hunting suburban deer?

[44charlie]

here's the problems i have:
areas to hunt are small so anytime you in the woods your in their bedroom.
open areas tend to be off limits ie parks,schools ect.
food sources not all ways well defined and again off limits.
i very often bump deer just trying to get to where i want to hunt.
this year i noticed the yote population is up and i'm seeing fewer deer.

like you get your ten cents worth. thanks guys

[lpcjon2]

I hunt the sub's we found that making small food plots 10'x10'(nothing fancy any lettuce, turnips will do the cheap stuff from the hardware store) in multiple locations help keep them in a certain area.Then we try to get in real early and leave late.In small areas you should know the trails they travel and when. You and a buddy can set up on opposite sides and make the most of a hunt.You must be scent free and you should use hock pads on a drag rag anything to make them think you are a deer.They will always be on edge and that's the fun of it.As far as the yotes unless you can find the den and take care of it you have to deal with them,they do move from area to area often.

[Terry Green]

Ray Hammond can help you out.  I bet he'll see the title and post in a bit..

[ishiwannabe]

Sounds like you could do the old two in one out trick. Have a buddy, family member, etc follow you in. Walk in like you are on a stroll....climb into your spot be it a stand or blind, and have the other person walk out as if they are on a stroll......I believe it was Josey that said Elk can count legs....neither can deer.

I know it sounds kinda silly, but I have used this tactic numerous times. Some times, I have had deer under me while I could see the other person still.

[randy grider]

It was Jerimiah Johnson's buddy, can't remember his name..., bearclaw maybe?

[GMMAT]

Anyone that thinks these deer aren't wild and don't know the deal.....is sadly mistaken.

Good luck.

[Three Arrows]

The deer in the suburbs up in Ohio could care less if you are 20 ft away.  One place I went to hunt had the deer actually follow me to my stand and feed under me.  The big buck came out ( over 170) and did the same thing.  I would not shoot and quit going there afterwards.  These deer in my suburbs are used to being fed or left alone and don't act any different than pigeons.  The temptation was there to get a buck in the books I must admit.

[doeboy]

we always bumped the deer out and hung our sets and sat untill the end of the day. if your in his bedroom for the first time, he will come back. They are limited to space so a good beding area is hard to find. try to put some camears in there to see his pattern and plan accordingly.

[ThePushArchery]

Suburbia is the only places I will hunt. Around this area, they are just as wild as an animal in a 4,000 acre plot.

Look for housing plans that are under contruction or just starting to build. I find that these places are the easiest to get in and out of, and you know the property is sold to the home developer. So chances are they are receptive to allowing archery hunting for the time being.

[Mint]

I hunt deer on Long island NY and they don't live past the first year if they aren't smart. Since we don't have many big trees they can pick you out 50 yards away. They can literally bed anywhere and feed on acorns everywhere. I tend to use mountain bike trails to walk into my stand and set up on a trail crossing hoping they will come by. Some days you see a bunch of deer and some days nothing since they bedded and fed somwhere else. Its just putting your time in. The good thing is that you can always draw doe tags and they sure taste good.

[Joe D]

It was Jerimiah Johnson's buddy, can't remember his name..., bearclaw maybe?  

One of my all time favorite movies is Jeremiah Johnson. It was the actor Will Geer who said that Elk don't know how many legs a horse has. His name in the movie was "BearClaw" Chris Lapp. The quotes from that movie are endless!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I used to hunt suburban deer.  The young ones were incredibly predictable. (4:30 every night) The locals who viewed the deer as their pets would drag cans and throw sticks in the woods to scare them off and even trespass and walk through the woods. It didn't bother them a bit unless someone was actually in the woods and then they would hide until the person passed.  I often spooked deer off on the way in but saw more later.  Of course there were a few days I wouldn't see anything and those days the deer were around me from sun up till sundown.  I miss hunting that area with my Father.  We sat in a travel corridor between primary and secondary bedding areas.  My uncle owed the field they would eat at after dark.

Charlie

[ArrowAtomik]

Walking with someone to the stand, who then walks back inside is a good idea, but the lawnmower is even better.  If I walk around with a lawnmower, it is easy to get within 30 yards of deer on the ground that are normally as wary as anything in the big woods.  Tonight I could get right up to a decent buck poking for apples near my compost pile when I was mowing.  I could scare him off if I got close enough, but as soon as I went back to mowing the front lawn he would work his way back to the compost pile. I'm planning to have my wife start walking me to the treestand running the walk-behind lawnmower.  As soon as she gets it in the garage the deer will think they have the all clear.

[wollelybugger]

I see more game in town then I do in the bigger woods. They are more concentrated in a small areas.

[cahaba]

I hunted in the Cincinatti Ohio area and we seen some dandy bucks. They were not as skiddish as Alabama bucks. My friend had hang ons up and well defined trails for quiet entry. I passed on a 6 point cause of the areas potential.

[JCJ]

I hunt on 2-1/2 acres in the suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul. I love it as I am able to hunt nearly everyday after I get home from work. The deer here are spooky as heck and get hunted hard during our bow and firearms deer season. My 2-1/2 acres includes a major funnel between bedding areas and food and it has produced a nice buck each of the last two years. The difficult thing here is getting permission to hunt. Almost every available piece of wooded property has someone bow hunting it.

[OBXarcher]

Has anyone written a good book on urban deer hunting ?

I hunt on the Outer Banks. We do have some big woods areas (500 acres). These deer act like they are on crack. We are a vacation area and have no agriculture at all. They become very nocturnal as soon as they see the first pile of corn since they never see it any other time of the year. I have had several trail cameras out and see some good deer but not during shooting hours.

The deer literally bed up in peoples back yards.

It is very different hunting but still fun.

[wollelybugger]

I hunt in a urban setting and the bucks get old and smart. Its quieter in the urban area than it is in the country anymore.

[LCH]

I hunt near houses in sub-divisions in NC these deer are sharpe they don't run far when spooked. When they are in peoples yards they are easily approached but when they get in the woods near by they are super alert. I see more coyotes there also.
All the deer I hunted in Ohio are easier to hunt than in NC. I hunted the Wayne National Forrest. That's why I like to hunt there.
I see bigger bucks near town because the rifle shooter have not shot them.LCH

[Jerry Jeffer]

Urban and sub urban deer hunting is some of the greatest hunting I ever had. I would sit in thier bedroom all day and have tons of action especially during the rut.