From our previous discussions, here is some more.. I am not trying to get someone to ok, or justify what I kill, I have always chose what to kill, based on my own mind. First I just want to say, I am, and am not a Mature buck hunter. If I am hunting a peice of land, I feel holds mature deer, I pass on younger deer, and if I am hunting an area, like we have been discussing, then I have different hunting goals. From what I have told you, do you feel, that area, is one of those, that letting deer get a pass, and trying to let them age, is maybe a waste of time. Like I said before, in 12 yrs, never had 1 good deer seen, or killed there. I feel this is an area, that is just good for filling the freezer, and just fun to hunt, cause we see several deer, and my kids like to see deer when they hunt, 9 and 10 yrs old. I am not trying to get you or anyone to justify not passing on deer there, or killing the deer there,to make me feel good about it. Just want your proffesional opinion on the matter. We went 3 yrs, and didn't kill a buck there, let everything walk, and still never saw a mature buck there. Thanks alot for your time, and look forward to your opinion !
BSK
- Thread starter yamaha200
- Start date
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
Seems like you have a good deer herd idk why you aren't seeing any good ones. I would think after 12 years maybe something. You very well may have some poaching going on.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
Yeah i agree with you i have no idea it's weird. Do you have food planted there? I know before we started doing food plots and had a farmer planting we would just catch deer moving through we didn't have a good deer herd. But it sounds like you do. I have no idea how many acres is it?
Savage
Well-Known Member
Yamaha,
I used to hunt Ft. Campbell a lot, and now I hunt some areas where we have a REALLY good population of deer, especially bucks, and more and more frequently, mature deer.
I say that to say this. I am convinced, that there are some geographic areas, that BIG bucks, just dont use, unless maybe at night. I think the biggest factors are how open the woods are and how much hunting pressure they get.
Ft. Campbell, for example, I had a creek crossing that on any given morning I would see 20 deer. In 2 years of hunting it, I never saw a buck older than 2.5 yo. I moved to a different spot, thicker woods, rougher terrain, about 300 yds away. I saw 3 goood bucks between Dec. 1 and the 15th.
Another place we hunt, there is one ridge with HUGE oak trees- the only ones on the farm. It has a ceder thicket next to it, and you would think it would be perfect. We see tons of does there, but the place is normally void of buck sign, and we rarely see anything but yearling bucks there. 200 yds away theres a thicket that runs a creek thru a bottom. Thats where you see the big boys.
Let me ask you this- Are you seeing evidence of big bucks in your area? Large rubs, etc? And do you put out summer minerals?
I used to hunt Ft. Campbell a lot, and now I hunt some areas where we have a REALLY good population of deer, especially bucks, and more and more frequently, mature deer.
I say that to say this. I am convinced, that there are some geographic areas, that BIG bucks, just dont use, unless maybe at night. I think the biggest factors are how open the woods are and how much hunting pressure they get.
Ft. Campbell, for example, I had a creek crossing that on any given morning I would see 20 deer. In 2 years of hunting it, I never saw a buck older than 2.5 yo. I moved to a different spot, thicker woods, rougher terrain, about 300 yds away. I saw 3 goood bucks between Dec. 1 and the 15th.
Another place we hunt, there is one ridge with HUGE oak trees- the only ones on the farm. It has a ceder thicket next to it, and you would think it would be perfect. We see tons of does there, but the place is normally void of buck sign, and we rarely see anything but yearling bucks there. 200 yds away theres a thicket that runs a creek thru a bottom. Thats where you see the big boys.
Let me ask you this- Are you seeing evidence of big bucks in your area? Large rubs, etc? And do you put out summer minerals?
