What do you do to create low pressure?

[Bullwinkle]

I think low pressure is the number #1 key to great deer hunting. Here is my list

1. Made about 2/3 of my property a sanctuary

2. No walking from camp to most stands - we use an electric cart

3. Travel routes to stands on perimeter of property

4. All cameras can be driven to with electric cart. Check cameras at midday only.

5. Hunt with 2 ozonics and try never to let my scent go into sanctuary

6. Only let my son and kids shoot does off plot during youth weekend. That will end when he turns 16

7. Shoot does on property lines and have designated doe stands

8. I've learned to stay in the stands till it's really dark before leaving. This doesn't seem to spook deer as much

9. Sit all day and don't track deer during daylight during opening weekend gun season

10. This year I am going to hunt Redneck's and logging roads more and try to hunt in the woods less

11. I try to limit 1-2 sits per stand a year

12. Limiting number of of hunters on main farm at one time

Anyone have any other practices to limit pressure?

 

[catscratch]

I might try to type something up in a day or two, but your list is way more invasive than my regimen.

I suspect that our properties are so different that what works for me is unrealistic for you and vise a versa.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[Triple C]

Bull...This thread should make for some interesting reading. Guys have different goals and uses regarding their property. Bout the only 2 things we have in common is the low pressure point and limiting the number of folks that hunt on the farm. As far as the other points, here's where we differ:

I think low pressure is the number #1 key to great deer hunting. Here is my list

1. Made about 2/3 of my property a sanctuary About 15% of our property is designated as a sanctuary and that's because it's a natural wetlands. We do hunt the edges.

2. No walking from camp to most stands - we use an electric cart Same here. Love my electrics but don't drive em all the way to stand. We use multiple interior roads and park electric on edge of road, often bumping deer while driving. Usually walk last couple of hundred yds or so to stand.

3. Travel routes to stands on perimeter of property Only 1 stand is accessed on perimeter trails. All others are accessed thru multiple interior roads. We only have a couple of stands on perimeter of property. All other stands are on the interior based on food sources - plots, acorns, browse.

4. All cameras can be driven to with electric cart. Check cameras at midday only. Same here.

5. Hunt with 2 ozonics and try never to let my scent go into sanctuary Never used ozonics.

6. Only let my son and kids shoot does off plot during youth weekend. That will end when he turns 16 Every doe we've taken with the exception of one has been out of a plot and 5 of the 8 bucks we've taken in six seasons has been out of a food plot. I'd almost bet the farm that you could shoot a doe out of any of our main plots in the a.m. and have close to 100% chance of seeing multiple deer in plot in afternoon sit. In six seasons, 2 bucks have been harvested in sanctuary, 1 buck in hardwoods/pines and all others (5) from food plots. I don't get the deal about not harvesting deer out of plots. By mid November, we see deer in plots just about every sit and often times during mid day if driving by one of the plots.

7. Shoot does on property lines and have designated doe stands After 6 seasons, have yet to shoot a doe or any deer from property line. We don't hunt on our property line. By mid November, if I want to be guaranteed of watching deer I'm hunting over a food plot on the interior of the farm. I'd almost bet the farm that you couldn't sit on one of our main 3 plots in the afternoon and not see multiple deer in the plots.

8. I've learned to stay in the stands till it's really dark before leaving. This doesn't seem to spook deer as much My sons agree with you on this point but I've never set till it's completely dark. When I can't see good enough to shoot I get down and if on a plot, often with deer in plot. Sometimes they bound away, sometimes they just watch me leave.

9. Sit all day and don't track deer during daylight during opening weekend gun season None of us have ever sat all day in a stand. I admire those that do it but I've never sat the entire day on stand. We track em if needed any time.

10. This year I am going to hunt Redneck's and logging roads more and try to hunt in the woods less Put up our 1st Redneck Predator 360 on 10 ft base this past season on our largest field. Love that thing. No deer shot out of it but lots and lots watched. Seems you don't have to worry about the wind in those things if you leave the windows closed.

11. I try to limit 1-2 sits per stand a year Never thought about limiting sits in a particular stand but many don't get hunted more than once or twice and others get hunted multiple times. A few never get a sit. During the week there's no pressure on our place as I'm 2 hours away, oldest son and grandson are more than an hour so only one hunting during the week is youngest son that leaves near farm and has the place to himself.

12. Limiting number of of hunters on main farm at one time Same here. We had more guests (6) this year than any previous year. Guests have harvested 3 of the 4 deer we've taken this year. All saw deer on stand. They want to shoot something for the freezer and for the 1st time, we've got the doe numbers to justify allowing more harvests.

Anyone have any other practices to limit pressure?

