Strange season on a new property
11-17-2021, 12:55 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 585
Strange season on a new property
My normal hunting spot got sold last fall so I found a new place this year. The good news is it adjoins to the property I formerly hunted so I know the area very well. I have never been considered a trophy hunter. My basic philosophy has been if I see a buck big enough to mount, I kill it. If it's not worth hanging I let it walk in case it makes it to next year or in case some young hunter is looking to kill anything, and I wait for doe's for meat. Honestly in this area I typically see 5-10 doe's for ever buck I ever see. This year my son and I are in a ground blind about 200 yards from where I have always hunted. So far this year I have seen nothing but bucks, but they have all been small. One was a half rack, a couple for pointers and a couple little basket racks. I'm hoping to get one within 100 yards so my son gets a shot. But I am also looking for a couple doe's for the freezer. If it gets a little later in the season and I haven't killed a doe yet I will take on of the small bucks for the meat but I have never had a year like this before. Every single day we have been out we have seen multiple bucks out moving and not a single doe.
11-17-2021, 01:23 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: NE Kansas
Posts: 1,101
My normal hunting spot got sold last fall so I found a new place this year. The good news is it adjoins to the property I formerly hunted so I know the area very well. I have never been considered a trophy hunter. My basic philosophy has been if I see a buck big enough to mount, I kill it. If it's not worth hanging I let it walk in case it makes it to next year or in case some young hunter is looking to kill anything, and I wait for doe's for meat. Honestly in this area I typically see 5-10 doe's for ever buck I ever see. This year my son and I are in a ground blind about 200 yards from where I have always hunted. So far this year I have seen nothing but bucks, but they have all been small. One was a half rack, a couple for pointers and a couple little basket racks. I'm hoping to get one within 100 yards so my son gets a shot. But I am also looking for a couple doe's for the freezer. If it gets a little later in the season and I haven't killed a doe yet I will take on of the small bucks for the meat but I have never had a year like this before. Every single day we have been out we have seen multiple bucks out moving and not a single doe.
11-17-2021, 03:31 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 585
Yeah, I only got permission to hunt this part of the property a few weeks before season started so I haven't had any time to scout, set up cameras on anything. Other thing I forgot to mention is due to the weather there is still a lot of corn standing near where I am at and in the surrounding areas. I went by there today and some of the neighboring farms were being cut. I am hoping they can get it all down soon. I am surprised I have seen the number of deer I have considering the amount of corn still up.
11-17-2021, 05:23 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
I have known and seen things like this, still don;t know why however
but I have a property that has a lot of apple tree's on it, and a old snow 3 ft tall fence that surrounds about an acre of the apple tree's, its falling down in sections, so its far from enclosed in like, many sections 25-to say 40 yards with no fence all over and many other sections its been broken down to just inches tall, at random all over the section!
and both tree's and fence have been there for 40+ yrs if not longer
about 5 yrs ago, Bucks just STOPPED coming into the apple tree's and fenced in section
I can place trail camera's on other side of fence, literally ON the fence itself and or inside the area and see bucks standing inches from entering
I DO get small yearling bucks all the time, and once in a great while a 2.5 yr old at NIGHT, and maybe 5 times a yr in the rut, will get a buck on the tail of a hot doe
but rest of yr, NOTHING< and there is many food plot (clover and other things growing spring and summer that doe hammer
Nothing has changed on the site or near it
bucks just one day STOPPED entering it, for decades I used to see mature bucks in it yr round
I do have a few very OLD doe that seem to about live in or near it, and I almost think they are keeping the bucks out!
as I can find NO Other reason!
SO< IMO< some area's are just sort of turned off by older bucks, for reasons unknown to me, even when food is prime and safety is not a issue, my place is NEVER hunted there or really near it, so, its not from hunting pressure or human actions as its left alone minus checking trail cam's as I have for past 20 yrs or so on it!
MY suggestion is MOVE, try a different location if you can, if your after a larger buck than your seeing, or doe,
but I have a property that has a lot of apple tree's on it, and a old snow 3 ft tall fence that surrounds about an acre of the apple tree's, its falling down in sections, so its far from enclosed in like, many sections 25-to say 40 yards with no fence all over and many other sections its been broken down to just inches tall, at random all over the section!
and both tree's and fence have been there for 40+ yrs if not longer
about 5 yrs ago, Bucks just STOPPED coming into the apple tree's and fenced in section
I can place trail camera's on other side of fence, literally ON the fence itself and or inside the area and see bucks standing inches from entering
I DO get small yearling bucks all the time, and once in a great while a 2.5 yr old at NIGHT, and maybe 5 times a yr in the rut, will get a buck on the tail of a hot doe
but rest of yr, NOTHING< and there is many food plot (clover and other things growing spring and summer that doe hammer
Nothing has changed on the site or near it
bucks just one day STOPPED entering it, for decades I used to see mature bucks in it yr round
I do have a few very OLD doe that seem to about live in or near it, and I almost think they are keeping the bucks out!
as I can find NO Other reason!
SO< IMO< some area's are just sort of turned off by older bucks, for reasons unknown to me, even when food is prime and safety is not a issue, my place is NEVER hunted there or really near it, so, its not from hunting pressure or human actions as its left alone minus checking trail cam's as I have for past 20 yrs or so on it!
MY suggestion is MOVE, try a different location if you can, if your after a larger buck than your seeing, or doe,
11-18-2021, 03:24 PM
#7
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Maine
Posts: 12,564
What I have seen over the years here anyways. Is that a big buck will move in and drive the smaller bucks away. They gather up the does and move them to their breeding grounds. After they have been bred the does will move and the big bucks will go looking for more. Sometimes you have to be patient and let the breeding to take place. Then the deer will start showing up again or start moving to their wintering grounds up here..
11-20-2021, 05:21 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 585
Well I finally saw a couple doe's today. Morning started off as normal, we spotted another small buck, but this one was a little bigger then we had seen. It was never close enough for my son to shoot. Then we had 3 does come in to within range and I thought he was going to get shot. They spent a couple minutes in range but would never stop and I think they could sense we were close. They kept stopping briefly, stomping blowing, then move off again erratically. The were walking straight away from us and got out of my sons range but stopped still within my range. So now one of them is hanging in the garage. My son had the worst case of buck fever I have seen in a long time. First time for him being with me when a deer was shot. Still waiting on him to get his chance.
