Heres how its going

[ENCORE50A]

X2. They are feeding nearby. Wish you could put out a few apples or some pumpkins. Maybe get a mineral lick set up for next year. They def move thru your property.

You can plant apple trees. Just put a fence around them while they grow.
With CWD and bTB, they're not going to allow it to happen I don't think.

 

[snapbang]

They certainly are feeding elsewhere. If you could see a map of my location there are hundreds of acres of choices for them to go eat. Right next to 100 or so acres of good bedding. Im just a random chance. The apple trees are in the future as well as a food plot. There is 5 acres of beans on the property, but hundreds or acres of beans and corn within throwing distance. So there is nothing special about the beans. Im going to take the 5 acres and plant maybe 12 or so apple trees and 2-3 acres of food plot.

But Im stuck on that 12 acres. I can hunt 5 more acres to the north but it is part of 40 acres of bedding area and I dont want to intrude.

I am thinking with all those spikes around that next year spikes will be on the hit list.

 

[snapbang]

I am surrounded by corn and beans. well beyond the borders of the map. As you can see, there is plenty of bedding.

 

[ENCORE50A]

They certainly are feeding elsewhere. If you could see a map of my location there are hundreds of acres of choices for them to go eat. Right next to 100 or so acres of good bedding. Im just a random chance. The apple trees are in the future as well as a food plot. There is 5 acres of beans on the property, but hundreds or acres of beans and corn within throwing distance. So there is nothing special about the beans. Im going to take the 5 acres and plant maybe 12 or so apple trees and 2-3 acres of food plot.

But Im stuck on that 12 acres. I can hunt 5 more acres to the north but it is part of 40 acres of bedding area and I dont want to intrude.

I am thinking with all those spikes around that next year spikes will be on the hit list.

You may already know this....... but just a suggestion on the apple trees. Plant the late harvest trees. Northern Spy or even Fuji. There is a couple other late harvest trees you could also plant.
Plant them where they get full sun and all day if at all possible. Don't use tree wraps on the bottoms, unless you plan to rewrap them a couple times a year. Tree wraps are known to "hour glass" trees, which will eventually kill them. Fence them until they can withstand the deer browsing on them.
I personally like the Northern Spy trees. Their apples make excellent pie LOL

Keep at it for the next 9 days.

 

[snapbang]

Thanks Encore. I have considered that but nice to know I am going in the right direction.

I have 6 wild apple trees on the property. They all shed apples by mid October. They do draw deer early but I do need the November apples to keep the deer coming.

I am a contractor for the USDA in Traverse City. Many growers have apples. I have a couple of them advising me.

 

[ENCORE50A]

Thanks Encore. I have considered that but nice to know I am going in the right direction.

I have 6 wild apple trees on the property. They all shed apples by mid October. They do draw deer early but I do need the November apples to keep the deer coming.

There used to be a nursery down in Hartford that sold what they called a "deer package" of apple trees. Seedlings I should say, not trees. I can't remember the name of the nursery and wouldn't know if it still existed. Their package IIRC was a dozen trees that were mid October to late November harvest trees. I guess they designed the package for apples to drop in late Oct, and right through the end of the year.
Paint your trees to keep the yellow belly's from damaging them.

 

[snapbang]

Out tonight at 2:45. 3:00 I see see movement but never close enough or open enough to see what it was. At 4:00 a nice doe fawn came in. It was real tempting but still a fawn. Lewey showed at 4:30 and departed at 5:00. He must be on a schedule. Try again tomorrow morning.

 

[Dom]

You are sure putting in your time snapbang, I've enjoyed reading this whole thread. Your area sounds very similar to mine. I have small area to hunt, but they constantly pass through between swamp, ag, woods, etc. I always see way more Bucks than Does, so I shoot the Bucks. I see a lot of Spike, Forks, and Sixes, and there are occasionally bigger Bucks, but usually not when I'm sitting out, lol. This year I shot a 6 and a 7, donated half of the last one to the Vets and had Summer Sausage made from the other half. Waidmannsheil, and good luck to you, you still got a few days.

 

[Wilyote1]

I am in nearly the same situation. We cannot bait deer in NY. We bought our place in 1991 and I started doing habitat improvements from day one. Deer need food, cover and water. Your deer have food in the farmed areas (probably during the hunting season). Your surrounding areas look like cover but they that can be deceiving. This brings me to the lack of water features. A small pond, can be a big draw. I hand dug a 10' cistern in the early 90s and shot my biggest buck to date as he left after getting his drink. Never underestimate what a small water feature can do.

Planting: learn to graft!! Drive around looking for late drop apple trees and snag a few pieces of scion wood during dormancy. Graft onto your wild apples in the spring. You already have a tree with an established root system, make use of it. I currently have a tree loaded with 2" apples in late December. Deer visit it all the time. Plant wild plum, persimmon, chestnuts, paw paw, and mulberry. Deer go bonkers for persimmon. There are oak trees strains that hold their acorns late as well as some chestnuts.

After 30 years, I am seeing what habitat improvements can do on my postage stamp of a lot.

 

[Mike3888]

My brother has planted a few sawtooth oaks on his property, they don’t take long to mature. Pulls deer in like crazy. Yeah looks fake, feeder was empty and stored there

 

[snapbang]

Appreciate the advice. Im 67 so I need speedy improvements.

