Big Buck delimma

[Justin Falon]

Here is my problem.
Limited time.
I've got at least one big buck right by my house along a major river bottom. Rubs are just showing up. Got a nice picture of him in August. Have not seem since. Pretty sure he is around. There is a lot of traffic in this area. Tonight I counted about 15 cars and a guy and his girlfriend consumed a 6 pack of Bud and then proceeded to use the empties as target practice with a 22 caliber pistol.  I passed up two small bucks in this spot Saturday morning. I feel like it is just a matter of time.

180 miles away I have sole access to 190 acres of prime ground where I've gotten a lot of trail camera pictures of many different bucks including several better than 150" My stands are on the edge of about the only water in a fair distance. Pretty well undisturbed.

The delimma is that I really only have limited time. If I were to take 5 days off I don't want to spend it in the wrong spot!  My heart tells me to make the drive!!!!! I hate hunting pressured deer. Input requested.  THanks.

justin

[mark Willoughby]

If no body has been on the 190 acres I'd say make the drive !!

[aim small...release]

Drive! Nothing worse than people when your trying to relax and hunt deer. I'm driving 4hours weds to get away from people here in Michigan and heading to Ohio to some great private ground. Make the trip. Take a buddy if you can to make drive more enjoyable

[Mike Gerardi]

I would drive to get away from people.

[stykbow67]

Personally, I would make the drive. Solitude means a lot to me though..

Steve

[Montanawidower]

No brainer... drive.   Hell sleep in your car if you have to.  

I have the opposite problem.   I love to travel and don't like hunting close to home.   It feels like more of an adventure when you leave home.  Then again Montana is like 10 states worth of habitat rolled into one.  Plains, lush mountains, dry mountains, breaks, deep woods, alpine, Cottonwood river bottoms, sage flats, glaciers, etc.

[Justin Falon]

The issue is that it is convenient to hunt by home with a busy wife and 4 kids. That is all.

[Justin Falon]

My dad owns the 190 acres. Pretty simple decision at first glance but I have kids at home. I imagine one of you good hunters would kill bucks in either place. Last year I almost got it done by my house.

I will make the drive and plan all day sits on Nov. 10, 11, 12. Then come home for work on the 13 and 14 and hunt by the house the 14 and 15. The 10, 11, and 12 being the better days spent in a better location.

[Justin Falon]

Moon Guide says the 13, 14, and 15 will be good during early evening hours. I may need to adjust. Hard to be in two places at once!!!

Bigger bucks and way less disturbed at the further destination. Timing.....

[woodchucker]

Just my personal experience... (for what it's worth, lol)

I've only killed 1 Big Buck, that I was hunting in particular, in 40 some odd years of hunting. Now, I hunt "Deer"... I keep my eyes open, always looking for the Big One!!! However... It RARELY if ever, works out, LMAO!!!!! You can waste a lot of time, in a good stand, waiting for a Buck that NEVER shows.....

Just one Old Fart's opinion.....

[Jerry Jeffer]

Take the drive and stay there. With that size place to yourself, you never know what you will see.

[md126]

I have a wife and 4 kids too and they take priority BUT they are very supportive of my hunting and it's OK to be a little selfish for 5 days. The other 360 days of the year they can have

Btw, lots of us would love to have this problem

[Justin Falon]

Agree!

[tracker12]

Maybe you should consider moving the family to an area you can hunt and not have to worry about all the activity:)

[Justin Falon]

Wish I could.
Its been discussed.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I guess I will be the odd man, we have killed big bucks, does and turkeys right next to public land and a very busy lake. B/C size bucks one of our best spots is close enough to a farm you can here the radio in the barn and the workers talking. Yet we kill and see big bucks every year and have for 20 yrs .

All of these spots somebody is always target practicing, not supposed to but they do. When duck season is open you have to listen to there calling and blasting almost every hunt, yet there are big bucks in the same spots working the same scrapes year after year. Watched them so many times not even react to the gun fire while working a scrape or following does or just passing thru you wouldn't believe it.

Not saying yours is the same but the deer live thru this crap everyday day of there lives and get used to a lot. The will have patterns around all of it or close if it's a routine and they will pattern you too if your not careful how you hunt them.

Not saying it's your best spot just saying don't be afraid to hunt it when you do have time because you never no!

Tracy

[K.S.TRAPPER]

This buck is looking at a house 150yds away sneaking thru a little draw to a hidden corner of a bean field. Has too! there's two others houses two roads and a driveway on three sides of this field. Most guys would never even look little own hunt it.



Always good deer including this buck on the right my son sat on the ground 9hrs in a brush pile and shot at 8yds



This buck can here the radio in the barn I was talking about.



Killed the buck on the right in same clearing 8yd shot.



We have many more, just saying good spots are were you find them and we kill on small acreage less then 20acres in spots.

Tracy

[Justin Falon]

Appreciate your input Tracy. That's why it's such a dele mm a.

I will consider what u have said.

[highlow]

Truly a dilemma, wrapped in an enigma, surrounded by a conundrum.  

[Sam McMichael]

Deer will take notice of any small spot that does not get much traffic. For example, a friend of mine owns a pond with a very steep slope behind the dam and about 100 yards of thick woods to a very busy highway. There is a lot of movement along the dam, but almost nobody ever goes into the thick stuff behind it. On several occasions we have checked it and chased deer out of it.