3 years, still no buck, but I see all the signs (need help)

[Daveboone]

I think a tree stand is going to make a huge diff, sounds like you are earnestly trying to do what you need to do. It is amazing how getting off the ground helps you out...helps with scent, visibility for you, cuts down on your visibility to the deer, you are able to see a larger area more effectively and see deer further out....but you are smart to be careful about what you get. 

I have no doubt you will get a tree stand eventually. If it is a climber (easiest and probably best for public land) practice with it plenty at home until you are comfortable with it. Use a safety belt! I don't heave cell phone service where I hunt, but it is a good safety protection if you do have service. I by far prefer and now only use ladder stands, but they are on my property (mostly), and all have some sort of "shooting rail" or bar across at least the front, which helps keep you a bit more secure. I have to admit I do have several tree stands on public land, but they are very discreet and off the beaten path (and inexpensive if someone rips em off).

[tarheel95]

Not sure where you are located in the state. If you are around 3G region and interested in a climber I have one that you can take. Was given to me as a gift a few years back. Used it a few times and just could never get mentally comfortable in it. I need my feet planted on Terra Firma.

PM me if interested and I can give it to you.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[Renegade Hunter]

I agree with Boone. Invest in a climber. It will help you out immensely. You’ve done  A good job scouting. You are on them. Make sure you are setting up with favorable wind directions near those bedding areas and travel corridors. Use the snow to your advantage. Deer will adjust to your presence if you’re hunting the same spots. Find the fresh sign/tracks and climb. That is my most successful late season tactic. If there isn’t snow, look for the runs that have fresh mud on the leaves. Just because there looks to be a good run doesn’t mean it’s being used. The fresh mud confirms it’s use. 

[AuburnNYC]

If your scent is blowing into the cover on your way in, maybe you can walk in more of a loop or from a different direction to avoid that while entering?

When hunting from the ground in thick cover there is a good possibility deer are winding you and then just slipping away in a different direction.

If you're gun hunting I'd invest in a climber and get up in a tree further back from the travel route than you are currently hunting but with a few shooting lanes into the travel route. Will help with your scent if that is the problem.

If hunting bow you have to play the wind - which can be frustrating if wind shifts in that area but that's just the way it is.

 

[ApexerER]

I am not a really good hunter so I find it hard to give advice to other people. It sounds to me like you are doing a lot of the right things. 

The one hunting show (if you can call a show on youtube a show) I really like is the hunting public. They don't have gimmick ads and have to show themselves using 25 different items before the shot that got them their deer. All they hunt is public land and they actually do some public hunting in NY this year. They go in and scout, show what they are looking for, why they like that area, why they setup where they do and almost always at least film a nice buck. It is a great show and I believe it is one of the few shows you can actually learn something watching it. Search the hunting public on youtube. Maybe something in one of their episodes will help you...

[rob-c]

On 11/18/2019 at 5:15 PM, Imjus4u2nv said:

This is my third season hunting public land, mostly the same spots as I have gotten to know them well. Unfortunately still haven't punched the card, and I have put my time (during the season and pre season scouting).

I know the odds are against me (nobody I know hunts so I have been figuring it out solo and via YouTube/internet and with boots in the ground, which can be rewarding if I ever bag one), plus its public land with antler restrictions.

I have set up cameras  (forgot to pull pic off card before I put camera back) of  a few nice bucks, and one bruiser but mostly 10 to 14 days ago, and does scattered during that time.

I found a scrape a few weeks back and rubs that I think were more recent (I think I found the rub line, as I found 3 scrapes within a half mile (?) of each other, two facing the same way and the last the other side of tree, almost like another buck from different direction)

I know where the dense cover is, and know one common bedding area (there are a few good bedding areas here). 

Wind seems to constantly change on this mountain (I use all scent free detergents, body wash, spray my feet down). 

What would you do? Have the bucks left, am I too late? 

I think you answered your own question, the wind constantly changes. One can do every thing they can to reduce scent but your never a 100% . You have to play the wind and if it’s constantly changing then do does your scent path. 

[Imjus4u2nv]

On 11/19/2019 at 8:37 PM, tarheel95 said:

Not sure where you are located in the state. If you are around 3G region and interested in a climber I have one that you can take. Was given to me as a gift a few years back. Used it a few times and just could never get mentally comfortable in it. I need my feet planted on Terra Firma.

PM me if interested and I can give it to you.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 

Thanks, will PM you!!

[Imjus4u2nv]

On 11/19/2019 at 11:54 AM, Daveboone said:

I think a tree stand is going to make a huge diff, sounds like you are earnestly trying to do what you need to do. It is amazing how getting off the ground helps you out...helps with scent, visibility for you, cuts down on your visibility to the deer, you are able to see a larger area more effectively and see deer further out....but you are smart to be careful about what you get. 

I have no doubt you will get a tree stand eventually. If it is a climber (easiest and probably best for public land) practice with it plenty at home until you are comfortable with it. Use a safety belt! I don't heave cell phone service where I hunt, but it is a good safety protection if you do have service. I by far prefer and now only use ladder stands, but they are on my property (mostly), and all have some sort of "shooting rail" or bar across at least the front, which helps keep you a bit more secure. I have to admit I do have several tree stands on public land, but they are very discreet and off the beaten path (and inexpensive if someone rips em off).

I will be getting a stand and practicing which all makes sense.

[Imjus4u2nv]

On 11/20/2019 at 10:17 AM, AuburnNYC said:

If your scent is blowing into the cover on your way in, maybe you can walk in more of a loop or from a different direction to avoid that while entering?

