roymunson
5 year old buck +
Hunting in NE Ohio I love it. I generally feel the DNR allows us the tags we need to manage the herd on the land we hunt. We have probably 25 acres of specifically food on the 350 or so acres we hunt. Some are crop fields that get picked, but there's legit food plots there too.
We have probably a 100 acre sanctuary that we've chain sawed into a great spot to hold deer.
Our struggle is, as with everyone, the neighbors.
We have neighbors that own 20-70 acres a pop, and when the season opens, the corn piles come out.
I think to date there have been 7 or 8 bucks killed around the perimeter of our property and all but 1 or 2 were bucks we'd held during the summer or had regular pictures of.
Some of the deer were killed by youth and younger hunters "climbing the ladder" as it were. I have 0% issue with that. We're out in the woods to have fun, and killing a nice 3 year old is part of that.
I understand we're "picky" about what we want to shoot. I want to kill something preferably 5 or older, but realistically, a big 4 year old, or older.
Anyone who has hunted with bait knows, a 4 or 5 year old can sometimes be had over bait, but you can kill just about every and any 2 and 3 year old buck if you have corn out. specifically if the rut is banging and he's putting on miles checking these corn piles. No matter the tonnage you have in your 7 acre brassica field. You won't compete with 100# of corn.
Then some of the neighbors started a competition and have started measuring corn in tons. No joke.
My question is, how do you compete with that? I don't really want to kill 2 and 3 year olds. I don't mind hunting corn, but would WAY prefer to see a buck eating my turnips and kale.
WHat I don't like to see is our seed stock for hte next 2 years getting killed every year.
Someone posited to me that you should forget food plots,build as much cover as you can to hold deer, plant clover and mow it occassionally, and then feed corn to kill deer. Fighting Fire with fire.
I could do that. It just seems unsavory.
Or do you take a dump truck and pile corn in the center of your property to hold the deer and not let them leave the place? Hunt around those travel corridors?
Its not how I want to hunt deer. But it gets really old watching the 3 year old that was going to be a problem child at 4 and 5 get smoked across the line every year...
I'm not bad mouthing the neighbors, please don't take it as that. I know what hunting is. Its recreation. Its fun. If your within the law and having fun, go for it... But I pay enough for my land that I want to have fun chasing a certain age class of bucks. Am I being selfish? Is there a way to hold the deer and be more attactive than corn (i doubt it, but i'm all ears).
Just wanting to get another opinion from the habitat guys, which I am at heart. I'm probably better at habitat than i am at killing deer.
We have probably a 100 acre sanctuary that we've chain sawed into a great spot to hold deer.
Our struggle is, as with everyone, the neighbors.
We have neighbors that own 20-70 acres a pop, and when the season opens, the corn piles come out.
I think to date there have been 7 or 8 bucks killed around the perimeter of our property and all but 1 or 2 were bucks we'd held during the summer or had regular pictures of.
Some of the deer were killed by youth and younger hunters "climbing the ladder" as it were. I have 0% issue with that. We're out in the woods to have fun, and killing a nice 3 year old is part of that.
I understand we're "picky" about what we want to shoot. I want to kill something preferably 5 or older, but realistically, a big 4 year old, or older.
Anyone who has hunted with bait knows, a 4 or 5 year old can sometimes be had over bait, but you can kill just about every and any 2 and 3 year old buck if you have corn out. specifically if the rut is banging and he's putting on miles checking these corn piles. No matter the tonnage you have in your 7 acre brassica field. You won't compete with 100# of corn.
Then some of the neighbors started a competition and have started measuring corn in tons. No joke.
My question is, how do you compete with that? I don't really want to kill 2 and 3 year olds. I don't mind hunting corn, but would WAY prefer to see a buck eating my turnips and kale.
WHat I don't like to see is our seed stock for hte next 2 years getting killed every year.
Someone posited to me that you should forget food plots,build as much cover as you can to hold deer, plant clover and mow it occassionally, and then feed corn to kill deer. Fighting Fire with fire.
I could do that. It just seems unsavory.
Or do you take a dump truck and pile corn in the center of your property to hold the deer and not let them leave the place? Hunt around those travel corridors?
Its not how I want to hunt deer. But it gets really old watching the 3 year old that was going to be a problem child at 4 and 5 get smoked across the line every year...
I'm not bad mouthing the neighbors, please don't take it as that. I know what hunting is. Its recreation. Its fun. If your within the law and having fun, go for it... But I pay enough for my land that I want to have fun chasing a certain age class of bucks. Am I being selfish? Is there a way to hold the deer and be more attactive than corn (i doubt it, but i'm all ears).
Just wanting to get another opinion from the habitat guys, which I am at heart. I'm probably better at habitat than i am at killing deer.