Looking for opinions - small property hunters

[180splitg3]

Hey guys. I'm just looking for some input regarding hunting smaller properties in the Midwest. I'm talking about properties 100 acres or less. I hunt in SE MN in what is regarded as one of the better areas in the state(I know it's not the best state). I am fortunate to own a 40 acre piece and have shot some good deer but I'm curious to hear specifically about the number of encounters others are having each season with mature deer on similar size properties. I'm calling anything 4+ years old a shooter regardless of antler size for this discussion. I would say that I have 0-2 encounters with shooters each season. On my property, if you don't capitalize on one of the rare encounters, there are very high chances that you will not get another opportunity. I know there are a ton of factors at play but I have been considering selling the property to purchase a different property. I just don't want to go backwards. Is 0-2 encounters pretty typical for others hunting similar size properties? I know it's not easy to kill mature deer - I would just really like to have more encounters per season but maybe that's unrealistic. I typically hunt the first two weeks of the season (typically September 15-30th), the first two weeks of November, any cold fronts and multiple days during muzzeloader season. We spend tons of time on our food plots, stand access routes, improving bedding, etc. I appreciate your input!

 

[180splitg3]

Geez - nobody hunts small acreages in the Midwest? Would love to hear your thoughts on the above post if you do...

 

[EastMT]

We have a family farm in NW Missouri, 100 acres on the river. I just got back from hunting there for the first time in a quite awhile. It seems to avg 2 solid 8-10 points bucks every year, but it’s pretty random. Depends on pressure on neighboring farms, if wind is in the right direction to watch the better areas(mature ones are smarter), if the bottom was planted or flooded out, etc etc. Lots a variables but I’d say 2 mature deer per year is fair to hope for in our area.

By mature I don’t mean an Instagram trophy. We had a huge one pre season running around, but gone full nocturnal first shot that went off. Scrapes all over in the morning, zero visits in daylight.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[laclement]

Not the Midwest but I hunt on 30 acres in central Texas. The area has a 13 inch spread antler restriction. I’d say that every year we get a few opportunities at a mature buck by your definition. Unfortunately I couldn’t close on one I had last year archery hunting but someone else did during rifle season on the same 12 pointer.

 

[WhatToHunt]

I hunt in WI on 80 acres and what you've described sounds in line with opportunities I see at shooters. On average 0-2 opportunities from archery and rifle seasons makes sense. Like you said, a lot of variables and depends just how many times a person can be out there to increase the odds. Those mature bucks are hard to kill and gosh do I love the pursuit.

 

[brownie9582]

I would say your experience is pretty typical. However I would say not all small pieces are made equally, and some are far better than others. The layout and the mindest of hunters surrounding your property are huge. I have 54 acres in Ohio in some pretty good big buck area, and in the 3 years I have owned it we have had one encounter each year with a mature buck (4+ years). Every year I have the opportunity to harvest a really nice 3 year old, but have passed to let it grow. One buck was killed the following year on my farm as a 4 year old and then we have pictures of the one i passed last year.

However every year my neighbor shoots "a nice buck" which equates to one of the good looking 2 year olds in the prerut. I'll keep working on him slowly and maybe he will understand in time!

 

[Panhandler80]

As mentioned already, I think a LOT of it has to do with the folks around you and the layout of your property. I hunt on 40 acres in NW Florida and while it certainly is not big buck territory, a mature whitetail is a mature whitetail... which means the challenge still exists. Anyway, in my case the 40 acres is about 5 times longer than it is wide. While you would want a block of land if you had a lot of land, I find that this strip is actually advantageous when dealing with really small pieces. Because of the length, I'm able to hunt three different environments... saltmarsh to the west, high and dry palmetto / pine flat in the middle, and then the east drops off into a swampy pine bog. The length is also positioned West to East, which is good for the prevailing winds that we have late Oct - Feb. Having hunted the property for about 15 years, I can definitively claim that on just this one little 40 acre piece, there are two distinct groups of deer. Again, this is because of the length of the property. I can also tell you definitively that what the neighbors are doing matters a lot. For the first 10 years or so the surrounding property was leased to somewhat of a brown-and-down club. I killed a few deer here and there, but if it was a racked buck and a neighbor had a crack at him, it was a pretty good chance that the deer would be harvested. A buck here to even have 8 points is going to be a 4 year old deer, and a trophy is likely going to be 5 plus. I would typically have maybe one buck on film each year that would get me excited. If I was lucky I might catch a glimpse once in person. During this time I killed one mature 10 point. Then about 5 years ago everything changed. Land owners around me switched. New folks are more in the cattle business than they are pine trees. The 4,000 acres or so that surround me (a chunk bordered by water and a highway) that was all pines quickly became about half pasture. Not only this, but the brown-and-down club left. New land owners leased the property to a guy and his wife. The two of them might have a couple guest hunters each year, but there is very little pressure. My deer hunting went from okay, to superb in a matter of a couple years. Neighbors are low pressure and all of the new edge and pasture really made a lot more food for wildlife. Since the changes I'm typically able to harvest a 4 year old deer each year. Granted they seldom break 140 pounds and by best buck to date (last year) was a typical 9 that grossed 117" and netted like 110", but they are they are mature nonetheless and difficult to hunt... but the more of them there are, the better your chances. So... in my favor and for this particular 40 acres:

