New member needs help from all's knowledge
10-17-2015, 11:01 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 14
New member needs help from all's knowledge
First, hi, i'm new. From Ontario canada. Avid moose, black bear, deer and waterfowl hunter.
While i do NOT consider self an expert, i am an accomplished hunter, but for the first time i'm stumped with an area that typically holds no less than 40+ whitetail easy.
Its public (well semi) must be registered with the local conservation authority who own it and carry a pass.
Its two heavy stands of thick evergreens with a large (have no idea of acerage but with a heavily wooded gorge that goes for more than a few miles.
Lots of ridges, saddles, benches, finger ridges that fan out, trails, apples, acorns, stream, river and swamp through there.
Been hunting since the 1st of oct, bow only here til nov when it goes 1 week muzzleloader or shotgun than bow again. To the point:
Have only seen 3 deer!!!!
no scrapes rubs or fresh tracks, some semi fresh doe droppings.
No tracks along fenceline where the conservation land meets farm fields. Some ride trails are still worn down but dont look recently used. Some former heavy trails are over grown and not used.
Hikers are allowed in there too and are generally respectful. so deer are used to people walking through and sometimes with kids and dogs collecting fossils etc.
I have located to my account, at least 5 full deer skeletons, thought maybe yotes but local hunting prostaff at a archer shop says no, alot piece be dragged off. He guess unrecovered poorly shot deer from last season.
To my knowledge and experience, even with that, it shouldnt be basically, pardon the pun, a dead zone where the bush and gorge is huge and generally like i said , easy to see 40 to 50 in a day. So only seeing 3. Ive tried mineral sites, molasses drip, grape koolaide powder after doing whats best - just be still and quiet no scents calls etc.
But trying these other tactics afterward, still nothing. Has anyone seen this before??? what could be wrong in there? And most crops are down, corn and beans, even when up, there was minimal sign. im completely stumped. I have never been this stumped before. I've thought of moving but at this stage, i've invested time, lands hard to come by, so i dont want to search for available land, and go in blind without terrain knowledge and prescouting as season been open since oct 1.
Anyone seen this before?
Am i wasting time or will deer come back?
If you've experienced this did you try anything that worked - certain drip, mineral, smell, flavor etc? Keeping in mind what ive already tried above.
I just find whats happening in there not only disappointing but very irregular seeing as i hunt there every year
While i do NOT consider self an expert, i am an accomplished hunter, but for the first time i'm stumped with an area that typically holds no less than 40+ whitetail easy.
Its public (well semi) must be registered with the local conservation authority who own it and carry a pass.
Its two heavy stands of thick evergreens with a large (have no idea of acerage but with a heavily wooded gorge that goes for more than a few miles.
Lots of ridges, saddles, benches, finger ridges that fan out, trails, apples, acorns, stream, river and swamp through there.
Been hunting since the 1st of oct, bow only here til nov when it goes 1 week muzzleloader or shotgun than bow again. To the point:
Have only seen 3 deer!!!!
no scrapes rubs or fresh tracks, some semi fresh doe droppings.
No tracks along fenceline where the conservation land meets farm fields. Some ride trails are still worn down but dont look recently used. Some former heavy trails are over grown and not used.
Hikers are allowed in there too and are generally respectful. so deer are used to people walking through and sometimes with kids and dogs collecting fossils etc.
I have located to my account, at least 5 full deer skeletons, thought maybe yotes but local hunting prostaff at a archer shop says no, alot piece be dragged off. He guess unrecovered poorly shot deer from last season.
To my knowledge and experience, even with that, it shouldnt be basically, pardon the pun, a dead zone where the bush and gorge is huge and generally like i said , easy to see 40 to 50 in a day. So only seeing 3. Ive tried mineral sites, molasses drip, grape koolaide powder after doing whats best - just be still and quiet no scents calls etc.
But trying these other tactics afterward, still nothing. Has anyone seen this before??? what could be wrong in there? And most crops are down, corn and beans, even when up, there was minimal sign. im completely stumped. I have never been this stumped before. I've thought of moving but at this stage, i've invested time, lands hard to come by, so i dont want to search for available land, and go in blind without terrain knowledge and prescouting as season been open since oct 1.
Anyone seen this before?
Am i wasting time or will deer come back?
If you've experienced this did you try anything that worked - certain drip, mineral, smell, flavor etc? Keeping in mind what ive already tried above.
I just find whats happening in there not only disappointing but very irregular seeing as i hunt there every year
10-17-2015, 11:18 AM
#2
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 14
i forgot a couple more tidbits, last year conserv authorities cut alot of trees down across the gravel and quad trails to keep quads and such out, and posted it no more vehicles allowed inside. That didnt seem to hinder as i harvested a nice buck a week after that with 12 gauge. Therefore i dont see the dropping of big trees accounting for this year.
The one large trail with heavy old oaks where many tended to feed, no deer at all.
And those fence lines, and field edges, its also way off the norm to be virtually no tracks along them or going into the woods.
This area of the province (sw ontario) no bears or cougars or wolves.
and yes i also tried peanut butter
The one large trail with heavy old oaks where many tended to feed, no deer at all.
And those fence lines, and field edges, its also way off the norm to be virtually no tracks along them or going into the woods.
This area of the province (sw ontario) no bears or cougars or wolves.
and yes i also tried peanut butter
10-17-2015, 11:54 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
If you are not seeing them high, look in the low areas and see if there is sign, if there is set up near a trail. My tree stand overlooks a long gorge with a small steam at the bottom. Deer are moving in and out of that gorge all the time. Your oaks should have dropped acorns by now, look for acorns and you should see deer sign.
10-17-2015, 11:59 AM
#4
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 14
thanks, there's minimal sign at the bottom, you're right i have seen some tracks and droppings, but its very sparce, looks like it could well be 1 deer. i looked.
On the ridges, the acorns, theres no sign at the oaks at all. Just the squirrels enjoying an all you can eat fest I was perplexed by that as well as crop edges, it just seems very off; not seen it before in an area this large and with heavy deer pop years prior.
im hoping im wrong, but it sure looks like a ghost bush
On the ridges, the acorns, theres no sign at the oaks at all. Just the squirrels enjoying an all you can eat fest I was perplexed by that as well as crop edges, it just seems very off; not seen it before in an area this large and with heavy deer pop years prior.
im hoping im wrong, but it sure looks like a ghost bush
Last edited by win94; 10-17-2015 at 12:20 PM.
10-18-2015, 06:06 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,186
Keep trying and you will find out what the deer are doing. Try hunting at different times and locations if your normal routine isn't getting results. Been having a good October been seeing lots of deer.
I have had issues on properties that been logged and left with many fallen trees. Not the year of the logging, the extra shooting lanes are nice, but the following years are tough because it can change the ways deer use the area. A feeding or transition area with established paths can become an overgrown bedding area with many routes for deer to slip in and out.
I have had issues on properties that been logged and left with many fallen trees. Not the year of the logging, the extra shooting lanes are nice, but the following years are tough because it can change the ways deer use the area. A feeding or transition area with established paths can become an overgrown bedding area with many routes for deer to slip in and out.
