Pond Boss
Do any of you deer hunting experts have a "no go" date at your property prior to opening day?

I have just pulled my SD cards after re-filling my feeders. Generally, the deer have been back at the feeders the same night, or the next morning. However, this is usually a collection of does, or solitary small bucks.

My basic question concerns whether my visits to the farm scare off the older, wiser big bucks, or not?

I do not catch the big bucks on my cameras enough to determine if I push them off during my visits, or if I just lack sufficient sampling data.

Thanks,
FishinRod
I built both of our condo stands here on the edge of the woods. The only time we go past them is when we're retrieving something
that's dead, the occasional brush clearing exercise to keep shooting lanes open, and a few times in the spring when I dive in there to pick morels.

That said, my bait pond is 20 yards away from my condo, and the does come out in the field back there three or four times a week,
in spite of my being back there to toss pellets every day during warm weather, so they're used to seeing me. They're not quite
back yard tame, but they aren't crazy wild either.

The bucks, on the other hand, I rarely see them. The older they get, the wiser they get, which keeps them out of sight most of the time.

Some places hold deer, some places they just pass through between bedding and feeding areas, some places just don't have many.

If you can get a few food plots going close to water and cover you should start seeing more deer.
Posted By: RAH Re: Scaring Deer Away During Hunting Preparation - 11/24/21 11:45 PM
I have bedding areas on my place that I never go into. I hunt elsewhere on my place. If you have does, the big bucks will come. I only saw the old buck that I shot this year 2 times previous to shooting him, and one of those times was the day before I shot him. I have no trailcam pics of him. I do a restrict activity in my hunting woods starting a month before bow season comes in. Once gun season starts, my neighbors scare all the deer into my place. After taking the buck on opening day of gun, I took my 2 bonus does with the gun, and took a 3rd with the crossbow today. I only hunt the edges, so the interior areas are a safe haven for the deer. This has worked well for me (and no dogs in my deer habitat).
I am with RAH, go in and out all year on the main road, gets them used to you, also throw out some corn usually on my way out, so they are looking for that, my camera shows, not long after I leave, the turkeys as well, which I throw about 50% cracked corn on the gravel so the deer can't clean it up, that way the turkeys will find it too. I have the cuddelink cameras so the pictures from all the cameras are one one camera, one sd card, which is easily accessible, But I do stay completely away from their bedding area, don't want to disturb a wise old buck too many times in there or he will move on, that's why roaming dogs are a huge no-no. I wont tolerate them, let the neighbors run dogs on their place and chase the big bucks to my place. luckily the neighbor that owns the other half of the original farm is very like minded, we let young bucks with potential walk, Of course a young kid or beginner is welcome to shoot any nice buck. its starting to pay dividends, we are harvesting some really nice bucks.
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