|
Post by sd51555 on Apr 12, 2019 20:02:46 GMT -6
This is why I think Batman nailed it. I don't think any of us are that dumb that we can't follow some instructions. So we do things to a T, and yet they don't work out. Then comes the piecemeal feeding of why your perfect execution of a plan didn't work. 0. I'm not seeing enough deer 1. You need a food plot 2. You have too many does 3. You need to get rid of the food plots 4. I'm not seeing enough deer 5. You need a food plot The other factor is location, location, location. No sir, there, I am afraid, you are wrong. You see, if you just buy ____________ then you too can have monster bucks. (I actually agree with you 100%. The key to having big bucks is buying land that has big bucks.) Maybe we're reaching the bursting point of the habitat bubble?
|
|
|
Post by nhmountains on Apr 12, 2019 21:07:11 GMT -6
The other factor is location, location, location. No sir, there, I am afraid, you are wrong. You see, if you just buy ____________ then you too can have monster bucks. (I actually agree with you 100%. The key to having big bucks is buying land that has big bucks.) Maybe we're reaching the bursting point of the habitat bubble? If I were you I’d still go with your game plan. I’d still put out cameras though and check them after your season. That way you can still see if bucks did came during your season but stay with your plan of not checking cams for less disturbance.
|
|
|
Post by wklman on Apr 12, 2019 21:32:12 GMT -6
I believe the greatest asset in having decent bucks on my properties is that I live 1800 miles from them. I know if I lived close to my land I'd want to be out there every weekend screwing around with something. It'd be fun for me but bad for deer hunting imo.
|
|
|
Post by Sandbur on Apr 13, 2019 5:04:26 GMT -6
I can’t see where Sturgis doe and buck factory makes any sense for those of you in the northwoods. I hunted northern Itasca county for a number of years and still go up there to partridge Hunt.
When you can walk a day before seeing a deer track or drive twenty miles in an evening and see 3 or 4 deer, his lines of thought are ridiculous.
Is depth of cover important when you have 2 or more miles of public land behind you?
I would favor Bartylla’s line of thought. Figure out how the deer are using your property and the adjacent private/ public lands. Find the funnels and half funnels, the locations of old and new rubs. Unless logging is done, Deer will use those same routes. Strengthen these lines of movement and find a way to hunt them with different winds.
On your own land, plant foodplots for diversity and to help deer survive the winter. If you hold a few more does, great. Hunt the lanes bucks use to find them.
Buck and doe factories are BS in the lands of wolves, bears, and deep snows.
|
|
|
Post by Sandbur on Apr 13, 2019 5:10:47 GMT -6
Doe factories in farm country? Maybe I will have to change my thoughts if Deer numbers increase where I live.
However, I see hundreds of acres of corn for cover for about 4 months of the year. Maybe longer. The corn comes off and the deer become more concentrated in the remaining cover. Same thing, the bucks will come looking for the does.
Think like Bartylla about how to hunt those lines of movement.
Wade has the answer. Keep the human intrusion down until you are ready to kill something. Don’t chase the does away.
Two cents from a JPS.
|
|
|
Post by nhmountains on Apr 13, 2019 5:59:15 GMT -6
I can’t see where Sturgis doe and buck factory makes any sense for those of you in the northwoods. I hunted northern Itasca county for a number of years and still go up there to partridge Hunt. When you can walk a day before seeing a deer track or drive twenty miles in an evening and see 3 or 4 deer, his lines of thought are ridiculous. Is depth of cover important when you have 2 or more miles of public land behind you? I would favor Bartylla’s line of thought. Figure out how the deer are using your property and the adjacent private/ public lands. Find the funnels and half funnels, the locations of old and new rubs. Unless logging is done, Deer will use those same routes. Strengthen these lines of movement and find a way to hunt them with different winds. On your own land, plant foodplots for diversity and to help deer survive the winter. If you hold a few more does, great. Hunt the lanes bucks use to find them. Buck and doe factories are BS in the lands of wolves, bears, and deep snows. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell Bob. Keep them fed, provide shelter and leave them alone. Give them no reason to travel far. Hit them when the time is right. Hunt the rut unless you’ve got a specific buck you’re after early season. SD has plenty of does with fawns each spring so they’re getting bred somewhere. It may not be on his property yet. If they’re happy there they’ll be there for the rut and should pull roaming bucks in. What works for Sturgis will not always work for everyone else. Just like hunting those big woods. You’ll kill more deer by tracking them down than sitting on a stand all season. The fewer deer works to an advantage for a tracker. Once you find a larger track and snow the buck is at the end of those tracks. That’s easier than waiting and never seeing a deer all season.
