What two spots are you talking about? Which picture? Thanks for taking the time to look at them and reply.
Where would you look for bucks?
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entropy
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In the Google maps view, There is one on the top right corner of the boundary area, where the road comes in. If the cleared area is tag alders, it probably is a bedding area, despite being by the road. If it is grasses and weeds, it is a feeding area. Either way sitting in that wooded patch in between the stream and the open area is a good spot.
Towards the bottom of the boundary area, on the same side, they appears to be a cleared area on a hillside, again near the stream. Sitting just off it covering the narrow strip of woods between the two would be a good place, also. You'd have both sides of the stream covered. I'd sit with the sun at your back, if the wind allows this.
A third option would be to put a stand up on the ridge in the southern half and be prepared for longer shots. There is some good looking open area just to the south of the boundary line, you could catch them coming back from that there, and still have the other side of the ridge covered, too.
Towards the bottom of the boundary area, on the same side, they appears to be a cleared area on a hillside, again near the stream. Sitting just off it covering the narrow strip of woods between the two would be a good place, also. You'd have both sides of the stream covered. I'd sit with the sun at your back, if the wind allows this.
A third option would be to put a stand up on the ridge in the southern half and be prepared for longer shots. There is some good looking open area just to the south of the boundary line, you could catch them coming back from that there, and still have the other side of the ridge covered, too.
Okay two more pictures. One shows what I think is the opening at the north that Entropy is talking about. It is the remnants of an abandoned beaver pond. All weeds, goldenrod and such. The light blue line shows the stream.
The next image shows what I think is the opening at the south that Entropy mentioned. This is an active beaver pond (where the marker is).
The next image shows what I think is the opening at the south that Entropy mentioned. This is an active beaver pond (where the marker is).
SoonerMedic
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I sometimes find it productive and enjoyable to ambush a game trail. If I find a deer highway I'm perfectly content to sit and enjoy the day. Popping a deer is a bonus. Of course I hunt in Texas and am rarely up to my eyeballs in snow which would be uncomfortable.
Mother nature says to hold her beer.....
You mentioned a couple of saddles at 2000'. Deer will follow wind currents and as the air get heavier toward dusk it moves down lower in the valleys and deer follow the air currents down to their feeding areas. In the early morning as air become lighter as it's warmed by the sun it moves upward, hence deer move upward with it. I would find a good place near the top of one of the saddles and get in there before it gets light to ambush them as they are moving upward.
I've found nothing more tranquil than sitting in or under a tree in a pretty spot and watching the snow fall. Of course, it is easier to enjoy when I've already got a freezer full of venison.I sometimes find it productive and enjoyable to ambush a game trail. If I find a deer highway I'm perfectly content to sit and enjoy the day. Popping a deer is a bonus. Of course I hunt in Texas and am rarely up to my eyeballs in snow which would be uncomfortable.
entropy
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That should be sufficient, though I prefer an hour or more. I went out to my spot one year at 3:30 AM (legal shooting was 7:05), and was rewarded for not spooking the deer I suspected had bedded down with the cows by having the first of 5 deer get up just after the last cow walked off when legal shooting started. She was the closest at 125 yards, so I shot her with the muzzleloader, dropped that and shot at (and missed) the other 4 with the 12 ga I had as backup. I am actually proudest of that shot, as it is the longest I took a deer at, and with my .50 Hawken. I will say, that was a l-o-n-g wait from 3:30 to 7:05, but well worth it.
I am actually proudest of that shot, as it is the longest I took a deer at, and with my .50 Hawken. I will say, that was a l-o-n-g wait from 3:30 to 7:05, but well worth it.
I’ve been using trail cams, but probably not enough of them. I had three, but one went belly up.
I’ve found spots that have bucks on them regularly through October and early November. Opening day is the third Saturday. You might see a buck then, but by Monday they’re gone.
I’ve found spots that have bucks on them regularly through October and early November. Opening day is the third Saturday. You might see a buck then, but by Monday they’re gone.
buck460XVR
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Want to see more bucks?
Quit shootin' all the little ones.
Want to see more big bucks?
Quit shootin' all the little ones.
Not trying to be a dick.....just the way it works. As you said, you have no problem shooting deer, so if that's your goal, you're doing good. Iffin' your goal is bigger bucks, you need to change your mindset. You have taken 8 immature bucks outta the herd in 7 years in the small area you hunt. That has an impact, especially if others in the area are doing the same.
