wis_bow_huntr

I wouldnt know, I dont shoot the little ones.

YooperMike

I clicked through all the posts looking for this one, thank you for obliging Jeff. How many more trips to whack off over your stand do you have planned? If it is that good of a spot, STAY OUT!!!! I like to admire a good set-up as much as the next, but admire it while sitting in it during the damn season.

minnesotadeer

I agree, I think the time has passed to be checking trail cams often. I would pull it and not go back until you hunt. If you leave the area alone for a bit until your first hunt, the chances are 50/50 they'll come back. They probably will if you're in an area that's used to human activity. If you're in the wilderness, maybe not.

If you're set on keeping the trail cam out, is there a spot near your hunting area where you know they'll travel regularly, that you can get into without much disturbance? The reason I ask is that I have a spot where the deer move down an old gravel driveway in the woods every morning and nightly into a cornfield across the road. It's easy enough for me to walk 10 yards from the road down the driveway every 2 weeks, hang the camera pointed down the driveway, spray the hell out of it with scent killer, wipe and leave. I'm not actually seeing where they're going in my hunting area, but if they're following the trails I've identified, which they likely are, I'm good. And by having the camera on the driveway, I have a good low impact way of knowing at what times they're moving. You can do the same with other low impact areas you can identify.

Hoyt_Viper

I will reply as humble as possible, with all the respect to what GMMAT said. Itwas late last night when I got in and made the post. I did not disclose all of what my reasonings were for going in this particular stand. It may make better sense after explaining my reasoning. My lease is fairly large and have several (6) stands set, with my climber to be more mobile. In the evenings I have been watching my plots out of a blind whichis located in about 35 acres of field. (see picture). My property pretty much starts on the hill behind my blind, so the picture is looking south. Two of my better stands are near a creek and and ridgeline about 1/2 mile north (behind where the picture was taken). While sitting in my blind watching the deer feed I have noticed several hounds from the hunt club that borders my property. I retrieved 3 last weekend and called animal control because of the condition of the dogs. 2 of them were so bloody from briars that their legs were red and the other was extremely exhausted.


I called animal control and they came and got the dogs. Theowner of the hounds (a 17 yr old punk)has made threats to a mutual friend that he was going to cut my straps on my stand so I couldnt get to it. Animal control fined him a hefty fine for not having the rabies tags on their collars, and were going to investigate him for animal cruelty. These dogs were way underweight and dehydrated. So my main purpose was to check the straps and set the camera pointing toward the stand and concealed a little better. My intent was not to go in and play hunter, but to secure my property andmy life...and angle the camera towards my stand that also shows the newest trail. It was very tempting to set the camera and leave, but it was my choice to climb and sit since I had made the trek back there. That much is my fault. It was the perfect time of day, no wind and overcast.

99% of me tells me that I shouldnt have gone in, but the 1% really made sense.Where I live, you take these kind of threats seriously.

So my reply to those who responded that it was my fault for going in there, it wasnot a harddecision for me to make.This is the stand the punk said he was going to cut the straps on my sticks.

It would have really been a mess climbing in the dark and falling 30 feet from a cut strap. I have the camera pretty concealed watching if the guy makes good on his promise.

So yep, I should have stayed away in a normal situation, but I believe that I did not hurt my chances at a shooter buck, as they are very abundant in this area. Im sorry for not disclosing my full reasoning for going in, but my dinner was getting cold and wasnt ready to write a novel.Now I bet you would have done the same thing I did, except maybe not sit and have a dip for 30 minutes!

GMMAT

Jeff:

A few things...

1. You don't know he won't sabotage your stand between now and the opener any more than you did before you went in there, yesterday. If I was worried about ths a lot.....I'd pack my climber in with me and cover it up in the leaves if everything was OK whenI got to my stand.

2. These deer don't CARE "why" you're in their bedroom (IMO). They just know you've been going in and out of their wih regularity. Your deer are pressured before you climb into stand the first time. How did you get in there? Out of there? You traveled through THEIR area.....AGAIN.

3. Did you hunt this area last year?

We're not chastising you. We're trying to help you.

Also....these two statements don't jive

It was the perfect time of day.....ONLY if you wanted to get busted.

crenshaw

Deer react to things differently. I had a guy who always spoked deer on this property we both had permission on, one day i noticed a nice buck working the hardwoods, but noticed this deer new exactly where the other guys stand was. He was looking at and watching from a distance, deer made a big circle around it. My game plan i adjusted to the deers adjustment, shot the big 8 the next night as it moved around the other stand. If you find that the deer are looking at you or avoiding that area, see how there avoiding it they may just be going around you. so adjust. Sometimes a movement of 60 yards away can open up new opprotunities. The buck i shot, was looking away from me the whole time, just staring into the tree tops towards the other stand, he didnt see that arrow coming. They do remember, especially the old ones!!

Hoyt_Viper

I can explain it better using this aerial.


The yellow lines are well used deer trails, heading to bedding areas and food sources. The red dots are locations of current and prior stand locations.

The purple line depicts my entry to the stand in question. The white lines are machetted survey lines that are also used by deer, and is my route around the property while traveling from stand to stand. As you can see there are several entry/exit routes to the stand Im speaking of, and I rarely use the same trail twice. My choice to go in yesterday was due to drizzle and expected rain to help wash away any scent.

