What percentage of your hunting property do you bowhunt?

[blackbeard]

Read an article by Steve Bartylla today that really got me thinking. It was a food plot article in Deer & Deer Hunting but he discussed how people bowhunt too much of a percentage of their property and push deer nocturnal or onto neighboring properties. It really hit home with me and my property because it is only 35 acres but I typically put 4-5 stands on it and hunt every side. His point was to hunt the easy-to-get-to perimeter areas and to stay away from the interior so bucks will stay there and not get spooked. I think I'm gonna change my strategy on at least my property this year and only hang two stands in the easy to get to perimeter areas. Any thoughts?

[hortontoter]

I think he is giving good advice. And I'd say the smaller the property the more that pressure will have an effect.

My ten acre property is long and narrow. The length runs east and west. The road borders the east side. It is 316 foot wide and 1500 foot long on the south side. The north side is 1246 foot long and then makes a sharp angle to meet the end point on the 1500 foot south side. So about 80% of my property is 316 foot wide. The first 250 foot or so of depth is for the most part unhuntable. This is where my cabin is located and the terrain is very steep and clifflike, with many large boulders. This steep terrain runs to my creek bottom. My first stand is right at the base of the hill about 6 foot from the creek bank. All shots are across this creek. My main stand is across the creek bottom and on top of the other steep hillside of the creek bottom. This stand is approx. 300 foot west of the creek bottom stand or approx 500-550 from the road. This stand is usually as far west as I go in to bowhunt. I have two other stands to the west, but they are used for gun hunting 90% of the time. The one stand I may hunt once or twice a season with my crossbow, depending on the mast crop that year.

So most of my hunting is within the front 1/3 of my property and about 1/2 of this 1/3 is not really huntable. So I only really hunt about 20% of my property, but do disturb about 1/3 of it entering to hunt. My saving grace is that almost all the properties around me are off limits to hunters, except for a couple during gun season. My neighbor to the north who also owns ten acres that borders my whole northern property line never allows any hunting. His whole property and the rear 2/3 of mine are rarely hunted. But, he does have an ATV that he rides from time to time on his property, so the deer do get disturbed from time to time.

My property has proved to me that property size is not real important if the setup is right. The terrain features on my property dictate quite a bit how the deer travel. But they still have plenty of places to give me the slip most of the time.

[mrbb]

well I think it really comes dopwn to what the shape and land terrian is
I have almost 200 acre's, BUT the whole center of the property is , almost dead center is a 65 acre field, so there is no way I can lave the center alone to keep deer on it, as come hunting season, 99% of the time its been harvested and is a wide open zero cover area>
I have a border of about a 100- to about 300 yrd all about the field some spots being more some being a lot less!, which has been severly over browsed to the point, there is almost little cover
MY main deal maker/breaker is a few area's of thicker hemlock tree's deer travel to get to my food plots
so for me, I can pertty well hunt all ends of the property, as there all accessed from the middle to them, thus I seldom ever spook any deer on the way to a stand
my biggest issue is getting out of stands at evenings ends to hunts, as I hunt food plots here mostly, and by sun set I typically have LOTS of deer in them and in front of me
so I tend to hunt stands I know I have some what of a chance to sneek out of, or rotate stands alot if I get busted! to give a stand site some down time, and that is why I have so many stands up
I have 4+ miles of border on the property, so lots of places to set up if I like, and sadly why I have so many folks hunting my borders! and so hard to catch them/be in the right spot to see them!
so property shape and what how its made ,
I think, is what rules how you should be hunting it, and not a golden rule can be for all!

[blackbeard]

My property is 35 acres and basically a rectangle with the east and west sides being the long sides. My house sits on the southeast side or short end of the rectangle, so my access is always from the south to north direction. It is basically a 10 acre overgrown field in the middle (more toward the northern part of the property) surrounded by 15 acres of woods on the south side, a 50 yard strip of woods on the west and north sides, and a 100 yard strip of woods on the east side. The overgrown field used to be a mowed field but over the last ten years I've let it grow up with patches of locust trees, rasberry and blackberry vines, and honeysuckle and I just mow paths around the perimeter. The property is bordered by large pines on the west and north sides, woods on the south side, and nasty clear cut on the east side. Since I let the field grow up my mature buck sightings have increased. Mature bucks love the field because the weeds, etc are as high as their back and the clumps of locust trees scattered throughout provide more security cover. The problem is mature bucks bed everywhere in the overgrown field and accessing the west, north, and east sides is always impossible without pushing them off the property. So I either continue hunting all sides of the property, spooking deer just about always, and occasionally getting an opportunity at a mature buck or I do what Steve Bartylla said and just hunt the south side which is less than half of the property. That may be the best strategy because I can then hunt without alerting deer to my presence and hope that eventually a mature buck wonders to the south side to eat corn, acorns, or when pursuing a hot doe. It'll just be tough to do because like I said I won't be hunting over half my property. Accessing the west, north, and east side can only be accomplished by walking in the narrow strips which are thick too because the neighboring properties are no trespassing. I think I'll try the new strategy though, I need to change some things up. Any thoughts?

