If you over hunt a property one year could it affect your chances the following year? I am talking about simply "deer" not just mature bucks. My guess is it would definitely affect your chances vs. a smart mature buck the following year. But that is not my primary goal at this point. So if my goal was just to harvest a deer in general, is there drawback to over hunting my best stands the rest of this year? I don't want to inhibit next years hunting season obviously, but for this year I feel my chances are the greatest in several spots and would like to primarily sit in those spots the rest of the season (which ends Jan 3rd). If I am going to go out and brave December in Wisconsin (I don't have very good cold weather camo), I want at least a fighting chance.
I hunt a farm that has a huge amount of hunting pressure during the Wisconsin gun hunt, yet I take a decent buck every year. The one thing I notice is that years that there are many does taken from that farm, next year there are fewer does around. But the buck numbers seem to stay constant.
well you could be educating the deer on where danger may be, if you use the same entry/exit trails. if you get busted in your stand deer may remember that area as a danger spot. overall i believe if you watch the wind, your scent, don't wave to the deer and say Hi to the ones your not harvesting, i'd think you'll be fine. i've been hunting the same property for many years, i have moved stands but not really into different areas, some areas are always great spots, and i haven't seemed to wreck anything yet(knock on wood ), good luck the rest of the year
IMO, it could effect them, But also look at when you shed hunt, turkey hunt, coyote hunt..all pressure the deer dont like but get anyways. Its hard to have that medium.
Will they remember where danger is found from the end of December until September of next year if no pressure (or very little) is put on the land between then. That would be a long time for a deer to remember without further pressure imo. But that is why I am asking. Yeah they may be spooked from an area for a couple months but eventually they are going to use those spots again with no scent being placed there between the end of this season and next season. My thought process is that they will again regain their trust in those areas by next year. Or is my thought process flawed?
I don't shed hunt it, I don't coyote hunt it and may turkey hunt it but for two days (max) in the spring. As far as I have seen the past few years there is no hunting other than a little bow hunting and gun hunting for deer on the adjacent properties which contains most the wood lots around.
This has got me to thinking. I do move my stands every year or two. In fact, I am having trouble deciding on how to get to the stands. Since ,y land is a large valley, I try to never use a flashlight and always use the most direct route. Hoping to not educate the deer.
like i said as long as your not being foolish out there you should be fine. they are very intelligent animals but.... they're stupid . i wouldn't worry about it, try not to make yourself known and where your at and you'll be fine, good luck
Oh but u are giving me too much credit. I am stupid and have got busted several times out there. Telling me to not do stupid stuff is like trying to tell Obama how to run the country. Your not going to stop it.
friend of mine has a lake house in a state park that does not allow hunting for about the last 60 years or more, you can sit in his yard and the deer will come right up to you,they are wild deer but the fear of humans is gone, but the other extreme is 90 acres that i have at my house that a small river runs thru it so there are people fishing, riding atv's ,horses and small aircraft buzzing around and you wont see a deer during daylight... deer will go where there is less pressure. the deer here after rifle season can be found bedded in corn fields and small ditches in the fields just because there is no pressure in these remote places and they stay out of the woods where the hunting pressure is greatest. just my 2 cents.
