Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

I am fortunate to hunt family property, no one hunts it but me.
But its tooooooooooo much. I feel like i got to be in two places at once. 4500acres. 5 concession rd's, alot of deer, but always seem to get tag soup!! October 1st to December 31stwe can bow hunt, November 12-19th we can shotgun hunt, but i dont, the neigbours do some damage but not enough to make a difference.

QUESTION: Where do i concentrate my time? at what time of the year?
2007....Its my year, I know it.

Southern, Ontario

I've been Bowhunting for 12 years and my report is 15does 6 bucks.
BUT THERE ARE TONES OF MONSTERS HERE. My biggest is 132"
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

help

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Wow! Thats a bad position to be in,,,lol. I guess I would start by trying to locate what the deer are eating, I mean if there are large fields of good grass, or whatever thay feed on there. I wouldnt try to cover all the land, just the best portions of the land,, and it will take you years to learn it all, you will probably learn more each season about how the der travel on your property. Try to find a few really good spots, and scout them thoroughly, find the food and beds, and how they get to both. I guess what Im trying to say, if this makes any sense, dont look at the big picture,, instead, look at several small pictures. Oh if you need help,, Id be happy to help ya cover that much land:). Don t let it intimidate you, just keep on learning it, I dont have nearly that much land to hunt, and Ive hunted it for 20 + years, and each year, I learn more about what the deer do. Good luck , and I hope I helped a little.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

After reading your post again,, I thought Id add,, spend time in the summer watching fields if possible to see what is feeding there. It will help you get an idea if whats there, the direction it is coming from, and the buck to doe ratio. Hunt around food early season and late. When the rut is kicking in and in full swing, hunt the areas where you have seen the highest number of does. When they get ready to breed, the bucks will be where the does are, the rest of the time, they are concerned with being safe, and having a full stomach.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Ditto what Angus said and add flying me in from Iowa to help scout and hunt:D

All I ask is a spot on the floor to sleep and occassional table scraps for the opportunity to hunt that kind of place!

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

First of all, be GREATFUL. With hunting the way it has become, overrun with POSTED signs and landowners that will not let us hunters hunt on their land, be happy that you have lots of land to yourself. Dont ever think you have too much. You have a beautiful opportunity that most of us would die for. You have tons and tons of unhunted land. Dont ever think that is a bad thing. If you do your scouting and find out where the deer is you will realize that lots of land without hunting pressure is GREAT compared to public hunting lands. Do your homework, look for sign, and you will be racking up monsters in no time. You dont need to be everywhere at once. Find a spot that has activity and stay there. Dont take all that land for granted.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

pm me ill come help ya out on your little problem.... ANYTIME!!!!! ;):D

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Do you have any hardwood ridges? They are a magnet to big deer in the fall. It is really good to hunt them after a light rain here. Look for an area with thick fur trees near by and just keep a watch over it. The deer here normally follows the same trails and watching this you should be able to see one come out for you. Good Luck

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

If I was lucky enough to have a problem like your's is it really listed as a problem?? Well I would start by going to www.mytopo.com and you can fly over your property from above and find the the true funnel areas. If you want want to score on that much property you have to find where the deer will be forced, and funnels are the best place. Then find your food source and then the bedding and look at your funnels and it will all of a sudden come togather. Walt

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

If you need any help hunting that land, just let me know!:D

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I would try the topo-maps, and also try setting up trail cameras to see if and exactly how often they do frequent the areas you "think" they go.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Hunt the edges with the wind right

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

No such thing as too much huntable acres. On a piece that big, it might be hard to find the best spots, but that's what hunting is about.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Thank you very much for all the advice.
Here's what i know for sure. Its for Residents of Ontario only. I mean there is no season for a Non-Resident to come and hunt here in this zone.
I'd have you all up in a second. There is a mixture of everything here. Swamp, Cedar, Harwood lots, Ridge's, Corn fields, Soya Bean fields, you name it. But with all this land the deer could be anywhere at any one time. Rattling doesnt work because our doe ratio is out of wak!
I do however have one spot in mind this year to place a trail camera or two. I've taken pictures of MONSTER 160" bucks, and there are several that will go over. I am very greatful for all the advice. What else should i know about hunting this type of land(s). Remember they are all over the place, not just one big tract.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Key here is to never stop hunting your area... Know the land intimately, bunking, feeding, staging areas etc. I never stop hunting even when deer season is over. Withthe season over and winter coming to an end, now is the time to place mineral blocks out to help your herd get back in shape.