First off, to see a lot of bucks and several bigger bucks on a piece of property, it has to have what it takes to hold them. Some parcels just don't have this. What holds bucks are food, cover and does.....and security(lack of pressure). don;t know how you hunt or how the area is hunted around you, but it sounds like your success on opening day is due to pressure around you. That and the pressure you are putting on the area is making deer nocturnal. Many times the pressure that makes deer move on opening day/weekend is gone after the first coupla days, so deer don't move till after dark.....especially bigger bucks. After the first weekend, most deer in the area will have you and your patterns pegged. They just leave for some other area less pressured as soon as they see/hear you. The fact there is no agriculture in the area may be the reason you see few deer later in the season. Even of those Ag areas are miles away, many deer are gonna make the move to it.....taking the bigger bucks with them. Sounds like the best bedding area is the neighbor's clearcut. Clearcuts really start coming into their own after about three years as the slash rots away and the new growth starts taking over.If that area does not get pressured, it could be the ultimate sanctuary for the deer in the area. With pressure, it just becomes another spot in the woods. Sometimes some areas just don't hold many deer, or many big bucks. Kinda the luck of the draw. Don't know what the overall deer population and the buck/doe ratio is, but that would be a clue to what you have to work with. Late winter is a good time to scout for next year. Tracks will show you where the deer travel and bed, and will give them plenty of time to get over you being there. If they are moving to the Ag areas for feed, you probably won't see much for sign...and that may give you one answer. refrain from doing any scouting or unnecessary walking in the woods during the season and get in and out as quietly as possibly, leaving the least amount of sign yourself. Other than that, with the little bit of info you have given us, it's just a WAG as to what you need to do.
Quit shootin' all the little ones.
Want to see more big bucks?
Quit shootin' all the little ones.
Not trying to be a dick.....just the way it works. As you said, you have no problem shooting deer, so if that's your goal, you're doing good. Iffin' your goal is bigger bucks, you need to change your mindset. You have taken 8 immature bucks outta the herd in 7 years in the small area you hunt. That has an impact, especially if others in the area are doing the same.
First off, to see a lot of bucks and several bigger bucks on a piece of property, it has to have what it takes to hold them. Some parcels just don't have this. What holds bucks are food, cover and does.....and security(lack of pressure). don;t know how you hunt or how the area is hunted around you, but it sounds like your success on opening day is due to pressure around you. That and the pressure you are putting on the area is making deer nocturnal. Many times the pressure that makes deer move on opening day/weekend is gone after the first coupla days, so deer don't move till after dark.....especially bigger bucks. After the first weekend, most deer in the area will have you and your patterns pegged. They just leave for some other area less pressured as soon as they see/hear you. The fact there is no agriculture in the area may be the reason you see few deer later in the season. Even of those Ag areas are miles away, many deer are gonna make the move to it.....taking the bigger bucks with them. Sounds like the best bedding area is the neighbor's clearcut. Clearcuts really start coming into their own after about three years as the slash rots away and the new growth starts taking over.If that area does not get pressured, it could be the ultimate sanctuary for the deer in the area. With pressure, it just becomes another spot in the woods. Sometimes some areas just don't hold many deer, or many big bucks. Kinda the luck of the draw. Don't know what the overall deer population and the buck/doe ratio is, but that would be a clue to what you have to work with. Late winter is a good time to scout for next year. Tracks will show you where the deer travel and bed, and will give them plenty of time to get over you being there. If they are moving to the Ag areas for feed, you probably won't see much for sign...and that may give you one answer. refrain from doing any scouting or unnecessary walking in the woods during the season and get in and out as quietly as possibly, leaving the least amount of sign yourself. Other than that, with the little bit of info you have given us, it's just a WAG as to what you need to do.
One of the challenges in that area is that most hunters go 3+ years before getting a doe tag. That means that most hunters tend to shoot a buck if they see it. I had a 2 yo 7pt on a camera and I’m pretty sure I saw it on the floor of the processor near our property, taken by a neighbor.
I’m not being a jerk either when I ask - is taking one to two bucks per year off 500 acres too much to let some grow?
Creek bottom is where I’ve spent most of my time hunting. Bucks are gone by the third day of gun season.
buck460XVR
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Iffin it takes 3 years to get a doe tag, I be guessin' overall herd numbers are low. Overall herd numbers and buck/doe ratios would dictate whether or not 1-2 immature bucks per year is detrimental. Iffin you got 20 deer per square mile in your area before season and a 1-4 buck to doe ratio, that gives you about 3-4 bucks, regularly on your 500 acres. You shoot one and your neighbor shoots one, that leaves 1-2, iffin no one else takes one. Odds are if your area is heavily pressured, the buck doe ratio is worse than 1-4. Most of the time, folks that shoot immature bucks on a regular basis, do so because they see no mature bucks, and many times, iffin they let 'em walk, they walk over the hill and someone else shoots 'em. It's a Catch-22 scenario. Happens most on heavily pressured areas. Don't mean there aren't any mature bucks, just that anything that lives past 1 1/2 years of age does so because they have a good hiding spot. Mature bucks in heavily pressured areas are pretty much nocturnal. Only thing that gets them up and around during legal shooting hours is the rut and folks bumping them outta their beds. Kinda why in some areas, outside of the rut, one either needs to drive the deer or be successful at still hunting.
That is the trouble in my area. Having a small piece of property means the deer spend a lot of time elsewhere. Folks don't let them grow up. That said I have two nice eight points coming in and out of my property. Neither has been to the feeders. I have gotten a couple of pics of tn points over the last four plus years we have had the property, but it's rare to catch them on camera and never at the feeders. A fellow two places over got one of the ten pointers last year. A buddy showed me the pic of a deer his buddy shot, and I told him I have that guy on camera. Nice irregular ten point. The other one had a picture perfect rack, only got one picture of him out of hundreds from the cameras. The old ones are the smart/leery ones.
