marquismarc

I would go around and ask for permission to hunt farms, farmers hate deer and often have nuisance permits that they will gladly give to you. It would greatly increase your chances of receiving the go ahead if you offered your services every now and then to them. Don't give up, some guys have all the luck and some guys have to make their own luck.

GTOHunter

Not to be judgmental without knowing what Your Hunting procedures are...but I would try to make sure to be as Scent-free as possible,wash all Your cloths in scent-free detergent,dry them ouside or use the H.S. earth scented dryer sheets,take a shower in scent-free soap before going out to Hunt and wear rubber boots and spray down with scent-killer spray....keep all Your gear outside in a plastic tub and don't go to Town and pump gas or cook with same gear inside Your House or Cabin...lots of things that could keep the Deer away or have them smell You before You even step into where Your actually Hunting them?Even if You go out and just check Your trail camera's You need to be Scent-Free...if You leave Your scent there they know your Hunting them and educating them to stay away or come in only at night.

Hunt becasue You love the outdoors and in memory of Your lost Friend,I'm sure he would have wanted You to enjoy life and remember the good times You spent together.Learn to be a better/wiser Hunter and tag a nice Buck in Memory of Him!


As mentioned earlier....plant a nice food plot,put out a salt and/or mineral lick if the law allows You in Indiana...make Your Hunting area better for the Deer so they will come in to it,leave a small area untouched where no one walks in there unless to retrieve a Deer to use as a Sanctuary for the Deer to bed down on.

If that track is indeed a Mountain Lion/Cougar thats what could be keeping the deer away or thinning them out?

t_miller316

you mentioned you bow hunted. i would not hesitate to hunt public land during archery season. there are no slugs flying then and i have harvested many deer on public land

gator59

I live in Florida and we are definitely in a squeeze for hunting land. Especially good land in South and Central Florida. My lease costs me more per month than my mortgage did when I had one.

Yes it is a sacrifice. But to me it beats paying psychiatrist. If I couldnt get out of the city at least every weekend during the season and every 3 week off season. i would literally go insane.

So if I want a quality lease within 2 hours of my home in Miami? I have to pay. Sure I could go to Texas and Alabama or Gergia. But my problem is that I am addicted to this thing we call hutin. 4 or 5 times a year aint gonna cut it.

I suggest you pay if it is that important to you. But if it isnt? then walk away.

Tundra10

If that's how you feel and think yer lost buddy would deal with the situation, then go for it.

WNYhunter

start knocking on doors. there is a alot of land within an 1/2hour to an hour drive from you i bet. like you said, you haven't seen anything in 3 years whats it gonna hurt to take a day and knock on doors. good luck

7.62NATO

Whackadeer - You need to reconsider public land. What happened with the slug would make me fearful too. But you said you have a bow and a muzzleloader. Those seasons are not nearly as busy and idiot-filled as general firearms seasons, and, to be frank, are you really worried about being arrowed by another hunter? I hunted public land the last two days of ML season here in Central VA (Thurs & Fri). Do you know how many other hunters I saw? Zero. But I saw 13 deer, all within shooting range. And I had a great time.

So get out there on public land and you will find deer. If you can take a day or two off during the week and work on the weekends when most of the idiots are out hunting, I think you will be glad you did. Don't give up. I think you know deep down that you really love hunting. You just need to see some deer to remind you of that.

Would you like to explain to me how I still-hunted up to 6 does on Friday and stalked them for well over an hour, coming within 15 yards of them while breaking just about every one of these rules? Yep, had my boots drying against the heater vent in the bathroom the night before (and who knows what kind of smells come out of there) and clothes laying over the kitchen chairs after we just finished eating dinner. Got dressed in the house, and wore the same clothes into the field that I wore in the house and car.

This kind of info is not helpful to a guy who is considering giving up hunting altogether. You know how time-consuming and even frustrating these "scent free" procedures are. I think having the OP go thru this rigamarole could lead to even more frustration when he puts even more time and effort into a small tract of land that is not producing a single deer, even on camera. People have been seeing and killing deer long before Tupperware and Hunters Specialties were even thought of.

Whackadeer

Thanks for all the replies. Just an fwi, I have done all the scent control things including smoking my clothes. I may try public land during our late archery season but around my area ML is very popular and disagree that it is less danger to be around. Believe me I have knocked on more doors than a guy running for office. By the way, can anyone identify the tracks?