#1731766 - 01/18/10 06:33 AM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: BSK]
|
Setterman
8 Point
Registered: 12/31/09
Posts: 1783
Loc: Knoxville, TN
|
Offline
|
|
Sure, provide them an area in the middle of the property where they have cover and peace, and you can hold them. If there is no seclusion areas then they are likely to not stay permanently on that property.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1731808 - 01/18/10 07:08 AM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: Setterman]
|
BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
Non-Typical
Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59553
Loc: Nashville, TN
|
|
Offline
|
|
Sure, provide them an area in the middle of the property where they have cover and peace, and you can hold them. If there is no seclusion areas then they are likely to not stay permanently on that property.
I wouldn't limit it to the center of the property. When it comes to cover, scatter it around and leave it as sanctuary (stay out of it as much as possible and definitely don't hunt in it). I would rather see 10 five-acre patches scattered around than one fifty-acre patch in the center.
_________________________
"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1731857 - 01/18/10 07:38 AM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: BSK]
|
Setterman
8 Point
Registered: 12/31/09
Posts: 1783
Loc: Knoxville, TN
|
|
Offline
|
|
If I had 400 acres, I would rather have 50-100 right dead center which was thicker and meaner then anything other then deer and rabbits would be willing to enter. On two sides of that, I would have 3-5 acre food plots to give the deer a consistent food source, and I would not hunt those plots, except maybe the last day of the season.
The reason I want the sanctuary in the middle is the attempt to keep the animals away from the edges or other properties where they might be killed. It also, makes hunting them easier IMO, as it gives me a central location which is not easily disturbed because of its size.
I know your philosophy works, but the above has worked well for me, to each their own. And the property dictates the plan as much as anything.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1731869 - 01/18/10 07:43 AM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: Setterman]
|
Winchester
Non-Typical
Registered: 12/05/03
Posts: 25247
Loc: TN
|
|
Offline
|
|
Good advice given here, as COVER IS KING without a doubt!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1731879 - 01/18/10 07:48 AM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: BSK]
|
Coach
16 Point
Registered: 12/02/07
Posts: 10869
Loc: Pall Mall, TN and Dexter, MI
|
|
Offline
|
|
For my property in Fentress I have no food plots. I logged it a few years ago so the acorn mast is limited. I have two fields, one is about 19-20 acres and the other is 6-8 acres surrounded by woods. The larger field is part way up the mountain. I hunt the deer cycles. I have on any given year 6-11 funnels where deer come down from higher up or come up from lower down and sooner or later they will cross or walk down the edge of that field. The field is mostly fescue. By hunting the funnels and figuring the cycles (when the deer come through) we have been successful in killing some large and mature bucks with no food there for them. Key is to leave the field with some cover and cut shooting lanes instead of completely bush hogging the entire field. So, I can use a tree stand and hunt them near a funnel or hunt the field. I don't try to keep the deer there, I simply hunt them when they are.
Edited by Coach (01/18/10 07:50 AM)
_________________________
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." Mike Tyson Dean Business Supply, Llc http://www.adam4d.com
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1731893 - 01/18/10 08:00 AM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: Setterman]
|
BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
Non-Typical
Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59553
Loc: Nashville, TN
|
|
Offline
|
|
Having a large sanctuary at the center of a property ABSOLUTELY works. It will draw and hold mature bucks, especially during the hunting season. But I've seen both the centrally located large sanctuary and small scattered sanctuary approaches used, and from a hunting success perspective, the scattered smaller sanctuaries work better. And I think it works better for a couple of reasons.
Now it's impossible to know why deer do what they do. We can't get inside their heads and understand their decision-making process. But I believe having a large single section of cover produces male-male social conflicts. In essence, numerous mature bucks won't happily share the same patch of cover, whether it is 5 acres or 100 acres. Any size single section of cover can become dominated by a single mature buck. Yet if cover is broken into many sections, you can have more mature bucks inhabiting the same area without as many social conflicts, each one with their own patch of cover for the day or possibly even the entire season.
