Of course we want to enhance as much of a property as we can to pack as many deer as possible. But at what point do we encounter diminishing returns? At what point do we box ourselves in to the extent that we can no longer access stands without blowing deer out, leaving scent that will keep deer away, or both? One would think busting one or two deer out isn't a big deal, but in reality it seems to have a lingering ripple effect, specifically with older bucks.
One caveat I've encountered was not having the forethought to realize hunting a habitat feature on a south wind does more harm than good if there's another habitat feature at my back to the north. Seems simple minded enough but I've been guilty of it.
Another one is ironic to be complaining about, but it's overflow deer. I call them overflow because they are no longer contained to the worked habitat part of the property. I used to be able to access stands from the peripheral edges of the property and hunt inward. This season it changed. I now have deer setting up camp not only on the dead space parts of the property, but also into the surrounding properties as well. It made hunting quite frustrating this season. On one hand it's rewarding to see deer numbers improving, but on the other hand I'm realizing that it's went too far that it's now adversely affecting the hunt quality. I need some dead space back.
