The neighbor out at the property I purchased this summer, sent me a photo. These 6 were headed into my cornfield. That is a good sign! I recognized the biggest one from trail cam photos earlier in the summer.
When we purchased the property, I knew I would eventually be able to have some good deer hunting. (That was the idea of course.) I don't want to jinx it, but the surrounding area is looking even more promising than I thought, either that or it has just been a really good year for them for some reason. Back in June-July I saw a lot of deer when driving there and back.
This season will be tricky for hunting because there are no deer improvements done, the only cover and timber is the border fence rows. I couldn't get at doing any improvements it because it's all planted in corn.
I spoke with the farmer who is leasing it now and will do so for me in the future. I showed him a sketch of where I would like corn to be left standing this fall for bow hunting and told him to charge me for whatever that costs. He was agreeable and willing to work with me and didn't seem to care too much about the cost. The man farms thousands of acres, I'm not sure why he would have the patience for me. Except maybe that I explained my plan was to draw all the deer to my property so it would help him.! The corn left standing might get me some shots for this season. That remains to be seen.
So next year I'm going to enjoy figuring out all the tricks to keep deer wanting to be on my property during the fall. Anyone have anything that works well early fall? Rut? and Late season? Beets? This isn't a huge place so deer will always be on and off if it. What food plots work best in agricultural areas? I will put in a water hole. I don't have any live water. I guess it's ok not to worry about where the deer are in summer as long as they like my place best in the fall?
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I'm arming myself with food plot equipment. Only have the tractor so far. That one is pretty hard to hide from the wife.
It's all about food, water and security Tedd. Food plots, standing grain, good bedding and travel cover. No ATV trails run all over the kids keep torn up for fun. The deer need to feel secure in their home.
In the end they travel. Even on big ranches they loose deer to neighbors. Especially come the rut.
However, if you cover your bases on the above you'll have a better chance to get some good ones to call your place their core area.
Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
Actually, I can't. My place is quite small (65 acres) that is just a small part of a much larger wooded area. I have good water and excellent cover, though. I have many pass through the property as my little place is a natural funnel of "edge" that connects two wooded areas. One neighboring group has very extensive food plots far beyond what I can afford to do. Yet, I see a lot of deer on my property. I read once that a deer generally travels about 1 square mile in his movements. If that is true, there is no way in this area to keep deer on a specific property; however, I don't think that is necessary at all. One other thing that keeps them from congregating on my land is that I don't use bait.
Have you planted chestnut trees for deer? I have 3 chinese chestnuts at my current place and deer love them when the chestnuts are ready. Usually the first two weeks of archery season. I'm thinking of trying some of the American resistant varities or American back bred cross like Dunstan Chestnuts. I don't know if those Dunstan chestnuts are really that good or just really good advertising.
Tedd
You didn't really give much of a description of your property. From my experience. Cover is king. I would rather have them on my property the majority of daylight hours and catch them headed to and from the food or cruising mid day. When I timbered my property it brought the deer in and kept them. I don't travel through it unless I'm shed hunting and only hunt the perimeter.
For me, it's all about food, water, cover for bedding areas and "privacy". Big mature bucks won't stick around if they hassled by ATV's, people stopping by glassing your property or consistent traffic through your property. Three years ago, I had several big bucks, (180 class bucks that always drawls a lot of attention), that I could see from my deck, the problem was that if I could see them, so could people driving by my property. And sure enough, they would stop and start glassing my property. The bucks never stayed, they bolted as soon as they seen them stop. So, I planted a food plot in my upper pasture where they can browse without any pressure from people. I also have a section of my property, 18-20 acres, that I never go into unless its to recover a deer. I call it the sanctuary and that section borders that food plot, has water and plenty of cover and deer vegetation such as acorns and beech nuts. I also forbid any motorized vehicles besides my tractors and farm equipment. Mature bucks have a low tolerance for being bumped or hassled so I keep to long range surveillance with a spotting scope and check my trail cameras once a month at the most. I also keep my trail cameras in easy access areas, tractor paths and fence lines mainly to where I can hop down off the tractor and check it and be gone before drawling attention, low impact areas.
