2017 Deer Hunting

[punkey71]

ETA - this is in response to MattO asking about our management plan. I thought I quoted him but apparently I didn't.

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Ours seemed to be pretty straight forward.

1. Get rid of about a dozen hunters that would shoot nearly anything. These were family members (and a couple of their friends, we think) simply looking to put any meat in the freezer.

2. 15 of the 100 acres is now put in either corn or soybean by a relative that farms many properties around be area. More food than the deer know what to do with.

3. Several mineral sites near his water sources. About 75 acres are hardwoods & pines with a couple small streams that the deer often travel.

4. Being selective. We had tons of does the last couple years with few bucks. We tried to shoot does exclusively for a couple years. I think we shot 1 buck and 8 does over the last 2 years. The only buck was my first bow kill. Honestly, had it been rifle season I'd have let the 7 pt walk. I let my excitement of my first bow shot get the best of me.

This property is surrounded by several other 100+ acre farms/forests so the deer don't see a terrible amount of pressure. Our stands are in areas that only see humans when we are in the stand hunting.

It's probably just dumb luck and good land.

I'm not sure we are doing stuff that helps as much as we've simply eliminated the stuff that was hurting.

That said, they really nail the mineral sites hard.


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[punkey71]

Pretty sure I won't be able to start up hunting this year (total novice that wants to get started), I will hang around for your stories

I will do what I can to entertain but there are people in this thread with much more experience than I have!

Hopefully this thread will be filled with great stories, pics and advice.

I could benefit from all three.


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[BJXDS]

ETA - this is in response to MattO asking about our management plan. I thought I quoted him but apparently I didn't.

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Ours seemed to be pretty straight forward.

1. Get rid of about a dozen hunters that would shoot nearly anything. These were family members (and a couple of their friends, we think) simply looking to put any meat in the freezer.

2. 15 of the 100 acres is now put in either corn or soybean by a relative that farms many properties around be area. More food than the deer know what to do with.

3. Several mineral sites near his water sources. About 75 acres are hardwoods & pines with a couple small streams that the deer often travel.

4. Being selective. We had tons of does the last couple years with few bucks. We tried to shoot does exclusively for a couple years. I think we shot 1 buck and 8 does over the last 2 years. The only buck was my first bow kill. Honestly, had it been rifle season I'd have let the 7 pt walk. I let my excitement of my first bow shot get the best of me.

This property is surrounded by several other 100+ acre farms/forests so the deer don't see a terrible amount of pressure. Our stands are in areas that only see humans when we are in the stand hunting.

It's probably just dumb luck and good land.

I'm not sure we are doing stuff that helps as much as we've simply eliminated the stuff that was hurting.

That said, they really nail the mineral sites hard.


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OK OK OK the more I read the more I am thinking when I get back from my fishing trip, I will hit the woods for a little scouting. Sounds like you got a good thing going on the NC farm, you should have some quality deer.

As far as the deer tearing up the mineral sites? Do you see them in daylight as well? I have seen some where it looked like someone dug holes with a shovel, and game cam was full of pics but no deer during shooting light. Food plots were much more consistent. Remember the buck won't be far from the does.

[punkey71]

The only cam shots of mature bucks were at night - 0100 to 0400 if memory serves. Doe's, fawns and young bucks were there dawn, day, dusk and night. It seems the mature bucks became mature bucks by staying out of sight during daylight.

My hope is pre rut and rut will have the mature bucks following the does as you mentioned. My first hunt is last week of September (bow) so I'm probably going to be looking at doe's and non-shooter bucks unless I can get some mature bucks to hit some mock scrapes I'm going to try to set up.

**Any Mock Scrape advice welcomed**. I'm thinking Wildlife Research dripper with their Active Scrape and/or Golden Scrape.

I will be back over thanksgiving (late rut/post rut) so hopefully the shooter bucks will still be there and moving during hunting hours.

Back to the mineral - We put mineral down every 45-60 days all year round. I follow the advice that the general health benefits for the nursing does and fawns are just as beneficial as antler growth in the bucks.

We've been using a commercial deer mineral (Lucky Buck) but I will be making my own from livestock mineral, livestock salt and livestock dicalcium phosphate for about 1/4 the cost of the Lucky Buck.


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[Matt O]

The only cam shots of mature bucks were at night - 0100 to 0400 if memory serves. Doe's, fawns and young bucks were there dawn, day, dusk and night. It seems the mature bucks became mature bucks by staying out of sight during daylight.

My hope is pre rut and rut will have the mature bucks following the does as you mentioned. My first hunt is last week of September (bow) so I'm probably going to be looking at doe's and non-shooter bucks unless I can get some mature bucks to hit some mock scrapes I'm going to try to set up.

**Any Mock Scrape advice welcomed**. I'm thinking Wildlife Research dripper with their Active Scrape and/or Golden Scrape.

I will be back over thanksgiving (late rut/post rut) so hopefully the shooter bucks will still be there and moving during hunting hours.

Back to the mineral - We put mineral down every 45-60 days all year round. I follow the advice that the general health benefits for the nursing does and fawns are just as beneficial as antler growth in the bucks.

We've been using a commercial deer mineral (Lucky Buck) but I will be making my own from livestock mineral, livestock salt and livestock dicalcium phosphate for about 1/4 the cost of the Lucky Buck.


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Yeah that doesn't surprise me at al, especially if there's a legacy of heavy hunting in the area. Farmland and big woods deer are almost entirely nocturnal/crepuscular creatures, or at least the smarter ones are.

If you're looking for a nice buck pre-rut, you can try mock scrapes or rubs, but I think you'll have the most luck by figuring out where they're bedded, where they feed and just trying to get them at dawn or dusk when they emerge. I imagine your trail cams should give you a pretty solid sense of their patterns.


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[richiecotite]

Pretty sure I won't be able to start up hunting this year (total novice that wants to get started), I will hang around for your stories

I'm in the same boat as well. I think I only know one person that hunts (not even sure if he actually does).

Does anyone have any good websites/sources for people with no hunting experience at all, but want to get into it?

I'm in NoVA.

[Grey]

Small world, in Nova as well.

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[Matt O]

If you live in nova, the best thing to do is to get into bowhunting and either secure a piece of land with hunt access (either rural or even suburban) and/or participate in the Fairfax County deer pop management program.

For getting started with a bow, I recommend a trip to Hoffman's in Warrenton. They're good folks with amazing service and they'll steer you in the right direction.

Feel free to PM me if you have additional questions.

[ACP230]

I did a little offhand practice with a Marlin 39A .22LR today.
I may carry a Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70 for a while in November,
so it's something slightly similar to shoot.
The 39 has peep sights and the Guide Gun may be scoped by fall
but right now the sights on both are almost identical.

[SeriousStudent]

I have been invited to go deer hunting this fall on the ranch where I grew up.

Definitely mixed emotions.