Go shed hunting to get an idea as to what survived the season and winter. Bigger sheds are indicative of older deer. Take notes as to where and when you saw the monster or bachelor groups, does... It's hard to remember details and details will make ya or break ya...

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Have you checked out googlemaps? Getting a birdseye view of the properties could be a big help, its helped me before on a new place that was only 100 acres.
If its cultivated and bush and swamps than you definately have funnels, try to find funnels between the really reallythick stuff and the food.
Are there wild turkeys? If so take the course and get out there hunting them in May, the more time you spend out there the better.

Whereabouts in Ontario? I have good places to hunt, but my areas don't sell the additional tags. If yours does maybe I could help you with that buck/doe ratio after I use up my one tag. I work on the road as a field tech so I'm probably familiar with your area.

PS - congrats on the engagement.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Scout, Scout, and when you think you have done enough, Scout more. Shed hunt in the off season, just get out and hoof it. You can only know so much from maps. Good luck.

P.S I wish I hadyour worries.Lots here that hunt public land here in the east know what I'm saying.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

I'm not complaining, its just i dont know exactly where to start. Its sickning.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

I think we all wish we had your problem






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RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

You start by getting in the woods. You can read every post, every magazine and watch every huntin' video but, nothing replaces or substitutes for the real thing...

Experience in the woods.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

I wish I had your problem. If I was you I would get a map of the property and section it off. Learn each section by spending time in the woods and trail cameras. The cameras can be your eyes when your not in the woods. They are a great tool to see how many deer are moving through each section and see the size of the deer on your property. With so much land you could use the wind to tell what section to hunt on that day. Have 2 or 3 stands for each wind direction. Then pick what stand you want to hunt from the amount of deer movement you are getting on your cameras in each section of the woodsand the wind.Hope I could help and I think your hunting property is every hunters dream.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

i wish i had your problem...lol

concentrate on finding the bedding and feeding area's on your property. once you find these area's, look inbetween them for some type of funnel. this is the area that compresses the deer travel into a small area due to swamp, thickness, overall cover, etc. this is the place to start looking for stand placement.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Here we do not have much in line of corn and soybeans growing. We do have miles and miles of wooded areas, with a scattered deer population. I preffer to hunt around the hardwoods and mostly after a lite rain. Deer here like to travel around the edges of cedar swamps, or thick fur trees before entering the hardwoods. Looking for them around these types of areas should help you out. For as far as funnels you would be hard pressed to find them here. Deer just wander where ever they want as it is not a consintrated population. They just keep moving around in different areas. The hardwoods though they will wander through in the middle of they day if there is no pressure. Also in the summer months look around swamp land with a lot of ferns growing and you should see signs from the does there. For as far as finding funnels check around a stream as deer here normally like to cross them at the same place over and over. Good Luck.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

I live in Southern Ontario also. I would be glad to help you out!
To start with I would recommend some trail cameras. They coul show you the bucks you think aren't there. Looks like you have bagged lots of deer already so getting deer isn't your issue its that big one you want right? During the rut the big ones will be following the does, so you need to have the discipline to not shoot the first legal deer in your sights. You likely were in a position to get a crack at a big one and blew it by taking a doe or smaller buck and then proceeded to dress it right there. There are basically 2 ways of scoring big bucks, first pure luck and second passing up the smaller ones.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

So you've taken 21 deer in 12 years WITH A BOW? One of them being a very nice buck? What's the problem? Sounds like you get a deer every year and some years you're getting two. You should be giving me advice :D

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

ANYONE FROM ONTARIO WANT TO GIVE IT A TRY THIS YEAR ON MY LAND??? BOW ONLY...

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

I feel for you and believe me you have a baaaaad problem. Better quit hunting and invite all of us to help thin the herd.:D

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Sounds like a BIG PROBLEM with so much land to hunt. From my little experience I would suggest hunting the thicker area's-more trees and brush, I've never had much success right on the field edge.

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

P.M me and we can set up a weekend for us to get together and hunt.
Name address, and a photo.
Where you hunt and a blog about who you are.

V

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

I would be willing to scout lots and do a couple days hunting. PM Me. I hunt about 2900 acres up north, but am always willing to scout/plan/put up stands.
Do you have a trail camera?

RE: Problem is.... I have to much property.
 

Oh and as previously suggested, get some google maps printed off or use google earth. They are both free.
A Gps will definitely help you, as will always being as scent free as possible. This is extremely important if you scout close to hunting season.