I live in Indiana and this will be my first year hunting in Michigan. The property that I am hunting is 4 hours away from me so this year is going to be a challenge on multiple levels. I am having doubts about my stand site. Because of the distance, I am only able to go up 2 times before the season starts. The first time I went up I did hardcore scouting and found an area with a lot of deer traffic. (Since it is legal to bait in Michigan) I putup my trail cam in the location I am considering hanging my tree stand. I go up again to check out the pics and hang my stand in a couple weeks. I have been reading peoples comments saying that the big bucks do not come to bait piles during the day….. So this brings me to my question… Should I even bother putting bait out? I have hunted Indiana my entire life and baiting is new to me. I don’t feel like I need to bait… However I am on private land right on the edge of a Nation Forest and I feel bait will help my chances of seeing deer. I don’t know what to do!!!!!!!!!!!!! I heard about big deer setting up in the “staging areas” outside of bait piles…. So should I put bait at a different spot on my property and see if they use my spot as a staging area? HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First thing you need to decide what your goals are. Is your goal only to kill mature bucks? If so, then setting up over a bait pile is probably not your best course of action. Is your goal only to see and kill deer in general? If so, then setting up near or over a bait pile may be a good way to succeed.
Sorry, I couldn't get pass this first sentence. You're screwed...just accept it...or move back to Indiana to hunt.
No I am pretty excited... I have about 5 or 6 good size bucks around my place and a lot more in my area. I am looking forward to it. Thanks for your help!
Don't doubt yourself and go with your first insticts. I had a doubt issue last year as I was hunting public land in a completly new area. I did some good scouting and ended up with about two or three places that I wanted to hunt. I was really unsure of the place I wanted to spend my first day. Then one night about a week before opener I dreamt I was sitting in one of those spots arrowing a deer...that deer turns out to be the one you see in my Avatar pic shot it three minutes after first light...true story. The point is you did some good homework and things will work out for you once you put the real work in (eventually)
If any of those bucks are older than 1.5, then you have a much better chance of seeing them without bait.
I know your feeling very well I went though that until recently since I've changed many items in my setup and I try to only do this jan. If you've seen deer your not in bad shape. I truly feel if you doubt your self your hurting you're chances. Just tell your self Its a good set I've seen deer there and the rest is in god's hands. Hunt the wind and if need make a minor adjustments to keep the wind in your favor. best of luck brother On a side note since you live in Indiana I wouldn't be passing on and good deer for a monster since you will only be hunting a short period imho.
You never stated your goal. Are you after mature bucks only or are you wanting to shoot deer? I believe from what you have read you are after a big guy. Right?
Then I highly recommend not baiting. How many acres is the land you are hunting? How heavily hunted in the public land?
Learning is the fun part. Don't put so much pressure on yourself and just enjoy the hunt and being out in nature. Every time you go out you'll come back with a little more knowledge than you had before.
this is my 1st time bow hunting up there... during gun season it is very heavy... My land is about 20 acres and I know the land owners on both sides of me... I will be the only one bow hunting a patch of woods about 60 acres total... But like I said the back side of my property is the National Forest lol... so who knows how many people are in there.
Being as we can bait in MD, and Ive been doing it ever since I started using trail cams years ago, I consider myself a "masterbaiter" (hehe sorry but I had to). The only thing I bait for is to try and inventory the bucks so to speak. From what Ive learned doing this for 10 years or so, "mature" bucks dont usually hit bait often in daylight unless you are on some REALLY unpressured land. But most of the time they come in after dark and on full alert, but, I do get lots of pics so it does what I want. Getting pictures, and hunting "mature" bucks is a different story, I try and figure out what everyone else does, hunting between feeding and bedding areas, staging areas in the afternoon, on acorns when they are dropping etc.
I putup my trail cam in the location I am considering hanging my tree stand. I go up again to check out the pics and hang my stand in a couple weeks. Can't wait to see your pics
Just my opinion. But I think putting a trailcam at the same location you want to hunt at is a very bad idea. Proper trail cam placement should be on the trails leading to or going away from your stand or field edges. Also someplace you can access easily without distrubing your actual hunting spot.
Good luck this year, we don't see many guys traveling to Michigan to hunt most leave to hunt else where. I am staying in Michigan this year for the first time in about 10 years should be fun.. First time in years without someone else in a tree with me looking forward to that and spending more time with my daughter and some friends this year.. What county are you hunting in??
