Big buck small property

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cg21
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Big buck small property

Unread postby cg21 » Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:51 pm

New to the forum... glad to be here looks like lots of good content.

So I own 10 Acres seems my property is bedding but mainly a pass through type property I have 10 acres of untouched unpressured oak forest as my neighbor and then pretty much surrounded by ag fields. I have a very large buck atleast 6 years old from my first pictures. I have never really hunted for him.

I bought a feeder and a daytime scrape dripper....I know the big bucks don’t frequent the feeders often from what I read but I am wanting to make the does feel at home. With it only being 10 Acres I am thinking I won’t be able to get many hunts in without over pressuring him. So main question is should I set the feeder / drip where I want to kill? Or should I set it up where they have to pass me to get to the drip/feeder location?

I am open to any advice / suggestions

Thanks


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Boogieman1
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:24 pm

My opinion is if you put a feeder on there yes you will bring in doe's and have them bed close. Problem 1 you will never be able to get in there with out running everything out the back door. Prob 2 that's a lot of work for one or 2 hunts at the most. Prob 3 The buck probs feels unalarmed moving through the area now, u dump all that stuff out there he's gonna instantly be on high alert.

Ask yourself a few simple questions! Willing to bet everyone who hunts in your area uses feeders and such tactics. How do these other hunters do in consistently killing big mature bucks with such tactics? The way I see it if a buck survives his 3rd hunting season he has seen every trick 99% of hunters do. He has learned not only how to escape danger but how to avoid it all together. Gotta hit em with a curve ball they haven't seen. Just my .02
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby jman22 » Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:15 pm

I agree with Boogie. I dont know much about feeders but it seems to me this would cause more problems for you. That's more trips in and out of a small piece of woods to fill the feeder and dripper. You have a untouched natural and attractive food source already.
If anything I'd look to see if you could make some subtle changes to your property that would help you access your stand sites without being detected. If you already have good access I'd just be weary of overhunting such a small piece. Pick and choose the best dates/conditions where you may have the best crack at seeing that buck during daylight. Your first sit will be your best chance it him, so make it count.
Also, learn what you can from your camera. Older bucks can become very habitual, so use those past pics to help formulate a plan. Note the time of day and conditions when you get pics of him and most importantly dont check the cam too often. Loads of good info on here about trail cam strategy and how to "hunt ahead " of your cameras.
And most importantly, scout that property more during the off season and see what else you can learn.
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby EdC » Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:43 pm

make sure to check what winds that buck is moving on and timing
also see if by chance he moved on moon overhead or moon underfoot, just another piece of the puzzle
this way you can setup accordingly
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cg21
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby cg21 » Fri Jan 25, 2019 12:22 am

The deer are moving through my backyard, so I felt the situation was a little different I have a heavy trail 20yds front where I quit mowing. The biggest rub line I have ever seen is 200yds from my back door. I was thinking my feeder could go 150yds from my door just a little past where I quit mowing. Hunting over bait is illegal all bait has to be removed 10days before hunting.

Maybe I should consider some cuddelink cameras to get intel on him without stomping through the area.... I bet if I quit with SIM cards more would bed on my property.
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby EdC » Fri Jan 25, 2019 12:35 am

cg21 wrote:The deer are moving through my backyard, so I felt the situation was a little different I have a heavy trail 20yds front where I quit mowing. The biggest rub line I have ever seen is 200yds from my back door. I was thinking my feeder could go 150yds from my door just a little past where I quit mowing. Hunting over bait is illegal all bait has to be removed 10days before hunting.

Maybe I should consider some cuddelink cameras to get intel on him without stomping through the area.... I bet if I quit with SIM cards more would bed on my property.


why alert the deer with baiting, if you have access to those cameras without collecting sim cards go for it, less to alert the deer considering your goals and the small property
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cg21
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby cg21 » Fri Jan 25, 2019 12:47 am

EdC wrote:
cg21 wrote:The deer are moving through my backyard, so I felt the situation was a little different I have a heavy trail 20yds front where I quit mowing. The biggest rub line I have ever seen is 200yds from my back door. I was thinking my feeder could go 150yds from my door just a little past where I quit mowing. Hunting over bait is illegal all bait has to be removed 10days before hunting.

Maybe I should consider some cuddelink cameras to get intel on him without stomping through the area.... I bet if I quit with SIM cards more would bed on my property.


why alert the deer with baiting, if you have access to those cameras without collecting sim cards go for it, less to alert the deer considering your goals and the small property



I don’t know that’s why I came here! I have never killed a mature buck... but my house is north of the property so I leave my door with a north wind and they all know I’m here! I also think it is because I shot does... this upcoming season I am not going to go for any deer on my property except him.
Redman232
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby Redman232 » Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:30 am

If he's not bedding on your property, look at an aerial and try to determine where he spends most of his time. Then try to get permission there. If that doesn't work out, wait til the rut to hunt your property. Rather than worrying about a feeder and a drip, set up a stand site or ground blind site with rock solid access. Only hunt it when the wind is right to not bust the does off the property. Hunting small properties for mature bucks means 1 of 2 things, either you don't hunt often or you get permission on a bunch of them.
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby matt1336 » Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:36 am

cg21 wrote:The deer are moving through my backyard, so I felt the situation was a little different I have a heavy trail 20yds front where I quit mowing. The biggest rub line I have ever seen is 200yds from my back door. I was thinking my feeder could go 150yds from my door just a little past where I quit mowing. Hunting over bait is illegal all bait has to be removed 10days before hunting.