To address your points:
1- I truley believe he has every intention of doing something in revenge for costing him money to retrieve his hounds. He and I have had discussions on numerous occasions and I have warned him to do everything in his power to run his dogs on his 900 acres across the creek! I explained to him several times I was bowhunting in here and didnt want the deer pressured anymore than I am already doing by scouting and hanging stands. His attitude is that of a 17 yr old that will get his buddies to slash my tires or worse jeopardize my life by messing with my stand. As you can see in the aerial shot it is the deepest one I have in the woods. If they were able to locate it, I have no doubt that they will either take it or my climbing sticks. This came out of his mouth to a neighbor who watches out for trespassers on my land. As you see in the photo, the only entrance is at the end of the cul-de-sac and it is gated and padlocked.

2- As I have stated before, I have several entry and exit points, none of which are walking on deer trails. Im very careful to not touch leaves, branches, etc. and always wear gloves when in the woods near my stands.

3 - Yes I hunted this area several years in a row, but not as serious as I have for the last two seasons. We have over two acres of clover/chickory plots and Alpha rack plots. If you notice on the aerial shot, across the creek is a hunt club that only hunts during gun season with hounds. As I have been told by the members of the club, they have been running hounds all year long for many years before I was able to secure the lease last year. So in my opinion, the deer are very pressured across the creek and use my property for bedding and outsmarting the hounds by crossing the creek. They loose the scent once the deer cross the creek.

My season opens October 4th, so I have plenty of time to let things settle, as well as two other leases that I will be hunting, mostly with climber. The otherleases I hunt are on islands formed by the North Anna River and I plan to rotate my hunts so that I wont be pressuring the deer anymore than neccessary.

Jeff, I appreciate your response and replies, but at 40 years old I have many years of hunting successfully. I appreciate the input, but try and not belittle me by insinuating that Im out there walking with steel tip boots with a chainsaw clearing a road to my stands. I use every precaution I have learned in the 25 years I have been hunting and tracking. I know what times of the day I can and cant go into areas, as well as concealing myself when I do, even spraying down with scent killer and never step foot in the woods without rubber boots.

At least I have until the 4th of October, but if I recall wasnt it you that just bought a new Lone Wolf and used it to glass your area one or more mornings? Your season is the 13th correct? I could have sworn you posted about going in and pulling your camera cards at the first drop of rain, just a few days ago. Maybe I am mistaken, and frankly it is no concern to me about your skills, just dont come across as being arrogant and pompous.

I do appreciate every tip I can get, and appreciate the fact that you are trying to help, but my point of the thread was concerning a deer's memory to things like seeing me climbing a tree. Thank you for your input, but to throw questions of my common sense and hunting skills I will overlook.

Best of luck in your season coming up. I hope I have not offended you, as that was not my intent of my post. Im friend...not foe

GMMAT

I did nothing of the sort (I insinuated nothing you mention. Stick to what I DID say). I pointed out that you KEEP coming in here and telling us how you KEEP going in there, and how I and others think that's a BAD IDEA.

WHY? If you've hunted the property for years.....and you've been hunting for many years.....don't you KNOW where the deer are and where they'll be? I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt....not "belittling" you.

About 2 weeks ago I had this thought. A bad wind and better judgement told me NOT to go in there. I'll still scout it....but it'll be in-season with a bow in my hand. I'd suggest you do the same.

Right you are! I went in there when the rain was falling......at 3:30 in the afternoon......and cut a shooting lane.....2 weeks ago, yesterday (3 weeks before I knew I could ever sit in that stand). My scent was gone before the deer came out to feed THAT NIGHT.

You went in at prime time to check a stand. If my questioning this tactic insults your common sense.....I'd have you explain why it isn't common sense NOT to do this.

I was/a trying to help you....but I see now how that's received and it won't be offered, again.. You won't listen to common sense. That's been established.

Good luck.

robbcayman

Wow, this thread got ugly in a hurry LOL!!!

Hoyt_Viper

WTF, I have almost 500 acres I hunt, I dont understand you when you say I KEEP going in THERE...blah blah blah. I have discussed many times on this forum about several HOT spots that I have scouted, some are almost 10 miles away from each other.

Im fairly familiar with the deer and their routes, food sources, etc. Usually at that time of the evening the deer I have watched are traveling away from their bedding and heading for food sources...which is the opposite way that I came in. I believe I could have picked a better time but my schedule with my daughter and her gymnastics class had me running later than I planned.

I dont plan on doing any scouting with my bow in hand,mainly because I have already scouted my land and plan on hunting during season. In my opinion you should have done your scouting before entering the woods with a bow in hand.

I did exactly what you did, drizzle falling except I wasnt cutting a trail, I was placing a camera making sure my life wasnt in danger. I have a month to go until season opener...so how is that different than what you did other than the time of day?

My common sense told me that I better get a camera filming my stand because a direct threat was made to sabotage my tree stand.

Jeff, I guess your ways and mine are not exactly on the same page. There were several variables that came into play yesterday for me to go into a hotspot in early evening. My family is leaving for the beach Tomorrrow afternoon for a week, and I have a job that kept me busy later than usual. It may not have been your choice to go into the woods, butmy feelings are not hurtif you want to critize my reasoning. Im not going to get into a pissing contest with you, I have better things to do. At least the others that posted their replies were not on their tippy toes standing on a pedestal.

Again, the best of luck to you this season. I look forward to a time we can have a discussion that doesnt make you always right and everyone else wrong.