When hunting from the ground in thick cover there is a good possibility deer are winding you and then just slipping away in a different direction.

If you're gun hunting I'd invest in a climber and get up in a tree further back from the travel route than you are currently hunting but with a few shooting lanes into the travel route. Will help with your scent if that is the problem.

If hunting bow you have to play the wind - which can be frustrating if wind shifts in that area but that's just the way it is.

 

That is what I did yesterday (just saw this now) - see my update below.

[Imjus4u2nv]

See pics of the brute I'd die for (pics are crooked because something bumped my camera and I used fishing string this time, will use heavier line next time but helps keep camera concealed a little more). From the pics have him coming into bedding area at 8:07 am and leaving at 5:45 pm. This was back on 10/30 and I pulled camera opening day. seems like a cruising buck that never came back? Almost look like an inverted tine in the one pic (not sure I said that right). 

I am sure you all notice the scar - how does it take a hit in that spot and not go down? 

The rubs I have are too small for him right? I checked camera again and missed that there is a 5 point a few days before opening day which fits the bill and timing (I think) of the rubs so that helps line things up. 

I dont think any have been visited since last week. 

Also a picture of a nice size black bear (I saw the cub opening weekend) - last year came back for a morning hunt after being out the night before in light snow. Walking my own tracks back into the woods at 5am I noticed mama bears prints on top of mine for about a half mile before she veered of my track - that was a tense walkin lol.

Is hunting an area with an active bear a bad idea - do they scare the deer?

 

Edited November 23, 2019 by Imjus4u2nv

[cbyzerman]

The best thing to do in my opinion is to walk a new piece of land if you get some early snow..... Walk as much of it you can....  You will learn alot on how deer travel........ 

[YFKI1983]

I am not a really good hunter so I find it hard to give advice to other people. It sounds to me like you are doing a lot of the right things. 
The one hunting show (if you can call a show on youtube a show) I really like is the hunting public. They don't have gimmick ads and have to show themselves using 25 different items before the shot that got them their deer. All they hunt is public land and they actually do some public hunting in NY this year. They go in and scout, show what they are looking for, why they like that area, why they setup where they do and almost always at least film a nice buck. It is a great show and I believe it is one of the few shows you can actually learn something watching it. Search the hunting public on youtube. Maybe something in one of their episodes will help you...

Just started watching those recently. Great show. Cool seeing them hunt in NY too

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[cdbing]

Big deer often thrash saplings, but spikes seldom rub telephone poles. At least from my observations. Sometimes you can get clues as to the width of the rack from scratches on the adjacent saplings, but a rub on an isolated sapling does not tell you much about the size of the antlers.

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[AuburnNYC]

On 11/23/2019 at 6:59 AM, Imjus4u2nv said:

See pics of the brute I'd die for (pics are crooked because something bumped my camera and I used fishing string this time, will use heavier line next time but helps keep camera concealed a little more). From the pics have him coming into bedding area at 8:07 am and leaving at 5:45 pm. This was back on 10/30 and I pulled camera opening day. seems like a cruising buck that never came back? Almost look like an inverted tine in the one pic (not sure I said that right). 

I am sure you all notice the scar - how does it take a hit in that spot and not go down? 

The rubs I have are too small for him right? I checked camera again and missed that there is a 5 point a few days before opening day which fits the bill and timing (I think) of the rubs so that helps line things up. 

I dont think any have been visited since last week. 

Also a picture of a nice size black bear (I saw the cub opening weekend) - last year came back for a morning hunt after being out the night before in light snow. Walking my own tracks back into the woods at 5am I noticed mama bears prints on top of mine for about a half mile before she veered of my track - that was a tense walkin lol.

Is hunting an area with an active bear a bad idea - do they scare the deer?

Sorry I've been busy working and traveling so haven't been on here.

In that snow - You could get some really good intel on their travel routes in and around the bedding area so that you can position yourself more effectively.

Will answer your questions the best that I can:

The scar - That could have been caused by a lot of stuff like a fight, a coyote earlier in life etc... if that was a direct hit from a broadhead or bullet the deer would be down unless somehow its left leg was way back and it somehow hit the shoulderblade, but seems doubtful.

Rubs - hard to guess without seeing it in person. There's no reason a big deer wouldn't rub something smaller. It's really the other direction aka a small deer couldn't make certain rubs. Rub height in my view is a better indication than necessarily what is being rubbed -  big tall mature deer with long antlers can reach higher. Also if there is stuff on the backside of the main tree getting rubbed or to the side where only long antlers can reach, you know it was the bigger deer.

Bucks are easier to pattern in the early season and will become unpredictable during the time leading up to the rut and the rut. You can get random bucks on camera and have other bucks vanish forever during that time.

Bear - I haven't had a problem with not seeing deer in the same area as bear - and I have seen a crazy amount of bear in NJ. Now if you have a bear sitting under your stand or something yes I'd doubt you'll see a deer but just being "around" isn't really an issue. Black bear are honestly not aggressive at all (usually) but I know the feeling. I walked into a spot in the pitch black once and after pulling a camera found out a huge bear was there about an hour before me. That said, I've run off bear more than once hunting in NJ.

 

 

[nybuckboy]

Look at arial maps. Find the closest field that can feed in. Find a draw leading to the field. Get in their about noon and sit til dark. On your way in Mark the trees with with glow dots so you can get back in their in the early morning. Get on the leeward wind side setting up high so you can see the bottom of the draw as well as the opposite side top of the draw. Put in a whole day and eventually you will score a good mature buck. 

Edited December 6, 2019 by nybuckboy