Hunting small Residential or small Private land/lots ...

We have permission to hunt several small residential properties, most of the landowners would like us to be somewhat discrete.. At a few locations I make a quick call and give an approximate time and area where I will be hunting so I don't "disrupt" their normal activities ...ie.. pets, kids, etc..etc.. we keep an old snow sled in the back of the truck along with a tarp to minimize "mess" ---especially in the snowy months... we also approach the property in as "out-of-sight" manner as we can ... some people tend to get a little nervous when they see ya walk thru their yard with any type of weapon ... we also minimize trails and damage .....

Just wondering what everyone else does to show respect or be discrete...

 

I am always very careful to follow all hunting laws and sometimes you have to read between the lines.

A red flag goes up when you mention residential and describe the layout of the land. The use of a land is determined by the county or city. A zoning acronym is given to each parcel. Usage is tied to the acronym. Usually hunting is not allowed on land that is zoned R-1, Sf-1, R-2, etc. You could get in trouble for this. I would check the zoning and then find out what is allowed for that specific zoning. If you do find out it is not allowed, sometimes the city or county will work with you and sometimes not. It is better to be safe than sorry.

 

French brought up the first crucial step is making sure zoning and local ordinances if inside city limits allows projectiles and what kind if it does (some allow arrows some don't).

Outside of that when hunting small tracts the relationship with neighboring parcels is at times the biggest key to make it successful. I hunt one small 2.5 acre parcel that the neighbor is a huge animal lover and owns 40acres of unhunted ground. I made a strong point of always staying on their good side. They receive a re-assuring letter at the beginning of every year (September timing) reminding them I will never enter their property for any kind of recovery without their permission and will continue to keep an eye on their place for any hunting activity from trespassers. I stress how much I respect their desire to not allow hunting but also am very thankful they allow me to recover any deer that enters their property post-shot to ensure the deer doesn't go wasted. If I do have to do a recovery in a year they receive a gift card to a local restaurant and thank you letter again.

Also when hunting small spots knowing how deer react to shots is crucial. If you want to minimize their chances to run to a certain direction learn how your shot can cause them to flee from the suspected danger post shot on average...I've learned to let deer walk slightly more so they feel the shot came from behind them and continue going the direction they were heading rather than taking a broadside shot and them possibly peeling back....

 

I hunt a small "city-limits" property and have more problems with trespassers than anything. I've been able to talk to most of the neighbors and reassure them that we're responsible, trustworthy people, hunting only with bow. Have you had problems with other neighbors trespassing in your property? How do I stop these people from trespassing as they please?

 

Bouncing Bettys will take care of the trespassers. LOL! All seriousness, if you can't or are not going to prosecute it will never stop.

 

Exactly.

 

most of the residential areas, are rural, and not per-say in a city or village limits... we did have to verify the ordinance near a school... which, as you may expect, is quit touchy ... subdivisions are another can of worms altogether...

there is one property we hunt that is near 2 large tracks of private land... one landowner wont' allow us to hunt.. but we may recover game, we call or visit at the start of the season and call when we have to enter their property ... I also reassure them I would NOT be hunting their land .. I also inform them when there is someone on their land to which they have had local law enforcement visit the property twice ! the other land owner has helped recover game on a few occasions..

at the end of the season, or before the start of the next season, we always give gifts... their favorite beverage, or share some of the meat from game harvested...

we had a group of guys that would lie to the property owners that they had to recover deer ... they didn't .. they would just do deer drives to the next chunk of land ... that kindda ruined it for a lot of the land around here...

 

The biggest problem I've encountered with small private parcels of hunting ground in my area is the PARKING issue. These are mostly wealthy folks who want the deer "thinned" because of what they do to their expensive shrubs and small trees. These people just have regular driveways like you see in any upscale residential neighborhood. When you have to come and go scouting the woods, setting cams, and actually hunting at all different times the parking can be a PITA, because you can't park in the owners driveway. I've actually given up good spots because of this.

 

Pull up in a vehicle that does not have any hunting stickers. If everyone can see you in the front of the house, just wear your normal clothes and act like you are doing work around the house when you move your hunting stuff around to the back. Use camouflage that blends well with the foliage. If the foliage is dark, wear dark camo. Everything on your bow should be dull in color and blend with the surroundings (ie no fluorescent vanes or nocks on your arrows or even bold colors on your bow). Hunt trees that not only camouflage you from the deer, but also the neighbors. If you kill a deer before dark, wait until after dark to retrieve it. Once again, don't get caught up in the moment and come out of the woods in full camo if you feel you are at risk of being seen. Change back to your normal clothes and exit out.

 

If they are friends we just leave the vehicle key in the ignition (remove all other keys)... if they are acquaintances, we ask if there is out of the way spot we can park, along side the garage/shed, either side of the driveway etc etc ..

one farm we hunted at we could park along side the bean field within 1/2mile our the woodlot .. when the snow got too deep to drive thru we had to park near the barn and walk little more than a mile... that was kind tuff...

 

My main hunting area this year was on neighboring five acre residential lots. Not ideal, but definitely better than the crowded public land around Cincinnati. I had to cancel hunts because the owners were having a campout and leave the stand early because kids were sledding 60 yards away. The neighborhood is very hunter friendly, so walking in with a bow and full camo wasn't an issue. Heck, they even paraded my buck around on a golf cart for all the kids to see. The deer are very used to human smells, so they aren't too skittish until after gun season. I'll be looking for a bigger piece of land to hunt next year, but will definitely give this spot some attention early in the season.

 

I can relate .. we hunt a smaller <10acre plot ... kids, dogs barking, lawnmowers, women yelling, etc, etc, .. we've set out trail cams and had deer all times of the day walk thru ...

one smaller lot we've been watching, the people have apple trees all over and when the apples fall the deer just walk in the yard regardless of whats going on ... she was telling us on several occasion that she was hanging laundry on the clothsline and the deer walk within 10 yards of her to get to one of the apple trees .... must figure wet cloths aren't a threat !!

 

Don't use a light going in & out.
Don't hunt during a season that requires wearing orange
Don't put on my hunting clothes in the driveway

While yes the deer are very much accustomed to people they are also fully aware of where people are supposed to be. You can stand on the deck or in the yard of my friends place and deer will walk right by, with just keeping a cautious eye. Step 2 steps out of thier yard and tails go flying off instantly.

Also in PA the game laws supercede any local ordinaces against hunting bans.

 

I only take 15 yard and under shots at perfect angles with large expandable broadheads. I want them down as fast as possible. I've been lucky so far.

 

The doe reduction area I hunt is literally a small grove of trees in my buddies backyard. The main thing I try to do is make an accurate & ethical shot. I have been lucky so far & the deer I have shot down there have all expired close to my stand. The last thing I want is a neighbor to find a dead deer under there kids swingset.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

That is an excellent point.

 

"Mommy mommy.....look...bambis mom is sleeping in the backyard!!!".....oh man that could be a nightmare real quick.....I cant even imagine tracking a deer in someones back yard.....I think itd be fun to hunt residential but id def be sure it was a perfect shot before I pulled that trigger

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

My wife texted me these pictures this morning from outside our living room window at 10am.









Notice the green snow fence around my newly planted junipers. If not for that they would be destroyed.

If only I could do some population management.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Exactly! It's nice for extra venison & it's close so I can take my kids with. Also crazy how "tolerant" the deer are as far as noise, scent etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I was thinking they would be pretty relaxed around the everyday hustle and bustle.....sounds fun.....different

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2