I've never really had problems with deer on my property, but it seems over the last few months I've had little to no activity. Last week I put out some acorn stuff in hopes of attracting something in front of my cameras to make sure they were set up correctly. In that time I got a pic of 1 doe and 1 little buck. Their paths are still there but you can tell they aren't as used as they once were. Is there something I can do to help promote or encourage the deer to come back on to our property? Or should I just relax and let them come back on their own. I've never had any trouble with seeing deer on the property, but it's never been this bad. Thoughts? Property buts up to a 300 acre woods and a corn and bean field.
Do you have any food plots or anything on it? What about water? How big is your property? I don't know how dry it has been there but the past month has been super dry for us. Maybe if its dry there they are staying near a water source. I'm hoping for rain soo.
Sounds like its time to do some hardcore scouting! With property that size they may have just found a new bedding area.
I'll post a shot of the property when I get home. An acre or so food plot will be planted in the spring. We haven't had much rain at all, a drought really. However there are 2 creeks that still have a good amount of water in them. That's what got me last year. Its about 7 acres of hunting ground in one woods and 5 in the other. They do bed occasionally, but its become more rare. Is there a way to coax them into revisiting these?
Here's a pic of the land. Everything in red totals 19.8 acres. The blue is a small creek that has water. The yellow is the future site of a food plot. The stars are my stands and there's a camera on the east side of the blue circle and where the creek straightens out. Typically I have no problems with deer on the property, but it just seems lately like they have just disappeared. Ha, should I just put a big trail of corn down from the 300 acre woods to a big pile deep in my woods?
Checked the Indiana regulations and it says nothing about feeding your deer nicotine... Where can i get said Nicotine?
19 acres doesnt seem very big, do you scout too much? I know it seems like a silly question but I have found myself trampling through good deer country way too much prior to season in my excitment. Maybe you don't but if so that could be the issue and with all the surounding land to hang out it, if there feeling pressured maybe thats where there going...
I just got done cleaning out some shooting and travel lanes, but that only took a few days. I try and stay out as much as I can. This goes back a couple months though. I let my cameras sit for at least a week if not longer. It is pretty hard to stay out though, you're right. The woods is clearly visible from the house, however that has never stopped them before.
I have 30 acres and we are in them all the time. well, it has decreased the closer season gets. Maybe they are still there just in different areas or times. Have you tried puting corn out or is it illegal there? We don't bait with corn well, this season we wont be but, we do put out 20lbs here and there to see if there is anything coming through the area when we are not sure. If its legal you may want to try that. You could go buy you some C'mere Deer. LOL just kidding waist of money. Can you think of anything that could have happened such as a big storm or something about the time or just before you noticed this change?
Well it really goes back to that creek bottom growing up. It got very thick. Then there was the month of 90+ degree weather. I never really thought to bother about it, but after a week of basically nothing, it's just not normal. Well baiting isn't legal here in Indiana, but there's still a while until season so I could use it to help coax them to coming back. I have a few mineral blocks and some corn and crushed acorns, but they've gone uneaten, except for the one doe. Thanks for all your help guys. This just has me puzzled because even last year when all my creeks were dry and there was a drought, I still had a lot of camera action.
My only cams that are getting pics are at water other then that i am not getting nothing on cams that were getting 150 pics a week when we had rain. my mineral licks are powder dry and only get a few doe pics a week. find a active water source or water crossing. good luck
The bucks have stopped hitting my buddy's mineral stations in central IL recently. He had daily pics of some decent bucks, but they stopped visiting the minerals around 8/20 he said. This is common in his area for the bucks to stop visiting until winter. He still is getting does visiting them though. One of my best Northern IL bow hunting areas was destroyed a few years back by some local 2 cycle 4 wheeler and dirt bike riders who decided to set-up their own course thru the woods I hunted bordering a river. I literally went from 150-200 pics/week in 2008 to 5-10 in 2009. I had no idea they were going thru this area as I typically remain completely out of the woods from May until the opener in regards to scouting. I only set up one camera about 25 yards into the woods in 2009. The 4-wheeler and dirt bike trails began on another adjacent property and ran into the opposite property and was further into the woods so I never saw them until the day of the opener when it was so damn loud my wife could hardly hear me talking to her on the phone while in the stand. Their trails ran right thru the historic deer bedding areas! UGH!!! The best part was that my cousins, who hunt on the other side of the river from me, had the best year of their lives because majority of the deer relocated to that side for the seclusion. I do believe IMO keeping away from your hunting grounds (read: reducing human scent and disruption) makes a huge difference in sightings and ultimately success.