Maybe I should consider some cuddelink cameras to get intel on him without stomping through the area.... I bet if I quit with SIM cards more would bed on my property.



Outside of peak rut conditions, that buck likely won’t use that trail during daylight. If he smells you back there with any type of consistency, I’d bet that he’d stop using that area. Don’t bait. I don’t see how thatd improve your chances.
Your onto the camera thing. Unless you have a way to check cams noninvasively, they often hurt you more than they help.
The answer here is- intelligent scouting will get you where you need to go.
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milkweed-militia
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby milkweed-militia » Fri Jan 25, 2019 4:44 am

Redman232 wrote:If he's not bedding on your property, look at an aerial and try to determine where he spends most of his time. Then try to get permission there. If that doesn't work out, wait til the rut to hunt your property. Rather than worrying about a feeder and a drip, set up a stand site or ground blind site with rock solid access. Only hunt it when the wind is right to not bust the does off the property. Hunting small properties for mature bucks means 1 of 2 things, either you don't hunt often or you get permission on a bunch of them.


X2 on this. You need to figure out when and why he's using your property. Look around on here and read as much as you can on how bucks use the wind. I killed one of the biggest bodied deer that I've ever seen in our area this year in a spot that is probably around 10 acres at most. I figured out where he was bedding (which was on another property) because of what I'd learned on here and the hill country bedding DVD. I could only hunt my in laws' property with south or southeast winds. I got within 100 yards of him three times in early October when we were having record high heat (south winds). When the weather changed, I didn't go back for a month until I got my right wind again. I went in the next time and killed him out of a tree that I'd never been in before.

This site is a wealth of knowledge for learning how to really "hunt" mature bucks. You need to read and watch as much as you can, then get out there and prove to yourself what you've been reading. It's been working for me pretty well.

Oh yeah, I wouldn't use a feeder or a dripper.
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby mheichelbech » Fri Jan 25, 2019 12:13 pm

My property backs up to Another small woods (42 acres). I feed the deer behind my house just because it’s fun to watch them. In 5 years I’ve gotten pics of mature bucks exactly 2 times in the middle of the night. I know that mature bucks inhabit the property as I see them in season around.

Contrast that with a food plot (about 2 acres) I put out that actually is only about 50 yards from the road and I’ve seen several mature bucks eating, fighting, even bedding (at night). Go figure!

You might consider some kind of food plot if you can do it the spring/summer for a food source after the crops and nuts are gone. A good cold snap late winter might give you a shot. Also, if you have any wild food sources like wild rose bushes, etc. fertilize it. Deer will come to a fertilized food source more than a non-fertilized one.

More than anything, don’t let the buck know you are hunting him. They seem to know the difference and adjust accordingly.
Lot of good info on small properties on here as well as the good advice already stated on this topic.
"One of the chief attractions of the life of the wilderness is its rugged and stalwart democracy; there every man stands for what he actually is and can show himself to be." — Theodore Roosevelt, 1893
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby Lockdown » Fri Jan 25, 2019 3:44 pm

Solid advice from Boogie and Redman.

The more I observe, the more I realize it is the best tool for learning. I would observe as much as you can and set out a few well placed trail cams in discrete spots. I think a lot of guys get too obsessed with cams and end up doing more harm than good. (I definitely shot myself in the foot in the past).

When I place cams, I never set them to just “see what happens” unless it’s set strictly for inventory over salt. Each one gets set in its respective spot for a reason. Most often I’m monitoring bedding.

I do think the idea of trying to use bait to lure the buck in is low odds. Way too many guys (non-Beasts) try to get the deer to come to them. Use scouting, cams, and observations so YOU can go to HIM.

If you’ve got does, rut is a good time to get him. Keep the does happy and you have a solid chance. Speaking of the does, make sure you scout and know where they like to bed. EXACTLY where they like to bed. I have killed 3 bucks since 2011 in the same 10 acre grove. The does have a small area on the south end where they like to bed and that’s where the action is.

Find the highest concentration of doe beds on your ten acres and figure out how to hunt it with multiple winds. Put 3 or 4 stands in a 100-200 yard area if you have to. Don’t force the hunts though. Wait until the timing is right and conditions are in your favor.
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OH nontypical
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Re: Big buck small property

Unread postby OH nontypical » Fri Jan 25, 2019 11:31 pm

Look for a funnel in the are that you can access without spoiling the spot with your entry. Skip the feeder or drip anywhere near your actual hunting location. You want to find a spot on his travel corridor but be able to let other deer pass undetected if he doesn’t show.

My son and I did just that here a few years ago and he shot a giant buck in a stand I set about 30 yards off the edge of a back a yard. It was on a 5 acre piece that butted up to a 27 acre field and had a neighborhood on the other side.

Entry and exit were key. We use the neighbors yard to slip in and out and only hunted on the right wind. We had pics of the deer on a camera about a quarter mile away and I got to know his and another big bucks tracks at that camera site. I then followed the tracks one day after a snow in the off season and learned how they both moved through the area. My son shot that buck 10 months later in Nov. I saw the second buck out of the same stand that year but didn’t get a shot. He disappeared after that season.


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