I have very limited land on which to hunt (4 acres) and I thought the rut would give me a good chance to catch a buck passing through. My first rut hunt (26th), I had a pretty good buck come in but I didn't draw early enough and I missed the only short shot window. Since then, I have hunted as much as possible but have not been seeing any deer except a glimpse of a young buck out of range. The consistent doe activity I was seeing in the early season all the way up until about October 3 has vanished. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting does, and hopefully bucks, back on the property for the rut? I have been using estrous for some of my hunts. 2 gallons of bait a day is legal, should I just bait the legal limit and hope for the best?
Only being 4 acres and as much as you said have been hunting it would stay away for a couple weeks. It's probably loaded with your scent
Nah, my stands are all very close to the edge of the property, and I never let my wind blow into the property or to the areas off the property that deer come from.
If you want feed to be effective at attracting and holding deer you should have started feeding last year. You can try but like what was mentioned let off the pressure for a few days.
Unfortunately, during this time of the year they are after food sources. Their patterns will inevitable change and unless you can produce a good, sustainable food source, you're out of luck. The other thing to remember, doesn't matter what precautions you take with scent control, you will leave scent behind. young bucks are usually non-the-wiser, but a mature buck will pick up on that for sure. My advice. take a break until Nov 6th/7th when the rut really starts picking up, wait for the right wind and do a few all day sits. Most bucks are still pretty nocturnal at this point. You are not alone. Good luck!
