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Post by biglakebass on Nov 13, 2018 20:59:25 GMT -6
I know it sounds crazy but we have around 30 antlerless deer and probably handful of bucks. We shot 3 does and all the neighbors shot 5-9 does to try and curb the numbers. These high numbers are not typical we just happened to be really high right now since past 3-4 yrs most neighbors simply buck hunting and not filling tags. 30 anterless is a much different story than 30 does...... So you are talking 15 does and 15 fawns roughly.... Still a shit ton of deer on 160 plus the bucks. So you are only at about 150 deer per sq mile. Whew!  |
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Post by mnaaron on Nov 13, 2018 21:02:20 GMT -6
Could the trail system in the NE quadrant and reaching to the north be making them nocturnal? Should that one and/or part of the foodplots near the center of the property be abandoned? If the total area is big enough, can two sanctuaries be created with a funnel in between? That is our theory to break up the various sanctuaries and try and create some funnels in between. Just not sure how big they need to be and it is hard to cut down mature spruce trees to create funnels. Trails on north end look bad we have abandoned most they were there for when we burned it. Basically perimeter trail is all we use. |
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Post by mnaaron on Nov 13, 2018 21:04:44 GMT -6
You should in the chips with 30 does, bucks following in this cold weather.... have you guys shot any big ones yet? We have two nice bucks on the property and one did show himself however brother had already shot his buck on another piece and had to pass him. We have shot 3 does and 1 small buck (sons first deer). |
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Post by biglakebass on Nov 13, 2018 21:07:20 GMT -6
No trophy pics of the sons first deer. come on Aaron!!!
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Post by mnaaron on Nov 13, 2018 21:08:38 GMT -6
Looking at your pic my first thought was "that's a lot of cover". I'm used to hunting between patches of cover or on the fringe of cover. Your place looks difficult to hunt and get around without alerting deer. Are you wanting to clear lanes so that you can see into cover more, give yourself a path to walk, or give the deer a path to walk? I would almost be tempted to clear some of your random cover and leave more defined travel paths that were advantageous to your prevailing winds. But I dont up north and have different ways of thinking... We actually have less cover than most. We have the high ground and most of the land around us is swamp with small ag fields and plots inter mixed. |
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Post by mnaaron on Nov 13, 2018 21:11:08 GMT -6
No trophy pics of the sons first deer. come on Aaron!!! Will text you mark not good at posting pictures of people on the web. Once it is out there it is out there forever. He shot a nice 5 pointer Saturday night. |
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Post by Sandbur on Nov 14, 2018 7:02:34 GMT -6
How much pressure is put on those deer before the rut? Bow hunting pressure, poaching pressure, or recreational shining?
I almost never see a deer over 2.5 years of age in an open food plot or field during the daylight. Buck or doe. A RARE exception is standing corn and sometimes early spring.
A wooded fence line might have mature buck movement in daylight for the first few weeks of bow season, then it ends.
I need to hunt funnels or half funnels that are thick and even those can’t pinch the deer down too much.
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Post by Catscratch on Nov 14, 2018 7:27:55 GMT -6
How much pressure is put on those deer before the rut? Bow hunting pressure, poaching pressure, or recreational shining?I almost never see a deer over 2.5 years of age in an open food plot or field during the daylight. Buck or doe. A RARE exception is standing corn and sometimes early spring. A wooded fence line might have mature buck movement in daylight for the first few weeks of bow season, then it ends. I need to hunt funnels or half funnels that are thick and even those can’t pinch the deer down too much. Good questions. I don't hunt plots and very seldom hunt before November (rut) to keep the pressure down. My dad's place is a lot like your's in the fact that it doesn't have much cover compared to the surrounding area's but it does have food. Deer use it a lot but at the slightest hint of pressure and they go nocturnal. |
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Post by batman on Nov 14, 2018 7:45:32 GMT -6
How much pressure is put on those deer before the rut? Bow hunting pressure, poaching pressure, or recreational shining? I almost never see a deer over 2.5 years of age in an open food plot or field during the daylight. Buck or doe. A RARE exception is standing corn and sometimes early spring. A wooded fence line might have mature buck movement in daylight for the first few weeks of bow season, then it ends. I need to hunt funnels or half funnels that are thick and even those can’t pinch the deer down too much. I don't think many in MN realize what you are talking about Art. My MN places Big Bucks would not show in daylight in the open except for first couple days archery, 2 or 3 days post rut, and muzzle loader with right weather and oodles of expensive food plots. I prefer fabricated doe bedding and easy downwind access for mature bucks during the rut. |
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Post by MN Slick on Nov 14, 2018 8:23:47 GMT -6
Sounds like you have too many does so the bucks don't have to work to find them. Best chance is to kill the big ones in your scenario is early season, early pre-rut before any does are in or late season.