|
|
|
Post by terrifictom on Apr 13, 2019 7:10:43 GMT -6
Many years ago when I 1st bought my land, I was on the QDMA forum. There was a QDMA land seminar with Sturgis as one of the guest speakers.He went on the gdma forum and said that any forum members that went to the seminar could get his last years rate and a 15% discount for an onsite consult. So I went to the seminar and inquired about getting him to do a onsite consult with the 15 % discount. He told me that he couldn't do that as he would go broke if every one at the seminar would take him up on the offer. Instead he whored himself out to gdma and raffled off one 15% consult. Since than I have no respect for the guy. I think back and it was for the good that I did it myself. Doing it my way I have a 160 plus hanging on wall and a booner running around last year, while Bullwinkle paid Sturgis and has some of the best hunting land in the state and can not shoot a 150 buck. Enough said, Sturgis and his ideas are bogus.
|
|
|
Post by Sandbur on Apr 13, 2019 7:42:43 GMT -6
Many years ago when I 1st bought my land, I was on the QDMA forum. There was a QDMA land seminar with Sturgis as one of the guest speakers.He went on the gdma forum and said that any forum members that went to the seminar could get his last years rate and a 15% discount for an onsite consult. So I went to the seminar and inquired about getting him to do a onsite consult with the 15 % discount. He told me that he couldn't do that as he would go broke if every one at the seminar would take him up on the offer. Instead he whored himself out to gdma and raffled off one 15% consult. Since than I have no respect for the guy. I think back and it was for the good that I did it myself. Doing it my way I have a 160 plus hanging on wall and a booner running around last year, while Bullwinkle paid Sturgis and has some of the best hunting land in the state and can not shoot a 150 buck. Enough said, Sturgis and his ideas are bogus. It is a totally different environment than what I see where he says you need to shoot 4 or 5 does in one day. Then they are treated like vermin. Maybe what is needed for some depredation hunts, but I can’t see a hunter justifying it in most cases. I always wonder if that meat is really needed and is it being used.
|
|
|
Post by jbird on Apr 13, 2019 18:59:52 GMT -6
I feel what Jeff describes is more likely to be fond in areas of a good mix of row crops and cover as well as areas with more mild winters and fewer large predators. Obviously you have to have deer to have a "factory". Hell to some extent you could label my place a "doe factory" based on the simple fact that the does dominate the bedding on my place and thus push the buck bedding beyond my property lines. I see mature bucks very rarely on cam and mostly only during November when they are after my does. The bucks do not bed on my property. I don't have huge numbers, or significant crop damage....but the deer I do have are 99% does and young bucks and that is because better cover options exist elsewhere....sometimes only 500 yards away...but still beyond my property. 11 months out of the year my place produces does.
|
|
|
Post by wiscwhip on Apr 14, 2019 15:27:46 GMT -6
Do they allow hunting in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, or is that just a giant sanctuary? Kickapoo Valley is open to all kinds of hunting, but it's mostly the kind of hunting where you're dodging bullets during gun deer season.
|
|
|
Post by honker on Apr 16, 2019 8:46:43 GMT -6
I’ve also been watching some you tube videos from Jake Blow who runs Habitat Pro LLC. He looks like he does a lot of work in MN. He is also tied in the with all of the QDMA habitat pros based on his video collection. Do any of you know him or watched his stuff? Any thoughts on his work?
|
|
|
Post by Bwoods11 on Apr 16, 2019 10:00:46 GMT -6
One of the best parts of owning hunting land is the challenge of learning the land and making it better. You can read, attend seminars, have a consultant, all good,,,but nothing beats the experience of being on the farm, watching where and how the deer travel and use the habitat.
Reminds me of my father in law, he can't figure out why I catch 6 walleyes to his 1...I told him, I fish--100x more often than you do, it is little thing called EXPERIENCE!
|
|
|
Post by Bwoods11 on Feb 20, 2024 18:54:52 GMT -6
Has anyone been putting in more buck plans ? I’ve personally looked into this more, but other than thicker cover, I have not changed a lot lately .
I’d like to hear some feedback.
|
|
|
Post by mnaaron on Feb 20, 2024 19:18:12 GMT -6
Has anyone been putting in more buck plans ? I’ve personally looked into this more, but other than thicker cover, I have not changed a lot lately . I’d like to hear some feedback. We had Sam T. walk our property one day to see what we were missing. Had some good thoughts. Mostly we were spot on with setting it up. Been knocking down poplars to start regen. Can’t believe ticks are out. Hate those things. Sam did mention he loves the quiet cat for getting in and out of stands. Found that interesting
|
|
|
Post by Bob on Feb 20, 2024 21:45:56 GMT -6
Has anyone been putting in more buck plans ? I’ve personally looked into this more, but other than thicker cover, I have not changed a lot lately . I’d like to hear some feedback. Keep this just between us cats, cause the hood didn’t have a good year… I had good buck numbers on cam this year, including one bruiser. Still can’t get them to show in the daylight, but night pics and rub activity is better than I’ve ever had. I’m not taking any lessons from last season though. We had wicked predator pressure and the acorn crop like none other. Nothing worked like it should.
|
|