Looking for a little expertise here, I hope someone may have an answer. I and 3 others are hunting a 200 acre parcel, private land in southern LP of Michigan. The property consists of a 70 acre piece of woods, lots of hickory, oaks, maple etc. mature timber. In the middle of the timber is a very thick, swampy area that no human could probably penetrate without a machete and a chainsaw. Surrounding this woods are open crop fields. Cut corn, cut beans, a beautiful untouched clover field and a winter wheat field where the wheat is already a foot high. There is also a pond on the property and water in the swampy area. There are several wide fairly thick fence/brush rows connecting this property with bigger woods to the south and north of us. Also, a nice track of woods to our East across a two lane highway. In September and early October, we had many pictures of at least 10 different bucks, some shooters, some smaller younger bucks. Many more buck pics than does, however we did have some doe pics as well. The first two weeks of October, only two people hunted the property (weekends only)and took a doe and a gimpy injured (car accident?) smaller buck. At sometime right around October 15-20 the pictures started drying up and sign has been nearly nothing. No real scrapes on the property, no rub lines to be found, no chasing, no signs of anything other than a rare set of tracks or two from a deer passing through at night. At one point, one of our guys spent a week on the property hunting everyday and did not even see a deer. So, we have been racking our brains trying to figure it out. There doesn't seem to be any real pressure from the surrounding properties, we never see any other bow hunters. During opening day Shotgun, we heard maybe 5 shots all day within a mile of our property. We do have a small camp setup on the eastern most edge, right next to the highway, prevailing wind carries camp scent to the northeast into a giant wide open cut corn field away from the property. We have probably 10 stands setup and always hunt wind and practice scent control. So I don't think pressure or burning out stands is it. My theory: The only reasonable explanation I have is that we do not have a doe population living on our piece of property. My thinking is the bucks all use that thick swamp as their home in summer and early fall, and hopefully after the rut. But, prerut and rut, these bucks have moved and are staying on the other properties where the does live. I'm trying to convince myself that this must be it, but would love to hear other opinions? Any help is appreciated!
I would say yes. Seems like the property has everything a deer would want. I cant see why they arent there. Any way to post a map of the property and surrounding properties?
It sounds like they have followed the does as you and Slugger have suggested. When the pre-rut hits, the does kind of separate themselves from the bucks a bit further as to not have to constantly evade them because the bucks are always ready to mate before the does. So because of this, the bucks aren't afraid to travel a bit further to find a doe. I agree, it sounds like the property has everything they want but you might want to consider adding a mineral site or two if you haven't already. Do you have a good knowledge of the buck:doe ratio? You may need to put a moratorium on harvesting does for a year or two. One other thing, I've always considered winter wheat to be just a filler crop, in the future you might want to add the clover with the winter wheat and then put something like sugar beats where the clover is. Just my opinion. Mainly you just need to provide something for the deer that the surrounding properties aren't. But I wouldn't worry, eventually after the rut deer will need to fatten up for the winter so they will be eating whatever gives them the protein and fat, so they should be back around.
Does your farmer till up the crops after cutting? I have noticed a lot of farmers are doing this now. If so the only real food source will be winter wheat and the clover. Yes deer will eat that during winter months but they are going to prefer grain more so. Hate to think negative but if the deer seemed to move off they may not come back till things start to green back up in spring. Sounds like you have a good bedding area though. Like spear said might want to hold off on taking does for a little bit to get a better doe population so they dont have to move off searching for does. Also is there a real bad coyote problem there?
Farmers never used to do tillage in your neck of the woods? Around here you're lucky to have a field go two maybe three days before it's turned black. 99% of farmers do fall tillage.
Thanks guys, yes about half the soybeans were tilled and the corn has not been tilled yet. Nick, We have a few cam pics of coyotes and have heard them usually about 1/2 mile away howling right after dark. Not sure how bad they are though haven't seen much coyote sign though.
It seems that over the past few years it has turned into a must. Before you would only see a few fields tilled under but now it seems that most are tilled under within a week of harvest. If the corn does not get turned over good chance you will have some coming back. Are you guys just hunting the edges of thick area? Also you say thick but if you where in a stand on the edge would you be able to see a deer moving through it? I'm assuming there is no water in the thick area?
Hillsdale county, 8 miles north of Ohio border. You could see movement within the swamp from a tree stand, not from the ground though. and there is water around the edges of the swamp area, but dry land on the interior. We only have one or two stands that are near the swamp edge, most are a little further away on field edges and fence rows as well as small patches of trees going to and from the main woods. Most of the main woods is pretty wide open now with all the leaves down.
Assuming flat area this would be something what my stand placment would be. Looking at the picture with the top being north. The woods to the NW are those the woods your saying are fairly open? And what are the woods like to the West? Is that woods butting up to a Lake?
Nick, The woods to the northwest are not ours, this is where I think the deer are right now as well as to the east and south in larger tracks of woods. The main woods on our property (excluding the swamp and thicker cover surrounding the swamp) is the woods I was referring to as pretty wide open now. You pretty much nailed exactly where we have stands set right now. There are a few more as well. Woods directly west are residential, it is a lake with houses all the way around it.
The one stand location on the northwest property line is not possible as we have no trees on that tree line on our property. (wouldn't want to set right on the line even if we did)
