Deer inventory

[deerfever]

I purchased some property recently and was just wondering how you guys do an after season inventory. I have some cameras to use but just wondering where you place them. Hardwoods and 2 acres of field that has been hay. I have put a camera on the field. I know I could get pictures on salt in the summer but just wondering about now with no food source.Thanks for your help!

 

[TheLBLman]

How many total acres you talking?
What county?

 

[fairchaser]

After the season you should be ok putting out corn to get pics over. About 1 per hundred acres.

 

[csi-tech]

I've never had much luck right after season getting a good accounting of bucks. I'd definitely look for sheds, place cameras all over the place, especially on trails. I only seem to get spikes and does on corn piles this late.

 

[Hunter 257W]

As the others said, several cameras and corn is your best bet. I found by accident that one spot on my place is a great place to inventory surviving bucks. I've hunted that spot a fair amount and it never really was a good producer but late or post season at night with corn, it seems to attract bucks like a magnet and very few does.

I've got one salt lick that is still getting hundreds of pictures a week all year round with bucks visiting it frequently looking for does. This is the 1st time I've ever had that kind of traffic over salt during hunting season. Don't know what the difference is except that it could be that I've avoided hunting anywhere around there for 2 seasons now and it's right by a heavily used food plot. They are definitely using the salt itself though as many pictures have the deer with their faces down in the hole.

 

[TheLBLman]

Keep in mind that whatever pics you get or don't get on a few acres,
may have little reflection as to the deer using the surrounding area.

Most deer "live" on at least several hundred acres as their "home" range.
This shifts periodically.
Deer you have now may not be there come next November,
but deer you don't have now will show up then.

Also, most bucks have now re-joined up into "bachelor" groups,
which are often of same or near same age bucks.
This can cause much of a single square mile to be mostly void of bucks (for now),
while if you just happen to be where that bachelor group is using,
it may appear the area has more bucks than really exist.

A true deer inventory would typically only be very accurate when done over thousands of acres.

 

[deerfever]

I should have clarified, I did not purchase a huge piece of property it's only 21 acres. I guess I just want to see what passes through. On a good note the property that surrounds the place is people I know and they allow no hunting. I plan to plant the field just haven't decided what to plant yet when the time comes. Thanks again!

 

[diamond hunter]

Plant corn at all costs.

 

[Coldfusion]

Another option for cams is to find an area of deer highways and treat an area next to it with deer cane or other similar liquid mineral near spring. Treat it heavily in a 10ft area or so. The deer will destroy it as they up their mineral c
Consumption as their bodies prepare to start growing antlers again. But ad previously stated don't bet on the same deer necessarily being around come rut.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[megalomaniac]

establish a salt lick... after 3 or 4 years, you would be surprised how many deer hit the salt even in January and February. Even better if the lick is close to good bedding and thermal cover.

With no established lick, I'd just run a corn feeder from now till end of February. Just be sure to get certified aflatoxin free corn and keep it dry (feeder, not dumping a few bags on the ground)