Evalulating the 2017 fire arm deer season

Evalulating the 2017 fire arm deer season today as I walk the dogs in the woods.
Very few deer seen at the beginning of the season. I credit that to the standing corn on 3 sides on my place. the corn was not taken off till day before and day after Thanksgiving. deer sightings after that according to my journal picked up. But then temptures dropped and wind chills increased greatly. I believe the deer just laid up till after darkl when most days the wind dropped way down.
My journal indicates sightings dropped on windy days.

So I am trying to formulate a plan to work around some of the problems. I am wondering if food plots with some really good green forage will pull the deer out of the corn fields possiably in the day time.
Making mineral licks for them also. I also plan on adding fertlizer to the Oak trees once I figure out the right formula.

Not much I can do about the wind, rain or snow.


Al

 

I typed a whole lot of stuff and deleted it cause i thought it sounded corny.lol But put out a feeder with something that's not plentiful there. ever hear of nut grub? the deer here love it and will come to it every day. Anything you can do that deer like will make it better for you to see more of them.

 

You can't use a feeder here in Wisconsin.
Our every deer count/ registration started was completely changed in how it used to be.

Or numbers were down in deer harvested.

We'll find out in a couple of years on what really was the effect.

 

You can use a feeded and bait here in Michigan if you wish. I how ever would prefer to have them leave the corn fields and go to bedding areas and then in the afternoon.evening leave the bedding areas and go to ther corn.

Is funny we had a great crop of Acorns this year about every Oak tree had huge drops. Deer were not touching them even after the corn was off. But once it warmed up from the low 20F range and the winds died down the deer were in those acorns like crazy. Rooting around in the leaves like hogs.

Al

 

Tough to compete against standing local food and I have found the bucks don't hit the acorns much until post rut when they are looking to replace weight lost during the rut.

Do you have enough land to create a sanctuary or a bedding area? Deer for the most part are creatures of habit and will routinely travel between places of safety to bed and a food source, especially late in the season.

Lots of good info on creating deer sanctuaries and bedding areas out there. QDMA is a good start.

 

We used to have deer laying up in the pines across the creek up untill a couple years ago. don't know what got them to change that.

As for QDMA I do not believe in their comcept nor the crap they spew on genetics.
Doesn't matter what the sex or age of a deer is now how many points a buck carries, if the genes are there to begin with then all ages and sexs carry the same genes.

Letting a buck grow old and tough to eat don't change the genes.

My brother lives in a QDM unit here in Michigan. he has told me and he also does it him self, they only buy a anterless permint, pass up the buck tags. Many who do buy a buck tag butcher their own deer so no one knows how many points it had on one side or take it to a processer and say if came from two counties over off public land.

Brother says that this year after 8 years of QDM they are still seeing spikes and fork horns and not much bigger.


Al

 

I honestly don't follow QDMA but some things like sanctuaries and bedding areas make sense to me. Lots of other sources of similar info out there. Give the deer a safe place to bed and they should stick around. If it's not your property, they will find a place where they feel safe that may be no where near your property. The big ones are there but elusive and usually nocturnal. Those young spikes and forks have fathers.

 

Which one do you want, you ask for something to pull them out and then want them to stay in bedding area and corn. Find a good spot where they travel from bedding and corn and place a stand within shooting distance.

Far as management goes I know years ago we could shoot anything and we never seen anything big cause they never made it to an older age, then the game a fish implemented a three on one side rule. in a couple years it payed off. we finally started seeing bigger racks. it was one of the best things they have done, now I hope they never go to the spread rule.

 

This is new to me. What's the spread rule?

 

Some places have a 16 or 18 inch inside spread rule. it has to have that to be legal. I am not good at judging inches from far away. to me that is a gotcha rule. Last few years on our license here there is a little triangle on the back of the deer tag you have to cut out, many didn't even know that and they could fine you for not doing it. it served no purpose other than revenue off fines. it was another
gotcha. the spread rule is only on management areas and privates clubs I know of right now. if they implement it statewide I will give up hunting.

 

I understand letting bucks get to maturity but how the heck is anyone going to field judge a bucks inside spread especially if the deer doesn't look directly at, or away from you?

 

I agree, don't think they will ever do it statewide, but who knows. but I will give it up if they do. even if they look at you it would still be hard to do. unless they were just really wide, but that don't happen much where I hunt. my luck if they a 16 rule the one I killed would measure 15 7/8. lol

 

I was thinking about that too. Insert and pump.

 

LOL

 

The spread rule is dumb!! My neighbor killed a very large 140" 8 this year thats 14" wide, its just really tall and symetrical, and old! This buck is in the pic is on my place and is probably 20" wide, 2.5yrs and might, a big might make 120". In most spread rule states my neighbors deer would be illegal and my deer would be shot by anyone!

 

I can't believe that is already a law in some states.

 

Way I see it if they passed a 3 or better on one side to be a legal buck I would join my brother and his neighbours. No more bucks shot by me just does and every so often a button buck.

I see bot the 3 to one side rule and the spread rule the results of anti hunters helping to make the rules.

And thre anti's win as one of you already said you would quit.

Al

 

they won't pass a spread rule here, they would lose too much revenue. that is only used in private clubs that make their own rules and you know it before you join, or in some wildlife management areas. the three point rule was the best thing they ever done here for buck hunting. if you are just meat hunting then it makes no difference. some of us like to see nice racks to harvest and before the rule, there was little to see.

 

Im all for APR's, I just think the spread rule is a bit overboard. I do understand some 1.5yr olds are ten points but not trophy grade and will be killed, and some 6.5yr olds that are huge forkies on the downward spiral or whatever couldnt but should be allowed...

Nothing is perfect, but from I see around here, I would prefer some sort of APR... All the does you could handle, but rifle season opens and the butcher is full of spikes and inmature bucks.

I have a boat load of $ tied up in my properties. Im not a snob downing anyone that doesnt kill a booner, nor do I like big brother telling me what I can and cannot do... But I think all would appreciate the effect of long term apr's. I know I cant manage my farms because they arent big enough, but with all that $ tied up, I have 0 control over my neighbor shooting a deer I passed 100x's because in 3yrs it would be trophy potential.

I guess it makes me sound selfish or controling which isnt the case... I just know letting them walk, is letting them grow!

 

It's tough enough with the 3"antler rule to be a technically buck. The spread rule is crazy. My buddy passed on a spike in the UP because it's antlers were not above it's ears. He assumed they were too short. Another guy in their group, a friend as well, ended up shooting that buck. It was just over 3" on one side. Close, too close for my comfort.