Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
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Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
I hunt a few WMAs that have multiple seasons going on during deer season. I think I have a grasp on factoring in other deer hunter pressure, but how have you guys learned to factor in pressure from other types of people presence into your strategies? Depending on what someone is hunting, they all move through the woods and displace pressure differently. I’ll get a little more detailed with my specific circumstances:
—in one location, there is a large swampy river system that definitely holds some deer. I get about a month to hunt it before it gets absolutely pounded by duck hunters. Has anyone dealt with this? How so? Do big bucks react differently to this type of human presence? It makes me avoid the swamps because I can’t fathom how a big buck would hang around when it sounds like a battle is happening.
—second situation: there are also many small game hunters (mainly squirrel) around. Has anyone learned from factoring in this type of pressure?
—last situation, which might be the most confounding: coon hunters. I have had trail cameras out on the public I hunt and gotten pictures of coon hunters through all hours of the night. Not only is the time of their pressure difficult to consider, but their locations are totally spread out, too. How in the world could this form of pressure be incorporated into my strategy? Obviously, we want to consider as many variables as possible when selecting our location, but I feel like this is one where I have to chalk it up and hope for the best. Interested to see if anyone has used this to their advantage.
—in one location, there is a large swampy river system that definitely holds some deer. I get about a month to hunt it before it gets absolutely pounded by duck hunters. Has anyone dealt with this? How so? Do big bucks react differently to this type of human presence? It makes me avoid the swamps because I can’t fathom how a big buck would hang around when it sounds like a battle is happening.
—second situation: there are also many small game hunters (mainly squirrel) around. Has anyone learned from factoring in this type of pressure?
—last situation, which might be the most confounding: coon hunters. I have had trail cameras out on the public I hunt and gotten pictures of coon hunters through all hours of the night. Not only is the time of their pressure difficult to consider, but their locations are totally spread out, too. How in the world could this form of pressure be incorporated into my strategy? Obviously, we want to consider as many variables as possible when selecting our location, but I feel like this is one where I have to chalk it up and hope for the best. Interested to see if anyone has used this to their advantage.
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
I have found squirrel hunters to have more of an impact than roughly the same number of deer hunters in hill country anyway. I think it depends on terrain though. In hills squirrel hunters go anywhere but if you have swamps, they probably won't be in there looking for squirrels and that can stack up the deer. Around here in the hills or farm country large numbers of squirrel hunters wreck deer bedding and movement in general.
One other thing that completely wrecks normal deer movement is coon hunting. When dogs are running an area at night a lot of deer seem to just move out at least temporarily. I have seen farms completely cleaned out of deer if coon hunters are in there multiple nights. You don't see much coon hunting anymore, fur is just about worthless, but its something to keep in mind.
Duck and goose hunting does have some impact but they stick to water, so usually there is plenty of other cover deer can shelter in while the steel BBs fall like rain from the skyblasters
One other thing that completely wrecks normal deer movement is coon hunting. When dogs are running an area at night a lot of deer seem to just move out at least temporarily. I have seen farms completely cleaned out of deer if coon hunters are in there multiple nights. You don't see much coon hunting anymore, fur is just about worthless, but its something to keep in mind.
Duck and goose hunting does have some impact but they stick to water, so usually there is plenty of other cover deer can shelter in while the steel BBs fall like rain from the skyblasters
- brancher147
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
Here is a video on duck hunting pressure by The Hunting Public. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcfBFfDV0a8
The only thing I deal with is dog hunting pressure by bear hound hunters. It can displace deer when they are running through, but the deer usually tend to come right back. It is impossible to plan for though as the bear could be anywhere and dogs could be anywhere. You just have to deal with it...
The only thing I deal with is dog hunting pressure by bear hound hunters. It can displace deer when they are running through, but the deer usually tend to come right back. It is impossible to plan for though as the bear could be anywhere and dogs could be anywhere. You just have to deal with it...
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- Jonny
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
Always areas that aren’t hit. Talk to the guys a bit and see what they do and how they do it.
Water keeps everybody out by me. I know of a 2 acre pothole that is completely enclosed by a road and atv trails. Always has tracks heading in it, and it’s common to see deer from the road in it if you know where to look.
For areas with duck hunters, 95% of them stay in boats so that is easy. The 5% that jump shoot potholes can cause problems for deer hunting. Just gotta find the hard spots they don’t like to go to. Again, talking to them at the parking lot can gain lots of intel.
Water keeps everybody out by me. I know of a 2 acre pothole that is completely enclosed by a road and atv trails. Always has tracks heading in it, and it’s common to see deer from the road in it if you know where to look.
For areas with duck hunters, 95% of them stay in boats so that is easy. The 5% that jump shoot potholes can cause problems for deer hunting. Just gotta find the hard spots they don’t like to go to. Again, talking to them at the parking lot can gain lots of intel.
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- JRM KY
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
I have absolutely no duck hunter pressure experience but where I hunt it is swamped with squirrel and coon hunters. I have done a whole lot of both myself and i can tell you that there is no coon or squirrel hunter that is gonna go through a thick or steep area to get to a dog if they do not have to. They take the path of least resistance usually through open timber or a road then walk directly toward there dogs. Everyone uses GPS trackers now and its easy to take the easier way. I used to walk up on deer all them time coon hunting at night and they would just stand there and look at me. One thing i always thought was that this is where the deer are at night anyway so its not bothering my hunting. Only stacking my odds in the places i know they are in the day time not in the open timber or on roads. If you are baiting deer than that is a totally different animal as i have treed numerous coon and squirrels around bait piles. As a matter of fact if they know there is a bait pile in the area they will turn there dogs over it again and again.
