Taking on a new challenge

hippietrekker · #1 10-22-2019, 09:35 PM

I have been hunting for a short time, as previous posts have indicated, this will be my fifth year. Starting out hunting I was deliberate in wanting to hunt public land - if you don't use it, you lose it. Last year I was invited to hunt deer on some private land and while I was not too keen I accepted the offer 'if only just to check it out'. It was a quarter section being mostly bush (save for a small farm site), surrounded by farm land - the challenge with this property is that the forest is man made. All the trees (15-20 ft tall), are in perfect rows approximately 10 feet apart. Visibility is both excellent (if you are looking straight ahead, behind, or to either side); and terrible (all the in between); with the lane of vision drastically changing every row of trees you step through. Being a man made forest there are few natural travel areas for the deer - there is freedom to roam any direction with exceptional cover.
I did opt to hunt this property primarily last year (about half way through rifle season), travel time to the property was the same as the public land I hunted but there were two major benefits: travel time, once out of my vehicle, was significantly less; there was no other hunting pressure on this property. Given that the property is very free to move around I spent a fair bit of time walking and observing what I could. There was deer sign nearly everywhere I walked although I did manage to locate some major travel routes and hunted those areas. I was able to fill a tag on a mature doe, which I was grateful for.
This year, given the same reasons as previously mentioned, I opted to hunt this property again - the home owner is thrilled I am hunting their property and keeps asking when I can hunt moose (there are a lot of moose in the area); hopefully a moose hunt in the next two years.
Being still quite unfamiliar with the area I decided I would get some trail cameras late this summer so I could have some eyes out and have a better idea of deer numbers and how they use the land - I suspect that it is mostly for travel and cover with feeding happening primarily in the surrounding fields. Getting out to set up, check, and move my cameras has been an exciting new foray into deer hunting. My daughters (3 & 1.5) have also very much enjoyed looking at the pictures and videos with me.
I have attached a few pictures below of the larger bucks that I've captured (I don't think any of those pictures are of the same buck). I have had about 6 other bucks on camera as well as many does and fawns. I have never shot a buck, and am not interested in antlers, but seeing (what I would consider to be) some quality bucks on the property is fairly exciting.
I'm looking forward to this hunting season, as always, and am excited to come away with the inevitable knowledge I gain from another season.

catnthehat · #2 10-23-2019, 07:44 AM

Get after them , Tiger!

Looks like you are going to have a great year, after all, it seems like you have had some camera excitement already, good looking deer!

Cat

1bowhunter12 · #3 10-23-2019, 02:42 PM

Yup .. sounds like you have a good spot ..

Redneck 7 · #4 10-23-2019, 03:36 PM

Great work, nothing wrong with learning how to rattle in a buck or two this year. Even if you don’t shoot one. Be good experience and if you do decide to fill the freezer with one, still be good meat.

JBE · #5 10-23-2019, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Get after them , Tiger!

Looks like you are going to have a great year, after all, it seems like you have had some camera excitement already, good looking deer!

Cat

I agree, have fun

Tronneroi · #6 10-23-2019, 05:47 PM

Looks like you've got a few nice bucks hanging around. Good luck and enjoy!

KazIce · #7 10-24-2019, 08:51 AM

Looks like you will have fun this season! One thing I noticed from the pics you posted are the time stamps; it looks like those boys are active right around sunrise and sunset so keep that in mind this year. Also keep in mind that bucks weigh more than does, so more meat!

roper1 · #8 10-25-2019, 08:50 PM

The trail cams & the scouting big part of the fun, way warmer then than mid-Nov, soon be able to take the wife & kids then. Hope the hunt works out. Good luck!

hippietrekker · #9 11-06-2019, 09:14 PM

Thought I would take a moment to update on my season, I've only had the chance to head out once since the general season opened. Headed out Monday morning (November 4th) after getting off work, dropped my daughters off at Grandma's and spent the afternoon until sundown sitting and still hunting. Saw some activity but nothing yet. I've got a week off coming up and plan to spend a bunch of time in the field, looking forward to it.
I took the time to check my cameras too, got some good pictures - I am very much enjoying using these tools as my eyes, gives a whole new perspective on what's going on out there. Attached are a few still shots from some videos.
What's the general consensus on checking trail camera's during the hunting season? Both cameras are set up on the edge of the property so I'm not trudging through everything to check them.