Hunting your sanctuary

[4wanderingeyes]

I have 10 acres that I have saved for a deer sanctuary on my land. I have either hunted the land exclusively, or owned the land since 2001, and I have only been into that 10 acre section 2 times. Once to track a deer, and the other to hunt it way back in 01 or 02. Other then catching the neighbor in it 1 time, I think it hasn’t had a human foot step in it since 01 other then those few times. It is mostly a bog with some smaller high spots of an acre or so spread within it. It is also the thickest part of my land. I have a couple 1 acre food plots on the outside edge of it, and I hunt the other ends of the food plots.

My question is, am I crazy not to hunt the sanctuary at all? Should I at least put a stand up in it and try it 1 day a year? Or just stay out of it like I have been doing. I know the deer bed down in there once they get shot at a few times. When I was in there last was 3 years ago, tracking a deer. I found a nice 1-2 acre high spot filled with about 20 mature oaks, and rather thick with thickets in the understory. I would love to sit in there and hunt, if I was a deer, that is where I would be. But when I bought the land, I then dedicated it to solely a sanctuary, and I feel like if I broke that agreement with myself, I would end up hunting it a lot more.

For those that have a sanctuary, do you ever hunt it? Would you in my case to try it? Or just stay out of it and leave it for the deer to have a safe place?

 

[Bill]

For what it’s worth I have several sanctuaries that rarely see human traffic. I go into all of them in the spring.

There is one particular 8 acre timber island surrounded by ag and then other hedgerows close by. I have a stand in it and a buckeye camera that only gets visited in the summer. Stand was put in three years ago and has only been hunted once. Like you we pick at the edge when the wind is right but don’t go in. My son comes in this week to bow hunt after a 10 day rifle season. One of his sits will be there if the wind is right. It’s nice to have the option of going someplace that has been scent free all season. Camera activity is non existent except from mid October into late November. Then it seems like a nice hidey hole that they use. About two weeks ago there was 1 day that if someone sat there all day they would have had 15 different buck encounters. Not different deer but 15 times a buck passed it in the daylight. I’m sure there were repeats.

I’d put a stand there even if you rarely use it.

 

[Bszweda]

I hunt my sanactuaries once a year. I normally have an encounter with a nice buck every year. However I only can hunt a few days a year so burning out the spot isn't a worry. What do you have to lose?

 

[Mortenson]

I'd think about building a rock solid, permanent stand in there in the all-around best spot. Build it sturdy and safe and you shouldn't have to worry about bringing it in each year and maintaining it a lot. Like the others said, hunt maybe once or twice the entire year.

 

[hillrunner]

How big is the property? If it's small, that 10 acres of sanctuary could be the difference between you having a big deer living on your property and willing to move in daylight versus non existent or just moving through at night. If your after older bucks, they need to feel safe. My vote would be to carefully hunt the edges and stay out of his bedroom.

 

[Tree Spud]

Ten acres is small and would depend a lot of surrounding area, terrain, and cover in there. Wrong wind or a twig snapped and your busted. Mature bucks pick areas where they are left alone and want line of sight or sound so they can escape.

Do you have cameras around the area? This might give you a clue as to activity, what and when deer are entering/leaving.

My rule of thumb is that if you enter a sanctuary from spring to late December, you will disrupt it. You may bump a mature buck once, but bump him twice and they are gone.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

It is a small property, just 25 acres. Land to the north of the sanctuary is a creek and swampy area. No access to the sanctuary unless the water is frozen. To small for a boat, and to lucky to walk in. My huntable acres is to the south of it. To the east is a road, and a neighbor that is always after the biggest deer in the area. Not a bad thing. And the property to the west he hunts a lone, and takes 1 deer a year, usually any buck over 2 years old. The properties to the south of my huntable acres is where it gets sketchy, lots of small 5-10 acre parcels, but most don’t deer hunt regularly.

This area isn’t really known for big deer, but usually a lot of deer. But we have had a few hard winters on them, and this year the wolves moved in again. Making hunting tough. I won’t hunt it this year, but I think in the spring I will put a couple portable stands up, and try hunting it a couple times next year.

What am I out if I hunt it? Just deer. If nothing else, I would like to survey it better and see how much they are using it, and see if any easy improvements should been done.