In addition, I find large sections of cover more difficult to hunt. The large majority of mature buck kills are going to occur around that cover as bucks enter or leave, and a very large section of cover can have an infinite number of preferred entrance and exit routes. It also appears that mature bucks can more easily spend the majority of their daylight hours inside the thick cover when that section of cover is very large.
Again, one large centrally located section of sanctuary cover WILL work. It WILL attact and hold mature bucks, especially during hunting season. But killing the bucks using that cover becomes more difficult the larger the size of the sanctuary, and I strongly believe that having multiple sanctuaries can hold more mature bucks on a single property, even if those sanctuaries are small.
_________________________
"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1731910 - 01/18/10 08:12 AM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: BSK]
|
Setterman
8 Point
Registered: 12/31/09
Posts: 1783
Loc: Knoxville, TN
|
|
Offline
|
|
Different strokes for different folks. The bottom line, is that having cover and sanctuary areas is key to having/killing big bucks. The way that you implement that strategy is your choice.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1732009 - 01/18/10 09:17 AM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: Setterman]
|
BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
Non-Typical
Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59553
Loc: Nashville, TN
|
|
Offline
|
|
Different strokes for different folks. The bottom line, is that having cover and sanctuary areas is key to having/killing big bucks. The way that you implement that strategy is your choice.
But there are some techniques for achieving those goals that have been shown to be better than others.
_________________________
"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1732255 - 01/18/10 12:15 PM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: BSK]
|
Setterman
8 Point
Registered: 12/31/09
Posts: 1783
Loc: Knoxville, TN
|
|
Offline
|
|
Different strokes for different folks. The bottom line, is that having cover and sanctuary areas is key to having/killing big bucks. The way that you implement that strategy is your choice. But there are some techniques for achieving those goals that have been shown to be better than others.
I can only speak for my firsthand experiences on lands that I have managed, and the central theory has produced very well each time. Is it great for every property, heavens no. Hence the reason why I said originally the property and situation should dictate the tactic used. Every property is different and IMO having a "one size fits all" approach to land management is a quick way to fail IMO. But for the places I have managed, drawing and holding deer in the center of the property has worked extremely well, and the dividends have been dramatic over the years.
Once again. Different strokes for different folks.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#1732305 - 01/18/10 12:36 PM
Re: Is it possible...
[Re: Setterman]
|
Winchester
Non-Typical
Registered: 12/05/03
Posts: 25247
Loc: TN
|
|
Offline
|
|
One large sanc in the middle of a property will work to an extent, but having several small to medium sized areas scattered about a property will work better IMO as well, and actually has worked better for me over the years on a few different places. Each and every buck is different in his habits and his tolerance level of intrusion, whether by humans or other mature bucks. Some bucks like and need a few different safe or core areas to use on a regular basis, where others may be content relying on the same core area day in and day out. Having several of these areas also allows you to be able to penetrate them once a year without doing major damage, as the buck(s) has several other areas close by to feel safe in. Im a firm believer that most bucks will not totally abandon their bedroom from one single intrusion each year, and I use this to my advantage and learn everything I can on one single trip through these areas each year, as low impact as possible and is done before Turkey season around antler shedding time before greenup. This is a great way for me to learn things about how a buck is using specific areas, and how to set up on his exploits unnoticed. Scouting is the difference between success and failure, especially on new ground where you dont have the luxury of the last 10 or 15 years of documented deer movement to tell you where to hunt. Going in to a new area you have never saw and figuring out where to hunt, and being succesfull in short week or 10 day period is much harder than hunting the same ground for years on end, but the challenge is what keeps us coming back!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
Moderator: RUGER, Tennessee Todd, Unicam, Cuttin Caller, CBU93, stretch, Bobby G, Outdoor Lady, TurkeyBurd
|
12113 Members
38 Forums
115977 Topics
1412496 Posts
Max Online: 756 @ 11/20/12 09:10 AM
|
|
|
The TnDeer.Com Deer Talk Forum is for Tennessee Deer Hunters by Tennessee Deer Hunters. If you enjoy using our Talk Forum and would like to contribute to help in it's up-keep. Just submit your contribution by clicking on the DONATE button below and paying with PayPal or a major credit card. Any amount is much appreciated. Thanks for your support!
|
|
|
