Awesome Sturgis article - highlights Waupaca county

Maybe I am not writing well enough for some to understand

By making my property less attractive 1/3 -1/2 of the year I spread out the deer. Less on my land - but still plenty.

The deer are less in pockets of habitat, more spread out, neighbors have better hunting and so do I because I don't have to shoot 20+ does/year.

I used to get a lot of pictures of does fighting. Hardly get those any more with fewer deer. Less deer does make less stress. You can see it in trail pictures

I've been doing it and it has merit.

If everyone did it (reduce summer attraction) i believe it would help even put the quality of the hunting and increase deer harvest
 
Bullwinkle said:
Maybe I am not writing well enough for some to understand

By making my property less attractive 1/3 -1/2 of the year I spread out the deer. Less on my land - but still plenty.

The deer are less in pockets of habitat, more spread out, neighbors have better hunting and so do I because I don't have to shoot 20+ does/year.

I used to get a lot of pictures of does fighting. Hardly get those any more with fewer deer. Less deer does make less stress. You can see it in trail pictures

I've been doing it and it has merit.

If everyone did it (reduce summer attraction) i believe it would help even put the quality of the hunting and increase deer harvest
Click to expand...

You wouldn't shoot 20 deer any way. Don't think their are many guys that are buying into less does are better.
 
I'm sure he's a nice guy, but I can't read his book. He's not a polished writer, he should hire someone to help get his thoughts across.

I don't understand where you are coming from, Bull. You have to put up a fence on your property because you can't get any regeneration, yet you won't shoot does, yet you don't want a doe factory. Yet, you've seen the great difference in his strategies, but you still haven't killed a big buck......Glad it's working, but I'm confused.
 
I am trying to create a doe factory. That would mean I would have all the does. When you have 5 dpsm you do what ever you can to get any deer to show up. I think he might be 25 years late with the doe factory theory. Other than Bull's county it seems the state dnr's have done a pretty good job of eliminating doe factories. My first 10 years of hunting you would see 5-10 deer a day, now I see 5-10 in a 10 week season. Bring back the doe factories!
 
swat1018 said:
I'm sure he's a nice guy, but I can't read his book. He's not a polished writer, he should hire someone to help get his thoughts across.

I don't understand where you are coming from, Bull. You have to put up a fence on your property because you can't get any regeneration, yet you won't shoot does, yet you don't want a doe factory. Yet, you've seen the great difference in his strategies, but you still haven't killed a big buck......Glad it's working, but I'm confused.
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Now you're catching on. Just a waste of time with this guy. Don't feed the trolls!
 
swat1018 said:
I'm sure he's a nice guy, but I can't read his book. He's not a polished writer, he should hire someone to help get his thoughts across.

I don't understand where you are coming from, Bull. You have to put up a fence on your property because you can't get any regeneration, yet you won't shoot does, yet you don't want a doe factory. Yet, you've seen the great difference in his strategies, but you still haven't killed a big buck......Glad it's working, but I'm confused.
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I am trying an experiment with the fence to regen oak. You need very low dpsm densities to regen oak.

There is no way I'm taking my dpsm down to regen oak.
 
Chummer said:
I am trying to create a doe factory. That would mean I would have all the does. When you have 5 dpsm you do what ever you can to get any deer to show up. I think he might be 25 years late with the doe factory theory. Other than Bull's county it seems the state dnr's have done a pretty good job of eliminating doe factories. My first 10 years of hunting you would see 5-10 deer a day, now I see 5-10 in a 10 week season. Bring back the doe factories!
Click to expand...
It's pretty easy chummed

Do the opposite with summer and spring food

Plant full year round food and make sure you have left overs in all seasons.

Security and low pressure

Manage predators

Don't shoot does

Thermal cover for winter

If you have enough land the deer will explode.
 
Bullwinkle said:
It's pretty easy chummed

Do the opposite with summer and spring food

Plant full year round food and make sure you have left overs in all seasons.