- headgear
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
I use to do a lot of duck hunting and a lot of pressure will for sure flush them out but at the same time you might be surprised to find them hanging tight to those wet areas right under the noses of duck hunters. I have jumped some nice bucks after hunting a slew all morning and making all kinds of racket. They know their distances and know when they are safe but if they can find a better spot they likely will if the pressure is too great. See if you can find those pockets where nobody else is hunting anything and you will up your odds to finding the bucks. I've walked into places thinking I was crazy for looking there but after you do it a dozen times you start to get a feel for why those bucks are hiding out there.
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
JRM KY wrote: I have done a whole lot of both myself and i can tell you that there is no coon or squirrel hunter that is gonna go through a thick or steep area to get to a dog if they do not have to. They take the path of least resistance usually through open timber or a road then walk directly toward there dogs. Everyone uses GPS trackers now and its easy to take the easier way. I used to walk up on deer all them time coon hunting at night and they would just stand there and look at me.
This makes a lot of sense, thanks for sharing. I’ve hog hunted with dogs using GPS systems, so it’s logical they would use them to take paths where you would expect them.
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
JRM KY wrote: I have done a whole lot of both myself and i can tell you that there is no coon or squirrel hunter that is gonna go through a thick or steep area to get to a dog if they do not have to. They take the path of least resistance usually through open timber or a road then walk directly toward there dogs. Everyone uses GPS trackers now and its easy to take the easier way. I used to walk up on deer all them time coon hunting at night and they would just stand there and look at me.
This makes a lot of sense, thanks for sharing. I’ve hog hunted with dogs using GPS systems, so it’s logical they would use them to take paths where you would expect them.
- Twenty Up
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
From my experience the rabbit, quail & squirrel hunters all flush deer out to others areas. Essentially they’re stacking beds for me. The most predictable being rabbit and quail hitting open, overgrown fields. Squirrel hunters as mentioned aren’t going to walk into the real thick stuff.
Ideally you want to avoid areas that cater to multiple types of hunters be it duck, quail, rabbit etc... Scout for those great overlooked beds then focus on a thicker, nastier spot with less pressure and poorer access.
Ideally you want to avoid areas that cater to multiple types of hunters be it duck, quail, rabbit etc... Scout for those great overlooked beds then focus on a thicker, nastier spot with less pressure and poorer access.
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- comeback_kid
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
In my area some of the non-hunting pressure comes from fox hunts, like English style with hounds and a big caravan. One of the bedding areas I found this year is a steep ridge overlooking a horse jump where fox hunters on horseback come into the property. Definition of an overlooked spot.
- Rob loper
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
pressure is pressure wether from a coyote a hunter or a dog
any kind of scent in the wrong place or where a deer feels safe is gonna put them on alert big time
and if it happens enough they arent gonna bed or feed or move through that area til way after dark or at all
pressure is pressure no matter what it is . stressed animals are on high alert all the time
any kind of scent in the wrong place or where a deer feels safe is gonna put them on alert big time
and if it happens enough they arent gonna bed or feed or move through that area til way after dark or at all
pressure is pressure no matter what it is . stressed animals are on high alert all the time
- Rutnstrut
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
I have also seen coon and squirrel hunting absolutely ruin areas. Coon hunting seems to be the worst of the two even though coon hunters will swear otherwise.
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
TheBuckPsych wrote:pressure is pressure wether from a coyote a hunter or a dog
any kind of scent in the wrong place or where a deer feels safe is gonna put them on alert big time
and if it happens enough they arent gonna bed or feed or move through that area til way after dark or at all
pressure is pressure no matter what it is . stressed animals are on high alert all the time
That’s how I feel about it.
Another question for the beasts out there:
If my hunting area has a year round human presence from horseback riders, hikers, joggers, and bikers, do you all think that would lessen the effects of human scent in an area?
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Re: Effects of non-deer hunting pressure
Bowmet wrote:TheBuckPsych wrote:pressure is pressure wether from a coyote a hunter or a dog
any kind of scent in the wrong place or where a deer feels safe is gonna put them on alert big time
and if it happens enough they arent gonna bed or feed or move through that area til way after dark or at all
pressure is pressure no matter what it is . stressed animals are on high alert all the time
That’s how I feel about it.
Another question for the beasts out there:
If my hunting area has a year round human presence from horseback riders, hikers, joggers, and bikers, do you all think that would lessen the effects of human scent in an area?
Have experienced coon hunters and done it myself inTN. It definitely has an impact for at least a couple weeks. Sometimes those are good late season spots since a lot of guys write them off.
With the year round human pressure, a couple Ohio spots I hunt are like this. Some of my best beds are set up to watch or smell typical access. They put up with it but bust quickly if you don’t follow the standard script. I’ve actually got some pretty good intel from talking to mountain bikers in the parking lot. Scared the crap out of one guy last year coming out of the woods in full camo. He actually texts me now when he sees bucks
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