[hortontoter]

I think the prevailing winds dictate most the way we have to place stands. Your need to enter south to north every time could be a detriment in the first half of archery season. Fall and early winter winds come mostly from the west and south. I'm assuming the road you live on runs east and west, at least I hope it does. If it were me, I'd probably only hunt the east side of your property. If so I would walk the road to the east side of the property and only go into the 100 yard strip of woods as far as needed to be in a prime location on most hunts. This would hopefully elimanate spooking most of the deer in your area. Also come the rut on the days the wind is from the west the bucks scent checking would tend to be on the east side of your property. I'd make me a good path as close to the east property line as possible for entering and exiting and all my stands would be in that 100 yard strip. This strategy would only allow you to hunt on days when the wind is correct, but luckily you live where you hunt so waiting for the right wind is easier. If most of your deer enter your property from the neighbor to the east this strategy would not work so well. Just an idea.

[mrbb]

well in your case, I think I would be hunting the spots be as many or few as I could without disturbing deer getting in and out
I know so many folks say scent is the number one deal maker or breaker
But I for one don't agree 100 %
I have hunted in ohio for 10+ yrs, and spent 99% of my time in one treestand, due to it was in the best spot, and best access in and out, I hunted that tree NO matter what way the wind was blowing, and time after time, winds in every direction, I have very mature bucks come in range
here in PA, I do the same on many stand site, due to its where the deer want to be, and wind be any direction, they show up, and so do I
I take great measures to be scent free as possible, and getting in and out without letting deer know your hunting them to me is the most important deal maker, not scent
I know not many will agree here
but think about it
why do they say the first time you hunt a stand is the best
its cause the deer are not expecting you to be hunting them there?
how many times have you heard of folks having a big buck come out time after time and not getting a shot??
if they don't know your there, they don't know your there

having deer see you more and more on a property, sure adds scent, but it teaches them human are there more and more, and for them to be more alert, and cautious in traveling about these lands
face it folks, we all live in places where human scent is all over where we hunt, deer smell us all yrs round, all summer and spring we invade there woods, just like in hunting season,
sure they get smarter the more you and others pressure them, but to me its that, pressure, of them seeing and smelling you more that makes them get harder to kill
not scent alone

getting into a spot deer go and getting out I feel will up your odds more than waiting for the right wind
NOW if you can do both, then your ahead of the game
if you have many stands , saving some for right winds is a great idea for sure, but I will never NOT hunt a HOT stand due to incorrect winds, if that's the spot I have to hunt! and only spot I can get in and out of!

last yr I hunted one stand about 10 evenings in a row, having deer under and about me in every direction every sit!
so to me that says, being as scent free, But getting in and out not seen, , wind be ?? direction,
a stand still can be hunted well! in most winds!
my 2 cents
Access rules to me for stands
just hunt where you spook less deer, and in places they want to be I say!

[offtheground]

The urban area I hunt is only 25 acres, using climbers only and have had a killing tree on the edge of this area. I have found that when I move further into the woods the deer are more alert jumpy and have got busted a couple times. I can only hunt this spot maybe once a week even in the killing tree. Last year back in the woods had 6 does come out of bedding area which was maybe 100 yards away and under my stand, of course I could not move, wind was right and all. But they knew something was not in order, when the buck came in he could read their faces or something. he stopped dead behind a tree at 40 yards for couple minutes then turned directly left of his and the does travel line and walked off. Could not have drawn the bow on any of them. If I was edge hunting back in killing tree, almost sure their mood would have been different.
After reading this post it also got me thinking of my main hunting ground. It is set up with wood plots and farm fields. Why not treat each wood plot like the small urban area. The problem is getting the other guys that hunt this area to do the same.

[Big_Holla]

This is a great post to get us thinking about our set-ups. In the past I used to ride the 4-wheeler right into the middle of the property to hunt the best sign. Meanwhile my deer sightings would slowly go down the week or so I was there. Little did I realize at the time that I likely was pushing the deer off the property or at least alerting them to my whereabouts.

I think though rather than look at this as what percentage we are hunting we should be looking at what percentage of our stand locations have excellent access that helps limit spooking deer on the way in and out?? When I joined BHO I thought I knew it all in regards to our property down there in Ohio. But as I stated before with the 4-wheeler access I had a lot to learn. Now most, if not all of my stand locations have very good, if not perfect, access and since then our success has increased dramatically. Of course my dad still insists on riding the 4-wheeler into the middle of the property to hunt stands we placed years ago when I knew it all. But hey, he's over 70 and just the fact he gets out still is well worth the down side.

So, with thinking access routes I would say that I went from hunting 50% or more of the land down to maybe 20-30% over the years.

[PlayTheWindMike]

a very very high % but, I do make it a point to be just as sneaky leaving as when I go in. seems to work for me.