City Limits: Bucks

[RDubs44]

Any experiences or insights into beast tactics on mature bucks within city limits?

Unusual primary bed locations? or pressure bed locations? Do mature bucks have tendencies within the city limits?

Looking through the forum, I have found a few beasts sharing hunts within city limits where bucks would bed along homes, overgrown parks and alongside roads.

[Jonny]

Biggest buck I ever saw was bedded within 100 yards of a high school. When buses rolled in he would take off into the neighboring park

[RDubs44]

I am noticing a higher percentage of older age class bucks are right in town. Do not have to drive far to hunt'em.

[Hawthorne]

Biggest bucks I've seen in Michigan have been right in the metro Detroit area. Usually in parks or refuges inside the suburbs. I saw a 180 class buck one August morning on a golf course close to Detroit metro airport. Some of these areas guys have small parcels next to these refuges they can hunt. Our state record archery buck was killed in a place like this. I know a lot of them use bait to lure the bucks out during rut. The bait brings the does in a The bucks follow.

[JSnake]

Some of the best deer in Georgia are in the metro Atlanta area. The close-in areas are 100% bow only and there are a bunch of people that hunt em.

The challenge you'll have trying to beast hunt is...property lines. They inevitably will be going into areas you can't access. On the face of it, the deer are easy to kill meaning that they only have so many places to go and, in my opinion, are more tolerant to human interaction. However, they are very hard to kill legally. When I say legally, I mean not trespassing in your SCOUTING or HUNTING, baiting (not legal in N.Georgia), or using a firearm. Most of the big pieces of property are county, federal, or corporately owned with zero chance of being able to hunt legally.

Best case scenario is to get permission on as many residential lots as possible in an established neighborhood near a river/creek (generally larger lots) that's adjacent to a larger non-huntable block of govt. owned land like a park or green space.

I'll say with a 100% confidence that my neighborhood has the best age structure of anywhere I have access to hunt in the state. I can and have hung a stand in my backyard which deer use as a thoroughfare pretty frequently. I've just found that it isn't that enjoyable for me. Also, if I were to stick a deer back there, it would invariably run over to a neighbor's land and potentially become a sticky issue. Urban/Suburban folks can have some interesting views on hunting.

[basspro05]

My only observation I found while hunting an urban area was that deer rarely paid any attention to human scent in areas where it was common, backyards, sideyards, right near peoples houses they would feed during daylight.

But one step into the woods in those areas or the thick brush around the yards where these deer traveled, and they would lock up like they hit a wall when they caught your scent.

[RDubs44]

We have a far amount of pressure on the legal areas we are designated to hunt. We are able to bowhunt on private property as well.

I am thinking trying to gain access to private properties adjacent to the city owned areas that we can hunt when we draw for a permit. The city areas have crop land and water ways, which is great places for the deer. However, the pressure turns the deer nocturnal in these locations.

So I am trying to find outa the way places the deer may bed close to these areas, for example swamps and wetlands owned on private property or within the designated city land hunt areas.

But, yes in you run into the problem of the mature deer vacating the huntable locations.

[JSnake]

I see what you mean. I'd definitely try to get some permission on some of the private wetlands.

[Putt4Doe]

98% of my hunting is urban hunting. As other members have stated, it's pretty tough to deal with the property lines. Traditional "Beast Hunting" is tough to do, because you're so limited by property lines - however - thermal tunnels and travel areas are great to key in on. I try to use the wind to predict where deer will move, and hunt moon hours, and do quite well.

One nice thing is that the deer are less pressured, so they will tend to be on their feet more grazing due to the lack of browse.

[Twenty Up]

I've looked into the whole urban thing around here since some of the states biggest bucks are either coming from the metro Atlanta area. But I've heard some horror stories from dealing with trespassers, property lines, stolen gear, etc.. The leases are also very expensive, most are $1k+ for 6-10 guys hunting maybe 200-300 acres. Getting permission on private also seems to be much more difficult

Personally I hunt to get away from the BS, not jump into it. So I stay away from the cities and public land adjacent to the larger cities.

Just some food for thought and a different perspective

[jkmartin12]

i hunt the metro area of Atlanta as well. Had my share of gear stolen too. I learned what goes in with me goes back out with me. Had several good bucks within 10 yards but it will spoil a man fast walking 50 yards in the woods and seeing several bucks then going to public and having to walk a mile to see one deer. I feel like the years I only hunted city property hurt me because I didn't learn anything besides don't grunt and use any scent unless you have to. With only 5 trees to climb I didn't have to scout or really do any real work besides the drag out. Like mentioned before I had a crazy lady that would bang pots and pans outside her house while I was hunting to scare the deer because she didn't want me hunting in there, but the deer paid her no mind because they knew she was crazy too.

[strutnrut716]

jkmartin ... lol !!