We have some woods but mostly ag and in our current place, the woods around us are small and spaced out.
To move from spot to spot, the deer either run the creeks or go at night.
Our woods has some open areas and down along the creek, west side isn't too bad.
the east side is nasty and we have spotted the big dudes using the crappy stuff as travel route. Mine this yr was moving along that and stopped to bed in it.
Buddy did a push to get him out.
Small ones use the nasty protective routes too
To move from spot to spot, the deer either run the creeks or go at night.
Our woods has some open areas and down along the creek, west side isn't too bad.
the east side is nasty and we have spotted the big dudes using the crappy stuff as travel route. Mine this yr was moving along that and stopped to bed in it.
Buddy did a push to get him out.
Small ones use the nasty protective routes too
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When the lead flies deer activity around us tends to go nocturnal.
Daylight sighting of any deer drop substantially.
So we might hunt days without seeing anything.
If anything is going to be passing through, my money is on it being in the nastiest stuff around.
I have seen deer use the creeks.....stay low by staying in the water, let the banks help hide them.
Saw that many yrs ago, different place........and tracks at my current little suburban/gentleman's farm spot.......
tracks right down the middle of the creek.
Knee deep or less water.
Daylight sighting of any deer drop substantially.
So we might hunt days without seeing anything.
If anything is going to be passing through, my money is on it being in the nastiest stuff around.
I have seen deer use the creeks.....stay low by staying in the water, let the banks help hide them.
Saw that many yrs ago, different place........and tracks at my current little suburban/gentleman's farm spot.......
tracks right down the middle of the creek.
Knee deep or less water.
We also don't bowhunt or get down along the nasty stuff, til rut is on.
Pretty much skip the first month of bow.
Our hope is to not spook deer by hunting too early, and to offer out little spot as a bit of a safety zone (compared to others).
We shot nothing last yr, and took two small 8s this yr (100-120 " gross).
Knew bigger came through once in a while (neighbor told us).
Overall way less shooting this yr.
Dunno if less hunters overall or folks bucked out in bow w Xbow.
Things are changing and I dunno if for the better.
Pretty much skip the first month of bow.
Our hope is to not spook deer by hunting too early, and to offer out little spot as a bit of a safety zone (compared to others).
We shot nothing last yr, and took two small 8s this yr (100-120 " gross).
Knew bigger came through once in a while (neighbor told us).
Overall way less shooting this yr.
Dunno if less hunters overall or folks bucked out in bow w Xbow.
Things are changing and I dunno if for the better.
The choice was made to take an 8 pt of smallish size (neither looked like they'd have been monsters if given a chance).
Simply don't have the does (people around us have hammered them for years).
Be nice if we had does, in primary or secondary rut........to pull some loverboys to our thicket.
Everything shot the last 5 or 6 years has been alone.
Simply don't have the does (people around us have hammered them for years).
Be nice if we had does, in primary or secondary rut........to pull some loverboys to our thicket.
Everything shot the last 5 or 6 years has been alone.
Stand or still hunting, I kill most of my deer between 10 am and noon.
Many people hunt til 10 and go to the truck or even to town, for lunch.
HECK NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Thats when you need to be in position.
Have seen deer blown out of a place and boogie through another on way to a sanctuary........literally galloping like a horse, bee lining it.
Many people hunt til 10 and go to the truck or even to town, for lunch.
HECK NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Thats when you need to be in position.
Have seen deer blown out of a place and boogie through another on way to a sanctuary........literally galloping like a horse, bee lining it.
entropy
Member
You do know you can just hit edit and not have a bunch of posts in a row, right, Hookeye?
All good info in your posts!
All good info in your posts!
Loyalist Dave
Member
Agreed, and the worse the weather when it comes to cold and damp, the more calories they will need to keep warm.
Hookeye is RIGHT...., stay put and be alert after about noon, when the half-day guys have left, especially again when it's cold and either a light rain falling or it rained overnight. The deer will need some calories, and will move a couple of hours after they think most or all of the humans have left the area...
IF you see a group of does, the buck (while not rutting) understands that he needs to be stealthy, so...
Look at areas where a deer might creep likely unseen at a glance, adjacent to where you have seen does. I've seen a buck move does into the open adjacent to woods, while the buck himself took a paralel course in a shallow draw with lots of vegetation. I've even seen a buck or two hunker down almost to crawling on their bellies, to get past open areas while the doe strolled on past in the open. Whitetails rely on stealth. I used to make the mistake of saying to myself, "A deer couldn't hide in that [brush, clump of grass, etc}..." Now after not being prepared, and kicking-up deer from what I thought were not possible hiding places, when I hear somebody say, "A deer couldn't be hiding in that..." I think to myself, "Wanna bet?"
LD
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You do know you can just hit edit and not have a bunch of posts in a row, right, Hookeye?
All good info in your posts!
Yup and don't care. I do edit some stuff, but write in a "stream of consciousness" style. Don't like it? Don't read it.
If my style is in poor taste, your complaint or "polite attempt" at informing me, is worse.
Thanks but no thanks.
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