Amateur hour

[Tap]

I guess what I was trying to get at more is the fact that 10 years ago most deer camps were vacant until gun season. Now it seems like every camp I see is up and cranking away full of people. It shows how popular deer hunting has become and for me marks the end of pattern able hunting. The best funnel or food plot is useless if the next to you shows up and decides to build a deer stand on Saturday afternoon before gun season. I'm thinking most of us have those things planned out way in advance, but it sure can be frustrating!

Can I give 2 likes for this post?

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[John-W-WI]

I think my point was missed. I was referring to the discussion that ensued, not the original topic.

I shouldn't have said anything, it's not that big of a deal.

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[Tap]

I think my point was missed. I was referring to the discussion that ensued, not the original topic.

I shouldn't have said anything, it's not that big of a deal.

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It's a discussion. Comments are welcome as far as I'm concerned.
The more we talk, the more we learn

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[NWWI]

I think my point was missed. I was referring to the discussion that ensued, not the original topic.

I shouldn't have said anything, it's not that big of a deal.

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I was worried the OP would have been taken as negative.

 

[Tap]

I think my point was missed. I was referring to the discussion that ensued, not the original topic.

I shouldn't have said anything, it's not that big of a deal.

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And by the way John, your contributions to habitat improvement over the years (and other forums) far exceeds any post that some may take the wrong way. Thanks for what you do.

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[Bowsnbucks]

Natty ....... post #36 - Nailed it !! I hunt the sh*tholes where nobody wants to go too. Different situations = different strategies.

 

[NWWI]

I think we have all had a laugh at the owner of the deer stand we find at the end of the most popular entrance trail on heavily hunted public land. In addition to the stand they usually have a trail camera, the ultimate scrape dripper and enough orange flagging ribbon to be seen from space. I do get a good chuckle when I think about that poor guy watching a never ending parade of hunters go by opening morning.
Just like the guy who decides to break out the 1970's fiberglass tri haul boat on fishing opener trying to back it down the ramp and see if the motor will start.

 

[Buckly]

Speaking of orange ribbon. I was touring a road through some State lands last week and I see an orange ribbon along the road. So I look into the woods and there is a ribbon every 50 feet. I followed and it went 200 yards into the woods. I found 5 of these ribbon trails on this road. Made me laugh, there must be a gang of them. Apparently they have no sense of direction if they need a ribbon every 50 feet for 200 yards. Hahaha. I'm betting one of two things happen. They will find another person sitting at the end of their ribbons opening day or somebody will remove the ribbons. They might be lost for days.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Either ribbons or the reflective tacks. I've run into trails with so many tacks on trees, that in darkness with a flashlight it looks like the dividing line on a highway. Woodsmen.

 

[Catscratch]

I missed a couple of does my first yr of bow hunting. Decided I should mark my shooting lane with sticks at known yardages. Stepped it off and stuck a stick at 20yrds and went home for the day. Came back for my afternoon hunt and 30 minutes after settling in a doe walked into the field. She walked right up to my stick, sniffed, bolted to the other side of the field and stood there snorting for 10min. I carried that stick back to the truck with me that night and made it a point to never touch anything I don't have to. I even wear gloves to climb ladderstand and try to only touch it with two fingers while climbing.
I can only imagine what a line of ribbons or tacks looks/smells like to a deer.

 

[Tap]

I missed a couple of does my first yr of bow hunting. Decided I should mark my shooting lane with sticks at known yardages. Stepped it off and stuck a stick at 20yrds and went home for the day. Came back for my afternoon hunt and 30 minutes after settling in a doe walked into the field. She walked right up to my stick, sniffed, bolted to the other side of the field and stood there snorting for 10min. I carried that stick back to the truck with me that night and made it a point to never touch anything I don't have to. I even wear gloves to climb ladderstand and try to only touch it with two fingers while climbing.
I can only imagine what a line of ribbons or tacks looks/smells like to a deer.