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Post by mnaaron on Nov 14, 2018 8:34:18 GMT -6
How much pressure is put on those deer before the rut? Bow hunting pressure, poaching pressure, or recreational shining? I almost never see a deer over 2.5 years of age in an open food plot or field during the daylight. Buck or doe. A RARE exception is standing corn and sometimes early spring. A wooded fence line might have mature buck movement in daylight for the first few weeks of bow season, then it ends. I need to hunt funnels or half funnels that are thick and even those can’t pinch the deer down too much. Very little pressure is put on this farm since we usually bow hunt a different property. This year no hunting prior to rifle opener and during rifle season it was only hunted 2 am and 3 pm. Does see food plot work and over the years lots of habitat work on the edges. |
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Post by benmnwi on Nov 14, 2018 12:34:12 GMT -6
How many bucks do you guys normally harvest off this 160 acre property and how many does? You might have posted this and I missed it, but how long have you had this property and is it getting better or worse for hunting after your food plots, tree plantings, etc.?
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Post by Sandbur on Nov 14, 2018 12:36:36 GMT -6
How much pressure is put on those deer before the rut? Bow hunting pressure, poaching pressure, or recreational shining? I almost never see a deer over 2.5 years of age in an open food plot or field during the daylight. Buck or doe. A RARE exception is standing corn and sometimes early spring. A wooded fence line might have mature buck movement in daylight for the first few weeks of bow season, then it ends. I need to hunt funnels or half funnels that are thick and even those can’t pinch the deer down too much. I don't think many in MN realize what you are talking about Art. My MN places Big Bucks would not show in daylight in the open except for first couple days archery, 2 or 3 days post rut, and muzzle loader with right weather and oodles of expensive food plots. I prefer fabricated doe bedding and easy downwind access for mature bucks during the rut. Thinking about your 2-3 day post rut comment. My cuz farmed in the north country and had fields extending one mile back into the woods. He said the very biggest buck would show up during the second week of the zone 1 season and you would probably only see him once. Passing thru and covering miles to find the last doe in heat. Two guys I knew hunted his land and in two consecutive years got a buck over 230 pounds. Short tined, heavy brown racked bucks . Both in the second week of season. Swamp bucks we called them. |
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Post by mnaaron on Nov 14, 2018 13:04:13 GMT -6
How many bucks do you guys normally harvest off this 160 acre property and how many does? You might have posted this and I missed it, but how long have you had this property and is it getting better or worse for hunting after your food plots, tree plantings, etc.? We have owned the land for 5 years. It was previous heavily pastured so it is starting to thick up every year. We have shot 3 bucks total in those 5 years. Two of those were nice ones. We have had 4.5 yr or older bucks on it except the past two years. We typically shoot 2-3 does per year. The improvements we have made have dramatically increased the total deer on the property. I often wonder with the high number of antlerless deer if there isn't enough room for the older bucks to bed in a quiet undisturbed area. It seems like before the antlerless numbers were high we had nicer bucks bedding on the property. |
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Post by benmnwi on Nov 14, 2018 13:49:22 GMT -6
I have a property with high deer numbers and a property with low deer numbers and I'll take high deer numbers every time! At least you have something to work with.
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