i lease land that boarders about 250 acres of PRIME Private Nuclear Power Plant land. I'm talking soybean fields, corn fields, and over ten years of over grown apple orchards. Ponds, and a stream also provide plenty of water. As this land is Private, it is absolutely prohibited that anyone enter the land, other than the farmers who get paid to farm it. Public roads allow for long distance spotting, and tonight less than half of a mile of my favorite stand (on the edge of our lease) in one of the soybean fields right off an overgrown orchard i saw one of the biggest, and absolutely perfect 8 points I have ever seen in my life. Now even though this land is Private, i know there are more than enough people who sneak on. So how does one keep his hopes high with so many obstacles, and challenges to overcome? I don't usually post, but I'm JACKED up tonight, and would like to spark up conversation. From North East Pennsylvania by the way... Benny
I just tell myself when the rut starts you never know what happens and that buck could run by any bodies stand, and you can't control whose you just gotta be in yours! Goodluck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Don't shoot does is my suggestion the more females around the better your odds, now this is coming from someone who doesn't have the most prime land in the world. I see about 10-15 deer per year. But have harvested 3 nice deer in the past 6 years with never ever shooting a doe being my mindset.
That's a good point ^^ and I've heard it a lot. I don't know how effective it truly is though. MnMoose nailed it though the rut is a crazy thing. You'll get your chance.
I disagree, but it is depending on your situation. You can easily have too many does, and if that happens the rut gets stretched out from late October to the end of December and bucks use soo much energy that sometimes they can't recover and don't make it through the winter. Even if they do make it they are set back on antler growth the following year. This is a tail spin if it happens because now there are even less bucks the next year with the same amount of does, and on and on. Another point to think about is we hunt the rut because bucks are up on their feet looking for does. If your property has too many does that buck won't have to be up on his feet looking, he will be bedded down with does all November and you won't see him. If you put your time in the woods in late October and early November you should see all deer running around at odd times of the day, bucks chasing does, bucks fighting, deer checking scrapes. If you are seeing this then your balance is good and keep doing whatever you have been doing. On the other hand, if November seems more like September and the doe groups are with fawns and the only time you see deer is early and late mostly over food and the action isn't "exciting", bucks aren't checking scrapes or fighting, and you just not seeing bucks, I am a firm believer that this situation is caused by too many does. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The more doe you have the less chance that the doe in front of you will be the one a buck is chasing. Slay tha doe!!!!!
My situation may be different than the ones you guys have but some guys are probably the same, I see 6-10 does per year
This is where I depart from common QDM logic. I prefer higher than 1:1D:B ratios. There's a reason nature tends to maintain 3:1 or higher D:B ratios, it's a safety net in case of disease outbreak so the population can rebound quicker and easier. (at least I think so) I've never been a big fan of the slaughter does mentality unless the ratio is grossly out of whack. Deer can be encouraged to at least periodically visit neighboring land and seasons are generally pretty long, I'd tend to use other means to encourage the bucks to visit rather than targeting does to make the rut more vibrant. If the property has lots of crops, offer something they don't have on their menu. Peas, cow peas, clover, mineral, etc... All you need is the better candy store.
Bucks tend to leave home when there are not enough ladies around to make them hang around... Just saying.. A healthy herd is maybe 1:1 --- a good huntable buck population is more in line with 3:1
i appreciate all the replies fellas! As far as the doe population, atleast on the land i lease, we don't have enough guys to do much of a dent but we do all tag atleast one doe per year. So i guess that's in the hands of surrounding hunters. I'll just be patiently waiting in my favorite stand come Halloween and on!
