hunting question, on wma's

[pleasant1911]

I know for private lands, its all about management and you are allow to harvest a deer with food bait. For me, I do not have access to private land, and i know baiting on public land is illegal.

what are other ways lure deers in without food? and on MD public hunting lands, Can i use scent bait? If I were to walk into the woods, what should i look for? Lets say I have one week at a new piece of land, where do i start???

 

[lx1x]

Look for signs... paths, rubs, scrapes, droppings.

Use deer piss as cologne.. lol j/k

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Look for signs... paths, rubs, scrapes, droppings.

Use deer piss as cologne.. lol j/k

That's about all their is to hunting public lands. Besides wearing lots of orange so the Deer Shooters don't shoot at you because you moved. Deer Hunters are not so bad, but, it's those Deer Shooters who only hunt 2 weeks out of the year you have to be careful of.

LX1X answered the questions the only way they can be answered. By the time Firearms season gets here it is close enough to the Rut to use some Doe In Heat / Hot Doe lure, but, unless you can scout the area and find good concentrations of either a scrap / rub line or lots of poop... you got nothing but set and pray for the best. If there is a water source or a stream on the property stick by that.

 

[1obxnut]

If you're in a hunting area designated for archery only (and use bows/x-bow), then you should be fine. But sill gonna wear the orange stuff come ML or FA season (yes, even in a archery only area).

I generally use cover scent (Deer Dander) even when looking for signs of deer because you don't want to leave "your scent" if you should come across their trails/markings etc because they'll avoid it next time around..

 

[HogCommander]

Just found several piles of droppings at the base of two large oak trees along with lots of acorns on the ground...setting up there tonight and tomorrow. On public land in Patuxent Research Refuge. Began my search walking along creek bank under cover. Figured food, water, and cover would be good place to start...droppings tell me just a matter of what time they're feeding.

 

[campns]

^^^^^^ this is the best way, look for the big 3 Food, Cover, Water.

Setup a Trail camera and bingo, you have the time of day they move and if your real good, you look for trails in and out as well.

 

[lx1x]

^^^^^^ this is the best way, look for the big 3 Food, Cover, Water.

Setup a Trail camera and bingo, you have the time of day they move and if your real good, you look for trails in and out as well.

On private land. Sure you can set up trail cam. But good luck on public land.. if not DNR will take it down.. some other hunter will.. remember. Public land... you cannot stake a place ahead of time.. UNLESS its less travelled by others. (Ie way buried in the property that you only know the area)

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

On private land. Sure you can set up trail cam. But good luck on public land.. if not DNR will take it down.. some other hunter will.. remember. Public land... you cannot stake a place ahead of time.. UNLESS its less travelled by others. (Ie way buried in the property that you only know the area)

Dang. Beat me to it.

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Just found several piles of droppings at the base of two large oak trees along with lots of acorns on the ground...setting up there tonight and tomorrow. On public land in Patuxent Research Refuge. Began my search walking along creek bank under cover. Figured food, water, and cover would be good place to start...droppings tell me just a matter of what time they're feeding.

Good Theory. Bad plan.

Acorns are everywhere and those two Oaks are not the only ones dropping Acorns. Chance is 1/100,000 you see those Deer again anytime soon. Those Oaks just happen to be where they stopped. That time.

You need to find a trail. An obvious trail.

Deer droppings under an Oak tree this time of the year is like, well, you know, ... in the wind.

 

[marko]

'The enemy of the perfect is the good.'
or some such..
If your lure isn't in the water, you can't catch.
I can't always get the super best hunting spots,
even on private land.. but if I stay in my tent, I get nothing.
So we go get something.
Listen to SOMO, find a trail, don't bugger it up,
Get away from it and ambush from a vantage point.
IF YOU ARE SHOOTING STRAIGHT DOWNHILL -
you need to shoot LOW LOW LOW -
bad shot, maybe neck shot.
Yucko. But don't hurt the meat.

any severe downhill shot at distance needs practice...
-more practice than stationary 50 yard targets.

pay attention, and good luck.

 

[dwsjr]

Baiting deer is not hunting, its shooting.
Campns has the description of true hunting.

 

[Rem700fan]

Find and hunt the food sources, acorns, persimmon and apple trees, etc that you can find as far away from roads/parking areas as possible. Where I am hunting, the acorns are scarce this year so the few trees that did produce should be real draws. Hunt the does, even during the rut, the does will come to the food sources and bring the bucks with them.

 

[Pale Ryder]

What are some of the properties around the public hunting lands? Farms, orchards, residences, etc? Use some common sense to your approach ie if there is an apple orchard nearby, than apple attractant scent may work. If not don't be the only apple in the woods. Earth scent is good, smells like DIRT. Use a cover scent on you, but not an attractant scent. Know the difference. You do not want to smell like a horny doe around the rut season.

Find trails, look for scrapes,dug up earth, rubs, small trees that are tore up from the base to 3+ ft above the ground. Don't hang around the trails to much, better to be off to the side a bit. Don't touch everything and leave scent around. Move slow.

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Baiting deer is not hunting, its shooting.
Campns has the description of true hunting.

Just so you know I bait for Deer. However, I can not recall shooting a single Deer, over a corn pile. Don't get your ethics and morals mixed up with realities end-of-the-day facts. Most guys who bait for a Deer never shoot a Deer standing at a corn pile either. It just doesn't work that way. You have a grand theory about the situation, but, you don't seem to have the hands on experience with what actually results from the process.

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Find and hunt the food sources, acorns, persimmon and apple trees, etc that you can find as far away from roads/parking areas as possible. Where I am hunting, the acorns are scarce this year so the few trees that did produce should be real draws. Hunt the does, even during the rut, the does will come to the food sources and bring the bucks with them.

I feel I've heard this before...

 

[dwsjr]

I stand by my statements, if you don't like it that's on you. Baiting game isn't hunting.

 

[Pale Ryder]

^ Would you consider raising a food plot of clover or beans baiting? They are both used to bring deer to an area that they are not at.

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

I stand by my statements, if you don't like it that's on you. Baiting game isn't hunting.

Cool. Enjoy that theory. It is your's to hold.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

I'm against MOST commercial products that are out there just waiting to way-lay the unsuspecting deer hunter, BUT "Tinks #69 (funny) Doe-In-Rut Buck Lure" works really well. It's like doe snatch in a bottle.

I use it in mid October for Smoke Pole season. They won't go near it in September or November.

I've seen bucks walk right up and touch their noses to the containers holding the scent.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

I stand by my statements, if you don't like it that's on you. Baiting game isn't hunting.

Was it hunting when the Indians dressed up in wolf skins to trick the Whitetails and Buffalo back in the day?