Hunting on "micro-parcels"

[HybridCam]

We have about 4.5 acres, which we live on, and hunt on. I have started doing some TSI work, we're overgrown with maple and honeysuckle, so I've been doing a lot of cutting, treating, burning, and hinge cutting to get the light and native browse level up while making way for some of our oaks, hickory, and black cherry to spread their seeds and up my timber value.

We have a long narrow property, there are some deer highways thorough our property. We back up to a corn and hay field to the south and dense timber to the north.

The rules of "pressure" seem to apply less. I have seen my in-laws walking my son past my trail cam and multiple groups of does passing the same spot hours later and a 10 point we have roaming about midnight that evening. I see him about once-twice a week around midnight. He's our one core-range buck. I spook deer out of our small orchard at least once a week letting my dog and ducks out in the morning. Does this routine make out deer more comfortable with intrusion?

What are other experience about hunting micro-parcels like this? There are a lot of these little country neighborhoods like mine with mixed lots from 1-50 acres in the middle of large Ag tracks of land. I know my land is a travel corridor between food and bedding. Do anyone have thoughts or experience how the do's and don'ts of hunting rural neighborhoods like mine?

 

[Sligh1]

I think General noise & traffic - deer get used to it. Change that to 1 hour before dark with u sitting in a tree at 20 yards- way different IMO. That’s always tough & deer “know” when folks are trying to kill em IMO.
All of what u did is perfect. IMO, here’s what I’d do.... continue to improve it & stay out when close to season. As much food as can where disturbed as least as possibly. Only go to a couple of spots that have killer entrance & exits. I’d set them up so almost impossible for deer to get downwind. Maybe that means u r close to ur house or there’s some structure they can’t get downwind of or don’t wanna go. Hunt only when wind is great & slip in and out carefully. Cool part is: u can manipulate the ground. Lot u can do with making paths & using fallen trees to block or funnel deer. Make em feel like they ain’t being hunted cause u do it tactfully & I think u could go a long ways on little parcel. Especially if u have some comfy does & the bucks start cruising. Good luck!!!

 

[ReinertsonTaxidermy]

I live on 16 acres and between October 31-and November 20 there are 30 plus bucks on my cams during daylight within sight of my house. Always big ones too. If I actually put in the time on my small piece I would kill a 150 plus every year. Just boring looking at the same trees so I hunt other spots and kill a 150 plus every 3-4 years on way more acres. One of these days I’ll learn..

 

[jkratz5]

One of my best spots has a grand total of 11 acres of timber on it. Buts up to a nice larger track but I have all the food. I hunt this only on 1 wind where I have it setup so deer cannot get behind me. Like Skip said, I have sets in areas with killer access and when I get in these stands I feel very confident

Have seen and killed a couple of slobs on this piece.

 

[Hardwood11]

In MN we had a house with 2.6 acres (mostly wooded) that we sold now, moved to the lake. Our neighbors all had the same 2.6 acres next door etc... My son shot a 146 incher and we should have had another big boy. Set up in one key spot with a good wind, and they would often come through our little micro-parcel.

 

[deadeye]

Your's sounds similar to ours. Had the district Forester out and have been working in the honeysuckle and barberry and Autumn Olive. Sure seems more open after getting after that. Have done a little canopy work but doesn't seem to be enough. I have trouble cutting trees. Having challenges getting a good plot of clover going. See lots from the house and quite a bit more from stands within sight of the house. It does get old looking at the house but hard not to hunt it with all the action.

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[HybridCam]

I saw a brute at 27 yrds this weekend! He had places to go and people to see as he didn't stop for any length of time. I hope my camera picked him up so I can see if he was as big as he looked from my stand while I was frantically trying to get my release hooked up. Would have been crazy to connect on that deer, would have been an epic first archery deer and the best deer of my life and the first one I have even seen from my stand so far this season.

All my time in the stand allowed me to think about my plans for next season. I have lots of trees to take down. I'm a lot like deadeye and cutting trees is hard for me, I love running the chainsaw, but I get caught up in how long it takes for these trees to grow and how I want my oaks and hicks to spread but they won't be a respectable size for 40 years. I get caught up in the time-span of nature.

We have some autumn olive, but the honeysuckle and mulberry are my primary foes right now. a lot of our sight and wind break evergreens we're over crowded by invasive junk. In Jan/Fec I'm going to be doing a lot of maple hinge cutting along our east property line to box that side it as its a blank under-story and entirely exposed to out neighbors house. WE can also hear everything they do outside because of the topography between us. I also need to do lots of clearing so that I can get some clover or something going. I have a little bit of brassica and radish in other spots, but the deer haven't touched those yet.

Access to my tree is ok, I could hinge 4 maples I picked out this weekend and make it better, but is it too late to do that this year? These four trees are 2-10 feet from some of my primary doe trials.

 

[rc10pt]

The only farm I bow hunt is my dads 10 acre timber parcel. It is 10 of 77 total in a 1 mile by 2 mile section however. It hunts hard tbh. Always a few 150” deer around but really never see any rut activity whatsoever. There are two homes within 1/4 mile +-, not really hunters but they are active outdoors. It need TSR bad as it’s gradually being over taken with buckthorn and for some reason the tictrefoil is ALL over in recent years. It is what it is and I still enjoy it but just need more time to do it justice. For some reason shotgun is when the parcel takes off. I can’t go a sit durning shotgun without having multiple shots and I know for a fact there is more pressure in and around that section during the gun seasons. Just kinda baffles me as to why they spread out or are non-existent during bow. Food, water, and cover are all present.

 

[loneranger]

A lot keeps being said about access to stands to stay clear of deer. The way my 40 acres is used by deer and the dominant wind there is no way I can get to my two stands in far round about ways. One stand is near a fence between me and my neighbor. His side is mostly open grnd. Deer trails that come together and are at a pinch point are in front of me. I stay close to the fence until close to my stand then walk right to it. Most of my land is out in front of me. This is my best spot, though I have had bucks walking right down my trail after does. My other spot is between two food plots. I used to walk down a road then up thru a field to get to it. During Summer I mow a path to the plots. Heck I now just walk down my mowed path right to the stand. I have does milling around in the food plots crossing my entrance mowed trail, and several 5 yr old bucks have strolled on it too. Never seem to mind. I think my local resident doe get used to me during Summer working around my plots and apple trees. They tolerate a certain amount of human scent. Maybe they are used to mine? I shower with the right soap and soda before going out. Keep clothes outside washed in soda etc. The rest of my interior 40 acres I leave alone until March or so ,,so deer have it to themselves.