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Old December 29, 2012, 04:02 PM   #2
buck460XVR
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Join Date: December 28, 2006
Posts: 4,341
Sounds like a tough scenario. With the limited amount of information given, I'm thinkin' your little "spit" of woods is the preferred bedding area or sanctuary in the area. Most times deer will not tolerate being kicked outta their bedding area more than once or twice without completely abandoning it, at least for a while. If the deer still use it after being bumped outta there numerous times, I'd figure they have no other suitable place to bed.....or they are accustomed enough to humans that they are not being spooked badly. This happens regularly with urbanized deer. Since the deer are already bedded in the area before you get there and you claim you are getting up early, they apparently are completely nocturnal. Since you cannot beat them to the spot in the morning, you either have to find another spot or figure where they head when busted and go sit there and have someone else walk thru the woodlot and push them to you. Small woodlots surrounded by houses/humans are tough because many times even when the cover is thick, the deer are situated where they can see danger approach from far away. This is why they are there. Since they are nocturnal, they wait till dark to leave and are back long before the sun comes up. Unless there is another reason for them to move during daylight hours(such as rutting, breeding, bad weather or being kicked up by man or predators) they won't. They'll lay there and alternate between sleeping and chewing their cud until darkness falls. Being more than one there just makes them all the more wary and difficult to approach. Since they are not retuning to your woodlot within 5 or 6 hours after being kicked up, I'm thinkin' they have an alternative safe spot they head to. Go out during daylight hours and watch where they go when you bust them. Then find a spot on that escape route or the other woodlot they head to and place your stand. You can either wait there and hope someone/something comes along to push them to you or better yet, use a friend to do the pushin' for you. If you set up far enough away from the bedding area, and the push is gentle, the deer will have slowed down to a slow cautious walk by the time they get to you. This will work at anytime of the day and once you know where they head it can be done is a short amount of time without freezin' one's butt off. If you cannot get permission to hunt anywhere on that escape route/alternative safe spot, you may be SOL.
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