What to do...

[nybuckboy]

Got a dilemma here... my son and I hunt a piece of property of 230 acres. About 140 acres is now open areas of cut corn. The rest is made up of a about 35-40 acres of hardwoods that were logged last Fall and left a mess. The rest is scrub apple and honeysuckle woods, a couple hedgerows and two other scrub pieces, one about 6 acres and the other is a long narrow strip about 3 acres.

The problem is this:

My son and I are stand hunters for the most part. That is - we get to our stands early and plan to wait it out. We have tried throughout the bow season to leave the wooded areas alone and leave them as sanctuaries, a place of refuge for the deer.

We like to do the same thing for gun season but come gun season, a group of at least 8 hunters and sometimes as many as 10 come in to the property. They stay opening weekend and do the same thing every day. Opening day they sit til 9 am and then begin to push these small pieces and shoot whatever comes out. The next weekend there may a few less hunters, say 5-6 but they do the same thing on Sat/Sun, the same thing on Thanksgiving and then the same thing the next Sat/Sun. They will be back this Sat/Sun and will do the same thing.

We just don't share the same way of hunting. This is really bothering me as each passing day there are less and less deer. I plan to try and hunt late afternoons mid week just to get away from them.

[BizCT]

If they are legally there and legally hunting, nothing you can do.

[WNYBuckHunter]

If all of you have permission to hunt there, there isnt much you can do except try to hunt around them or try to use their drives to your advantage.

[josephmrtn]

try to take advantage of there tactics is all i can think of. for example sit along some deer escape routes and shoot em as they escape....

[accman]

It sounds like you have the place to yourself during bow season and enjoy the woods and the deer and hunt it your way. Once you have that many hunters around, It's hard to hunt it the same way, especially if you don't know the guys in the woods. I'd set up a secondary stand in the hardest to get to area, like the scrub oaks and apples where they're most likely to hide. If their putting on drives, this is the likeliest spot they'll run for. I'd also scout out the areas to see where the deer run when you have the place to yourself. Follow their trails then, set up your secondary stand, then afterwards stay out of there, so you can use it during rifle. Always leave an option, and if these guys drive, let them drive them TO you, not away from you. Good luck.

[wooly]

Approach them doing your best Jim Carey impersonation,lol!.

Betcha they don't come back next week!

[ants]

Yeah...Thats all you can do. Find spots along the property where you know they will most likely push deer. Set up first thing in the a.m. and wait.

If these guys are pushing through your "sanctuary" areas then its no use trying to develop such areas. Hunt them during bow before these guys show up. It's tough....good luck.

[Elmo]

Isn't part of hunting about adapting and/or conquering the conditions? Might have to change your style of hunting.

Part of what I enjoy about hunting is being alone in the woods. I even get annoyed if I bump into a hiker let alone another hunter. It is why I avoid opening weekend of gun season. I haven't been able to get out much at all the past month due to all kinds of personal crap coming out of no where but I did get an afternoon in during opening gun season and went to a bow only area. Had the woods all to myself. Saw two doe. Out of bow range of course but it was still a great afternoon away from all the stress.