Overhunting stands

[Deck78]

Sunday morning had my target mature buck (12-pointer) at 25 yards. Understory Beeches too thick for a shot. Ugh...

And that sums it up perfectly right there! Hopefully you get another crack at him. Thanks for the thoughtful response.

 

[huntncoach]

This. ^^^ Had a permanent stand in a saddle on the place we used to have in Giles County . We had a lot of stands some loc on some ladder but the one in the saddle was homemade . My hunting friends would always ask me why I brought my climber ? My response was for bucks !! That stand most times was my primary location unless the wind was terribly wrong. Noticed over the years deer would start skirting that stand at times. I could see them but couldn't get a shot it was so thick out to the property line fence . But hence the climber , I roughly had two trees in that area that I could climb most were either to large or to small. One on one side of the ridge one on the other according to wind direction. I've killed several good bucks by that method .

Been cooped up recovering from minor knee surgery the past week and a half so I've been reading and re-reading things on here and began thinking about how to hunt smarter this coming season. Overhunting particular stands is one of my poor hunting habits and definitely want to be better and smarter about this. So my question is, Snake, are you saying you take your climber in with you to a lock on stand and adjust where you hunt using the climber? I often will take my climber and typically hunt same trees in the area, but have also moved trees based on what I have observed. Just curious because I/we also have some more permanent/less mobile stand sites.

 

[Snake]

Been cooped up recovering from minor knee surgery the past week and a half so I've been reading and re-reading things on here and began thinking about how to hunt smarter this coming season. Overhunting particular stands is one of my poor hunting habits and definitely want to be better and smarter about this. So my question is, Snake, are you saying you take your climber in with you to a lock on stand and adjust where you hunt using the climber? I often will take my climber and typically hunt same trees in the area, but have also moved trees based on what I have observed. Just curious because I/we also have some more permanent/less mobile stand sites.

No . I had a permanent stand in a saddle (not a hangon)and was a really great stand but out from it time to time the deer would skirt my stand . Just north of the stand it was thick with hedge and Beech trees along the fence line . The bucks would use that area if I hunted that stand more than I should so hence the climber . I'd just change channels and go to them . You could see the deer but you just couldn't get an ethical shot at them. Once I seen deer skirting me next morning or evening I'd be in my climber .I remember once particular evening hunt think I seen seven different bucks which each later buck being a little larger than the one before the other . Seen one nice seven point that was hard for me to pass but I did because there was about an hour of light left . As I was climbing down I just for an unknown reason I looked once more up the ridge and there he was a shooter . Had to pull up my gun from the ground finally got it turned around trying to focus on the buck because light was falling fast finally squeezed off a round only to shoot under him . But to the point I've killed a few decent bucks moving from my successful permanent stand to my climber because deer patterned me .

 

[huntncoach]

No . I had a permanent stand in a saddle (not a hangon)and was a really great stand but out from it time to time the deer would skirt my stand . Just north of the stand it was thick with hedge and Beech trees along the fence line . The bucks would use that area if I hunted that stand more than I should so hence the climber . I'd just change channels and go to them . You could see the deer but you just couldn't get an ethical shot at them. Once I seen deer skirting me next morning or evening I'd be in my climber .I remember once particular evening hunt think I seen seven different bucks which each later buck being a little larger than the one before the other . Seen one nice seven point that was hard for me to pass but I did because there was about an hour of light left . As I was climbing down I just for an unknown reason I looked once more up the ridge and there he was a shooter . Had to pull up my gun from the ground finally got it turned around trying to focus on the buck because light was falling fast finally squeezed off a round only to shoot under him . But to the point I've killed a few decent bucks moving from my successful permanent stand to my climber because deer patterned me .

Thanks - have a similar place and wanted make sure I understood your strategy. I am planning to make myself be a little more mobile this year.

 

[Snake]

Thanks - have a similar place and wanted make sure I understood your strategy. I am planning to make myself be a little more mobile this year.

I

Thanks - have a similar place and wanted make sure I understood your strategy. I am planning to make myself be a little more mobile this year.

Your welcome. Usually I do mid-season scouting especially if my deer sightings are not what they normally are. I try not to stink up the place too much but once the season has started they know your in the area anyway . I mainly hunted permanent stands but always took my climber . Sometimes you just have to adapt to what the deer are doing if their patterns are not normal especially bucks . I'm now hunting totally on my property plus the adjoining property and its a learning process being mostly open hardwoods . It's really a challenge now that I've aged I just don't have the stamina to do the scouting needed to really be successful and hunting areas with the deer density lower than I'm used to. Hopefully I've helped you some brother .

 

[DeerCamp]

Just a wild side question - does your data give any insight into whether or not the hunter shot or shot at the mature buck they saw?

 

[Headhunter]

I guess I have violated the "overhunting a stand" rules more times than I count. Yes, I am sure and I know it has cost me opportunities at times, but I lean toward it has been more successful for me than not, by hunting the same stand every single time I go for as long as a 3 weeks at a time.