 

[Wilyote1]

Appreciate the advice. Im 67 so I need speedy improvements.

Wild plum, graft onto those apple trees , add a water feature.

 

[Ninering62]

Gather around hunters and Ill tell you a tale. Of a hunter named snap who has an event to share. Fill your glasses with beer or bourbon. Whatever you favorite drink is by your fire.
You see snap set his standards a little high this year. Hoping one of those big bucks would show that posed for his camera. Well, buck season passed without an encounter and snap was OK with that because he knows next year they will only get bigger.

Tonight (12/20) snap sat out waiting to fill his doe tag. At 4:09 Lewey showed as well as another small fawn 140 yards to the south. Pretty early and excited snap was confident in what the night would hold. Soon another fawn to the south as well as another fawn following Lewey to the bean field. Nice and early the anticipation was high.

At 5:10 (shooting till 5:30) to the west the woods was alive with movement. Like the ground was boiling. Snap was ready and put his binoculars to work. As the boiling mass moved toward him he identified the first deer as a beautiful 6-8 inch spike he had seen many times. Second in line was a twin or what could have passed for one. Four deer remained unidentified so the scrutiny continued. Next was a spike with a mutated left horn. Could be a related to the first two deer at least by appearance but must have had an accident with that horn somewhere.
Hope still running high the forth deer came into view. It was a two inch spike that is legal for an antler less license. But snap likes doe better and there is still at least two deer to identify and 12 days of hunting left.

Deer number five presents itself and a nice fork it is. So far snap is familiar with all these deer. Having spent weeks hunting for their daddy. One more deer to identify and he is still optimistic there will be at least one good doe in the group. The last the deer clears some brush only to show off his six points.

Really????????? 6 bucks in one group not 20 yards in front of me. By this point Im laughing my behind off. I have never in my life seen 6 bucks in one group. At least while I was hunting.
I had a pile of fun tonight and this will be a memory to share.

Awesome read, TY for sharing it with us

 

[snapbang]

No deer sighted today. Hunted morning and evening. It was foggy, terrible foggy both morning and evening.

I did go to the store with my wife the other day and there was a cold bin of meat. Big chunks. price $300-$400.00. Now I think each was enough to feed a group of 40. but thats still big money. Lewey better stay away. LOL

No, I wont hurt Lewey.

 

[smokepolehall]

No deer sighted today. Hunted morning and evening. It was foggy, terrible foggy both morning and evening.

I did go to the store with my wife the other day and there was a cold bin of meat. Big chunks. price $300-$400.00. Now I think each was enough to feed a group of 40. but thats still big money. Lewey better stay away. LOL

No, I wont hurt Lewey.

I had a volunteer out at the mineral block do a bang flop at 4:42 pm. Twas a pretty Cowhorn Spike. Now hanging from tree til morning.

 

[Ga.Smokey]

Went to Alabama to hunt at a Profesional out fit.
We hunted hard for 4 days.
Saw 2 deer on hunt 2.
Took this old gal at 75yds. 308win 150 gn bullet.
At the outfitters request shot in the front shoulder/ neck area.
She fell and twitched twice.
We saw 2 deer 4 hogs 10 turkey 2 bobcat 1 coyote hawks squirels assorted song birds.
We didn't see any bucks
12 hunters hunting 4 days with over 50 hunts 2 deer killed.
My doe and a 3 year old 7 point.
Not very impressed after spending 5k for me and the wife to hunt.

 

[LarryP]

View attachment 39965Went to Alabama to hunt at a Profesional out fit.
We hunted hard for 4 days.
Saw 2 deer on hunt 2.
Took this old gal at 75yds. 308win 150 gn bullet.
At the outfitters request shot in the front shoulder/ neck area.
She fell and twitched twice.
We saw 2 deer 4 hogs 10 turkey 2 bobcat 1 coyote hawks squirels assorted song birds.
We didn't see any bucks
12 hunters hunting 4 days with over 50 hunts 2 deer killed.
My doe and a 3 year old 7 point.
Not very impressed after spending 5k for me and the wife to hunt.

I would say you got took royally.

 

[Ga.Smokey]

I would say you got took royally.

Yeah I figure it was a hard lesson.
They had good reviews and reputation.
Can't believe the hunting video's
Was a bait and switch.....
Or I should say no bait. In an area that allows baiting. The locals probably bait the fool out of them.
I had 11 deer in my lower pasture yesterday evening.more deer than the whole hunting party saw in 4 days.
We did have a good time hunting together. Spending time alone brought us closer together.
On a bright note first doe I've taken in 8 years. I got a big rush that I haven't gotten in a while.
I've made a conscious effort not to shoot does on my property it's kinda of a sanctuary for deer.the neibors take plenty of doe I choose not to.
It does bring in a lot of roving bucks that I get a look at.

 

[Smyrnagc]

Look at the Lowndes Academy fund raising deer hunt if you want to go back. I went a couple years ago and saw deer everyday. Black Belt south Alabama. They treat you right and hunting is on local farmers properties where they put you up. Meals provided and they take you out every morning and evening.

https://www.lowndesacademy.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2564964&type=d&pREC_ID=2257429

 

[snapbang]

No hunting 12/25 and 12/26. Will be back out tomorrow morning.