Wouldn't call it a practice but the fact that only 1 of us lives near the farm just naturally limits pressure, particularly during the week. Plus, grandson is involved in sports which now limits the number of times he and his dad come down. Most weekends it's just me and my youngest son on 287 acres and some weekends it's just my son. We do a lot of family gatherings at the farm and that's almost always on a weekend. During Thanksgiving we do a hayride with grandkids and family for our annual Christmas tree hunt and tromp thru the woods. I'm sure that type of activity pushes deer out but I just can't see where it really makes much of a difference. We are blessed with relatively healthy deer densities in the entire area where our farm is located. I just don't see where any activity we do at the farm, including riding ATVs and such cause deer to leave the property. They bound away anytime I approach, even when riding the electric. In fact, sometimes I think they are more skittish of the electric than the diesel Ranger. But they don't leave. They'll be back feeding within a short period of time. Limiting pressure is by default on our place and I'm sure that helps.

Be interesting to read others views on this subject.

 

[OkieKubota]

I might try to type something up in a day or two, but your list is way more invasive than my regimen.

I suspect that our properties are so different that what works for me is unrealistic for you and vise a versa.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

I think I read somewhere that you and your wife own 50 acres of your FIL' s place he gifted to you. Is this the area of extreme low pressure because from your post it seems to be where you do most of your habitat work...

From reading your post I know you can hunt the main ranch and your folks place as well but that is like when we hunt our deer lease...

 

[Fish]

I think we can all agree that human pressure affects whitetail movement. But there are nuances to that in my opinion.
Give them a place to hide and food for their bellies and hunt smart.
If they were intelligent, they would have put a deer on the moon. They are not smart, reasoning, cunning animals. They do have amazing instincts and senses. Thats what keeps them alive. In my opinion.

 

[catscratch]

Good memory Okie, that info is tucked away somewhere early in our house build thread. You are correct, I'm on the 50 every chance I get doing habitat work and piddling with the kids. We do our small game hunting and general plinking on the 50. It's the opposite of low pressure. But we don't hunt/target deer on the 50 and we see them all the time despite the activity.

We hunt the main part of the ranch it's ultra low pressure. No habitat work on the main ranch, no trail cameras on the main ranch, no food plots, no anything on the main ranch until wind and conditions are right for a hunt. I don't do any work on the ranch (that can wait) until after rifles season. An example being yesterday: There is a old stone home site that I've been wanting to clean up and preserve since mid summer. I've had days that I could have but chose to do other work instead because all of our hunting seasons weren't over yet.

My parents place is like a playground. They are on it everyday. We hunt it but with a different mindset.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[OkieKubota]

Good memory Okie, that info is tucked away somewhere early in our house build thread. You are correct, I'm on the 50 every chance I get doing habitat work and piddling with the kids. We do our small game hunting and general plinking on the 50. It's the opposite of low pressure. But we don't hunt/target deer on the 50 and we see them all the time despite the activity.

We hunt the main part of the ranch it's ultra low pressure. No habitat work on the main ranch, no trail cameras on the main ranch, no food plots, no anything on the main ranch until wind and conditions are right for a hunt. I don't do any work on the ranch (that can wait) until after rifles season. An example being yesterday: There is a old stone home site that I've been wanting to clean up and preserve since mid summer. I've had days that I could have but chose to do other work instead because all of our hunting seasons weren't over yet.

My parents place is like a playground. They are on it everyday. We hunt it but with a different mindset.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

You hunt your FIL place like we hunt our lease then...stands have been in place from late 90's till about 2006 and if I move one it is generally midday after hunting out of it and usually just a few yards. Trail cams are placed right after a morning hunt and are not checked until after a future hunt and they are near stands so travel to cams is very minimal...only pressure I give it is I check stands and straps in August...

 

[Paradise725]

We do almost everything on Bull's list to some extent, but that really started in earnest this year based on Steve Bartylla's recommendations. We didn't shoot does out of plots until last week of gun season. Opening two weekends of gun season we had some of the best deer activity in our main plots that we've ever seen.
We work hard on our access routes to and from our food plots. We edge feather strategically so that we have cover around the base of our tree and screening our access route. We clear access trails of twigs and briars so we minimize our noise sneaking in and out of the stand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[catscratch]

You hunt your FIL place like we hunt our lease then...stands have been in place from late 90's till about 2006 and if I move one it is generally midday after hunting out of it and usually just a few yards. Trail cams are placed right after a morning hunt and are not checked until after a future hunt and they are near stands so travel to cams is very minimal...only pressure I give it is I check stands and straps in August...

Sounds right. Do you hunt the other place the same way? You're more interactive with it aren't you? Even if you are more active on it, aren't your neighbors more invasive than you? Maybe it's perceived pressure that makes a difference more than actual pressure.