1. A piece of land with varied terrain

2. Layout of the land

3. Neighbors

A few other things to consider. I elected long ago to always park in the same spot. I'm not sure if that works in my favor, or not. My rationale is that by doing so, they get used to seeing / hearing truck in the same spot without being alarmed. Perhaps I'm giving them too much credit, but if they aren't wild about the truck, the last thing I want to do is park it somewhere that might alarm / surprise deer and encourage them to do something different in terms of travel routes.

Deer are actually bedded on my property pretty often, so all of my stands are easily and quietly accessed. I think this is huge.

Believe it or not, I usually hunt once per weekend from late October all the way through the end of Feb. Yeah, it's a long season. Most people would think that that much pressure on a small place would wear it out. However, because the property is so long, if the weather cooperates, I'm able to hunt four different areas which keeps pressure minimal even though it sounds like a tiny piece.

Speaking of stands... I would also recommend to people who are relegated to hunting small spots to make small moves every so often. I don't know if you have many trees that can be climbed, but I'll often move just 20 or 30 yards to a different tree and I swear it makes a difference. If you can't climb, the same thing can be done with a tripod under 15 feet or so with relative ease.

Of course hunting the wind matters, but so does entry and exit to the woods. If you can, set everything up so that the chances of your scent going INTO your small piece is minimized as you enter the woods for your sit.

 

[brownie9582]

Above post is very good, and the last point might be the most critical. Access is one of the most important aspects of hunting a small piece.

In fact I do a lot of my hunting on the fringes in easy to access area when possible, and I also have a couple different ways to access my small parcel that helps me keep pressure down.

I also feel in general that if you are going to have a small piece that I would rather be a travel corridor than a bedding area. Makes morning and evening access less likely to spook deer.

 

[hollarhorns]

I have one 60 acre property that I'm fortunate to have permission to hunt in Central MO. Like everyone else has said, there are variables, mostly due to pressure that seem to affect results but it seems as though I will get 2-3 shooter quality bucks on camera/sightings every year. This is the first year I have seen a good buck in the early season but I think that likely has to do with changing my approach to hunting the farm. The farm is surrounded by public land on three sides so this year, I kept my influence to a minimum: only ran two cameras in very low impact areas and only checked them if I was passing through to hunt. I kept my scent trail in one location which meant only hunting it on a very specific wind. I've hunted it less times this year than in the past but have actually seen more deer this year then the last 5 seasons.

For what it's worth...

 

[WCB]

Depends...I am also from MN and agree with others it really depends on what is going on around you and how the deer use your property. If your 40 is mostly a bed room you may have more encounters. If it is simply a trvel area 0-2 seems pretty normal.

Used to hunt 10 acres just north of the cities and if you picked the wrong days you would get almost 0 interactions with any deer. Figure out their cycle of use on the property and every time I went out 10-15 deer and multiple bucks. They used it on a 3 or 4 day cycle didn't matter really weather or time of year.

 

[stonewall]

I’m in the stand on my 40 acres in central Tx now. There is only one mature buck I’ve seen on camera and then some young ones. Got one pic in august. Then a few pics first couple days of nov (course I wasn’t there). Rifle opened nov 6. He may still be here, but likely not

I also hunt 50 acres my parents have about an hour from here. Best year for bucks in the 20 years I’ve hunted it. Saw ~4 legal bucks. But all 3 yr olds. Maybe 1 of them is 4. 13” spread rule here. I have no doubt the neighbors have taken care of these bucks by now.

that said. These are excellent squirrel spots. I should have brought my pellet gun this morning instead of my bow

 

[RRen]

