Hey guys. For the guys that run lots of cameras on your deer hunting parcels, how do buck numbers usually compare year over year and has anyone else experienced a significant drop-off since Covid? Not looking for specifics just a general idea. Bear with me as this may get long winded…
I purchased my 120 acres in the western UP in January of 2020. I’m surrounded by other 80-160 acre parcels. I had scouted that particular area the previous couple years even forgoing opening days of hunting season to drive around to see where and how many guys were hunting, how many camps had people and just how hunter pressure was spread out. I walked my property several times before deciding it was the property I envisioned. Surrounding Hunting pressure was extremely light as most camps sat empty, some of them even looking run-down. Things would change with the Covid surge!
That 1st year was great. There was buck sign all over the property and we had 15 different bucks on camera. Nothing huge but a few respectable UP bucks nonetheless. I harvested my 1st buck from the property that 1st year, a heavy, dark racked 7 point that I was thrilled with. After I took care of my buck, I drove around to check out the area and scout some national forest close by. I could not believe how things changed in a years time. All the camps were full. Neighboring properties that hadn’t been hunted in close to 10 years according to the previous owner of my property. I couldn’t believe it. It’s great in the grand scheme of things and good for the local economies but what a change that I wasn’t prepared for!
Last year we ended up getting 8 different bucks on camera with only 2 being mature and my group got the big skunk. We go in way before daylight and don’t get back to camp until well after dark. The 1st 3-4 days are almost 12 hour sits.
Fast forward to this year and it’s looking even worse. 5 different bucks so far on camera and the biggest 2 are smallish 2.5 yo.
My questions mainly being, has anyone else noticed a drastic decline in bucks since Covid?
Are my food plots doing more harm than good? My 4 acres of plots are 2nd year plots but the bucks used them during daylight last year. We don’t hunt plots, just movement between them. We only had 1 failed plot the 1st year and I really didn’t do much work on the property.
I honestly don’t believe it’s anything we’ve done but possibly the mature animals don’t like all the activity during the spring and summer. I firmly believe the buck numbers have just plummeted from increased hunting pressure. It’s possible things will just go in cycles. I’m not trying to come off as jerk that thinks other people shouldn’t hunt their property or that they shouldn’t shoot smaller bucks. People can do whatever they choose as long as it’s legal. I will simply put myself in a better position to succeed in accomplishing my goals of being able to hunt mature bucks consistently. If that means selling and finding something that will help me accomplish my goals, so be it. Thanks!
We have about 400 acres with wireless silent black flash cameras with solar that run 24/7/365. Battery swaps are more than a year apart in most cases so there is little camera related human activity. Camera avoidance from visible flash, sound, or human activity around cameras is sex/age biased. So, without a high end camera network like this, it is hard to do year to year trending of mature bucks. Just because you don't have pics, doesn't mean the bucks are not there.
My second comment would be that if mature buck numbers are decreasing due to pressure, it is much more likely it is due to pressure on your land than neighboring properties. In fact, a sanctuary of 100 acres can be a hotspot even when surrounding land is heavily hunted.
My next thought is that your goals may not be aligned well with your scale. I like to use 1,000 acres as a proxy for a typical home range of a buck in average habitat. It is often somewhat smaller in great habit and can be quite a bit larger in poor habitat. Bucks often go significantly outside their home range for excursions and during the rut. So, if young bucks are being targeted on properties surrounding your 120 acres, you can let every young buck walk and never see a mature buck.
I will also say that beyond the reliability of your camera network (presume it was perfect), there are higher frequency habitat changes that can impact the number of pictures you get. For example, a record acorn crop can impact deer for several years. For example on one military base I work with they do acorn surveys every year and weigh every deer harvested. You can see a direct correlation between the acorn survey one year and the average weight of yearling bucks the following year. This can really impact deer over time. In a year with a mast crop failure, not only is deer movement impacted (which can result in different picture counts), their need for food the next year because of entering winter with lower weights, and they may use food plots more. This is just one example of a high frequency habitat change.
So, I would say there are a whole host of reasons your mature buck pics may change from year to year. They may actually be using your property less or just not being captured in pics.
As for your food plots doing more harm than good, if your goal is to shoot mature bucks, they probably are. Since you are way under scaled to do QDM (improving heard health and age structure), they only value in food plots is to direct deer movement. My objectives are different than your and much more of a balance, but if my only objective was to shoot mature bucks, I'd clear-cut the 120 acres, burn it, plant it in pines, and stay off it for a couple years. I'd then only hunt the periphery during the rut. In 10 years or so when the pines begin to canopy, I'd cut them for pulp and repeat the process. I might look at getting two 120 acre properties and do the same thing with the second at a different cycle so I always had one to hunt. I would do no other active management on either property.
That is my perspective for what it is worth.
Thanks,
Jcak
