strategies for deer moving at night

Hey guys,
I have permission for a 20 acre piece of bush, which is part of a massive mixed bush which covers about a 1/2 concession (plus more in other concessions) and has lots of deer activity.
the problem is I am still mostly getting deer on camera right before dark, or mostly at night and this pattern has shifted more towards the night time in the last few weeks.

I have hunted once or maybe twice a week (at two locations on the property, but mostly one), which i know might be too much for this sized bush, but since I have had continuous activity on my cams and through scouting, I am just trying to put in the time to seal the deal.

One major problem I am having is the farmers puppy keeps following me out to my stand. he has done this a few times, but left before i got to my stand, but the last two times he has followed me right to my stand and stuck around for 30 minutes this last time, so i gave up and went to still hunt and check my cams. Wouldn't you know it he followed me around the whole property even after i tried chasing him off and swatting at him. I checked my cams anyways and had my first pic of a nice buck, but he was traveling at night during two nights in the last week. This made me extra pissed at this dog situation, so i hurried off the property to not cause anymore disturbance.
I dont want to complain to the farmer, since he is an outside dog, so theres not much he can do. I brought a couple of PB sandwiches yesterday, and chucked them into the corn hoping to distract him until i got to my stand, but all it did was attract him back to me for more.
My next step is to get a kong and put peanut butter and dog food in it and tie it to something near the barns. This will keep him busy until he forgets about me and hopefully until my scent dies down a bit.

My second problems is this is the only private bush i have permission for, and it is fairly small. I have hunted only about 4-8 hours in 1-2 visits per week. Ive only gone scouting into the bush once since the season started to put down some rackstacker, and that was last friday. Otherwise all cameras and bait have been during or after hunting since the season started. I have baited with apples, and rackstacker, and the apples attracted a few does, but mostly they have been untouched (theres tons of large nut producing trees in the area)
I dont really want to reduce my time out hunting, as the rut is ramping up, and i am still seeing deer on cam, even a few does during daylight, and i will shoot any legal animal this year (i still havent killed a deer personally).

One more thing i am trying to do with my cameras is pin point a better stand location where they might be during the day, but so far my stand and blind are in the best two locations and seeing mostly deer at night for the past few weeks.

what would you guys do:

• to get rid of the puppy (no i am not going to kill it)
• to increase deer activity during the day. should i try different attractants like doe urine, or I have a small pile of apples left in the freezer, or corn and molasses?
• any other ideas?

Attachment 36067

Attachment 36068

Attachment 36069

Ask to tie the dog up in the barn for the few hrs at night. Maybe head out a bit earlier so if he follows you he'll leave sooner?

Cayenne pepper in the PB
You need to convince the dog you are bad news rather than a friendly chat and a food source

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Horridfiber101

Cayenne pepper in the PB
You need to convince the dog you are bad news rather than a friendly chat and a food source

---

Agreed. Just before the season he started chasing my car and visiting me while i got ready so I immediately stopped showing him any attention.
Someone suggested the peanut butter sandwich trick, but it had the opposite effect.

Do you think leaving the kong tied up at the barn (about 200 yds away) would still make him come see me after he's finished?

Chloroform. It just isn't for first dates anymore. :thumbup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dythbringer

Chloroform. It just isn't for first dates anymore. :thumbup:

---

Damn PC police ruining a good time.

Maybe a spray bottle full of water and every time the dog comes around you spray it in the face with the water. Most dogs hate that. I think as the rut heats up that buck will show up during daylight. Good luck.

I think that spray bottle thing (water in his face-harmless enough) will work.... Or if he only sticks around for 30 minutes, go in earlier than normal, he will get bored and leave...

Train the dog to push deer!! But on a semi serious note, the deer have prob patterned you. My experience a small bush the deer here you, smell you comin and too much pressure can turn them nocturnal or change their patterns. As the rut is heating up I would do your best to keep wind in your favour getting to stand and try using scent. In saying this, 1 stand in a small bush based on winds may not be best hunted. All the best!!

