RIGHT NEXT TO A SCRAPE WAS A BIG LONE BED WITH FRESH DROPPINGS IN IT. FROM WHAT I GATHER HE HAD BEEN BEDDED DOWN THERE UNTIL HE HEARD ME COMING UP THE HILL BUT HE COULDN'T SMELL ME SO HE WAITED TILL HE SAW ME BEFORE GETTING OUT OF THERE. BUT IT LOOKED AS THOUGH HE HAD BEEN USING THE SAME CORE AREA FOR SEVERAL YEARS. MAYBE THIS YEAR I WILL HAVE TO AMBUSH HIM. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO TAKE HIM WITH A BOW.

RE: Wounded animals
 

There is a lot that has to be considered in deer hunting especially bow hunting. Like sent control, if you don’t have good sent control you will never see that big buck in the area. But I guess the biggest factor is stand placement. If you are not hunting were the bucks sleep, eat are in there travel area you will not see them unless they are ran to you and you are very lucky.

Last year I got a nice eight-point buck on some property that I have been hunting for several years and this was the first time I had seen him. We knew he was around from the sign but no one had seen him until that day. We had seen other bucks and does but not him.

Year before last I shot a 150-class 12-point buck on the same property. This buck was seen once are twice every year for about three years before I shoot him. This buck was very smart; one of my stands was over several rubs that he had made. I never seen him from this stand but on several days when I would return to my stand I would find a new rub close to my tree. So you see he was there but most of his movement was at night. Although I did jump him out of a noontime bed about 40 yards from my tree one day as I was walking back to my stand. But my determination paid off Nov. 2002.

RE: Wounded animals
 

Bird, I only have been in you state a few times but have to believe the residential areas hold nice deer. I have only been around the twin cities but have seen good places to scout. I never had the chance to do any scouting but if I get a chance I know where I would go.

The places I hunt hold 130 - 140 class every day. I see 160 at least 1 to 3 times a year. Next time you scout look in the neighborhoods. You still need to do your home work but in time you can build better hunting grounds.