I once had a doe smell a single thumb print. The approach to my stand had a big log laying on the ground that I'd walk on to get to the base of the tree. I started losing my balance so I touched a sapling with my thumb to balance myself. 20 minutes later a doe walked up and sniffed it. I never touch anything that I can avoid.
Drives me crazy on hunting shows when they show off a big rub by touching it.

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[Tap]

Speaking of orange ribbon. I was touring a road through some State lands last week and I see an orange ribbon along the road. So I look into the woods and there is a ribbon every 50 feet. I followed and it went 200 yards into the woods. I found 5 of these ribbon trails on this road. Made me laugh, there must be a gang of them. Apparently they have no sense of direction if they need a ribbon every 50 feet for 200 yards. Hahaha. I'm betting one of two things happen. They will find another person sitting at the end of their ribbons opening day or somebody will remove the ribbons. They might be lost for days.

Or the stand will be stolen.

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[Catscratch]

I once had a doe smell a single thumb print. The approach to my stand had a big log laying on the ground that I'd walk on to get to the base of the tree. I started losing my balance so I touched a sapling with my thumb to balance myself. 20 minutes later a doe walked up and sniffed it. I never touch anything that I can avoid.
Drives me crazy on hunting shows when they show off a big rub by touching it.

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Lol, I don't watch hunting shows anymore. I lost interest in them, and was going nuts every time something like that happened.
From previous threads I know you and I don't have the same pre-hunt regiments for scent control and don't necessarily agree on the best approach for keeping our hunting area's undisturbed. But I think we both go to great lengths in keeping our hunting spots as "fresh" as possible and I think we got there from making the same mistakes. I admire your tenacity for scent control and respect the process that got you there. I think we've had a lot of similar experiences.

 

[Tap]

Lol, I don't watch hunting shows anymore. I lost interest in them, and was going nuts every time something like that happened.
From previous threads I know you and I don't have the same pre-hunt regiments for scent control and don't necessarily agree on the best approach for keeping our hunting area's undisturbed. But I think we both go to great lengths in keeping our hunting spots as "fresh" as possible and I think we got there from making the same mistakes. I admire your tenacity for scent control and respect the process that got you there. I think we've had a lot of similar experiences.

Thanks, but it isn't really that hard. I think that NOT practicing odor control is hard. Bugs the crap out of me to take shortcuts. I just don't have it in me to not do what I do.
And I have to say, this season has been pretty amazing for not getting winded or having deer react when they crossed my entrance trail. I've been getting away with murder this year.

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[Catscratch]

Thanks, but it isn't really that hard. I think that NOT practicing odor control is hard. Bugs the crap out of me to take shortcuts. I just don't have it in me to not do what I do.
And I have to say, this season has been pretty amazing for not getting winded or having deer react when they crossed my entrance trail. I've been getting away with murder this year.

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Rest assured you are not "getting away with murder". It's all by design. I haven't had my trail busted or gotten winded in a couple of yrs now (when I hunt my way), it doesn't happen through luck on a consistent basis. I was ate up with scent control so bad that I could drive to most hunting spots with only two fingers touching the wheel. After that I had to wear gloves to put my clothes on. Then a different pair of gloves while hunting (I made a special pair of gloves out of an Elimitrax bag). I about drove myself crazy!

 

[wiscwhip]

I hunt strictly public ground in the Central Forest Zone of WI. We have as many(if not more) weekend warriors as anywhere. Keep in mind, the areas I hunt are only 30 minutes north of the Casino and night life of Wisconsin Dells and very close to 2 others which are full of guys in orange hats every night of the rifle season. I cannot even begin to count the number of guys who come up for opening weekend of our rifle season, drive their pickups deep into huge expanses of county, state, and federal properties, hop out, walk 200 feet from their truck and take up stand, only to be "disappointed" that they did not see any deer. This happens between 7am and 9 am every morning because they are too hung over from playing at the Dells, Nekoosa, or Black River Falls casinos to get their @$$$e$ out of bed in the morning and too damn lazy to actually park on the highway and walk down the county logging road to a stand location. As always, I "affectionately" refer to them as "Fudd's". :mad:

