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To Let The Woods Rest Or To Not Let The Woods Rest

DirtTime

By DirtTime,
in Bow Hunting

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wooly Newbie

wooly

Posted
Posted

My "scouting" is done, but I'll still be out there checking cams over scrapes, looking for new sign to pop up, and taking pics around the cut corn at dusk. If I see any patterns that are worthy of hanging my final stand over, I'll do that too.

Next evening we get with good light and no rain, I'm going to drag a blind along and get some video footage of bucks I rattle up across the field. I'll post that up soon as I get it.:whistle: The field is filling up in the evenings, I just need to make a few adjustments to where I set up within camera range of the action.

I'll try to keep my distance as best as I can, but I know the temptation will be too strong. This week is almost as fun as the week leading up to the spring turkey opener for me with the camera in the woods! Stay away from bedding areas and have no fear... just like the rest of the year!

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airedale Veteran

airedale

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I believe it all depends on the amount of human activity that goes on in the immediate area that is being hunted, the more activity the less spooky the deer become, they will learn to avoid. I for years hunted small game on the exact same property I hunted deer, I may have been hunting as many as five days a week right up to opening day of deer season. The deer would surely clear out and avoid me when I was coon hunting at night, grouse squirrel or rabbit hunting during the day and by the way with dogs to boot. Bottom line the end the deer always came back to their home territory and resumed their normal activity after I left because I believe they saw me as more of a nuisance than a predator that was actually pursuing  them.  When deer season opened I went into stealth mode and never failed to kill a deer in that area and some decent ones at that.

Now in a more remote area with no human activity to speak of a different set of circumstances. Deer will be much more spooky and suspicious of any scent or activity they are not used to. I would keep the activity down when the season got close. Also I suppose if I were a trophy hunter after a known big buck in the area I probably would change my activity level pre season and keep it at a minimum in that buck's home area.

Al

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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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Our season starts tomorrow and I'll be scouting tonight. Honestly I put very little into hunting early season and just enjoy spending time in the woods. All my stands that I will hunt are very low impact other than a few small parcels I have to hunt. That being said if I only had 1 spot to hunt I wouldn't be scouting it. Having a bunch of places where I decide to scout tonight could be 20 miles from the farm I'm hunting in the morning.


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Core Rookie

Core

Posted
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30 minutes ago, airedale said:

I believe it all depends on the amount of human activity that goes on in the immediate area that is being hunted, the more activity the less spooky the deer become, they will learn to avoid. I for years hunted small game on the exact same property I hunted deer, I may have been hunting as many as five days a week right up to opening day of deer season. The deer would surely clear out and avoid me when I was coon hunting at night, grouse squirrel or rabbit hunting during the day and by the way with dogs to boot. Bottom line the end the deer always came back to their home territory and resumed their normal activity after I left because I believe they saw me as more of a nuisance than a predator that was actually pursuing  them.  When deer season opened I went into stealth mode and never failed to kill a deer in that area and some decent ones at that.

Now in a more remote area with no human activity to speak of a different set of circumstances. Deer will be much more spooky and suspicious of any scent or activity they are not used to. I would keep the activity down when the season got close. Also I suppose if I were a trophy hunter after a known big buck in the area I probably would change my activity level pre season and keep it at a minimum in that buck's home area.

Al

Absolutely! You saved me some typing.

I'll be doing two spots this year, one next to a farm that sees a lot of human activity, and another not far from houses. That latter one I have seen the same three deer consistently on the camera, one even bedding down about 8 yards in front of one, and I've checked cams each week. Those three deer don't care that I was in the area.

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Geno C Newbie

Geno C

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I never go walking the property.. my inventory is set, I know what's there and no need to go in leaving scent and blowing em out. They only get educated, no reason to risk it days before the season starts.



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Jeremy K Veteran

Jeremy K

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For us it really doesn't matter if we go in the woods or not ,my buddy will be out there getting his firewood for the winter and driving his tractor and wagon up and down the hill. It's the ideal situation where you would probably see more deer on a tractor or running a chainsaw then you would if you were sneaking around.

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BigVal Apprentice

BigVal

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11 minutes ago, Jeremy K said:

For us it really doesn't matter if we go in the woods or not ,my buddy will be out there getting his firewood for the winter and driving his tractor and wagon up and down the hill. It's the ideal situation where you would probably see more deer on a tractor or running a chainsaw then you would if you were sneaking around.

Same here it's nice to not worry about it and do what we want on the property and still see plenty of deer. 

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Jeremy K Veteran

Jeremy K

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13 minutes ago, BigVal said:

Same here it's nice to not worry about it and do what we want on the property and still see plenty of deer. 

For years we had the sneak around mentality that we used other locations , we can walk up the hill and have a conversation and see more deer then if we sneak around quietly, actually sneaking around we see more tails up running away then just walking and talking.

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growalot Newbie

growalot

Posted
Posted (edited)

rt. on cue ..not clue....significantly...not sagnificantly...is that even a word......Kindle:rolleyes:...Same here Out on property all the time...but I do make sure certain times are left absolutely a no go and certain areas...I have picture of bucks and doe walking under stands near the garden minutes after I have left the area. Mid morning and mid afternoon...

Edited by growalot
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Chef Grand Master

Chef

Posted
Posted

I won't have a choice looks like I'm closing end of this week either Thursday or Friday, so I'll be putting my stands up and hunting them pretty much the next day..... It is what it is but I'll make it work


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