Have a small piece of property I�m hunting (8 acres). I have several bucks and one big mature 8 point coming in regularly during the day on camera.I have hunted it 7 times since opening day and seen deer three sits but never any bucks. Killed 2 does. I want to give myself as many opportunities as possible to harvest the big 8 point but don�t want to run him out by overpressuring the area. After 7 sits, he is still showing up during the day but it�s once or twice a week. Do I go with the attitude of �you can�t kill him unless your in the woods� or limit my sits to limit pressure? Just giving something to you guys in the tree today to ponder. Here is a pic of him.

If I truly wanted to kill a buck, I surely wouldn't be shooting does there. I would give it a rest.

Yea, killing the does was kind of hard to avoid though when I�ve never had a bow kill and they presented me with shots. I understand your logic though.

Following this topic too. 55 acres with some very nice deer on it. They tend to turn into ghosts though.

I would let it rest.

Is he consistent about the times he is coming through in the daylight? Are you positive that you know where he is coming from and going to so that you make sure that your entrance and exit routes dont cross his path and that you know what wind to hunt it on? 7 hunts on just 8 acres, 16 days into the season is a whole lot of pressure. Especially since you killed 2 does off of it and probably scented it up tracking them and dragging them out. I'd let it rest unless you are 100% certain of the answers to questions 1 & 2 above. You dont need to shoot anymore does in there if you are seriously trying to kill him.

You need to let the does get comfortable; the buck will follow.
If you are there; try your best not to get busted by the does. Wait till they feed out at dark; if possible. If you have one stand; hunt it infrequently under best conditions till rut; then be there as much as possible

I would look at the days he is showing up and try to establish a pattern. If that wasn't possible, I would only hunt "good" days and ideal winds

I feel your pain. I have done the same thing I believe and have over hunted the same spot this year. I am taking about a week off and waiting for the better wind condition days.

I try not to hunt a stand more than twice and let it rest at least a week, preferably longer. The majority of big bucks I've killed have come from the first sit on a stand. Very few afterwards. Also, regardless of weather, I see fewer deer each sit in the same stand most of the time. If you want to understand why place trail cams on your trail that you walk in on. Watch how deer react when they cross your track or find where you've climbed a tree. Some of them will literally not come back that way, ever. They'll walk around or take another path.

Agree with the others, give the place a break and lay off the does. Also, if you're checking cameras too often, you're still putting unwanted pressure on the place.

x2

Stop shooting the does! If you can�t get him before rut, he ain�t gonna have a reason to stay with no ladies around

Make sure the wind is right when you do hunt.
Only hunt prime times. Bow, 1st week of gun, rut.

As long as you don�t leave any trace of being in there, I�d say you are good!

The answer is YES if your goal is to kill a mature buck. Now that you�ve killed a couple does, I would let it rest for several weeks.

With an area that small, you should be on the property enough to get the animals use to your scent. The deer will become comfortable with your scent over time.

Too much human scent and disturbance you can run them into the next county!

Yes.

Let it rest. Only hunt with a Ghilley suit from now on. Only hunt if wind is perfect and if it changes during the hunt back out. Good luck!