Rob where are you at in NE? Do you have water on the property, what crops are around it. If there is a lot of standing corn surrounding the property you may not see as many deer until it comes out. I hunt SE NE, it is very rare that I don't see a deer on a hunt. I got blanked Saturday for the first time in a couple years, I was pretty much crushed. I would say the average sit is probably 5-7 deer. Yesterday morning I was disappointed, I had one small buck close and a doe and a couple fawns in the field. That is a slow day to me.
I would say I average 1 deer per sit. That might mean I see 3 deer one day and get blanked the two other days. Hunting in the wide open big woods is a humbling experience.
Im lucky to see a deer per sit at my camp during rifle season. Bow is a little different because i hunt apple trees and food plots.
I'm lucky to see 1-2 deer a sit, sometimes I will go 3-4 weeks without seeing a deer. unless its in front of the headlights leaving the land.
It all comes down to location. The property you hunt might not have features that draw and hold deer like some of your neighboring properties do. Dont stick to just you 40 acres though...branch out, find small tracts of state land that people would overlook, knock on doors and ask permission, ask your parents to do a little networking with their co-workers, etc. As for me though, Ive seen 2.5 this year (had one right behind my blind and I couldnt see it but it was definitely a deer) in 3 sits. I was skunked once. I think Ive been pretty fortunate just to see those 3 so far based on how the weather has been around here since the opener. Once the corn on the neighboring property is cut, my sightings should go up too.
I wish I saw deer everytime I went out. I have gone over 20 sits before without seeing a deer. That is why when I say I will shoot anything I see it might be the only thing I see all season.
The property is in Washington County 45 minutes north of Omaha. The 40 acres we own has about 15 acres of timber and 25 acres of tall grass. The corn field to the north and the beans to the west have not been cut. The corn to the east was cut last week. I have only hunted during the afternoons, usually from 4 til sundown Also, there is a creek that runs down the middle and empties into a river (about15 yards wide) at the end of the property..Thanks everyone for the posts. Rob
Here is a pic I took from the stand. That's the cornfield to the north, and the creek iscovered in moss.
Your area should hold plenty of deer, I would be careful that you don't foul the woods. Really be careful to not over pressure it and really watch the wind and your scent control. Up in that area there is probably quite a bit of pressure, do everything you can to make your chunk of land a haven. That corn will definitely hide a lot of the deer movement and right now is pretty slow for daylight movement anyway. The weather is warm and this time of year is notoriously hard to get a handle on the deer movement. Looks like a good piece of ground. Make sure you can reach across the creek, if that is your land to hunt, as that creek bed will be a serious travel coridor once the crops are out. Give it a week or 2 and the crops will be gone just in time for the pre-rut. Good luck out there, give me an update if you have any luck.
