I have been hunting for 10 years, the last 5 with a bow for a longer season. I have spent thousands of dollars and countless hours in the woods of a 110 acre plot in ohio. Despite having several feeders with a plethora of pictures capturing numerous deer, I have still yet to be able to draw down and any deer, after 10 years of hunting. Is it time to hang up my hat, or grab a spotlight?
I'd say it's deffinitely time to change tactics, either of the other options you list are your choice but I'm a stubborn SOB and wouldn't take either one. If you have habitat and deer the nthe only thing wrong is something fundamental in your approach, after a decade there's no other alternative. Do you see deer or is every sit a no show? Maybe between all of us we can help you out and get you on a deer.
Don't give up....in my experience the feeders make the more Nockturnal. I'm sure some won't agree. I own a 101 acres where I live and hunt. I have good luck each year. I put a LOT of time in each year with food plots, mineral licks and such. I have 8 stands on my land. Like said above....are you seeing any deer?
I have seen more deer hunting every other weekend this season than every other season combined. Had a mature buck bust me while walking to my stand, had a few doe hang out just outside of range same with a 1.5-2 yr old Buck after rattling.
I wouldn't recommend the last option at all. Hanging it up? That's up to you but, I wouldn't. You're doing something that needs to be changed as said above. Lets start with question number one for me. Are you seeing any deer while in the stand? Second, are you spending a whole lot of time in the woods? I mean scouting and stinking up the place wise.
Do you have one stand you hunt exclusively or multiple setups for different wind directions? Do you only hunt on proper winds? I give you credit for being persistent but if what you're doing isn't working change it up until you find what does work.
Just my opinion, but forget the feeders. Improve your land to attract the deer where you want them. That means food plots, screens, hinge cutting, selective timber harvest to help open up the canopy in the timber to allow ground vegetation and new young trees to grow. Hang multiple stand sites and make sure you only hunt each set with the right wind. Assuming you have a decent deer population, that should help provide you with a better chance of taking a deer. You can effectively use the feeders before the season to help get an inventory of what you have running around the woods, but you are much better off providing a food source with more tonnage. That way you can attract deer from neighboring properties, and hopefully you have the cover to hold them.
I would move my stands around to where the trails are and where you seeing them. Hard to say not actually seeing it.
I have two stands and a climber that I hunt according to the wind. Most of the deer I've seen has been down wind, I use the full dead-down-wind system, so I don't think scent is too big of an issue. The only mature buck I've seen was the one that busted me as I was walking in, and it was 15y away just staring at me. Lol
I don't think God has anything to do with it You're doing a lot of things VERY wrong to not kill a deer in 10 years. Give more details on how you hunt. Do you watch the wind? Hunt the same stand etc.?
You can use any scent system you want, deer down wind will probably wind you, if you're not considering the wind because this system, theres part of the issue.
Something is... maybe you're just born to fish. LOL Seriously... Hunt high being careful of wind... don't rely on feeders. Look for trails that enter and exit your hunting areas and hunt over crossing trails near whatever natural browse you have and things should happen sooner or later.
I hunted today, and was in the stand about 25' overlooking three paths that intersect. Didn't so much as see a squirrel while there, but jumped up a doe after shooting light while leaving. That was maybe 50y away from my stand, and down wind.
I have a blast hunting I haven't killed a buck in 7 years it hasn't stopped me from hunting. I enjoy it to much to give it up.
Hunt the spot where she was. Do it down wind and wait a week to hunt it. Chase the deer. If you see where one was traveling, go get em.
If you were closer, I'd come check out what you have going on... for now, I'd do exactly what Sticknstring said. You need to get a little more aggressive. And when choosing stand sites, don't go with pretty scenery. Deer like nasty... get nasty! Look for multiple trails and think approach v trail v wind direction... and if you're seeing them somewhere else, move a stand there. Good luck!