 

[Tap]

I hunt strictly public ground in the Central Forest Zone of WI. We have as many(if not more) weekend warriors as anywhere. Keep in mind, the areas I hunt are only 30 minutes north of the Casino and night life of Wisconsin Dells and very close to 2 others which are full of guys in orange hats every night of the rifle season. I cannot even begin to count the number of guys who come up for opening weekend of our rifle season, drive their pickups deep into huge expanses of county, state, and federal properties, hop out, walk 200 feet from their truck and take up stand, only to be "disappointed" that they did not see any deer. This happens between 7am and 9 am every morning because they are too hung over from playing at the Dells, Nekoosa, or Black River Falls casinos to get their @$$$e$ out of bed in the morning and too damn lazy to actually park on the highway and walk down the county logging road to a stand location. As always, I "affectionately" refer to them as "Fudd's". :mad:

I feel your pain. I'm not sure that small property, private land in Pa is much better.

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[Bowsnbucks]

I always walk in piles of deer turds and smear them all over my high rubber boots when I first start out walking toward my stand (s). I've had deer cross my path and some even follow the scent trail right to shooting distance. But they don't seem jittery at all when they cross my trail. I do all the usual " scent-killing " stuff, but have never ozoned anything. Turds cost 0.

 

[mthompson]

I hunt strictly public ground in the Central Forest Zone of WI. We have as many(if not more) weekend warriors as anywhere. Keep in mind, the areas I hunt are only 30 minutes north of the Casino and night life of Wisconsin Dells and very close to 2 others which are full of guys in orange hats every night of the rifle season. I cannot even begin to count the number of guys who come up for opening weekend of our rifle season, drive their pickups deep into huge expanses of county, state, and federal properties, hop out, walk 200 feet from their truck and take up stand, only to be "disappointed" that they did not see any deer. This happens between 7am and 9 am every morning because they are too hung over from playing at the Dells, Nekoosa, or Black River Falls casinos to get their @$$$e$ out of bed in the morning and too damn lazy to actually park on the highway and walk down the county logging road to a stand location. As always, I "affectionately" refer to them as "Fudd's". :mad:

This is way off the topic of amateurs....well, maybe it's just a rather circuitous path that gets back to the topic...but, what really irks me, is that these are the same people that put up a stink at the CDAC meetings and send in comments on the surveys about "there are no deer left in WI" and "we should eliminate doe tags until populations are back up to their 90's levels"...and "wolves are eating every last deer in the State!!!" These are the opinions that the CDACs paint all of us with because they are the majority of responders and attendees at the meetings.

For God's sake, there was 1.2 million deer left AFTER the 2015 harvest of 319,000 deer...that population size averages over 18 deer per square mile across the State, and we know that that average is skewed because most of the deer are found in the lower farmland zones...so there are more likely 25-30 deer per square mile where most people are hunting. Furthermore, these deer aren't spread out evenly in the wide open fields day in and day out...so they are crammed into the woodlots, marshes and grasslands for the majority of the time (meaning even higher densities where people are also hunting!).

On top of all that, the 2015-16 winter was very mild and survival and fawning rates are way up this year....so there are more deer in WI now than there has been, ever. Period. The "hay-days" of the late 90's that everyone wants to return to, saw populations in the 1-1.2 million deer range.


We are in the good-ole days right now. The problem is that hunters have really sunk into the instant-gratification hole of tv "hunting" and have forsaken every last bastion of woodsmanship skill along the way (examples abound in this amateur-hour crap). AND the deer are now way smarter after 100 years of education in our regulated/organized hunting ways....so the disparity between the reality of hunting today and what people think hunting should be is further apart than it has ever been.