Backyard bucks?

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mauser06
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Backyard bucks?

Unread postby mauser06 » Wed Sep 09, 2020 5:33 pm

Anyone fortunate enough to hunt their backyard?


Last season was the first full season in my house. I don't own any woods...but 98% sure I can secure permission for most of the block. A few hundred acres. Never really gave it much thought. I've had struggles on private for years. Either noone can hunt it or everyone can hunt it and it's a mess. So I never bothered.

Last year I noticed deer hammering the acorns in my yard...rubbing a small shrub and a few small rubs on saplings in the woods. Nothing too exciting.


Couple weeks ago I got home from fishing at 3 or 4am and as I let the dogs out I noticed 3 deer. They did NOT appear to be a mom and fawns and one body looked like a horse.



Hmmm??


Threw a camera out....there's a heck of a trail 40yds from where I stop mowing.

Yesterday it was raining so I ran out and swapped the card......

Image


Image

I think both those pics are cropped....11am

There's actually 3 bucks there in one of the series of pics I got. The big 9...the smaller looks like a 10 and the other o couldn't see the rack.


The big 9 makes everything else I've killed look small. That 10 beside him would make me pretty happy.

I about fell over when I saw that big boy.

They seem to come through regularly but I might have to adjust the camera...other pics are far or blurred.


Looking at the satellite images, there's a couple dynamite funnels. A block to the north is NASTY strip mines and clear cut 10-15 years ago. Some fields but I don't think any crops real close. Across both roads gets HAMMERED with pressure.


Maybe tomorrow I will get a chance to go talk to all the neighbors.

I may have a little honey hole. I don't think it'll be anything I hunt HARD. But the potential is there. It's all small enough that I don't wanna blow them outta there.


I seriously never expected to have anything like that lurking out back!!


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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby Zephyrus » Wed Sep 09, 2020 7:41 pm

Nice find!
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brancher147
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby brancher147 » Wed Sep 09, 2020 11:09 pm

That’s awesome! Good luck.

I can hunt my neighbors farm couple hundred acres which borders hard to access public on a big mountain and have public out my front door. I never hunt it as I never see anything decent but I probably should. I’m just always rambling around in new areas and get on good sign elsewhere.
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Ryan549
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby Ryan549 » Wed Sep 09, 2020 11:17 pm

Go get him
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Huntress13
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby Huntress13 » Wed Sep 09, 2020 11:42 pm

holy moly! Hope he stays around to get a crack at!
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1STRANGEWILDERNESS
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby 1STRANGEWILDERNESS » Thu Sep 10, 2020 12:14 am

Nice bucks!

If you can land permission for the whole area that’d be great but you’ve got daylight pics of bucks you would love to kill 40 yds from your lawn. I’d probably just start there.
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby john1984 » Thu Sep 10, 2020 12:29 am

Good luck 8-)
RiverBottoms
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby RiverBottoms » Thu Sep 10, 2020 12:53 am

Heck of a find. I'd keep it pretty quiet on who you tell that you hunt that piece, and especially why you hunt that piece
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greenhorndave
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby greenhorndave » Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:09 am

He’s a slammer man.

Git to gittin that permission! :D
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby Whitetailaddict » Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:28 am

Not sure about how many acres you will have access to if you can get permission but I'm a little confused by your strategy in this situation. I don't understand why you wouldn't hunt these bucks hard if they're bigger than anything you have taken previously. Now don't get me wrong I am not advocating hunting them just to hunt them but if your continued scouting tells you they are still in the area when you are able to hunt and you have good conditions or setups I would be in there every chance I had with the right set up. If nothing shows I would keep doing fresh sits until I came across the deer or felt they were no longer there. I guess I just don't understand the logic of hunting a public area where you may not be sure what's there and may not have anything bigger than anything you've shot instead of focusing on what seems to be a potential for high odds hunt with a great buck. Continue to leave options open but unless a better option arises I would continue to try to figure out the best way to kill this buck. I believe with continued scouting and persistence you can get it done. A good quote from Arnold Schwarzeneger is I hate having a plan B because having a plan B takes time and energy away from Plan A and you are already concerned about the possibility of failing at Plan A. Put your energy in plan A. Good luck.
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headgear
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby headgear » Thu Sep 10, 2020 4:08 am

