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Old 10-30-2014, 10:35 PM
SBE2 SBE2 is offline
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Default stand advice, kill and keep hunting? And scent use...

Just wondering what the popular opinion would be in this situation. I have my general and supp WT tags left and have the next couple of wknds to use them up, got the muley done very early. I hunt on some family land with very good deer numbers, I have about 12 different bucks on cams and plenty of does. 3 would be decent bucks with a bow, and 1 great one that could be close to 180 this year, who has gone MIA but will likely show up on December 1st with my luck. I plan on bowhunting from a treestand unless the weather drops below what I want to sit through. Cams show plenty of activity at most hours of the day, if a doe comes in during the first half of your sit and you decide to take it, will it burn the stand for the rest of the sit, (thorugh noise, deer taking off, blood smell) or if you sit tight should it not change things? Assuming you know she was hit well and you can trail her after or see her go down, not getting out of stand after first shot. Using bow remember. What do you think, and what would you do? Likely only doing afternoon sits, might throw in a morning with the right wind. I know if I just want a decent to great buck, sit tight and hold out for it, but I just want to get in some more bow hunting with the couple weekends that I know I can get out, get some meat and have some fun. If the big buck is one cams when I go up this wknd, all focus will change and does will get a pass. Also, is it too early to use drag scents or those felt scents that you hang as licking branches? Haven't employed this prior to this year. Thanks for any advice, cheers.
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Old 10-30-2014, 10:46 PM
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Zuludog Zuludog is offline
 
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I may get flamed for this but here goes. If you have lots of bucks to choose from and you have already got a deer why not give the does a pass ? If you want more meat I'd take a young buck and save the does to help replenish the herd. If you are in an area with a healthy deer population then take your pick. Me I'd be focusing on that cranker especially if you already have some meat in the freezer. Good luck with your hunt whichever animal that you decide to pursue.
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The kill is the satisfying, indeed essential, conclusion to a successful hunt. But, I take no pleasure in the act itself. One does not hunt in order to kill, but kills in order to have hunted. Then why do I hunt? I hunt for the same reason my well-fed cat hunts...because I must, because it is in the blood, because I am the decendent of a thousand generations of hunters. I hunt because I am a hunter.- Finn Aagard
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Old 10-30-2014, 10:55 PM
SBE2 SBE2 is offline
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Originally Posted by Zuludog View Post
I may get flamed for this but here goes. If you have lots of bucks to choose from and you already got a deer why notg ivethe does a pass ? If you want more meat I'd take a young buck and save the does to help replenish the herd.
No worries, no flaming from me. I would really like to start taking only 4 1/2 yr old bucks and older out of this area to give some of the genetics of some of the nicer bucks that have been taken from around there the last couple years to mature into some really nice deer. Would prefer to get this place to a point where I could target one nice deer for a season or two for a while. Might be a dream but it doesn't hurt a guy to try. I'm sure guys will be all over this, but I'm not worried about the deer numbers around there that much. Between the farmed bails and the sqaures I bought for them last winter, the numbers a pretty good, and not just within a couple km like some guys might state. No, not listing WMU. There are a very good number of does, and I don't want to shoot a spiker or a 3x3 or 4x4 that might amount to something nice in 2-4yrs. We'll see what happens, just happy to get out and see how it goes. Thanks for the reply, cheers.
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Old 10-30-2014, 10:57 PM
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crownb crownb is offline
 
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Hey man, I generally try to shoot my does out of different stands than I rattle and call from, that being said if I am set up early and a doe gives me a perfect shot I will take it, try to keep a short track job, the last thing you want is to chase all around the bush looking for a poorly hit doe. Scents will definitely work now, it's the pre rut and the bucks should be cruisin, marking territory and looking for does. Good luck man and hopefully you run into that big guy.
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Old 10-30-2014, 11:27 PM
SBE2 SBE2 is offline
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Default stands

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Originally Posted by crownb View Post
Hey man, I generally try to shoot my does out of different stands than I rattle and call from, that being said if I am set up early and a doe gives me a perfect shot I will take it, try to keep a short track job, the last thing you want is to chase all around the bush looking for a poorly hit doe. Scents will definitely work now, it's the pre rut and the bucks should be cruisin, marking territory and looking for does. Good luck man and hopefully you run into that big guy.
Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. Ya, would be more than happy if that buck showed himself inside bow range with a clear shot. Keeping it together might be another story, lol. Cheers
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Old 10-31-2014, 04:45 PM
SBE2 SBE2 is offline
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Default Stands

Was hoping to hear a lot more opinions on this boys, not like this crowd to go silent. Lol. Thanks for any and all info/advice, cheers.
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Old 10-31-2014, 04:58 PM
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Lefty-Canuck Lefty-Canuck is offline
 
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Us Stathcona guys got nothing to say....because we have no deer to hunt here!

If you have a spot to nurture that's private that is gold man...IMHO leave the does, the mature ones will all come into heat at some point and the boys will want to breed them....the more does the more does in heat....nurture them and your buck will show up thinking with the wrong head and give you a good chance.

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Old 10-31-2014, 05:44 PM
slough shark slough shark is offline
 
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I'd sit in the stand for 30-45 minutes keeping my eye out for bucks, I'd start to look after that, give the shot deer a chance to lay down for good while giving other deer a chance to come by.
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Old 10-31-2014, 05:57 PM
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catnthehat catnthehat is offline
 
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Shooting a deer from a particular stand will do no harm as far as other animals go, be they bucks does , or a moose.
Even gut piles will effect animals in different ways .
I watched a video years ago where the camera was set up on a gut pile.
Some deer would jump out of the way of the fresh pile, some paid it no mind and a few even pawed it!!
As far as bucks and does go if the ratio is lopsided take the ones that need
Thinning
Too many bucks and the breeding stock gets depleted because the strongest are too busy scrapping.
Too many does and the bucks do not have to compete so you get inferior deer in the offspring - either way you get more winter kill and predators prevail.
However, just because one person s trying to practice good conservation does not mean that the rest of the community is!
Cat
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Old 10-31-2014, 06:46 PM
Dunezilla Dunezilla is offline
 
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As for me I prefer to leave the more dominate bucks alone for the most part so that they can continue to produce good off spring. So I try to take less dominate bucks. Not all bucks become trophy bucks.

Where the doe population is high I would take a doe.
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