 

[Tree Spud]

It is a small property, just 25 acres. Land to the north of the sanctuary is a creek and swampy area. No access to the sanctuary unless the water is frozen. To small for a boat, and to lucky to walk in. My huntable acres is to the south of it. To the east is a road, and a neighbor that is always after the biggest deer in the area. Not a bad thing. And the property to the west he hunts a lone, and takes 1 deer a year, usually any buck over 2 years old. The properties to the south of my huntable acres is where it gets sketchy, lots of small 5-10 acre parcels, but most don’t deer hunt regularly.

This area isn’t really known for big deer, but usually a lot of deer. But we have had a few hard winters on them, and this year the wolves moved in again. Making hunting tough. I won’t hunt it this year, but I think in the spring I will put a couple portable stands up, and try hunting it a couple times next year.

What am I out if I hunt it? Just deer. If nothing else, I would like to survey it better and see how much they are using it, and see if any easy improvements should been done.

Do you live full time on the property?

What is the density of other land owners, full time residents near this area?

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Do you live full time on the property?

What is the density of other land owners, full time residents near this area?

I do not live there full time, but I have been building there, so I am there often. But I rarely leave the building site, to enter the "woods"

It is mostly big forest area, and within a mile of either direction, 3 live here full time, the rest are just cabins, and they rarely come up.

 

[ksgobbler]

I have property that allows no hunting bordering me on the south and no hunting national wildlife refuge 100 uds south of that. I try to set aside 5 acres of thick nasty stuff I stay out of starting sept 1, bit lets face it I wouldnt be able to hunt my place at all if I worried about scent going in there. I use the neighboring sanctuary and make my place a destination.

 

[Telemark]

We have done drives through buck bedding areas. It's usually an end-of-season hail mary, and it's the one and only time we hunt that spot per year. Something always moves back in, but we don't keep tabs on individual bucks, so I don't know anything more about their movement or use of the bedding areas. I would probably do the same on my own property if it meant a chance at a big buck.

Where I hunt in Canada, the bucks are sparse and hard to pattern. Where I hunt in Ohio, the bucks are mostly nocturnal after the bow hunters have been after them for a couple months. If I had enough land and deer that I didn't ever need to hunt a sanctuary, I wouldn't.

 

[bwoods11]

A sanctuary is one of the best management ideas on a farm. Ask Hillrunner (we border each other in Iowa)!! He can attest to the importance of a nice sized sanctuary, especially neighbors combining their sanctuaries!

 

[bossgobbler]

We have 50 acres. Of that 50 acres 20-25 of it is sanctuary. I do a lot to keep deer here and feeling comfortable but I believe the most important part of what I do is keeping 20-25 acres pure sanctuary. The way it lays it already sets up for a great bedding area but staying completely out of it makes an enormous impact on deer feeling comfortable. The most important time for them to feel safe is the next month here in Ohio. There are several gun seasons spread out over a month or more. It’s wonderful to see the same 10-15 bucks coming from the same bedding area day after day nearly year round. I think a dedicated sanctuary is excellent when thinking in terms of trying to keep deer comfortable on any sized property. It’s working here on our small piece.

 

[g squared 23]

I think you’re crazy for not hunting it IF you have an unfilled buck tag towards the latter part or end of the season. Give it one shot, and only when necessary. The hope would be that most years you wouldn’t need to utilize it at all, but why let a buck live there for free without even attempting to collect rent at least once in a while?


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[B2R]

I hunted mine the first year I owned the place, but decided it would better serve me and the deer as a sanctuary. Best idea, I’ve had and it makes all the difference in the world when it comes to deer numbers on my farm. I don’t hunt it and refuse to allow anyone in there unless we’re recovering a deer. Mature bucks are seen and killed every year in my place because it’s untouched and safe.
My two cents is stay out of it and hunt the edges, you’ll do more harm then good entering it.


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[bzb_1]

I have 82 acres so I avoid going in mine at all unless its tracking a wounded deer. Ive got it surrounded with stands for all wind types and tell anyone if they hunt a sanctuary stand with a wrong wind they are done. My dad gets really pissy but respects it...He has a condo stand that he loves loves loves…"But I see deer every sit" yeah jackoff because we hunt it smart" don't be a dummy...In his defense we can park less than 100 yards away and the stand is ridiculous.