Security and low pressure

Manage predators

Don't shoot does

Thermal cover for winter

If you have enough land the deer will explode.
Click to expand...
If it wasn't for 300" of snow and the damn 6 months of winter...
Luckily I am in a no doe zone or there would be no deer.
 
Bullwinkle said:
That's a tough one Chummer. Youre in a corner with that situation
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Yup, and for whatever reason I wouldn't want to be any where else. I like the challenge. Now if the 100 apple trees I planted do not produce apples in the next 14 years I may reconsider.
 
I'm always astonished at how diverse whitetail habitat is, and how varied the conditions are. I've concluded there are no " one size fits all" fixes for the varied challenges we face.
 
Elk - that's a very good point. I am for sure guilty of seeing QDM through the lense of Waupaca county.

I am 100% confident I could buy a new parcel in my area and make it better - I did it once already- it really isn't hard if you actually do the stuff discussed here and from the experts. Extrapolating these learnings to the UP or the south probably isn't right
 
Yea, I think assuming what works on oneplace would necessarily work any where else is dangerous. The thing I most appreciate about this forum is how free folks are with sharing their experience, and compared to many forums, how rarely egos/personalities get in the way of the information exchange.
 
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Elkaddict said:
Yea, I think assuming what works on oneplace would necessarily work any where else is dangerous. The thing I most appreciate about this forum is how free folks are with sharing their experience, and compared to many forums, how rarely egos/personalities get in the way of the information exchange.
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Very true, Elk.
I think we need to be sure whether we are discussing a healthy doe population or a complete overpopulation, which is pretty rare around here anymore.
My property is not a big buck summertime home. Too many other properties with a lot more privacy in the surrounding area. So i create a doe haven to the best of my ability. Come fall the boys will show up and they will hang right in there with the gals. They will come out of the "woodwork", so to speak :D. I am not going to be able to plant a September plot and all of a sudden all the deer within a mile show up for the remainder of the season......if they arent already living there to some extent.
No place i would rather be on Nov 7 than sitting in a doe factory. Right where those does were born and raised.

If i wanted to routinely kill a mature buck in mid October, then i had better find another property.
 
That article is a bunch of bunk.

I guess if a guy throws out enough BS, a fool will think he is an expert and maybe even hire him for a consultation.

If a mature buck is given an area where he can avoid human pressure most of the time, he won't move out because does are around.



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Remember this is for high populated situations

I believe bucks don't bed with does. If you fill up your property with does you don't have room for bucks as Jeff says. The bucks bed on your neighbors and get to your property at night. Yes they come to chase the does but you really want the bucks bedding on your property

I keep extensive records on all my sits. When I had 20+ acres of clover and alfalfa I used to see one buck for every 4+ does seen from the stand and shot a bunch of does to try to get the population in check. Now I have almost cycled out of clover and alfalfa (1.3 acres left) and the last 3 years I've been seeing one buck for every 2-3 does and see similar amounts of deer - thus more bucks in total and only shoot a handful of does each year

It works guys
 
Got a call from a buddy of mine who's going to hunt turkeys. He got his blinds set up today. He didn't see a deer on the farm and was all over it

Perfect boys.

He did find a turkey hung up in my regen fence. He was able to get it free. Gobbler. Unintended consequence on building a fence!!
 
Bullwinkle said:
Got a call from a buddy of mine who's going to hunt turkeys. He got his blinds set up today. He didn't see a deer on the farm and was all over it

Perfect boys.

He did find a turkey hung up in my regen fence. He was able to get it free. Gobbler. Unintended consequence on building a fence!!
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High deer population in your area.

But you can't find a deer there now.

But you need a fence to get oak regen.

But if there are no deer there for half the summer, why the fence?

You want deer but are happy there are none now.

Shoot does but don't shoot does.

I see a pattern here.


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65266e5ad8805ffc7a1a41c49cbcdd48.jpg
 
Not one mention of soil health, nitrogen fixation, or crop rotation.

I guess that makes sense. The horn porn big antler chasers who are crazy enough to hire him are more interested in killing a certain score than good stewardship.


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