This is a loaded question, but here it goes: It often comes up around here that sometimes its best (particularly in the early season) to hunt selectively in terms of stand choice. How many of you hunt every single day of the season until tagging out? Are you hunting larger parcels (more importantly, separate properties)? Smaller single pieces of ground? If hunting smaller pieces (or one singular piece of ground), even IF you have stands set for every possible wind condition, do you think it can be detrimental to be hunting every day? I suppose the thought of being too mobile comes to mind. Even if you're moving regularly, if it's the only area your hunting (especially if it's small), I would think the pressure could become too much. I'm no expert, I'm just searching here. I'm in a similar situation as I mentioned above. I technically have two locations to hunt. My primary 90acres, and 1200 acres of VERY mountainous land with a very low deer density. The latter, I don't hunt really at all, so I've found myself focusing on that 90 acres for all of my hunting. The past two seasons since being out of college, and living so close, I hunted EVERY single day (afternoons only during the week, and mornings/afternoons on Saturdays. Looking over my journal, I see A LOT of doe and scrub bucks, many of them througout the season (making me question the pressure aspect I mentioned above), but really in truly, I still feel as if maybe I'm still putting too much pressure on them since even though I have several stands to accomodate different winds, it's a small piece of ground. My buck sightings are almost nill until the chasing begins. Are the buck sightings down because of my constant presence, or simply not hunting the "right" spots?
Ill hunt every possable minute that i can, and Most of my areas are BIG woods. BUT I dont always tag out. I have a habit of passing some good ones in quest for big ones, so I sometimes eat my buck tag. but thats ok with me!! Last year I could of taged out on a buck about 30-40 times :D but didnt. Just not what i wanted or wouldnt stop doggind does for the shot, or just out of range!
I hunt every minute that I can. I just take each day (each wind for that matter) for what it is and try to make the best choices that I can. I focus on one property, but have 4 to hunt.
I hunt as much as I want to. Several different stands. Different times. Different winds. I will not stay home if I get the opportunity to hunt. Just the way I am. I see deer every season. I kill deer every season. Mission accomplished.:D
Jeff, I took note of the abnormal out of balance doe sightings last season, and adjusted stand locations and my approach accordingly for the start of this season. Problem is, even if I TRY to locate the bucks during the early season, I still may over pressure the area since, in reality, when dealing with 90 acres, you can only rotate stands (if you plan to hunt everyday) so much before I think the deer are going to pick up on it. It seems the last two seasons were a struggle for me, since I felt I was doing everything I could to tip the odds in my favor. I wasn't busting deer, and I had a fair selection of stands to rotate amongst, but no buck to show for it. The only things I could pinpoint was I was either pressuring the area too much, or simply hunting the wrong spots (which again, on 90 acres, if I was in the WRONG spots, it doesn't leave much of the property to examine to be the RIGHT spots).
I don't hunt every day, but I hunt nearly every day that I have the opportunity to. I'm busy with school during the week and I'm only able to hunt on the weekends typically excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas break. I figure with the limited time that I have to hunt, I need to make the most out of my chances to get into the woods.
I used to be able to hunt every day, I miss those days. Now I sometimes get in an hour or so after work, Friday afternoons & Saturdays. Sundays only if I feel like driving across state lines.
Did you have a specific plan to leave certain areas alone until the pre-rut? Or did you just bounce around hunting everywhere based on the wind?
If I had to guess, I would say there's about 30 acres I leave untouched (even during the offseason). Two reasons. Establish a sanctuary like to said, but also because it's impossible to hunt.
i can't hunt everyday, due to work, mostly family life but i hunt as much as i can. if I am working 3-11 i get up and go in the mourings,, After Several days of this its hard to get up at 430 / 445 after going to bed at midnight. When i work daylights 7-3 its a trade off with the wife as she doesn't get home till after 5 pm or 7 pm on mon and wed. I have dinner on the table and waiting for her and the kids most nights when 7-3 so i go every other chance i have. When working MID's same as day lights, trade off every other time.
