Will talk a little about the deer that use your proberty.
YOU NEED TO KNOW THE NUMBERS OF DEER THAT ARE USEING YOUR PROPERTY TO GET A MANAGEMENT PLAN STARTED GOING.
I do this a couple in a couple of ways. You just can't go out andwalk around and deside on the number of deer your property has by the numbers of tracks and trails. People see tracks in mud or snow and tell you the numbers of deer they have. One deer makes alot of tracks in a couple days 1,000s.
Here's another thing I run across alot. People tend to think their property is the center of a deers home range. All deer are going and comeing from their land. Your object is to increase age structure of your herd (bucks). As well as the number of deer your property well hold. I focus on increase the natural food scorces as well as add food scorces and water scorces if need be. And add or thicken up bedding areas. We'll get back and learn about doing that later.
You just can't get the deers numbers by hunting and looking at track numbers. First off people (hunters) just don't want to believe that the spots their hunting that every deer there is surpose to come past them. They spend a couple times there and say there's not many deer around here. Pressure,food scroces and simply time of the rut and year has a major influences.
Let me tell you a very true story. I'd and other family membersthat hunted this 700 acer farm I'd hunted it from a kid up. This was 25 years ago. You me and a cousin went down a checked this place out. It was back then one of those places A week before season it was leasted. I knew of a farm over 300 acers that anyone could hunt but no one really did. We found one little rub in a field. It was a week before rifle season. It did'nt look good but we but up 2 stands each anyway.
5 Bucks were shot out of my cousins one stand in that first week. We end up shooting 2 others that second week. I hunted that farm and a 88 acer farm I leasted next door. Me and 2 cousins end up leaseing it for 26 or 27 years I arrowed and rifle shot 42 bucks. I let 100's of small bucks walk. My 2 cousins I know know the numbers but I say they killed over 25 between them. They only rifle hunted and the one only first day and the SATURDAYS.
IF WE WEN'T FORCED TO HUNT IT THAT YEAR. IF WE'D HAD GONE BY THE SIGN WE SAW THOSE 2 DAYS WE SCOUT IT. WE'D HAD HUNTED ELSEWHERE.
So no matter how good your scouting is with out the time there,glassing, running camers there just no way of knowing whats there.
If I'm in farm country that has a lot of open land. I relie on glassing the summer JUNE,JULY,AUG. and I will and do spend every morning and evening somewhere.
But you can't totally relei on glassing. Many places this can't be done to it's full efect. So you have to go to next best thing. In the last 25 years, you have the greatest scouting tool we ever had. THE DEER CAMERA you just need to learn to use it correctlly. And I don't mean just get that 10 maga pick picture of that buck. To show off to your friends. Thats the reason 99% of the people have them.
I'd bet you and give you odds that 99.9% of to pic'.s of that mature ( 41/2 OR OLDER) buck rarely gets see again in the day light and even a less chance of that deer geting shot and even a lesser chance of him haveing a arrow scent his way. If you add self bow to that the percentage is O to none.
Along with glassing I run camers but not through the summer or season. GOING TO AND LEAVEING YOUR SCENT BY MOVEING AROUND,PULLING CARDS thats putting to much unneeded pressure or the deer on you property. No matter the time of year.
IF YOU WANT A CHANCE AT A MATURE BUCK IN THE DAYLIGHT OTHER THAN THE RUT. You have learn to manage your pressure at all times.
I only run camers after season and through the winter. At this time I put cameras on small bait sites(piles) . I grantee you when food scorces get low a couple well places camers WHERE YOU CAN RIDE TO THE EDGE OF COVER and don't spread your scent all over the place. I know your saying it's along way to next hunting season THAT DON'T MATTER. BUT ANY PRESSURE ANYTIME HELPS TO STOP THOSE MATURE BUCKS FROM WALKING AROUND IN THE DAY LIGHT COME THE NEXT HUNTING SEASON.
You must keep these sites well baited for them to find out there, there nd there going to stay thee . Keep them baited in the winter will get pic's of 100'% of the deer useing you land. Depending on the size of the land determens how many baited cameras I set out. As the years roll by you quickly get a better feeling of the true numbers. Without working at it so hard.
Starting in FEB I run cameras though out FEB,MARCH,APR at refreshened minteral sites. Deer use minteral sites now regurely. By the time you do this coupled with glassing and baited sites I'll have a perrty good idea the number of deer useing your propertly. But even then I don't kill any does. I'll wait and do it again the second winter before I start killing any doe's that need to be killed. I just like to have the correct numbers before I start killind any doe's need to be removed.
