small acerage eye catchers

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Bigb
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Re: small acerage eye catchers

Unread postby Bigb » Fri Mar 25, 2016 12:17 pm

I hunt a one acre (yes, one acre) piece of property right outside Chicago. It borders a forest preserve drainage area and other than a small patch of houses, there is no other incorporated area (legal hunting) within 2 miles and probably 3 miles to anyone that can hunt. All $1,000,0000 houses on small lots. When I first started hunting there, we had 130" bucks everywhere but I was just starting bow hunting and was not very good. I should have had years with multiple 130" bucks. For some reason, the last 5 years the quality of bucks has gone down, rarely ever see a buck year after year. Problem in this area is the coyotes have some on strong and cars seem to be taking more deer out. Don't get me wrong, the deer are still VERY smart.


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Lockdown
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Re: small acerage eye catchers

Unread postby Lockdown » Fri Mar 25, 2016 2:15 pm

mainebowhunter wrote:
rutjunkie wrote:Ive always said give me 5 acres that butts up to a sanctuary. It could be a refuge,park,any property that is off limits for hunting.

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Took the words right out of my mouth....lol Was just typing this below...

Suburbia spots can be dynamite for bigger deer. Massachusetts kills some GIANTS every year but its in the right suburbia pockets. Lots of towns you cannot gun hunt. Some towns you cannot bow hunt without permission. Some you cannot hunt at all. Obviously, if you can land some ground that abuts "do not hunt" your odds go way up in killing a mature buck. Whether thats 10 acres or 50 acres.

I hunt both bigger timber and suburbia. One day I can be scouting in big timber the next day I may be in a 5 acre week patch trying to figure out where that buck is hiding himself.

I will also add...typically when I am looking at small pieces, I am looking for the hiding spot of a buck I [glow=red]all ready know about.[/glow] [glow=red]Not just randomly scouting small parcels[/glow].


That is the key IMHO.

In my situation I'm not necessarily looking for solid big buck bedding, they are so random in the ag and flat grove scenarios. I just want to be in an area or next to property I KNOW holds shooters EVERY year. Once rut hits, they start making the rounds.

I feel standing corn is a make or break for a lot of small properties. My 2010 buck came out of the corn, scraped on a patch of brush on a rock pile in a fence line, then I grunted him right to me. If that field wasn't standing, there's not a snowball's chance in *heck I would've sat there.

My Dad has hunted small properties most of his life. He's big on fence lines and drainages with corn on both sides. They make excellent travel corridors.
briar
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Re: small acerage eye catchers

Unread postby briar » Sat Mar 26, 2016 12:24 am

Lockdown I agree about the corn....I am scouting a very nice property that is bowhunting only. There are a few guys with access but not that bad. I have been scouting it weekly for about a month. One scouting trip I found a camera that had been there 6 months and I checked the card then returned it.......every decent buck from October 15 to Nov 24 (which was only 2) came from the standing corn........with as much standing corn as we have around here, if they use it for bedding, that REALLY makes pinning them down that much harder.
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MN_DeerHunter
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Re: small acerage eye catchers

Unread postby MN_DeerHunter » Sat Mar 26, 2016 8:02 am

My parent's house backs up to a city owned conservation area that holds some pretty big bucks. One thing to check is any county/ city ordinances that would restrict discharging firearms or weapons. In this area I mentioned you cannot legally shoot a bow.

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magicman54494
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Re: small acerage eye catchers

Unread postby magicman54494 » Sat Mar 26, 2016 9:35 am

One word. bedding.
hunter10
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Re: small acerage eye catchers

Unread postby hunter10 » Sat Mar 26, 2016 1:12 pm

In these small averages you very likely can't get away from any other hunters who also has permission. Have you found overlooked spots in areas under 50 acres or are you better off spending time in small acerage with sole permission. I have done both and found having the place to yourself can help and hurt you. Helps that you have it all to yourself, it has hurt me thought, by letting myself get lazy and not scout as hard as you would in a spot with 5 guys looking for that same big buck

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Hawthorne
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Re: small acerage eye catchers

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sat Mar 26, 2016 1:26 pm

hunter10 wrote:In these small averages you very likely can't get away from any other hunters who also has permission. Have you found overlooked spots in areas under 50 acres or are you better off spending time in small acerage with sole permission. I have done both and found having the place to yourself can help and hurt you. Helps that you have it all to yourself, it has hurt me thought, by letting myself get lazy and not scout as hard as you would in a spot with 5 guys looking for that same big buck

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5 other guys on 50 acres is tough if they hunt alot. If its a good area it could be decent. I share 60acres with 2 guys. I've known these guys for years and I know there hunting habits. I've used it to my advantage before. Its definitely beneficial to have sole permission on small acreage if you can get it. Knowing the timing to hunt it and keeping pressure under control helps.

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Re: small acerage eye catchers

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Sat Jun 11, 2016 10:49 am

Lockdown wrote:I said it in my first post and others are reiterating it. Wherever deer can survive a few seasons. Anything near prime managed land, big swamps/marshes, refuges, city limits, etc

If you're hunting a small parcel in one of these areas you're in the game.

Here's a picture of my buddy's muzzleloader buck from a while back. 188" non typical that came out of HANDS DOWN the worst county I hunt out of 7.

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He has permission (bow and muzzleloader, not shotgun) for a piece that abuts city property. Poaching happens quite a bit here with mile roads all over. People don't want to poach next to town, and deer know they're safe in town. That's two huge factors right there.

Keep in mind he killed it in the worst county I hunt regarding dpsm and buck quality. He doesn't venture far from home, and his next biggest buck is 78" smaller. So don't think for a second he's on huge deer every year. It's a struggle around here, but the city limits grow shooters. Period. He killed a 110" a couple years ago and his brother shot a real nice 8 that's pushing 120" this year.

The property itself is 30 acres of riverbottom that is open enough it's extremely tough to bowhunt. Canary grass and a thicket here and there.

Don't look for anything special regarding the tiny grove or fence line... It's all about the AREA. Don't even try to find sleeper spots to hunt until you find big bucks.

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Slammer!

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