The area we hunt, is I guess cosidered mnt land. No agrculture crops, or food plots. We do have Trophy rocks out year around, with trail cameras on them. We see on the trail cam, and hunter obsivation, what I would cosider a healthy deer heard. Evey morning just about we hunt, we see deer. If by chance we go one morning not seeing a deer, the next morning we will. It is hard woods, with alot of under brush cover, and thickets.Plenty of Browse, and acorn trees there also. There is one field that is probably 35 or 40 acres, that is just a cattle field, we do not own that. As far as sign of big bucks, never seen what I would call sign. Rubs are on small trees, and very few scrapes have been seen. We have seen as many as 15 deer in a 4 hr sit hunting. And have seen as many as 5 different bucks, in a morning sit also, with a 4 pt, being the biggest. Getting alot of day time activity on trail cams as well right now. I have made mock scrapes, and peed in them, and never had another deer freshen it up.The deer seem to be use to human activity, as either my family, or inlaws are staying there at the lake house every weekend just about. As far as traffic in and out, The deer will just step inside the wood line when on the side of the gravel road eating. I built a stand for me and the kids to hunt out of this yr, and it took 3 days, about 3 hours each to build it, and it is 25 yards from a trail cam, and even with the sawing and noise we made, still had deer on cam every evening, and morning during the process. We worked on it during the mid day before season.
I can understand where you are coming from . If I could figure out how to post pics I would post pic with my story . I have a 15 acre tract of land I hunt back in 1998 when we first bought we were seeing deer left and right but the neighboring properties all had hunters and all of them it sounded like was shooting anything that walked I was lucky enough to take a doe that year and after that it was like the deer just vanished. We had problems with dogs all year that year chasing deer and such so after that first deer we gave up there. Last year in 2011 I decided i have 15 perfectly good acres to hunt thats close to home so im gonna give it another shot I had heard that the neighboring properties had been bough by one man and there was no hunting going on anymore and boy was I glad to hear that . I tracked down the owner and got permission to hunt just the bottom half of his property that joined with mine and he said ok. I started out with bow season in 2011 and saw 2 bucks one day and poof gone all I seen rest of the year was doe's . So I continued to hunt just about everyday of the season im pretty fortunate since I do alot of work from home . I didnt take a deer all year off my place let everything I saw walk even does. I did take some deer off some other property in giles co we hunt. Now fast forward this year 2012 bow season didnt see one single damn deer at all . Opening day of mzl was like someone opened the flood gates . I have been seeing deer just about everyday there and up until this point no bucks. I was like you no one has hunted this place in 11 years and no bucks WTF but low and behold the last 2 days I have seen more bucks than I can shake a stick at . I killed the first buck ever on our property yesterday and nice 2.5 8 point and seen a 6 point twice the size of my 8 and let him walk . I guess the deer decided to change farms this year and come and play on mine or it could be the lil honey hole of persimmons trees I found growing that came from out of no where found about 10 lil sapling persimmons trees all about 3 to 5 in in diameter and yielding a lil but not much boy I cant wait to see what the next few years brings. And as far as mature bucks they are there trust me I seen a big 10 I couldnt get a shot on that no one has ever seen out there before
Terence, the problen is not seeing deer, we see plenty just no mature Bucks in the 12 yrs we have been hunting it. I have always thought they were there, but never seen one, or any sign of any. You can limit out on spikes, 3's and 4's, thaT ARE YOUNG DEER. We have passed and passed on bucks, and the next yr, and the next year same result. I don't understand it either. Surely in 12 yrs hunting, and also running cams, atleast one would have showed up by now..
BSK
Well-Known Member
yamaha200,
Without question, some properties simply have more potential than others for older deer, and the reasons why are often very difficult to decipher.
But if shooting some young bucks from that property would make you are your children happy, then have at it. There is no biological crime in taking a few young bucks. Nature is very hard on young bucks. Nature also produces a lot of male fawns to replace those young bucks the next year.
Without question, some properties simply have more potential than others for older deer, and the reasons why are often very difficult to decipher.
But if shooting some young bucks from that property would make you are your children happy, then have at it. There is no biological crime in taking a few young bucks. Nature is very hard on young bucks. Nature also produces a lot of male fawns to replace those young bucks the next year.
