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Summer Intrusion - Worth it??

Summer Intrusion

  • Total voters
    23
OOBoneCollector

OOBoneCollector

Active Member
Want to get everyone's opinion! For a lot of guys, they can only go and fix/move stands at certain times of the year due to schedules. Ideally, during shed season when you are walking around everywhere anyways is the perfect time to do this. However, what if you can only do it during the middle of summer? You know you will bump deer and disturb the farm...

My opinion... Absolutely do it. My reasons:
1. Safety first. It is worth bumping deer to make sure your sets are safe.
2. If you do it one day, disturb it all, then leave it alone... Shouldn't mess them up too much. It's the continual intrusion that they don't like.
3. If you don't move stands to where they need to be to have the best shot at a successful season, that's a waste. You may bump some deer, however, you at least give yourself a chance at having a better fall. The pro's outweigh the con's to me for this point.

Want to hear what everyone else thinks on this! Thanks!
 
Working on stands in the summer can be pretty HOT and uncomfortable, but I personally would not hesitate to do so. If possible, I tend to make a bit of a scene and drive the tractor or truck close by and act like I am working on something in the area and then do the stand stuff. I want the deer to move off due to a "normal, farm work" related intrusion. I don't want to surprise them or have them surprise me when I am up a tree. I may be a little weird here, but it seems to work for me.

I have related this story before, but it bears repeating IMO...I know of a situation from a few years back where a guy had a super big buck pegged as to where he was living, but he didn't feel like he could get a stand hung in the small woods without spooking that buck. So he loaded everything up in the bucket of his tractor and drove the tractor out to the small timber and even saw the buck get out of his bed and move off. In short, he acted like a farmer and deer are not freaked out by farmers doing their thing.

He pulled up to the edge of the woods close to where he wanted to place the stand and then left the tractor running while he hung the stand nearby. So there was a visual sighting, a disturbance, scent left behind, etc, BUT...he killed that giant out of that stand the next day. Had he tried to sneak in there on foot and hang the stand like a burglar, the buck may have seen/smelled him and his "stranger danger" bell may have alerted and that buck may not have been so willing to walk around in the daylight, etc.
 
Great topic! I have always lived by trying to do things in the deer woods without them knowing im there...yes i know impossible. But either way its the way I have always done it.
So i am really into bodybuilding and my show is coming up so right now after i lift weights I have cardio to do which BTW i absolutely hate but well its part of it, anyways to make the time go by easier I listen to podcasts, most of which are hunting related. On both the White Knuckle podcast and 100% wild podcast Lee Lakosky was on there talking about all sorts of stuff. And one thing I found very interesting is he actually spends alot of time on his farm so the deer are use to him. He explains how he frequents his farms several times a week and doesnt necessarily try to be quite, he just goes about his way on a regular basis, checking cams, hanging stands, what have you. He said he watches the deer move off and then as soon as he leaves he comes right back. He did however mention that he doesnt invade the timber to deep and mainly hunts the plots and gives them there space. But it all makes perfect sense, no doubt whatever time of year your in there your going to leave scent, no way around it. So his theory, he is "training" his deer that he is not a threat...pretty interesting listen to hear how some go about their ways. Now obviously not all of us have thousands of acres of prime hunting ground that we are dealing with, but it does make some pretty good sense.
Now on the other hand Mark Drury was on there and was saying the complete opposite, does all of his stand prep in late winter early spring. Has all of his cams in areas where he drive right up and not invade any part of his farm. He says he stays out as much as possible.

So two different guys who have both had great success with different ideas. With that being said Im hanging stands this weekend!!!
 
I was working on a stand midsummer, drove my Kawasaki mule diesel to the edge of the timber and left it running.
The stand was 10 yards into the timber.
I was hoping the noise from the mule would cover any noise I was making. And not blow everything out of the small block of Timber.
As I am working on the stand, I hear a noise below me . I look down there is a mature Doe drinking out of my water hole, looking in the direction of the mule but not spooky. She kept an eye on it, 15 yd from her. It wasn't a big buck but I think it still relates.
I agree with Daver , normal Farm activity does not bother them a bit.
 
I actually don’t mind intruding during the summer 1 or 2 tines to ensure things are in good shape. Usually try to do it around rain to lessen the scent but I haven’t really found it to make a difference in my hunting come fall.

