No bucks, what now?

[Treelee8181]

Hunting a small 100 acre property, 6th season now. worked years hard to improve the property and make it attractive to wildlife. Right now it’s best it’s ever been and deer (doe) numbers are highest I’ve ever seen.

I have five, lush, green plots. Each has a few does every evening. On 5 cell cams, I’m getting blown up with hundreds of pictures of these does each day/night.

I have two or three spikes and two four pointers pretty much ever day and night come through.

I have one camera on a big white oak that’s dropping acorns and one camera on an active scrape. Just seeing same does and small bucks.

I don’t usually walk around through the woods and thickets much this time of year to keep pressure down but last weekend I had to go look around to try and find something to get excited about.

I found rubs down on the creek as expected but only a couple scrapes.

There’s a couple things different this season than years past. They are…
1. I used to run three corn feeders, this year, only one and it doesn’t throw out much corn at all.
2. I increased size of plots this year and they are all very green right now.

I also built a pond this year in middle of property but construction ended in May and it’s been quite on the place since then.

I know the neighbors and surrounding properties well, they are not heavily pressured lands either. I don’t have trespassers.

So after hunting this land for 6 seasons now I’ve learned that bucks don’t spend much time on property from Feb-Sept.
but every year, late Sept early Oct, more and more bucks show up and always have at least a couple mature (3yr+) bucks come around.
I’ve killed 6 mature bucks in five seasons. I’ve let my kids shoot a few small bucks as well.

We’ve gone easy on does and maybe that needs to change??

I just know that we are about a week or two from peek of Rut and I don’t feel like I have much to get excited about.

So, I know some will say ignore cameras and just hunt, the big bucks are around. But I just don’t believe with these does in front of cameras, cameras on scrapes, etc that I wouldn’t have caught a picture of him, if there was a big boy around.

I know some will say the bucks will show. But it’s Oct 20th now and I’m starting to worry.

Outside dumping corn and sitting in woods with my fingers crossed, anything else I should be doing?

I know if I don’t have any mature bucks in another week, I’ll be hitting some public land in hopes of getting lucky.

Last question, should I be killing more does each year? I just seem to be getting more and more does and even though I have 6 acres of clover/cereal grains, the does are still keeping plots mowed lip high.

 

[earlthegoat2]

If you’re seeing 3:1 does to bucks or higher I would take a doe or two.

That is real hunting not trail cam surveillance.

This is anecdotal so take it for what it is. When I see majority does over a month or so, I know I need to take some. I may wait until the end of the rut but a few does will be harvested.

The buck numbers always went up for me after that.

 

[CarolinaDawg]

Hunting a small 100 acre property, 6th season now. worked years hard to improve the property and make it attractive to wildlife. Right now it’s best it’s ever been and deer (doe) numbers are highest I’ve ever seen.

I have five, lush, green plots. Each has a few does every evening. On 5 cell cams, I’m getting blown up with hundreds of pictures of these does each day/night.

I have two or three spikes and two four pointers pretty much ever day and night come through.

I have one camera on a big white oak that’s dropping acorns and one camera on an active scrape. Just seeing same does and small bucks.

I don’t usually walk around through the woods and thickets much this time of year to keep pressure down but last weekend I had to go look around to try and find something to get excited about.

I found rubs down on the creek as expected but only a couple scrapes.

There’s a couple things different this season than years past. They are…
1. I used to run three corn feeders, this year, only one and it doesn’t throw out much corn at all.
2. I increased size of plots this year and they are all very green right now.

I also built a pond this year in middle of property but construction ended in May and it’s been quite on the place since then.

I know the neighbors and surrounding properties well, they are not heavily pressured lands either. I don’t have trespassers.

So after hunting this land for 6 seasons now I’ve learned that bucks don’t spend much time on property from Feb-Sept.
but every year, late Sept early Oct, more and more bucks show up and always have at least a couple mature (3yr+) bucks come around.
I’ve killed 6 mature bucks in five seasons. I’ve let my kids shoot a few small bucks as well.

We’ve gone easy on does and maybe that needs to change??

I just know that we are about a week or two from peek of Rut and I don’t feel like I have much to get excited about.

So, I know some will say ignore cameras and just hunt, the big bucks are around. But I just don’t believe with these does in front of cameras, cameras on scrapes, etc that I wouldn’t have caught a picture of him, if there was a big boy around.

I know some will say the bucks will show. But it’s Oct 20th now and I’m starting to worry.

Outside dumping corn and sitting in woods with my fingers crossed, anything else I should be doing?

I know if I don’t have any mature bucks in another week, I’ll be hitting some public land in hopes of getting lucky.

Last question, should I be killing more does each year? I just seem to be getting more and more does and even though I have 6 acres of clover/cereal grains, the does are still keeping plots mowed lip high.

I think your lack of excitement is a result of your trail cams and it’s why I’m hesitant to put them all over my place. My suggestion is to go off of your experience as you said mature bucks show up during the rut. Forget the cameras, go old school, and enjoy yourself in the woods.