As mentioned already, I think a LOT of it has to do with the folks around you and the layout of your property. I hunt on 40 acres in NW Florida and while it certainly is not big buck territory, a mature whitetail is a mature whitetail... which means the challenge still exists. Anyway, in my case the 40 acres is about 5 times longer than it is wide. While you would want a block of land if you had a lot of land, I find that this strip is actually advantageous when dealing with really small pieces. Because of the length, I'm able to hunt three different environments... saltmarsh to the west, high and dry palmetto / pine flat in the middle, and then the east drops off into a swampy pine bog. The length is also positioned West to East, which is good for the prevailing winds that we have late Oct - Feb. Having hunted the property for about 15 years, I can definitively claim that on just this one little 40 acre piece, there are two distinct groups of deer. Again, this is because of the length of the property. I can also tell you definitively that what the neighbors are doing matters a lot. For the first 10 years or so the surrounding property was leased to somewhat of a brown-and-down club. I killed a few deer here and there, but if it was a racked buck and a neighbor had a crack at him, it was a pretty good chance that the deer would be harvested. A buck here to even have 8 points is going to be a 4 year old deer, and a trophy is likely going to be 5 plus. I would typically have maybe one buck on film each year that would get me excited. If I was lucky I might catch a glimpse once in person. During this time I killed one mature 10 point. Then about 5 years ago everything changed. Land owners around me switched. New folks are more in the cattle business than they are pine trees. The 4,000 acres or so that surround me (a chunk bordered by water and a highway) that was all pines quickly became about half pasture. Not only this, but the brown-and-down club left. New land owners leased the property to a guy and his wife. The two of them might have a couple guest hunters each year, but there is very little pressure. My deer hunting went from okay, to superb in a matter of a couple years. Neighbors are low pressure and all of the new edge and pasture really made a lot more food for wildlife. Since the changes I'm typically able to harvest a 4 year old deer each year. Granted they seldom break 140 pounds and by best buck to date (last year) was a typical 9 that grossed 117" and netted like 110", but they are they are mature nonetheless and difficult to hunt... but the more of them there are, the better your chances. So... in my favor and for this particular 40 acres:

1. A piece of land with varied terrain

2. Layout of the land

3. Neighbors

A few other things to consider. I elected long ago to always park in the same spot. I'm not sure if that works in my favor, or not. My rationale is that by doing so, they get used to seeing / hearing truck in the same spot without being alarmed. Perhaps I'm giving them too much credit, but if they aren't wild about the truck, the last thing I want to do is park it somewhere that might alarm / surprise deer and encourage them to do something different in terms of travel routes.

Deer are actually bedded on my property pretty often, so all of my stands are easily and quietly accessed. I think this is huge.

Believe it or not, I usually hunt once per weekend from late October all the way through the end of Feb. Yeah, it's a long season. Most people would think that that much pressure on a small place would wear it out. However, because the property is so long, if the weather cooperates, I'm able to hunt four different areas which keeps pressure minimal even though it sounds like a tiny piece.

Speaking of stands... I would also recommend to people who are relegated to hunting small spots to make small moves every so often. I don't know if you have many trees that can be climbed, but I'll often move just 20 or 30 yards to a different tree and I swear it makes a difference. If you can't climb, the same thing can be done with a tripod under 15 feet or so with relative ease.

Of course hunting the wind matters, but so does entry and exit to the woods. If you can, set everything up so that the chances of your scent going INTO your small piece is minimized as you enter the woods for your sit.

Thanks for the tips. Looking to buy some land soon.

 

[Sc00ter079]

I hunt a 70 acre lot in Ohio. Only about half of it is wooded. My rule of thumb is heavy scouting with cameras. I figure out the exact movement. My second rule is multiple stand locations. With that small of a lot you need to be able to hunt in any wind condition and hunt as much as possible. I usually get a couple encounters a year pretty consistently with that equation.
Once again you have to hunt a lot! I am out ever weekend leading up to Gun season, a week for the rut and a few days for opening weekend. Also I try to focus on the funnels leading to other properties. I don’t sit right on the funnel but just a little off it where the deer might stage to enter a funnel.

 

[Fordguy]

I hunt a 40 acre parcel in central lower Michigan, and the age structure just isn't there for mature bucks. The problem is that there are too many hunters and too many small parcels nearby. So when it comes to 4.5 year old buck sightings 0-2 per year is right on the money (Sightings meaning that I see them at least once but they aren't necessarily huntable).
In the end, its a game of expectation and what you're willing to settle for.

 

[Appalachian Mtnman]

Hope your neighbors hunt mature bucks only as well. But good management will go a long way. Give them a reason to want to be on your property more than the others.