Best of luck and thanks for reading my ramble.
Yeah, staying away from the trail cams is torture at the moment! I will restrict vehicles to tractor use also. So checking them with the tractor is a good idea. I am surrounded by working farms.
It's all a novelty right now. Been hunting public land for so long. I'll still do that too.
Next year I'll get some cover started.
Tedd
Multiple.santuaries
Multiple thick cover bedding areas
Multiple in the woods or cover water sources
Multiple year long food sources
Multiple mineral licks
Low pressure
After a few days of the firearms season, there is an influx of deer and especially notable is the influx of bucks.
I live next to 1000's of acres of timber, of which I can only hunt about 150. That also has another 200 acres of corn and beans interspersed. Lot's of water (springs).
I mow timber roads all summer long through out, and my wife and I are probably in the woods daily with the UTV for something.
Game cameras are out from spring through gun season, and I check them 2x a month.
Point being the deer are not bothered in the least by the activity. They just stand and watch us drive by, be it UTV or Kubota.
I just don't think deer are all that bothered by humans, UNLESS you're hunting them. :goldtooth:
I forgot to mention, deer will pattern you long before you can pattern them so keep your travel down to a minimum. Keep your trail cameras in low impact areas as I mentioned prior. If you bump deer to often one of two things will happen, one, they move to a neighboring property, or two, they will go nocturnal. Also only check cameras and hunt on the right wind.
Do you watch this youtube channel?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm2kmwM1LIRjrnbqynMjTzQ
This is hours upon hours of exactly what you are asking.
I had seen that site but forgot about it. Thank you.
Tedd
It's a small world at Trad Gang! I take your neighbor, Joe to work every day. He was late one morning last week. I shut off my truck to wait for him and tried to relax. That bachelor group walked up and I snapped that photo that Joe sent you.
I'm sure you want as much lease money as you can get from the farmer. If I had this property I would reduce the crop acreage and let some revert naturally. Then I'd plant switchgrass, fruit trees and pines for thermal cover. My main focus for food plots would be for fall and winter. A field of mixed corn and beans would be a huge draw in winter. Smaller plots would have grain rye, oats, clover and brassicas.
Enjoy your new property! I might put an offer on 30 acres in MD soon. I would have the opposite situation as you have, too much cover and not enough openings.
Mike,
Damn small world I'd say! Holy cow. Thanks for the photo. I don't ever see a traditional bowhunter around here. It's nice to know I'm not the only one. That is a nice group of deer you took a photo of. Even in good deer country that's a bit of a fluke to see that many in daylight.
I'd like to let the whole place go back to being wild and will at some point. Maybe sooner than later. And I hope you get a crack at the property you are considering.
I just looked at some potted trees at tractor supply, I think I'll search out the "on special sale", "scratch and dent", un-wanted stock at places like that. I can give them a good home. I got the backhoe for the tractor so digging tree holes is almost fun.
On a side note, on the way home from work I passed a guy in town who was backed up against the main road at full draw on the wheelie bow, all wrapped around his release device and squinting through a massive sight piece. His target was at least 60 yards out. Tags hanging off and new packages laying all are around his feet like just got his brand new bow. I guess that's a good distance to start at. I always wonder that if someone would get a guy like that started in traditional would he have gone that route instead of the tech route?
Tedd
Those were Gala apple trees they were selling. I was there yesterday. I would plant several species, even pears. Then you might as well plant peaches for you and the deer.
This area has a lot of hunters. The guy shooting that far with a new bow is all too common. I would spend as much time guarding your property during gun season from the drives.
There is a farm about 3 miles from you that is set up seriously to hold deer. I don't know of anyone else around that tries to improve their land for deer. I think you will be impressed with your results.
When I had my little 6 acres I always drew dozens of deer including some really fine bucks. My neighbor and I shared a valley adjacent to watershed property and my hillside was a sun-drenched grassy field which drew tons of deer to it every evening. They grazed like cattle and I've counted over 25 at one time. The dozens of mulberry trees didn't hurt either.