 

[BSK]

Just a wild side question - does your data give any insight into whether or not the hunter shot or shot at the mature buck they saw?

I keep very detailed data. For each deer sighting I record whether it was a legal deer for harvest, whether the deer was in-range of the hunter's weapon, and if so, what the hunter did. The possibilities for hunter action are: legitimately passed a legal deer, tried to get a shot but couldn't due to any number of factors, shot and missed, shot hit and lost deer, shot and killed deer. Also distance of shot, weapon used, number of shots taken.

 

[huntncoach]

I
Your welcome. Usually I do mid-season scouting especially if my deer sightings are not what they normally are. I try not to stink up the place too much but once the season has started they know your in the area anyway . I mainly hunted permanent stands but always took my climber . Sometimes you just have to adapt to what the deer are doing if their patterns are not normal especially bucks . I'm now hunting totally on my property plus the adjoining property and its a learning process being mostly open hardwoods . It's really a challenge now that I've aged I just don't have the stamina to do the scouting needed to really be successful and hunting areas with the deer density lower than I'm used to. Hopefully I've helped you some brother .

Absolutely! I appreciate your advice

 

[DeerCamp]

I keep very detailed data. For each deer sighting I record whether it was a legal deer for harvest, whether the deer was in-range of the hunter's weapon, and if so, what the hunter did. The possibilities for hunter action are: legitimately passed a legal deer, tried to get a shot but couldn't due to any number of factors, shot and missed, shot hit and lost deer, shot and killed deer. Also distance of shot, weapon used, number of shots taken.

 

[BSK]

DeerCamp,

The data we collect is probably overcomplicated, but when first setting up the databases I really didn't know what would end up being important and what wouldn't, so I ended up probably going overboard. In addition, it is a pain to collect and keep all this data during deer season, but some of it has proven invaluable.

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

I know guys that hunt the same stand multiple days Week. And kill a good deer every year

I hunted the same stand one year for 11 straight days. Morning and afternoon just to see

Killed an 8 on day 2

Killed a 4.5 year old 9 on day 11

I agree your first hunt is your best

But

A good stand is a good stand

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I agree your first hunt is your best

But

A good stand is a good stand

Those stands certainly exist, but they are hard to come by.

 

[BSK]

Those stands certainly exist, but they are hard to come by.

Yes, they exist, but I would consider them exceedingly rare.

 

[TheLBLman]

Yes, they exist, but I would consider them exceedingly rare.

There is also the issue as to "timing" of that hunting,
and the issue of NOT killing any deer from such stands
UNLESS the targeted deer presents.

There are certain stand locations which are generally unproductive much of the time,
but can be really good during the rut. They can also be ruined by killing a deer from them.

So long as a hunter merely sits on stand, he does not necessarily create much "pressure" on the stand, especially when the specific deer being hunted are roaming bucks on travel corridors rather than doe families in a feeding or bedding area.

 

[DeerCamp]

I know guys that hunt the same stand multiple days Week. And kill a good deer every year

I hunted the same stand one year for 11 straight days. Morning and afternoon just to see

Killed an 8 on day 2

Killed a 4.5 year old 9 on day 11

I agree your first hunt is your best

But

A good stand is a good stand

I think during the rut when you have bucks roaming, particularly in that late stage when we start seeing bucks we have never seen before, your example would work for a lot of folks.

 

[DeerCamp]

There is also the issue as to "timing" of that hunting,
and the issue of NOT killing any deer from such stands
UNLESS the targeted deer presents.

There are certain stand locations which are generally unproductive much of the time,
but can be really good during the rut. They can also be ruined by killing a deer from them.

So long as a hunter merely sits on stand, he does not necessarily create much "pressure" on the stand, especially when the specific deer being hunted are roaming bucks on travel corridors rather than doe families in a feeding or bedding area.

These does around here have gotten so used to us with us living on the property here. I think our smells are constantly in the woods (all of our vents vent outdoors and the stands are literally 150-300 yards from the house. 99% of the time when they see us its a non-threatening interaction.

They will run from us, but usually come right back. It's kind of funny.

 

[KPH]

I have seen does check out stands that have been up some time. I have moved them a short distance and you can tell it confuses them till they find where you have moved them. The last doe I killed was checking out where the stand had been when I shoot her.

 

[Jaahspike]

What about other stand proximity? Would there be a minimum distance that would affect this? I have several stands that are approx 100 yrds apart.

I would like to know that data as well

 

[BSK]

I would like to know that data as well

I haven't run data on this specifically, but I believe the effect is a "visual range" thing. Back in the woods, move a stand out of visual range of its previous position and it becomes a "fresh" stand. In fact, instead of setting up the complex process of running a spatial analysis of hunting pressure on a property, I simply draw a 100-yard circle around each over-used stand to find the "holes" in our hunting pressure. Moving a stand 100 yards from a previous stand location works wonders.