Daylight movement

[BSK]

All the more reason to maintain, or raise, your standards, heh?

Nah, I enjoy killing bucks too much! I was just thinking through it, trying to decide what would make me happy. Would I be happy killing one really good buck every three years? Nope. Would I be happy killing a good buck every other year? Borderline. But I could easily be happy with a decent buck two out of three years. I can certainly live with that, even if it means the bucks aren't quite as big.

 

[Ski]

I'm telling you what, I bet very, very few hunters could handle hunting on my place. Over the last 20 years, the average number of treestand hours required to see a mature (4 1/2+) buck is 212. That's about 60 hunts for the average hunter.

Considering season runs 3 months, if a guy hunts every morning and evening he'd only see 3 mature bucks all season? I'll quit crying about how rough my season is going

 

[Ski]

Managing small properties can be a real effort in frustration. All you can do is make the habitat as attractive as possible and then hope something that excites you shows up.

That pretty much sums it up. Everything we do is to increase our odds, but there's no promise or guarantee. Often times our efforts help the neighbors more than it does us, especially if they have a more liberal harvest standard.

 

[TheLBLman]

Nah, I enjoy killing bucks too much!

I only seem to "enjoy" taking truly mature bucks.
But do truly enjoy watching younger bucks,
and giving them a chance to grow older

Some will think I'm full of it, but
I truly get more satisfaction taking an old doe
than a young buck.

I'm at a point where the most satisfying bucks to kill are the ones I've had several years of history, even though, sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you.

Last year my #1 target buck was 7 1/2 yrs old.
It was a game of chess for the 3 years 2021, 2020, 2019.
He died last year, but no human hunter took him home.

 

[Ski]

I'm at a point where the most satisfying bucks to kill are the ones I've had several years of history, even though, sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you.

I agree. I keep info of each buck separated by name & follow them the entire time they use my place, which is generally their life span. When I pick one to hunt, I hunt only him and stick with it either until I get him or else he disappears for good. I usually lose that game but when I win, boy is it a satisfying kill. Bittersweet as well because I have invested so much time in getting to know his personality, habits, and tendencies that it's almost like losing an old friend. All other deer for me are a resource to be tapped, and I appreciate them on many levels for that bounty.

The only caveat is public land deer. I love going out somewhere new, finding mature buck sign, and killing him the very first time I see him. Keeps me sharp and makes me feel more like a hunter than a farmer.

 

[deerhunter10]

I'm telling you what, I bet very, very few hunters could handle hunting on my place. Over the last 20 years, the average number of treestand hours required to see a mature (4 1/2+) buck is 212. That's about 60 hunts for the average hunter.

That's tough. Behind the house for us is similar we have worked hard to keep our pressure down and also picked up another 250 acres with of control and just in 2 years it's changed a lot. We've have rough years 2020 was very rough.i like the hour break down that I am going to start. How many acres are you on and how many hunters? Do you think it's a hunter and pressure thing or deer density? Or both? Neighbors or what?

 

[BSK]

How many acres are you on and how many hunters? Do you think it's a hunter and pressure thing or deer density? Or both? Neighbors or what?

Very low visibility, steep terrain. Most of our kills are inside 35 yards because that's as far as we can see. Deer density most of the year is extremely low but increases significantly once the farmers harvest adjoining crops, during the rut, and especially in a good acorn year. Hunter density quite high compared to neighbors and FAR more pressure on our place than the neighbors, which is why we are so careful about not overhunting stands and providing more cover habitat than our neighbors have.

 

[philsanchez76]

Finally at least saw a 2.5 year old in daylight during my hunt last night. 6 does came out about 5:15 and him and a 1.5 year old popped out about 5 min later. On my way out I found 4 fresh scrapes on the logging road that were not there before! Encouraging.