Sometime It Stinks To See Whitetail Bucks

[JimB]

I know,it doesn't make sense but Thursday I was driving through the ranch I'm hunting to go to my treestand,had 2 miles to go and was wondering if the deer would still be coming by the stand.Deer here migrate around a lot,especially at transition times like after the shedding of velvet.

I stopped to glass this sainfoin field which I knew would have bucks but today,I counted 49 whitetail bucks lounging in the field at 4:30 PM.Not a good sign!The problem is the deer love this sainfoin and stay in that field 24/7 and the nearest cover is a minimum 1/2 mile away.

They just lay up,rise occasionally to feed and lay back down.Talk about a weight gain program!Sainfoin has more sugar and carbs than alfalfa and similar protein levels.You can see obvious weight gain on individual bucks since August.It's that time of year.

Sorry for the lousy picture.I used my pocket Panasonic zoomed all the way out but it is about 3/4 mile away.This is the biggest group,30 some deer.There was another group to the right and also some nice pronghorn bucks.Quite the bachelor party.
 

I sat the stand till dark and did see a chipmunk.Actually,the sign looks like a few are still coming through but we are having clear nights and a full moon was on.I wasn't too surprised and will check again in a couple days.Mountain lions and bears also occasionally use the trail I'm watching and they are "in" right now.

If you don't know what sainfoin is,it's a perennial,non-bloating legume.I'm told it requires no fertilizer,has minimal water requirements,is winter hardy and is elevation and weather flexible.Deer,antelope and elk love this stuff.It has put a kink in my hunting opportunities for the last few years.

Anyway,seeing a lot of whitetail bucks isn't always a good thing.

[VictoryHunter]

Man that is rough! Do they ever come out of it?

[JimB]

Victory,sometimes not for weeks.Eventually,they will.The problem is,there is another sainfoin field at the opposite end of the ranch and by November they will probably migrate there.At some point though,they will spend the nights only in the field and will eventually hit a brushy creek bottom,heading to bedding in the timber.Sometimes I have access to hunt then and sometimes I don't.

There will also be small groups in other places and I think my stand may be good at times in Oct and Nov.We'll see.It is sure good to know they are around.Pre-rut may just shake things loose.

[Izzy]

Might be time for a native style stalk only using a cow silhouette or a Montana decoy!

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

I say you put the sneak on them! A 6 hour belly crawl would be good for the soul, and your abs.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

double post

[Kituwa]

It looks like you may could set up by one of the wheels on that irrigation rig.

[bobman]

I would drive over next to that field and then walk across it to chase them out into the surrounding cover

Then go sit in your stand

[JJY]

What do they do when the pivot runs... if they vacate the field and you could coordinate the time when it runs a blind on the escape routes may work, just a thought.

[Rob W.]

I would set a blind up in the middle a see how they react. At least you could use a blind as a distraction to push them a little closer to a place you could hide.


Rob

[TxAg]

JimB, I hope you don't mind me posting the info below...., but I didn't know what sainfoin was so I did some quick research. Looks like it might be a good food plot solution for the drought areas like we've been having in Texas. I found the following interesting. Thought some others might as well.


•   Sainfoin is reportedly resistant to drought and frost damage
•   Although Sainfoin is “new” to the food plot literature/marketing it’s an ancient crop originating in Asia, subsequently domesticated in Europe, and introduced into the western U.S. in the 1960’s-70s (North America around 1900).
•   Reportedly extremely drought tolerant with excellent winter hardiness
•   Resistant to the alfalfa weevil
•   Outperforms alfalfa in shorter growing seasons
•   Prefers well drained oils
•   Sainfoin is very sensitive to acidic soils
•   It is a non-invasive species
•   It’s reportedly an extremely palatable and nutritious forage crop with feed values similar to alfalfa
•   Sainfoin is very much a possible “go to” forage crop for wildlife habitat restoration/reclamation projects—i.e. Drop-Tine’s Marcellus reclamation projects
•   Beekeepers have reported higher honey yields with Sainfoin than alfalfa…research shows that Sainfoin blossoms are sought after by pollinating insects, notably honey bees. Honey produced from Sainfoin is reported as very high quality
•   Sainfoin is a legume and therefore requires inoculation
•   Some growers have suggested that it may jump out of the gates earlier in the late winter/early spring by growing earlier and quicker than alfalfa…only trials will tell the truth here. Early green up is a key factor for northern food plotters
•   Many reports detail Sainfoin’s greatest weakness is its susceptibility to root and crown pathogens that limit how long perennial plots will last; however, “Shoshone” Sainfoin was reportedly developed from the intercross of plants that possess a tolerance to such root parasites, including the Northern root-knot Nematode
•   Some suggest that Sainfoin possesses a higher carbohydrate content but similar crude protein content and digestibility to alfalfa
•   Since Sainfoin is grown in many dry, western regions it may serve as a “niche crop” for food plotters…i.e. drought years
•   Sainfoin possesses a very deep tap root resulting in an adaptation for dry conditions…sound familiar? (Chicory!)
•   Sainfoin will not do well on wet sites
•   Sainfoin does not compete very well when mixed with other forages though many top food plot seed companies are researching the right combination(s) for blends.
•   Most pure stands are planted at the rate of 30-35 lbs. of pure live seed (PLS) per acre. -

[deertag]

another vote to chase them out.

[Mike Gerardi]

Good luck with your bucks, bear and cat. I imagine it will be on with those bucks soon enough.

[JimB]

I appreciate all the advice.In years past,I've tried most of those things and there are just way too many eyes and noses.I'm also sure but am not goin to ask,that the ranch wouldn't appreciate me getting all those deer rattled before anyone else gets to hunt.There is also a herd of elk about a mile south of my stand and I'm going to steer away from them too,for the same reasons.I feel priviliged to get to hunt when I do.

That's why I scouted a small group of bucks a couple miles from there and they are in the timber so as long as they stay and the wind is right,I'll have some opportunities.I suspect that later in October and November,some of the bucks in the big field will either be traveling by my stand or at least some place that has cover.

That big sainfoin field is a tough one for a bow.Good luck everyone.

[Shane C]

Jim, when I lived in Montana I had a friend that had a big field that the deer were always on. I didn't get a chance to try it, but this might be something to try out: Try and make a blind of sorts in those wheels of the pivot. I'm not sure how often they move the pivot, but I know the land I was on it didn't get moved much later on in the season. You could always take it down before the pivot gets moved. I think this would be a good set-up since it could flow pretty seamlessly from the wheels.

It doesn't sound like a place that you get unlimited access to, so a lot of what you can do is probably limited by the when the land owner lets you hunt. Good luck out there!

[PaPa Ron]

I might have to see about planting some of this stuff too.

[KentuckyTJ]

If I lived out there I would so have a white tail suit. That way I could crawl right up to them and shoot.

[J. Holden]

Sorry, don't feel bad for you.  I'm lucky to see a deer all season much less a buck.  49 in one spot is something I would like to have a problem with.

-Jeremy  

[Mark Normand]

Originally posted by JimB:
I'm also sure but am not goin to ask,that the ranch wouldn't appreciate me getting all those deer rattled before anyone else gets to hunt
 

Well that omits my suggestion of running out there full speed on ATV and scatter the flock...    

[Keefer]

If they don't move then move them...
Take a friend who has a remote controlled airplane..
Set up and have him drive away and run the plane back and forth like a shepperd dog towards your hideout...  
Be ready to