Drawing deer

Y

yankytrash

New member
Buck fever startin to hit me, so I'm preparing a little earlier this year.

I've got 50 acres of woods I hunt deer in. There's a nice farm field on one side that has some alfalfa and timothy growin in a corner near my woods, and a fresh-cut 100 acres of cleared property behind me. I've got the water runnin through my property.

Any suggestions on how to lure the deer into my woods, so they can find my feeders? Problem is, they take the easy road between the clear-cut property and the farm field property, which is around my property. They come into my woods for water, but it's hard figuring out when they're goin through there, if there's any set time at all.

So how do you lure deer to feed when it's not mating season? I've only got about 2 months to get them into a feeding routine that involves my property.
 
I've never had that problem,but there numerous sweet and herbal smelling scents that can attract deer.I've even heard of locals using syrup and apples to attract deer to their corn piles.
 
Any chance this 50 acres is a relativly narrow section of woods that connects two larger sections of woods?

If so it's probably a prime place. Plus that water flowing through it.

With the alfalfa field and the browse growing up in the fresh clear area they have plenty of food I'll bet. I'd not try a feeder, but read the land and work to its existing attributes.

Not being able to see the land it's hard to tell you exactly.

Kilgor
 
First off, deer tend to be "edge" critters, so they may be working along the edge of your woods in travel between the other areas.

There's no substitute for getting out and looking for sign. Rubs, scrapes, lil ol' goaty-goat hoof-prints.

Do your neighbors object to your shooting a deer inside their land, adjacent to you? If you've never asked, you don't know, right? Better, now, than later...

Art
 
remember that the deer, like most animals, will look for the easiest path between 2 points for travel. if your area is really thick and impossible to get thru, they may not use it except as escape cover for when the pressure is on. it may be a prime place to sit and wait once the opening shots of the season start.

look at your fences; a lot of times you'll see deer hair on the fence where they are crossing. might indicate a prime place to set up an ambush.
 
a little trick I have used.
I hunted a small timber near a spot where the deer tended to just bypass and cross a fence in the open- not close enough for bow range. When I hunted, I hung a sweaty T shirt on the fence where they usually crossed and they decided they would rather move just inside the edge of the timber. They moved slow and cautious, always watching that shirt. Within my bow range and looking away with broadside presentation= meat in the freezer :D
kindof a "detour ahead" sign.
 
Kingcreek, that's brilliant!! Rather than bait, UNbait!!

I believe I'll try to get'm to be "leary" of the timothy patch. That might get'm to hide in woods near my feeders, thus discovering my feeders.
 
If there are any mast bearing trees in your 50 acres (white oak, red oak, pecan, beech etc) they will draw deer as the season cranks up. Same for fruit trees (persimmon, wild plum) and wild grapes (muskadines). Also the crops and pastures will be less attractive as fall comes in. The fresh clearing will provide some cover and forage, so I'd place a feeder or two inside the woods on that side. Remember what Dakotasin said about deer seeking cover in your woods as hunting pressure rises.
Place other stands near trails or clearings and keep them spaced so that the deer can't pattern you first.
Look for any clearings where you can establish food plots with winter resistant food crops like clover and winter wheat. You don't need to get fancy. When pressed for time, I have just scratched the ground along log trails and sprinkled turnip seed with a modified salt shaker and kicked the dirt over them to cover the seed.
Best bet: find a white oak or persimmon and be there when it unloads.
For next year, put out salt licks using salt and soda ash. These are used mostly in the spring and summer, but they keep deer coming year round.
Don't know your location, but some variation of the above will likely bring good results.
Good hunting.
 
King, it's not one week later, and your stinkin scarecrow seems to be working. I'm seeing tracks and droppings all near the edges of the woods, like they don't trust the timothy anymore!!:D I've managed to lead the trail right to my feeders.

Man, lemme tell ya - deer eat ALOT of corn. 50lb in 3 days.:eek:

..me suspects there's squirrels that need killin 'round there..;)
 
yeah, deer fear me.
I'm thinking of marketing this idea nationwide. Wonder how much I could sell my sweaty T-shirts for??? Maybe complete with lifesize cardboard posters in my fearsome likeness to hang those sweat-stained Ts on!
Good Luck but don't overdo it. Don't want to route them into the next county:D

headline: "Chronic Stinkin' Disease Strikes Deer Country"
 
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