 

[Matt.M]

They will come. Keep the ladies around. On cams the bucks have just started cruising. Big boys haven't yet. Guessing it will be in the next few days.

Secondly, I would create a sanctuary on your property for bucks. Thick and nasty, and you never go in the area.

 

[Dustin Pate]

If you've killed 6 mature bucks in 5 seasons then I'd be excited as heck. I'd get in a stand and get ready.

Cameras are a blessing and a curse. I will tell you that I run a ton of cameras on my 100 acres and a couple of the largest bucks killed I never had a picture of.

 

[COYOTE X]

If you have killed six (6) mature bucks on 100 acres in five (5) years, PLUS your kids have killed bucks...…...

I know what happened to "your" bucks. They are all dead.

One buck "lives" on approximately 660 acres. You have a small portion of this under your control. The bucks you are killing are crossing your 100 acres.

Seems you've done a great job at making it attractive to the does and are holding them, that's the best you can do to a small tract.

Just be patient, "your" does will go into estrus and the bucks will visit.

COYOTE X

 

[rugerfan]

Not to beat a dead horse, and since I hunt public land, I won't have much advice to offer accept this, and it was stated in an above post. If you don't already have a thick nasty area on your property, create one that is the most inaccessible to humans, and don't try to go in there at all. There are 3 major things you need for deer and specially deer that may have "you" figured out. Food water and cover, umm I mean heavy cover. Where they can see you or smell you before you even know they are there. I will also drive these points home, don't hang cameras in the sanctuary area, don't go in there to find a place to hang a stand, don't go in there to put mineral blocks or feed. Create a little 3 to 5 acre thick nasty, people will never want to go in there area. Then you will get a good buck or a couple of good bucks to take up residency.

Patience Grasshopper!

 

[scottyd917]

Not sure what the problem is if you have killed 6 mature bucks in the past five years. In the same amount of time I haven't even seen half of that number. Sounds like you're doing just fine by anyone's standards. IMO 5 trail cameras on 100ac. is covering far less than 1% of the actual area that deer could be on your property.

I am in a similar situation as you this year. I got permission on about 85ac and have been running cameras relentlessly without much success in locating a good mature buck. Sunday on the walk in, I jumped what looked like a decent buck in an area I have completely ignored. Although there are virtually no oaks, or any other mast food sources other than green browse, I reluctantly walked in less than 100 yards from where he jumped up, set up in a poplar and two hours later put an arrow through a pretty nice 8 that I had never seen despite running almost 10 cameras since August. At this point of the year, sounds like you have the right ingredients in the pot...Go hunt with confidence...

 

[Treelee8181]

I think the sanctuary is a great idea but I have done this on the property. There is about a 20 acre swampy thicket I never go in. But from my experience from years past, the bucks don’t use it. To my south there is a 100 acre clear cut that is 4 yrs old and no one hunts there. To my east, there is 500 acres of pine managed land with lots of the thick-nasty. It’s got low pressure and low harvest.
Both have little food so that has been my focus for these past few years. Let the bucks bed where they want but draw them over with food and lots of single ladies.
It’s worked well but it’s as if this year the bucks are missing from the party.

 

[Treelee8181]

Big bucks I should say. the little bucks are probably gonna have more doe love than they can handle here in another week or two

 

[killerv]

I'd get with Limb Walker, he has the knowledge to make you a truly successful hunter. Maybe he'll see this thread and give you some ideas.

 

[sportsman94]

If you have 100 acre clear cut thats 4 years old to your south then they have plenty of food there. I hunt small properties like this (I bow hunt almost exclusively and havent capitalized on them, but generally see one or two mature bucks a year doing this): Other than planting plots and potentially hanging a stand I do not hunt these areas until prime time. For me its mostly the week of Thanksgiving or the week after. I like the entire property I hunt to be a "sanctuary" as surrounding areas pressure the deer. I have found that the more pressure I put on a small property the less daylight movement I have when the prime time comes. It sounds like you have done everything you can do to provide the deer needs, but if you are surrounded by low pressure areas and you hunt/pressure more than them then they may just use the other properties. Ultimately, the bucks will move in when the time is right if the does are there. YMMV. Good luck!

 

[krizia829]

Too many does will make it easy for the bucks that do show up during the rut to do their business and tidy down. I'd take a few does early season to keep the bucks chasing and give them a challenge during the rut. Gives you meat for the freezer and better chances of seeing more bucks running around. At least that's what we do and have had luck with it.. Don't get too caught up with it. From what I've read, you've had some great seasons! Good luck!

 

[Wifeshusband]

You'll drive yourself crazy worrying about big bucks or no bucks. Guys go insane over it. I don't think dumping corn is the solution. Ever now and then I kill a buck that crosses a road from a guy's place who feeds them corn. Things have a way of working out. If you got does, you're going to have bucks. Have you ever tried rattling?