I have owned and hunted a 70 acre tract in southeast North Carolina for 2 years now and have not got close enough to kill a deer with my longbow. It seems the deer in this area are extremely skittish, because the deer are run to death by dogs.
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
That's tough. Plant some security cover and food plots. (?????) :thumbsup: :archer2:
I planted 2 food plots. They will only move at night.
Eliminate the dogs............
Hunt only the edges,leave the middle for sanctuary,and thin out the dog herd.
Unfortunately, thinning the dog population may be necessary. Are they wild dogs or free running pets? You may want to talk to your neighbors, and if they don't keep up their pets, then call animal control. Rely on killing them yourself as a last resort or you may wind up in court. Good luck.
They are hunters running dogs, flushing all the dear out of my woods about 2 to three time a week!
Post you property first and foremost. Then let it be known that trespass will not be tolerated by man or beast.
Get in touch with the local game officer to share your intentions.
It's your property and others should not be hunting it without your consent.
Mike
Sounds like you need to curb the trespassing issue that you have and that will calm down your deer herd. I would post your land really heavily and alert the CO of the trespassing.
After that's taken care of I think you'll see a lot better success. That sounds like a really bad issue you have going, hope you can get it fixed.
Posting the lot is a good idea if you haven't already done it. Maybe they will chase some deer onto your property for a safe haven. I can see why they'd be awful skittish, though, even on your property.
Oh, and I don't know how to keep the dogs out. They can't know where the boundries are...
QuoteOriginally posted by wingnut:
Post you property first and foremost. Then let it be known that trespass will not be tolerated by man or beast.
Get in touch with the local game officer to share your intentions.
It's your property and others should not be hunting it without your consent.
Mike
x2.
Some dog hunters, and I use that term hunters loosely, can be difficult to work with. Some have no respect for others property. Getting hard nosed with trespassing is about the only way to slow them down. Catch the dogs and take to pound were they have to pay to get them back also helps. Can not condone shooting the dogs as they are only doing what is natural to them. Hitting the owners in the pocket book may be the only help as well as getting law enforcement involved.
There not really hunting my property. They put the dogs in on one side and intercept the deer on the other side! This whole county is like this, lots of hunters run dogs. They just recently past a law in North Carolina that hunters could no longer trespass looking for their dogs.
Some of these hunters are my neighbors, and have been hunting this area since they where kids. I will figure something out.
Double post!
Sticky situation for sure but bottom line they or there animals are trespassing. I assume you already tried the more subtle trying to reason with them. good luck.
Oh yea, I have talked to them. Everyone one of them gives me the same story, they can't control where there dogs go.
I wonder how well putting up a different fencing would help in keeping the dogs out. Something like sheep fencing.
Well, I may be talking out of my butt since I am not there, but I suspect you are exaggerating the effect the hounds have on the deer. I grew up hunting deer with hounds in Virginia. My bowhunting friends at that time focused their efforts on the earlier "archery only" deer season. Dogs are not super effective at trailing deer. Their real value lies in getting them moving. Most of the bucks we killed were sneaking back to their bedding areas while the does ran. I think you would be pretty hard pressed to get traditional archery-close to deer during rifle seasons even in states where dogs aren't allowed. The larger populations of rifle hunters tend to keep deer moving or hiding just like dogs do. It may not be what you want to hear, but I recommend hunting the earlier seasons hardest, then focus on working with the other elements at play by hunting swamps where deer tend to hide/evade dogs and hunt natural funnels they will be pushed through by the dogs. It's probably not wise to make enemies of your neighbors. Good luck - John
QuoteOriginally posted by Fisher Cat:
It's probably not wise to make enemies of your neighbors. Good luck - John
You hit the nail on the head! That's the last thing I want to do is piss off the neighbors, they all know each other.
I don't exactly know what you mean by exaggerating the effect the hounds have on the deer! I'm not exaggerating nothing! I'm just telling it like it is, that's why I started this discussion in hope someone can help me figure out what to do, because I don't have that much hunting experience.