 

[Chainsaw]

Here are a few that come to mind;
--When the wind blows in circles I stay out of the woods. The wind is easily observed as the smoke comes out of the outdoor wood furnace. When it comes out of the chimney and goes to the ground and swirls it promises to be a great day for the deer but not for us. If the winds are only borderline bad and I really want to get out I'll usually hunt from a Redneck but with vents covered and all windows closed.
--I use scent lok, rubber boots and scent eliminator spray to reduce odors when hunting.
--Perimeter access is the norrn now; attention is given to where scent will blow even on the way in and out.
--99% of our deer are shot in the top of the shoulder (muzzleloader and rifle) which just about eliminates the need to trail any deer shot.
--Definitely as Bull does we stay in evening stands until it is dark. Likewise in the morning we usually enter the woods in the dark.
--For the lower impact spots they are hunted sparingly and only when success is 100% expected.
--Perimeter roads are walked regularly at various times of day as a way to keep trespassers at bay and to help define the deers' sanctuary boundary for them. Trespassers are as detrimental to our hunting as dogs continuously chasing deer so I do a lot to keep them out.
--We often enter and leave together to reduce perceived travel impact especially in the few stands without full perimeter access.
--The Polaris is driven slow and steady regularly when doing habitat work. That same slow steady pace is used if leaving hunters off (rare but their are times it seems best to use it).

 

[Elkaddict]

Recreational property is all about balance in my opinion. We use our place for more than hunting. We enjoy riding ATVs and using the significant trail system for walks. We fish the beaver pond (surrounded by swamp). I have a 350yd rifle range that I use spring and summer as well as an archery range. All of these activities are way too important to let go just to improve hunting.

We have significant sanctuary (75 acres) that includes 23 acres of hinge cuts. We simply stay out, and I won't hunt a stand where the winds would blow our scent into these areas if closer than 300 yds. I don't use the ATVs after Labor Day except to retrieve a deer. This means checking cameras by foot. I avoid checking most cameras mid October. We try to do all doe control during bow season. When practical, I'll use the tractor to retrieve animals because deer seem less threatened by it. We access our stands via walking (can require as much as a 45 minute walk) using mostly perimeter trails. I store clothes hung up on the covered front porch to air out through ever present winds, and everyone is required to thoroughly spray down with scent killer. We hunt primarily from Rednecks or carefully situated ground blinds to mitigate against scent dispersal. I rely heavily on cover scents on our feet and around ground blinds (I've had good success with Evercalm). We do have a number of tree stands but winds have to be predictable before we use them. I haven't taken the Ozonics plunge for blind use because of health concerns in enclosed places--I'm still researching. I'd use cell trail cams to avoid further intrusion but we don't have any signal across most of the property. I think we've made improvements every year and hopefully will continue to do so.

 

[j-bird]

I try to keep it simple.

Stand access routes & sites (stay out of the thick cover areas and hunt the edges)
ALWAYS hunt the wind - for the stand AND the stand access.
Limit the number of hunters (3 max at a time)
Hunt prime times only (I avoid hunting early season)
Try to stay scent free and QUIET (I think most calling simply advertises "Deer hunter")

 

[MarkDarvin]

I have been down the "low pressure" road and back and it's yielded me nothing. There are practical steps to take, and they've been mentioned. One I could add is that I go on foot the whole way, and try to rake the access trails mid october to get the sticks and leaves off them. Beyond that, you can drive yourself nuts thinking you are the problem, when in fact it just might be a high pressure area regardless of what you do.

Be smart, but don't let this stuff keep you from working or hunting your land.

 

[Bullwinkle]

I have been down the "low pressure" road and back and it's yielded me nothing. There are practical steps to take, and they've been mentioned. One I could add is that I go on foot the whole way, and try to rake the access trails mid october to get the sticks and leaves off them. Beyond that, you can drive yourself nuts thinking you are the problem, when in fact it just might be a high pressure area regardless of what you do.

Be smart, but don't let this stuff keep you from working or hunting your land.

I agree. The neighborhood matters. The size of my main property is in the top 25%. Not the biggest but bigger than all of my direct neighbors. I love guys who own 40's and have 9 guys hunt it opening day like my neighbors does. If your a guy with a wide open hwd 40 surrounded by high pressure there is limited impact of your effort to lower pressure.

Neighborhood matters big time.

What's interesting is my new 40 I am the small guy surrounded by big land owners who are serious low pressure trophy hunters. They are good with food plots. Not as easy as poor neighbors.

