suburban woodlots.. how small is TO small???

[Gaff]

ok, i saw something i thought was sorta funny today. i noticed a treestand about 30yds off the main rd. i was on. the patch of woods was MAYBE 50yd x 50yd. so half an acre. with houses all around it.   :eek:    
there was a house so close that if you were in the stand you could talk to the person in the driveway.   :rolleyes:    this stand is not in a tree to practice shooting from, no way. somebody deffinatly hunts in it.

so im curious, do any of you have a TINY little spot that you hunt and see deer?

gaff

[Al Natural]

Some of the largest bucks killed every year in the U.S. are killed in suburban sub-divisions.  I hunted a 600 acre piece of property for two years with some success.  The third year it was turned into a sub-division.  My success on pope and young bucks went up as the homes where built.  It limited the deer movement.

Al

[JCJ]

I hunt on 2-1/2 acres in the northern suburbs of Mpls-St.Paul. I do so by choice and have killed a buck each year I've hunted the property.

[bear1336]

I hunt no more than 50 yards from my patio and deer are always around our sub division have seen several nice deer in the 5 years we have lived here...

[bornagainbowhunter]

I used to hunt just behind our Fairgroungs.  Small wooded area in the middle of a sub division.  Lots of deer.

[ishiwannabe]

You have been to my house, and you have seen the amount of woods around.
One of my best stands ever is a large pine about 25 yards off the road. My back is to the road and Im facing a large sidehill with a southern exposure in that stand, and I have seen deer within shooting range EVERY time I have decided to sit there.

I think any amount of cover is worth inspecting. It doesnt take much to hide a deer.

[reddogge]

I live on 6 acres and hunt it.  Have killed deer on it also.  Saw a monster 8 pt last year but didn't get a shot and missed a nice 8 pt this year.  Only thing is I have to be careful which way the deer are facing when I shoot so they expire on my property.

[Onewldcat]

This is my first season hunting urban areas and it's the most action I've ever had.  Don't tell anyone this, but it's great!

[Lost Arra]

Plenty of deer on small suburban plots but it sure helps if the neighbors are "hunt friendly" or things can get ugly.

 http://whitetailwoods.blogspot.com/2009/10/ct-animal-activist-keeping-dead-deer-in.html

[BEN]

I own 4 acres with about 1/2 of it wooded. Of course, my 2 a. of woods is part aof a larger wooded ridge but, I have killed 7 deer on my property  in the past 5 yrs. and there's still plenty more-----course that's just Ohio for ya.

I hunt mostly public land and there is a patch I hunt every year during the archery and gun seasons that no one else seems to hunt---it's too narrow and too close to the road; of course you also have to walk 10 minutes down the road from any parking area due to the private land around it. Any way, I have never failed to get a deer, or more, from this area. this year, I was able to get my second largest buck ever (but with a muzzleloader) so that don't count on here.

I have 2 types of places I like to focus on: the areas too far for most others to walk into; and the areas that are "too small to hold deer".

Ben

[Huntrdfk]

I hunt out my side door every year, I have three acres, out of that door is a small 10 acre piece surrounded by roads and houses.  No matter where I hunt in there I can always see at least two houses......always seems to be two or three deer in this piece.  As an added bonus the neighbors dog always lets me know when they're coming too.....

[overbo]

The smaller the better

[bamboo]

suburban hunting can be great--but remember you have to recover them!!i've seen some very[soon to be]DEAD deer make 200yrds!!!or MORE!
 i'm not saying don't do it-but expect the worst!![hope for the best!]

[Huntrdfk]

You are absolutely right Mike, I have passed numerous deer because of where they were/were going when they passed me. My biggest fear hunting a small place like this is having a deer die in someones yard, so I am very selective on when I shoot....

David

[rickshot]

Howdy. I’m on the eastern part of the state. And, as you know, that stand would be borderline legal distance from a paved road…plus, from your description, seems like 500 feet from a dwelling is also in question. Sounds like one of those situations I keep walking up on that makes me stop and shake my head; just a poor image, you know…and exposed to public scrutiny to boot.

The deer around here favor these “TINY little spots.” On closer inspection, or even driving by, deer presence is often found, but once the deer are bumped they just slip off to another small piece…or closer to houses. I’ve researched many on Google Earth and at best I’d have to sit squarely in the middle to maintain a legal distance. It’s really the game laws and discretion that define “too small” for me.

Anyhow, overall better conditions for pursuing all game is what has me packing for a move in the spring. A few select acres should take care of the meat on the table equation and then it’s off to melt into the landscape and match whits with more critters. 365 if I can help it…like when I was a kid. One state down; watch out the rest of the lower 48…I’m goin’ out with a thump-thump-thump.

[maineac]

Don't most game laws restrict the discharge of a fire arm?  Bows as far as I understand it don't count as a firearm, as not fire is generated when shooting.  So aside form ethical issues of not respecting the neighboring land owner if they do not like hunting, you could legally erect a tree stand on the first tree inside the property line and shoot away from the property line.

[lpcjon2]

I have killed deer in a ground blind on private prop. 50yrds from the house in a wood lot not 100yrds x100yrd bordering marsh 30yrds wide.The deer would travel behind the houses via the marsh and eat on the lawns of the houses in the neighborhood.Most of my hunting grounds are very small I think the biggest was 3 acres.South jersey is so over populated and over hunted this is the best way to get deer.

[rickshot]

Hey maineac...I was born in Maine so, of course, it is one of my favorite states to revisit.

It’s the wonderful world of “most game laws” that is going to decide my next move. In Mass the law states that it is prohibited to discharge any firearm or release any arrow within 150’ of any state or hard-surfaced highway or 500’ of any dwelling in use, except as authorized by the owner or occupant thereof. Technically, this law also makes it prohibitive to shoot in your own yard if you cannot fulfill the aforementioned, not to mention how no Sunday hunting figures into the mix. OK…too much information, but there’s plenty of reasons why Mass doesn’t top the list of dream hunt destinations.