Great looking buck there! I usually have one good one behind my house that I lightly hunt, I need to get a crack at them that first week of the season otherwise they are all coming though well after dark. I do hunt it a little prime time when I don't have time to get to other spots, there is an outside shot at a good one during prime time but overall I spend way more time on public.
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby HuntingParadise » Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:10 am

We have corn in our backyard that we put out once it starts snowing so deer have extra food while also providing the entertainment of seeing them. Used to be all does but we did have a small 8 and shooter 7 coming in at dark. I couldve shot the 7 on Christmas day while the whole family was over but that didnt feel quite right! I have no problem with hunting your backyard as well. We have a small plot we just added that is maybe 60 yards from the house that will be used as a place to sit if time is limited from work.
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby mauser06 » Thu Sep 10, 2020 6:35 am

Definitely going to keep this quiet. I've seen that before...oh ya you can hunt.....then you're telling them about the great hunting blah blah blah and then their nephew all the sudden is throwing you off.


I'm not sure on how my strategy will be. The strip of woods they are in in maybe 100yds wide. They are heading towards a road. I know the other side is not accessible to me and gets hunted heavy. They COULD be bedding between the road and my camera. There's some pretty nasty wet stuff through there. I can see a giant bedding there especially when the pressure is on.


They could be laying anywhere right behind the house. It was logged-select cut- a year and a half ago. Noone goes in the woods. Definitely a safe haven.


I'm afraid to go at them too hard and blow them out of there. I have to tread lightly but strike while the iron is hot...

I think I can get away with hunting a couple of the pinch points somewhat regularly when they are cruising.


Guess it'll be something I have to learn and figure out. It's by no means going to be easy.


I'm going to keep monitoring the camera and see if I can figure out a pattern.


It'll also be interesting to see if there's always a big buck back there or if he's just a freak. I've seen a few hammers in the area...but there's a lot of ground....and a lot of REALLY nasty ground. Even the stuff that does get hunted...there's enough nasty ground the deer can easily survive. Same deal...I'm just turned off to private because I've had worst hunting than I do now on public. But, I have to keep an open mind and realize it's not all the same and the private up here is much bigger than it was down home. That was the issue down home. Small fragmented land...deer were quickly pushed into the anti-hunters yards.


Excited to see how this plays out...even longer term.
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MN_DeerHunter
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby MN_DeerHunter » Thu Sep 10, 2020 6:47 am

We own a few acres of cover that dumps down into a slough behind our house. I maintain a smaller food plot and do a lot of habitat work on that small strip of cover to thicken it up. Its a fun hobby for me. With that, we always get a couple nice bucks on camera in the fall but its almost always after dark. My neighbor owns a larger swamp across the road that has the best bedding in my general area and that's usually where the deer come from.

Those are some really nice bucks, hope you get a shot at them. How are you going about getting permission? Taking a kid with?
mauser06
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Re: Backyard bucks?

Unread postby mauser06 » Thu Sep 10, 2020 7:53 am

I honestly don't think permission will be an issue. I'm their neighbor and will sell it as archery only.

Basically 3 landowners at play close by...all family...I talk to the one regularly. The other, I caught and returned their dog and they were very thankful...the one I talked to told me the brother that technically owns the bigger chunk, has issues with coons and coyotes and such killing his animals. I just happen to trap. I also know his brother. Lol. So, I'd be very surprised if I get told no....

There's a 40 or so after piece north of of all this...not sure if I can get that. A bigger farm directly north of that piece I already have a friend that told me he would definitely let me hunt. If I can get it all, I'd probably have a few hundred acres and some different options.



If I get told no....so be it. I will start feeding the big guy and take his pictures lol.


Even if I do secure it all ...it'll be a great lightly and not hunt the snot out of it...if I blow them out of these woodlots too much they probably won't be back in the daytime.


I think right now, they probably feel pretty dang safe doing whatever they want in-between our 5 houses and fields. I'd like to keep it that way. It'd be REAL nice to have close by spots for before/after work and stuff.


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