 

[Btaylor]

The farm I hunt is also a working cattle farm so there is year round activity in the fields over the entire farm so the main change we made is to pretty much stop hunting the interior of all blocks of timber. All stands are on small plots at timber edges or terrain features at timber edges with nearly every stand less than 20 yards from a hard edge. They way the farm lays we multiple stand options for virtually any wind so that our wind is blowing into pasture. This one change has made an enormous difference in daytime sights by cam or from the stands. We are very fortunate to have the ability to hunt this way due to layout and access.

 

[Bullwinkle]

The farm I hunt is also a working cattle farm so there is year round activity in the fields over the entire farm so the main change we made is to pretty much stop hunting the interior of all blocks of timber. All stands are on small plots at timber edges or terrain features at timber edges with nearly every stand less than 20 yards from a hard edge. They way the farm lays we multiple stand options for virtually any wind so that our wind is blowing into pasture. This one change has made an enormous difference in daytime sights by cam or from the stands. We are very fortunate to have the ability to hunt this way due to layout and access.

You're lucky. You don't need to do what most of us have to do

 

[Btaylor]

From that aspect yes we are very lucky. We are blessed though with some of the poorest soil I have ever been around and it is full of rocks. Raising the nutritional plane and increasing cover with tsi cuts is what we are working on the most.

I am a big believer in reducing pressure though and would rather setup a place to hunt half as big as it is if that means slam dunk access for predominant winds. Figure out highest odds locations for consistently good hunts and develope access for those spots and only hunt them on the right conditions. That system works, period. May not be the most fun but it will yield the best results.

 

[Native Hunter]

My farm is in an area that has very few old bucks, but when hunting season comes, every one in the neighborhood will be at my place. I know this because I share information with nearby neighbors who run cameras - so we all know what is around and when. The resident bucks on my place generally stay around during the rut (most of the time) and the ones that generally bed on the neighbors will be here during the rut.

Our deer population is so low we never shoot any does - and if I do decide I need a doe, I will go to another farm and shoot one. The only shots fired here are at mature bucks (or off season at predators). For these reasons we have two resident doe groups that don't travel far, and when pressure in the area hits, they park their rear ends on my place where they know they will be safe. When breeding time comes, the doe groups are the ticket and they will be here.

Our gun season opens a week past prime time, so we are essentially post peak rut by then. Prime action has slowed, but not completely over. The few late does keep the action going enough that if you are patient, you will get your chance at a good buck. If gun season opened a week earlier, it would be 10 times easier.

All I do to keep pressure off is the above mentioned plus the following:

• Do major intrusions in the spring up until mid summer - and stay out of 75% of the farm thereafter
• Place cameras at non intrusive locations - and check them wisely
• Quit checking cameras 10 days before hunting
• Hunt stands wisely (I've given a lot of thought to placement for wind and sound disturbance)

But, just because you keep pressure off of 100 acres doesn't mean that the deer don't feel pressure from the surrounding area when the guns start firing. They will still feel some amount of pressure and be more wary. But even though staying at a hotel in Chicago might not be safe, it would be better than staying at a hotel in Aleppo.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

My low pressure is very similar to Native's. We get all of our work done on the farms in the spring and all stands hung and trimmed out by July. I have cameras set up on the edges where I can easily get in and out without any disturbance while checking them. As far as cameras go after season comes in I hang them by the stands and the only time they are checked is when that stand is hunted. Some of my cameras will go months without being checked at all. All stand locations are set along edges or edge pinch points. I do not allow anyone including myself enter the core of the farm......ever. The only time any part of the inner farm will be entered is to do hinge cutting in the late winter/early spring. Farms are only hunted with correct winds on easily accessible stand sites with little to no intrusion. If I have hunters in camp an individual farm that may be hunted one week will be rotated out the following week unless a target buck is very active and can be taken with little disturbance.

As others have said it is impossible to totally eliminate pressure. We can take all of the precautions imaginable and there is still human scent left at our stand locations or access routes. There is also nothing that we can do about the outside pressure from neighboring properties. When you get to our 3 day and 4 day gun season the pressure is felt even if the nearest hunter is a mile away from our farms.

One interesting thing I found this year is when setting a new camera location with a new camera I would get camera activity the first day with doe, fawns and young bucks. The second to third day I would start getting 2 and 3 yr old bucks on camera and between the 3rd and 5th day I would start getting mature deer on camera. This was telling me the mature deer do not tolerate intrusion at all. If they are letting the intrusion calm down dang near a week then they will be pretty tough to kill. Mind you I do spray down my new camera sets and dress as if I am hunting in rubber boots, etc when checking or setting cameras. Cameras that have been set for awhile and I just slip in to change cards in I do not see this same pattern. Many times the mature buck shows up on the same given day.

 

[E_308]

Live 130 miles away!

When I am there once a month I am the opposite of low pressure. Not the best for hunting but I want to enjoy all of the property.