suburban deer

[creepingdeth]

Have a shot at private in 601 in MN. This area is full of big deer if you can get permission, no secret that is where I'm getting most of my cam pics from. My question is my observations are that these "city" deer are more permissive to every day pressure than wild. I seem to be able to get way w/ more in this area. Does anyone w/ simular setup think/feel the same way?? Dont want to let my guard down so I'm going to go at it like I'm robbing a house Any tips?

[Boogieman1]

City deer are familiar with the habits of the non hunting residents around them and accept it as non threatening. These habits do not include sneaking around in there bedroom, I suggest finding out what they are accustomed to and use that to your advantage. It's way easier when u pretend you are one of the good guys. Also escape routes can be very good most of the time these city dwellers get occasionally harassed by dogs, learn how they maneuver around this and be there when it happens! Good luck

[creepingdeth]

City deer are familiar with the habits of the non hunting residents around them and accept it as non threatening. These habits do not include sneaking around in there bedroom, I suggest finding out what they are accustomed to and use that to your advantage. It's way easier when u pretend you are one of the good guys. Also escape routes can be very good most of the time these city dwellers get occasionally harassed by dogs, learn how they maneuver around this and be there when it happens! Good luck

Thanks Boogster...gonna be a lot of fun. 1st summer soak and I'm learning tons about bigger bucks. This area is only 10 acres and only one other guy in the area thatI know of. Lot of changes going on right now and I'm taking notes

[creepingdeth]

City deer are familiar with the habits of the non hunting residents around them and accept it as non threatening. These habits do not include sneaking around in there bedroom, I suggest finding out what they are accustomed to and use that to your advantage. It's way easier when u pretend you are one of the good guys. Also escape routes can be very good most of the time these city dwellers get occasionally harassed by dogs, learn how they maneuver around this and be there when it happens! Good luck

By the way..happy hunting "over there"

[hunter10]

They are used to more regular human activity yes, but unless there is regular intrusion in the "woods" than they will likely treat you as a threat

[creepingdeth]

They are used to more regular human activity yes, but unless there is regular intrusion in the "woods" than they will likely treat you as a threat

10-4...this is a huge opportunity for me, almost "Iowalike"...I'm gonna be stealthy and have fun

[cougar]

on the plus side, access can be easier if the property has trails that see constant non hunting traffic. deer expect constantly moving humans buried eyes deep in a cell phone and not acting predatory in the least to be on those trails. SO you can possibly get away with letting your wind blow into a bedding area on your approach if the deer expects to smell humans on that trail. I've also seen deer hit my wind from the tree and if its slight or swirly and they don't pick up movement, they often settle down again. Big bucks tho... idk
I also think you can walk / jog / bike / heck even walk the dog on these trails if they get heavy use by non hunters. Use it as a non invasive scout, keeping an eye on fresh sign, trail crossings, muddy tracks, rub lines opening, how the wind moves thru from certain directions etc. Just resist the temptation to wander off trail.

Negatives are that the moment you stop for too long, creep along or move off the trail... boom your busted as a threat. Ground scent off the trails is a real issue. I would winter scout an area in depth to learn it and then stay on the trails or out entirely all summer based on other human traffic. In many of my suburban spots, deer are right up around houses, backyard gardens and the like. as long as they dont think you're hunting them, they couldnt care less about people.

Craig Meyer's Big Buck Registry podcast has some interesting insights, as does the stuff from Luke Muldoon aka Moondude aka the guy with a massive double drop as his profile pic

[Octoberjohn]

I used to hunt a local spot that was surrounded by houses. There was one little strip of woods, maybe 60 yards wide that connected two bigger chunks of ground. It was an ideal funnel. It almost seemed too easy, so I thought. The deer in that area were tolerant to every sound that came from the houses including leaf blowers, lawnmowers, chainsaws, etc. But if they even got one tiny whiff of something they weren't familiar with then they were gone. I was still able to have quite a bit of success filling my freezer, but it was never easy. It was also a great spot to archery hunt during the gun season. The deer just piled into those pockets of woods.

[mheichelbech]

I used to hunt a local spot that was surrounded by houses. There was one little strip of woods, maybe 60 yards wide that connected two bigger chunks of ground. It was an ideal funnel. It almost seemed too easy, so I thought. The deer in that area were tolerant to every sound that came from the houses including leaf blowers, lawnmowers, chainsaws, etc. But if they even got one tiny whiff of something they weren't familiar with then they were gone. I was still able to have quite a bit of success filling my freezer, but it was never easy. It was also a great spot to archery hunt during the gun season. The deer just piled into those pockets of woods.

Same for me. I have a big bigger woodlot at 40 acres but things have turned out exactly as you described. Burns out easily and the these deer seem to be the wariest of any I hunt. I have yet to kill a mature buck there although I see them in summer.

[Greg4579]

Lots of great insight and things to consider here.

I myself am struggling with a suburban piece of property in my neighborhood. I am amazed at what I am getting on camera, and it is almost too good to be true. The struggle comes from my scouting…there are lots of beds! Photo and visual evidence is also telling me that there is a good population of bucks in here, and I fully expect them to disperse. There are trails through it that mostly get used by quads, but not all that often. I have seen range from getting extremely skittish when I park to almost defiant and pissed…and to me that goes back to the individual animal. My only access is from the south, and the prevailing wind is typically out of the W or SW, so my hunting is quite limited unless I get an off wind. The terrain is a mix of really tall grasses and pockets of timber. There are two areas here there used to be ponds (Google still shows them), but I can positively say they have been drained, and now are extremely brushy where in the depressions where they were. Since there are so many beds and I do not definitively know when/how they are used my approach is going to be to start from the outside with observation sits and hopefully pull more info together. A big unknown is how they will respond to repeated pressure. To be honest there is not really anyplace to go (or so I reason) unless they take to open fields/houses in the north, or a housing plan on the east. South and West have them needing to cross major highways. My hypothesis is they might take that risk, but probably only at night.

[mspaci]

I can tell you from experience that usually if you bump a mature buck in those suburban areas they are gone for the season. Mike

[cbay]

The does and young deer around our subdivision are pretty tolerant to all the activity. When season rolls around and all the people go out hunting it's a whole different matter. I get a kick out of how hard it is for the folks that hunt here during gun season and get schooled by doe groups. Been watching and photographing the same old does post season here for years.
Bucks of course way tougher. They get a few 1 1/2 year old bucks and things get quiet out there. lol
Same ole same ole all about pressure. Not non hunting pressure but intrusion into their secure areas.