How much do they effect your hunt? I imagine the public land guys will have more then the private land guys. Stuff that i deal with on a regular basis: Woodcutting (major), Neighbors, Horseback riders, Squirrels Hunters, Other Hunters....just to name a few. One thing ive done this year is to start hunting my exclusive 100 acres more, even though they have less deer. That way i can try and control the variables. I hate hunting a piece of ground that somebody else hunted 1-3 days before, because i have no idea what they did, where they hunted, and how they hunted.
Last year I had some problems with Horse Back Riders, dogs, and the neighboring Outfitter hanging stands on the property line and telling his guys they could shoot over onto my landowners property. That was bad enough, but for them to get down and start tearing up the woods bloodtrailing a wounded doe at 8 am on November 10 just made it worse. Also the landowners grand son (14 years old) was a hassle. Getting down from his stand at 7:30-8am when he got cold and wandering through the woods. He also begged me to walk back with him in the AMs, that was fine but he wouldn't be ready to head back until the sun was coming up. Then he'd want to hunt my stands. He always got a negatory on that one. So far this year, haven't had any horseback riders, The dogs haven't chased any deer (they just chased me once), the outfitter hasn't even been there yet (expecting him in November though), the landowners grandson said he might be too busy with sports (thank goodness!!!). So far so good.
Yeah, or the farmer nexy door who lets his dogs run amok inthe woods and doesn't care cuz he doesn't like me hunting "his" deer. He doesn't hunt either just has a soft spot for deer.
I'm hunting all private when it comes to whitetails, so I don't have many interruptions. The place I hunt near home has no fence and is located near an elderly couples house. Their grandchildren (I'm guessing ages 10 to 17) come down during Thanksgiving and Christmas. They ride their ATV's all over the property I can hunt. I walked upon them last year on the way to my stand but their just kids having fun at grandmas and grandpas so it didn't bother me to much. Thats the biggest problem I've had, so I'm not complaining at all. There is one guy (bout 1/2 mile away) that shoots pistols from 5pm to dark about 3 nights out of the week. It's always random so its a crap shoot on when to hunt. But it doesn't affect my deer movement, it just annoys the hell out of me. Also, once duck season gets up and rolling good there will be a lot of shooting going on around where I hunt. There are a lot of private ponds guys have access to, but again it doesn't seem to bother the deer because no one has access to hunt the land I hunt or the surrounding area (except my good friend/hunting buddy). I haven't had any interruptions at my place in Oklahoma yet.....
I had the neighboring hunter walk in 25 yards from my stand (to the boundary line) before he saw me. He wanted to see what the beans looked like on my side. When he saw me he apologized and left....two days later he calls a mutual friend and says on his ATV drive out (drove within bow range of my tree) he spooked two "huge" bucks bedded up together up the hill from these two guys hunting (me and my cameraman, he didn't realize were friends with his friends nor did I). My friend relays the message to me recognizing both the stories matched up, and I now have a hunch WHY i didn't see the ten or stickers hitting the beans that afternoon as they had a few days in a row prior....they were busted out of the area. I did however have that 125 nine at 30 yards later that evening though, he just came from a different direction. Other than that frustrating run in, i've been home free for encounters. My bucklessness is solely my fault! Well, on second thought, a few weeks ago hunting the farm up in Indiana the river had nearly the entire farm under water...after 1.5 days of hunting around the water, I texted Crick and said I think all the deer in the state drowned or bought snorkels one, Im going home!
Most of the family members on the main farm I hunt don't hunt or only gun hunt. Early November there is pretty tough. A lot of wood cutting/gathering goes on in November as well as guys getting their gun spots ready. I've had one of the farmers drive an old truck through the woods and parked 30 yards from me to cut and gather wood. This was an hour before dark. Its frustrating at times, but it is their property and nothing I can do. I guess I'm lucky to hunt there so I take my lumps. I am fairly successful at killing does there early in the year before nonhunting human activities pick up in the woods.
On our farm there are only 3 other bowhunters on it. Two hardly ever goes, and another is only there one some weekends, so I am pretty safe as far as other hunters go. The standing corn that is still up, because of the weekly showers, is really screwing me up out there right now. I am hunting a little public land too this year, so other hunters will of course mess with it. I just hung a set yesterday that has a duck blind about 80 yards away, so I am going to have to do some creative timing as to when to get in there, but it is LOADED with big buck sign.
I hunt pretty much all private also but still have trouble with people hunting fenclines. Had people 15 yards from me a couple different times across the fence and wasnt too happy
Every deer I have killed in Wisconsin has been killed on public land so I have dealt with it all and then some! The last couple years I have been very mobile, rarely sitting in the tree more than twice. I believe the deer will pattern you/others before you pattern them. The Michigan land I hunt is all private except when I feel like hunting the state land, I have to deal with nothing like I deal with here in Wisconsin's state land!
i have a lot of private ground to hunt but some of it has been ruined by atv's not that there isn't deer the kids start riding with racing atv's about hour before dark on my fav ground next to my fences five and six of them all out and they have totally changed the hunting on my ground,so much i have to drive 20 miles to my other piece of ground for a evening hunt. also we have a rule we do not hunt near/over fences some of are neighbor's dont allow trespass to pick up wounded game so i keep stands well away from problem spots also keeps my treestands from walking off.
This weekend i'll probably come in contact with small game hunters, muzzleloader hunters and possibly other archery hunters. damn public land around here has too much access
Uncontrollables suck. Fortunatly I don't have to deal with them very often. Gun hunters are the only thing I have ever come across.
Other than hunters on neighboring property and their practices and the occasional trespasser, my main "uncontrollable" is my baby sitting situation. My wife leaves for work around 4:30pm, if I didn't have a truly amazing mother in law, I'd be duck chit. I have missed one sit this year due to not having a baby sitter. I am really looking forward to when I can just take him with me, lord willing that he has the desire.
i hear You, the past 3 sits the property owner is logging some timber or cutting fire wood. I cant complain thou not my property, but it makes me want to SCREAM!!!!!!
