Hunting Land Frustration

[eddiewiggles]

I guess I really just need to vent. My wife’s family owns about 130 acres of beautiful land where we plan on building a home eventually. Until then I can hunt it whenever I want and treat it like it’s mine (if my wife approves of course, since it’s really hers). Lots of deer, no other hunters nearby. I’m not a snob by any means when it comes to shooting deer, I’m an advocate for having meat in the freezer but letting small bucks walk to let them grow. There’s plenty of does for that on this property.

The cool part about the property is it backs up to 640 acres of land that’s owned by the county and that’s where the deer mainly come from as it was clear cut probably 10-15 years ago.

The not cool part about the property is they do a youth hunt 1x a year on the county land.

It’s weird dichotomy because I love that kids in the area get to hunt an awesome piece of property and see a lot of deer and get to take home some meat and make memories with their parents. But I hate that it’s at the expense of all the young bucks I’ve been letting walk. The hunt is this weekend so we’ll see what happens. There’s nothing I can do except go enjoy the woods I reckon.

Hope I don’t sound like an ass as I truly love opportunities for kids like this. It’s just mildly depressing lol


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[bridgerbenson]

Let it go. There will always be young bucks moving back into the area. Fortunately for you, you have enough acres to set it up to attract and hold the more mature bucks. Focus on that.


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[KenLee]

We have early and late youth days here. I take one kid in the morning and one in evening, so sometimes 4 young bucks per season get popped on my land. These are usually bucks I've let walk numerous times. I'm talking borrowed kids 6 to 12 years old. I'm tickled for them and hoping to help grow lifetime hunters.

 

[Green Bullet]

Use it as an option to pull those bucks over when pressure hits

 

[RockinRam96]

I am in a somewhat similar situation.

My grand parents passed down 140 acres to my mom and her brothers and sister, my aunts and uncles (10 in total). It is a struggle every year to collect the tax money to stay afloat.

Now the property has never been a producer of big bucks. But there are plenty of deer there to go around. The property offers everything the deer could want, except for feed. I’ve been wanting to go plant crops just to keep the deer. But I am afraid to invest my time, money and effort into something that I could loose tomorrow with no say.

To the OP, just go enjoy what you have. Take it for what it’s worth. Enjoy being in the woods and spending time with the guys at camp. Thats am where I am at with our property.

Good luck.


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[FLATHEAD]

130 acres for yourself. Count your blessings.

 

[LostArra]

The early single weekend youth hunt around here usually results in photos of 8 year olds with 160" bucks (Grandpa's no fool)

 

[KenLee]

The early single weekend youth hunt around here usually results in photos of 8 year olds with 160" bucks (Grandpa's no fool)

I'd have a heart attack if I saw a 160" buck in Upstate SC.
Our early youth is generally 2nd Saturday in September. Bucks haven't lost their minds over the ladies yet.

 

[mnhoundman]

We have the same early season here in Minnesota to, awesome to get the kids out. But I think it's up to 18 years old and they go by themselves not with an adult which kind of is the point?? Not sure I like that so much but whatever. Then you have the 10 year old that shoots a 160" buck and now thinks every year he or she will get one and in today's society if they don't you know what happens from there!
They will maybe push some big bucks your way!

 

[Yoder]

I wouldn't worry about what's happening on somebody else's land. Nothing you can do. There aren't that many kids hunting anymore. I always think it's cool to see them kill something.

 

[jdmaxwell]

130 acres for yourself. Count your blessings.

This.... no need to whine..

 

[gjs4]

It’s always easier to point a finger than find a solution. The public guys that whine private has it so good haven’t driven themselves to find/pay for it and the private guys who compare swords expect too much of their financial/sweat engagement and someone who doesn’t hates their state should be hunting others. Once there is empathy from experience, hunting gets better. Now pass the cranberry and Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[Natimblue]

I think everyone has a similar situation with a neighboring land owner. We have a pay to hunt farm across the river so anything showing antlers gets shot. Drives me crazy when a deer we have been watching shows up shot on the other side. I would prefer your once a year youth hunt over what we have. Ownership is the only way to insure control.

 

[Honyock]

Just try to give them a reason not to leave. There's no way that you are going to keep a buck in the rut from leaving your land. We have 240 acres that is managed solely for whitetails and we run 7 cell trail cameras all year. We try to only take 135+ bucks (4 years or older, two hunters) unless it's a kid's first deer and then anything with horns for them. We see bucks that we've never seen before show up on cameras during the rut. All you can do is give them food, water and no pressure. Set up a couple of mineral stations and use Deer Cane. Not for sure what the deal is with the Deer Cane, but it works very well for us. We'll have pictures of deer at the mineral station within an hour of when we put it down. Also do small food plots (1/2 acre) in secluded areas where there's lots of cover close. To get an idea of what you have, shed hunt hard in the spring. They will tell you what made it through the season. You're not going to shoot a big buck if you shoot a small one first.

 

[gbflyer]

Shoo them over to your side the day before the youth hunt.

 

[CJF]

Whether you realize it or not, they are probably helping your odds of seeing mature bucks as much as any management practice could…especially if they are killing some does along with those bucks…..imo

 

[Dave0317]

I know the idea of attractants or food plots has been mentioned. I don’t own land, so this is my opinion as a public land hunter. The deer have no shortage of water and food sources where I hunt. What they tend to lack is sanctuaries and good security cover.

I’d designate a good chunk of acreage in your property to focus on some hinge cutting, plant young pines, whatever else might give deer good bedding cover. And then don’t hunt that area. The public land deer will eventually notice they don’t get harassed in your sanctuary. Even on public with no antler restrictions, big deer find ways to survive more often than you would think.

 

[timekiller13]

You sound like you’re whining.

You have a 130 acres to yourself. It backs up to a one square mile sanctuary. So what if it gets hunted once a year?

Those kids are going to have a great time. I guarantee you they won’t kill every buck. Plenty will live. And others will take their place.

 

[Thess87]

No disrespect. But it doesn’t sound like you have kids of your own. My wife and I try to only kill trophy quality bucks for our area at all of our spots. But when it comes to my kids I take them to the same places and I don’t care if it’s a spike or 180 inch 10 pt walks out if they want to kill it I’m just as stoked for that as if it was a 200 for me.

 

[GunsAreFun]

1. Unless you own land that backs up to an area that doesn’t allow any hunting, you’re always going to be “sharing” deer with other hunters. Doesn’t matter if it is public or private.

2. If this place only allows youth season hunting, then that is better than almost any other scenario because then you have 51 weeks with no hunting.

3. Make your place more attractive to them so they spend more time there and less time elsewhere. Plenty of podcasts on this.

4. 130 acres of private hunting land (FOR FREE!) is a blessing that the vast majority of the population doesn’t have. Enjoy it. Don’t look for reasons to have negative thoughts and do things to make the property better.