Deer and houses

I hunt a mountain top area that generally has little hunter pressure other than my nephew and I. On the opener we saw maybe 25 deer between us. I got the buck so I’ve been poking around looking for a doe. On Sunday when we hunted we saw a total of two deer at distance, nothing close enough to ponder a shot. Monday, zip. Yesterday afternoon, one far away buck working a bit of brush with his antlers. About 4:30 I deceided to take a peek at a stubble field adjacent to the property I hunt who’s owner doesn’t mind my snooping along the fields edges and cover. The field is a rolling one with high areas and fairly deep swales so deer can be there but not be seen. Such was the case yesterday, but what shocked me was the number of deer.

As soon as I hit the field I could see a regular bonanza of deer about 500 yards away in a corner where the wind wasn’t hitting them. There are a couple houses nearby and an older farm site with out buildings and a lot of brush lines but not much for woods. I knew deer would hole up near those houses but as I sat and glassed them I counted 21 does and fawns, not an antler to be seen. It was running up on %:00 by then and I figured I best just head out so I stood up only to find 10 more deer less than 50 yards away fully addressed to my blaze orange. Most of these ten were very decent sized deer. I found one does fully broadside and got the crosshairs on her and pulled the trigger only to hear a “pop”. And a second later the kaboom. Yup….a hang fire. In all the years of muzzle-loading I have never had a hang fire while hunting. My fault. In my haste to get going yesterday I failed to run some primers thru the plug on an empty barrel to be sure the plug’s flame channel and fire hole were completely clear of cleaning agents and carbon. A little assumption cost me a doe.

I guess what amazes me most is the number of der that flood into “people” places when the shooting starts. I’m half tempted to stop tomorrow as I drive into the property to hunt to stop and see if I can set up along a fence line in one of those yards. 31 one deer inside of 500 yards is ridiculous. I mean, sit in the wind for four hours only to find all the critters just over the hill and in someone’s back yard almost is crazy. I’m half tempted to go sit ahead of this snow that’s predicted….somewhere close to where these fool things are coming into this field but I don’t like to hunt close to places without them knowing I am there even if I have permission to be. This sure poses some challenges. Why houses? lol

Safety, they know they are safe. Our backyard butts up to a big ag field that has a chunk of woods that the farmer doesn’t let a soul go into. It’s basically a refuge scenario. We have deer wandering through the backyards constantly. The bigger bucks even cruise the yards, mostly after dark though. Pretty amazing how acclimated they get to lawnmowers and people doing stuff in their backyards. Very often they are in the yard and if you don’t do anything to far out of the norm, they’ll tolerate you at fairly close distances, like 30-40 yards. They’ve gotten so use to me and both neighbors on each side doing yard work they barely even look up at you if they are feeding. They’ve learned you pose absolutely zero threat. Their doing what they are doing and you are doing what you’re doing, and they have learned that means little interference to what they are doing.

Go into the woods and start sneaking around and they are different animals.

On our hunting property up north, if I’m running the tractor or a chainsaw, it’s fairly similar. First couple times thought it was a fluke. But it became so regular it was a pattern. It’s almost like the neighbor who walks his dog every night, you get use to it. Somebody sneaking around your front bushes is a whole different deal. You start paying attention and getting nervous vs oh that’s just Bill walking his dog.

I am 17 Acres that I designated as a sanctuary. No one is allowed to walk in there, we don’t cut wood, absolutely nothing. It took about six years for the deer to really relate to it. Now as soon as the neighbors put any pressure on their land, I watched the deer sneaking Through the Wood and brush line to get into that sanctuary

A chain saw is about the best late season deer call you can use. My dad and I had on more than one occasion deer we could see just hanging back but in site of us while doing tree work when I was home for Christmas and spring break back in college. Soon as we left they would come out and attack the tops we left.

It’s all in perspective of what deer become accustomed to. I get away with a lot more over in MN than I would at home, but those deer are more accustomed to human interaction just out and about in the area than the deer at my parents in WI. But, at my parents I can drive my atv right past (and have) bedded deer who barely even look at you (unless you stop), but those deer are far more accustomed to seeing farm equipment up close on a regular basis, but not people just out going for a walk or otherwise being in the woods.

My best buck was bedded up about 30′ behind my dad’s barn, he bumped him up and I was sitting on the trail the buck slinked out on.