How To Bring Deer Into A Location

[shoningram]

Hello everyone,

Its been several months since I have been on the forum and I hope everyone is doing well. I little bit of background first off. I hunt on about 50 acres of mountain in Sevier County. This is located at the base of English Mountain if you are familiar with that area. In the past, I have not hunted my property because I was convinced there were no deer in the area. No sign, no tracks, no nothing. In the past 4 years of living on the property, I have only seen two deer. Now, right down the road a mere two miles, in the valley is an abundant deer population (for east TN). Last week my neighbor saw a 6 point standing in the creek on our property. Panting, ragged, and obviously chasing or being chased. Since that time, I have decided to set some stands on the property.

My question to the group is how do I get deer onto my property. Over the past 4 years I have put our corn feeded which are raided by the bears, put out supplements powders in various spots and made mock scrapes. They are just not coming into the area that my property is located. What are some suggestions to get deer onto the property and begin to develop some sort of population there?

 

[Rev3:20]

Get them to be born there. Hingecut or cull all the small red maple, sourwood and black gum scrub trees you can and turn the area into a brushy bedding thicket. The does will find their way to the soft regen plumes that will coppice off the stumps. If you keep coyotes in check theyll birth there. If youve got food, water and shelter structures youll have deer.

 

[user 14220]

Have 10-20 acres clear cut. If you can, plant some food plots. If not the natural vegetation and new brush should draw them in like a magnet.

 

[Mike Belt]

Food will "draw" deer although that may be nocturnally. Pressure will disperse deer. Cover will hold deer.

 

[shoningram]

Guys I have been hunting all my life. I know the basics. Food, water, shelter, etc. I'm looking for specifics. Thanks.


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[scn]

There is no "specific". If there was some magic food or powder, everybody would be using it and some guy would be a billionaire.

The advise you got above is as specific as it gets and is spot on.

 

[megalomaniac]

Even if you build it, sometimes they still won't come....

In other words, certain properties for whatever reason just won't hold deer in huntable numbers. TSI, food plots (which can be near impossible in straight up and down hills and hollows), etc certainly won't hurt. But if the deer just don't want to be there in numbers, they won't. If it's the only place you have to hunt, it's worth trying to improve. If you have better places to hunt elsewhere, I'd invest all my time in them instead.

 

[TheLBLman]

I'd try to make 90% of your acreage as much a "bedding sanctuary" as possible.
Meaning, it's the best heavy bedding cover within a mile, and you stay out of it as much as possible.

 

[GaryLBumpus]

If you build it they will come....your neighbors that is.

 

[shoningram]

Oh I know. I tend to fight the neighbors traffic as well


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[Biggun4214]

For some reason deer do not like English Mtn. Deer are starting to show up more around the base though. In 34 years I can count the number of deer I have saw on the mountain on 1 hand. For years it seemed like Hwy 411 was a magic barrier that deer wouldn't/couldn't cross.

In Jefferson County/Cocke counties there have been at least 2 large clear cuts in the last 10 years. This may be the reason for the deer that are there now. Also most farm land is pasture instead of crop land.

 

[shoningram]

For some reason deer do not like English Mtn. Deer are starting to show up more around the base though. In 34 years I can count the number of deer I have saw on the mountain on 1 hand. For years it seemed like Hwy 411 was a magic barrier that deer wouldn't/couldn't cross.

In Jefferson County/Cocke counties there have been at least 2 large clear cuts in the last 10 years. This may be the reason for the deer that are there now. Also most farm land is pasture instead of crop land.

I honestly think it's the bears that keep the deer run off the mountain.


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[Biggun4214]

There were few/no deer on English Mtn when there were few/no bears. Other counties with bear have deer.
There are plenty of bear in Cades Cove, and plenty of deer. Polk, Sevier, part of Polk, Monroe, and Cocke counties have fewer deer that other areas. At one time the center of Jefferson county didn't have enough deer to hunt. That area was heavily fox hunted. I always thought it might correlate to the dogs.