Where are you parking? Can you change your parking location, that way the dog does not know you are there. How far is the dog's home from where you hunt? I used to live on 100 acres, and the deer would come right into the back yard and literally bed behind the dogs kennel, they got used to the scent and found the dogs no threat, if the dog is anywhere near the dear his/her scent will be familiar with the dear so use that to your advantage, go in earlier and ignore the dog, totally , it will get bored quick and leave, and his scent will be there making dear feel secure....If the dear are not familiar with dogs scent, as soon as you get there go to the dog, where it lays, and take a soup bone, lots of marrow, and if its frozen even better, that will occupy for hours. You may need to get the farmers permission for this. I had a farm with same scenario and that's what I did and never saw the dog, problem is every time you go the dog will expect a bone, go to grocery store you can get a pack of 3 for like $3 or $4, so not bad really.

I have a stand and a blind with alternate wind conditions. I have a pop up blind ready for if I discover another spot worth setting up on.
The portion I hunt is fairly small, but part of a much bigger forest. My area is there way to get to many cut fields and across the road to more bush and fields. Plus I think a doe or two bed on my property, but I've stayed out of where I susiect they bed.

The house is sbout 150 yds from my stand and over 200 from my blind, plus there's a neighbour who walks his dog periodically around the forest. I bet they do recognize his scent it's just I figure they still avoid the area while he's there.
The last few times, and the most likely I am to run into him is when I get there at 4:30 for a short hunt after work. Than he basically blows that short hunt. That isn't an option anymore since the time change is this weekend.
I have no other way to get into the properly without passing his main hang out area, unless the farmer is there, he will follow my car.

be honest and upfront with the owner. ask him if the dog can be chained up or put in a shed when you first get to the field in the morning

in some way- Seems you are lucky to even be hunting there; and the farmer is doing you a favor.
He might not take kindly to a suggestion on how else he can accommodate you.

Any chance you can find a way in from the bigger woods you speak of ?

Take the dog hunting in a blind, Farm deer know farm dogs. The wife use to walk the. Dogs to the standing soya fields . Walko would mark the whole bean area . The three dogs wouldn’t even be. 1/4 way back to the house and the deer were back feeding again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dythbringer

Chloroform. It just isn't for first dates anymore. :thumbup:

---

Hahahahaha!!! That was great

we have a property we hunted last year and the owner lets his dogs run wild in the bush. Needless to say he will lock them up when we are there but thats not the issue its when we arent there they have conditioned the deer to steer clear from that area until night time...sometimes some spots that have deer are just not worth your time. You cannot convince deer to stop being nocturnal so no point in trying any baiting or scent tricks its likely just to screw it up even more for you.

The area we hunt is lifeless during the hours the dogs are awake so even tho in high deer population the deer have all learned they are not safe during the day there and hide in neighbouring properties like smart deer do best...

Consider getting a new spot if your not seeing any deer when you hunt...if its a small parcel you might be screwed if your hunting inside the bush this is likely causing even more nocturnal activity and keeping the deer away.

The best hunters whether it be deer duck or small game up their game by expanding their horizons and get permission on multiple areas...

Simply put, If you put all your eggs in one basket and that basket has a hole in it you need a new basket..ie hunting property.

Dont try to reinvent the wheel with this property if its too much headache cut your losses and move on like I did with this other property...just cause you can hunt it doesnt mean you should hunt it...based on results the place sounds like a bust...You cant expect the same results seen on youtube on a QDM farm versus a highly pressured tiny tract of land that gets more abuse than a 25 cent hooker.

Abandoning is not an option, as I have put all my eggs in one basket for this season. I hope to add another couple of properties next year and will be doing controlled with some buddies again.

As an update, I have deer on camera during the day over the last few weeks of the rut. Bucks and does, but not in front of my stand.

I was out there checking camera on friday (I'm not doing controlled), the dog followed me again, I used a Spray bottle and got him good a few times. Than he kept just out of range but followed me anyways.
As I was leaving he chased my car onto the Road. I saw some cars veer so I pulled over and someone had pulled over and grabbed him. I walked him to the house and told the farmer he follows me everywhere and it's getting dangerous. He thanked me for bringing him back and apologized.

Than I went back yesterday to put up a pop up blind near the pictures, I ran into the farmer and his wife leaving. It turns out the puppy has gone missing over the last few days, so they asked me to keep an eye out for him.
It looks like for now my puppy issues are taken care of, but I hope they find the puppy.
I am glad my last interaction with him was to save his life, because guaranteed they would think it was me.
(I explained this above) Last year during the controlled hunt their dog went missing, and they found its body in a sea can at the back of the property in the spring.
They blamed hunters, but I'm still not sure why

curious dog, huge forest around the house... my first guess is coyotes got it.

gl on your deer pursuit.