I do try to keep any intrusion around September to only checking cams on field edges and definitely do this either in the rain or right before
 
I do a lot of hang and hunts so I have limited experience with moving stands/running many cameras/doing food plots and that sort of thing but I don't think bumping them occasionally in the summer will make a lasting impact. I'm in the same boat as Tmayer, there is more than one way to do things and guys with complete opposite tactics (Lee and Mark) both have success. I'd say if you're mainly hanging around field edges and not going too far in the timber it wont make a difference. If you're walking into their bedding areas multiple times over the summer months I think that is where you'd get deer to move to some new bedding areas where they aren't being bumped.
 
Without a doubt, the most activity I saw was the year we had an offroad go-cart and drove it through the woods frequently throughout the summer. I think it desensitized the deer, but didn't spook them off. Now, I can't say it didn't put off a 200" class old cagey buck, but there's got to be one there in the first place in order to be put off.
 
Been wondering about this a little bit this year doing just general work. Have always done any and all plot/habitat work mid day or so but been getting in at 4am or so this year just trying to get it in. Few times there have been deer feeding in the same field as me and if I see else where they just look as I go by and carry on. Still wondering about pushing too hard this early in the am

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Lee Lakosky does no scent control when checking cams, putting feed in feeders and other things on the food plots. He wants the deer to get used to his scent around the food plots. Now Lee except for a few days never hunts in the timber and hunts the food plots almost exclusively. Now he is hunting 20 different farms, but most of us would probably benefit from hunting less and waiting for the best times. Now he said it took a few years for most of the deer to get accustomed to this activity on the plots. He only goes in the timber during shed season. Now deer in my area don't even accept cars driving by naturally on the gravel road without running for their lives, lol.
 
YEP! It’s worth it! My only option many times. I’m usually in and out of area same day.... bring in everything to pop stands up. Do em up once & they got long time to sit. One time - no issue. Going back non stop to check em out or hunt em - major issue that I learned as a young/new hunter. Great thread & thinking!
 
Guess there was no need for a vote for this one! haha. 100% Yes.

Thought there may be a little difference in opinion, but looks like everyone is thinking along the same lines with this one!
 
I have a few stands left to move and hang also and plan on doing it yet. But I’m thinking for the ones deeper in the woods I’ll do a hang and hunt.
Also curious if and how you guys change how you do your farm work as season gets closer. Im considering always bringing a scent free set of clothes and scent free shower before I do any work. basically from now on till season ends.


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I've never worried about summer intrusion or even intrusion in August. Plenty of cool off time before the season gets here. I've sweated like crazy leaving scent everywhere and had mature deer back within hours. Gotta remember these deer don't know the difference between someone cutting firewood, hanging cams, hiking, scouting or walking fence.

I'm not gonna go in every week to check cams, but prep work is something I do during the summer because I have the free time to do it then. Besides, most these bucks summer different from where they spend fall, so it's hard to spook something that isn't there.


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For sure never worry about scent control in summer when working. No way that could be maintained while actually doing some work.

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Ive hung a few tree stands the day the fields been combined never had an issue I didnt think. Doubt summer would be much different.
 
I don't notice any issues educating deer while checking cams and hanging stands through out the summer. It's been months since someone tried to kill them, and they tend to be more relaxed this time of year.
 
No question for me - get as much done as possible during the summer. Deer have so much cover to get away from me if I go in to a timber this time of year (which seldom happens) vs going in the fall or winter. Shoot, by the time fall rolls around those bucks can move quite a ways setting up a new fall range vs summer range.

Hit us with a hard question next Brooks!
 
LoessHillsArcher said:
No question for me - get as much done as possible during the summer. Deer have so much cover to get away from me if I go in to a timber this time of year (which seldom happens) vs going in the fall or winter. Shoot, by the time fall rolls around those bucks can move quite a ways setting up a new fall range vs summer range.

Hit us with a hard question next Brooks!
Click to expand...

No question is too hard for you Jordan hahaha The Whitetail Guru out there in Western Iowa!
 
I go in once a year normally a long week end in August check all stands for safety I do put up stands as well. As far a Cameras I only check them 2 or 3 times in the summer I normally set them out Mid July and might check every 30-45 days. When the season starts Ill grab them headed to stands. Summer Cameras are all on food I don't run them in the timber. I try keep as low impact as possible but I agree how many times have you been mowing on a tractor and deer are standing in the plot eating at the same time. I don't think it bothers them unless your walking around on foot every week. That's when they pattern you :)
 
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