What are the chances?

[walleyeking19]

I hunt a relatively small piece of property (45 acres) and i always see deer. I've seen deer everytime i've gone out for the last 2 years. but the thing is, this year I've been seeing mostly a doe and a little fawn together every night. I've never seen more than 1 set of them a day and other than for this one set, i only see loner deer.

So what are the chances that i just keep seeing the same 2 deer all the time and the property isn't as populated as i thought?

[walterman]

The best advice I would have would be to wait it out until the crops come out if there are any around the area. There may be more deer using the property after dark. Put a trail camera out and that can eliminate some of the uncertainties too!

[wgara]

Do you have wolves in the area? We have them where I hunt and they can really scatter a deer herd. When I no longer see good deer activity I usually start seeing the wolves about.

[96trigger]

Really depends. With fields getting picked and deer moving in and out of areas, give it some more time. I will say this. When the rut gets going, the doe will get bred by something. Hopefully, your in the woods when he comes calling. If the chuck of land has ag land near by, I would say a large number are hanging in the fields or just closer to the food source. When the food source is picked, they will scatter more.

[Leaddog]

If you're hunting Wright Co, the deer numbers are down from the recent past. Changed abruptly from years of up to 5 tags per hunter to lottery this year (firearms) so the DNR accomplished their goal of reducing the deer numbers. That said, yeah, you're likely seeing the same deer. Does have relatively small home territories, probably rarely leaves that 45 acres so long as it has all she needs. But, I'd bet a buck knows that and will cruise through now and then to check her. Just got to be there at the right time.

Good luck!

[Code-Man]

Last year I saw the same buck 6 times throughout 40 acres of river bottom.

[bigbucks]

Seeing the same deer I'd bet as well.

I've hunted one of the properties I hunt a total of two times this year, two different stands that are about 150 yards apart. I saw 6 deer each time & I'm sure 5 of them were the same. It would have been 6 & 7 with 6 being the same, but that one doe couldn't get out of the freezer...

[KOTTKE]

I also hunt a small property that is about 30 ac in size, and has more open areas than woods. Had the camera out for about 2 weeks and saw that same 2 does and 2 fawns many many times. Never saw another deer. I decided to sit one morning and had all 4 come out about 50 yrds away. Decided to sit that night since we have manangment tags for this area and try to shoot a one of those does. At about 7pm, hear a crack and out walked a 13 pt non typic, at aboout 12 yards,(now at taxider). Now we have never seen this deer in 3 yrs of hunting. We find that the bucks just move thru checking does every once in a while. I would be patient, the buck movement is starting to heat up as they are checking for those early does. We tend to set up along a natural coridoors that the deer enter and leave the areas thru. Good luck!!!