Ask the law.If it's within your right to shoot the dogs,then shoot the damn dogs.If it was me I'd cut their collars off,tie 'em to a helium balloon n let the owners gps chase that.I hate dogs running thru the woods yappin' n howlin'.I go to the woods for peace n quiet.If I want to hear a bunch of dogs barkin',I'll go to the city pound.Sorry for the rant,but BTDT.
QuoteOriginally posted by Fisher Cat:
I think you would be pretty hard pressed to get traditional archery-close to deer during rifle seasons even in states where dogs aren't allowed.
I sure would like to hear more opinions on this statement!
Your neighbors should respect your property and your way of hunting, plain and simple. There is no way I would tolerate this, regardless if they've hunted there a millennium. When reasoning fails, it's time to take action.
I have family in SE North Carolina, around Pink Hill. I hunted with them during my residency in NC and was amazed at the thick cover! It drove me nuts hearing deer and not being able to see them.
What does your terrain and cover look like? What are you planting in your food plots? Check with your local agriculture department about planting Alfalfa. I grew up hunting around several different agricultural plots including, early Soybeans(harvested before season), wheat, clover, and Rape...and alfalfa was by far the best and if its properly managed will last a long time.
Have you tried pushing the deer yourself? Either with a friend or with dogs? In small wood lots, pushing deer can be a great way to get at nocturnal deer. Take a friend in and set up on one of the fringes where deer like to hang out or bed down in...take a truck if you can and leave it running while one of you gets in the stand.
Have the other person get back in the truck and drive off to the other side of the cover and have them walk the opposite end of the cover. The deer will go right back underneath of you, just make sure the wind is right.
As "Uncle Gene says, "young deer can't count"
Sorry, double post
I have shot around half of my traditional deer during firearms season here in Oklahoma...it can be done and can be a great time to be in the woods.
"Hard pressed" means difficult. Bowhunting with traditional gear during rifle season certainly is more difficult than hunting unpressured deer. It's even more difficult when you (admittedly) don't have much hunting experience.
IMO, it's also not very realistic to expect to hunt unpressured deer on a 70 acre tract during gun season with or without dogs (in most areas).
If you can't beat-em, join-em. I believe you will learn faster, have more fun and have more doors opened to you if you befriend your neighbors and, perhaps even gun-hunt with them from time to time (that is, unless they are evil red-necks who would shoot someone else's hounds). The older I get, the more hunting becomes about memories and experiences shared with friends, and less about personal accomplishment. Good luck - John
You're the one paying the taxes on YOUR land! Are your neighbors going to your work and doing your job to make the money to pay for your land?
Now you can show some tact and explain to them this offseason what your wishes are, but when the rubber meets the road they are some pretty crappy neighbors if they don't honor your request.
When we bought our land several years ago we had to be firm with several groups of people who'd hunted that land for years. I acknowledged that it sucked for them, but the ownership of property isn't a new concept. One of the guys is a local game warden who asked if he could run his hounds through it for bear and bobcats. "No" doesn't leave a whole lot for discussion.
I know you would like to be a good neighbor, but shouldn't your neighbors give you the same. Box traps and blunts. I would not injure someone's animal no more than I would my own. For the most part my animals do as they are taught. You can teach the animal and the man to think about trespassing on your land. As always stay within the law.
Sorry meant to say rubber blunts. I know you ask for hunting tips but I don't any without fixing the problem
Dude - you need to move on. As long as dog hunting is legal you will not have the stability and quality needed for stickbow hunting. 7000 acres maybe - but not with 70. There are some decent Public areas in NC within half a day drive. Jordan Lake is just one example we have hunted it since early 90s - taken several deer every year we hunted it - and have never seen another hunter while hunting during bow season. High quality archery hunting. JL gamelands produces over 600 deer a year tagged. You hunt there your freezer will be full.
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I'm afraid your probably wright!