Well I’ve seen Chucky Sykes spread estimates of 1.6 million deer statewide. We all know that’s incredibly high and have heard many estimate it’s more around 1.2 million. Let’s be fair to both sides and say 1.4. There’s 34 million acres in Alabama putting a statewide average of 1 deer per 25 acres. We know there’s a lot more deer in South Alabama than North that skews that average but so does urban sprawl and waterways so we’ll say 1 deer per 30 acres in Fayette County. If you have 700 acres that means at any given time there’s only 23-24 deer walking around your place. You’ve got to be pretty good to see 1 of 23 deer if they’ve got 700 acres to hide from you.

I'll take it....PM me....I let ya know where the key is if u wanna go.... I pay more than that for yearly license where I hunt to kill....well never mind...Get rid of it and I take all 700... If your tired of it and all....

Lemme know....

I'm not saying you should, just something I've had to learn myself..... There's a time to cut your losses and not throw good money after bad.

Disc up a patch of the plot one morning and then hunt it that evening... Something about fresh turned over dirt brings them out

People don't realize how far deer travel (at dark) to get to a feeder or green field. I live on a pine plantation and depending on the stage/age of pines depends on the deer we see in daylight. I've had the same fields (some of them) for 30 years. If there's no close prime bedding, you won't see big bucks in the daytime unless you catch one acting stupid. They are going to bed in prime spots, and change their feeding habits accordingly. Only exceptions are extreme cold and Rut. imo

You serious, Clark?

Our property in Macon County was similar to this when we first got it. Summer planting seemed to help a lot.

Been there done that. Stay out till rut, then drag horns out.

I have some good friends that hunt in this same part of Fayette County and they have had similar experiences over the last 6ish years. Tons of potential to grow and hold lots of deer, but the density isn’t there like you’d think. That, coupled with tons of pressure on their property (and even more on adjoining properties), is a recipe for few deer sightings...They’ve learned to hunt hard the first two weeks of bow season and one week at Thanksgiving, then stay out til the rut hits. It has really helped their sightings, confidence, and success.

Change your patterns like where you park and how you enter the property? They may just have you patterned instead of you patterning them!!

You just don't have many deer. Which is the case practically everywhere in Alabama but 6 or 7 counties in southwest Alabama and then pockets of good spots here or there elsewhere. You can't have an unlimited doe season for 4 months, plus an out of control coyote population, plus diseases, and have a large deer herd.

Deer have not moved in my part of Bullock County worth crap this year. We hear 3 or 4 shots a weekend. We use to hear 30-70.

Everybody has greenfields. Here is crazy thing. We have seen more deer on roadways from Montgomery to Bullock, to the farm then at anytime ever in 40 plus years riding the same roadway... IT IS THE WEATHER and availability of browse.

A few things I'd offer - haven't read every single post in the thread so sorry if I duplicate one. First, the dog hunting club likely helps make deer nocturnal. I've hunted adjoining land to dog hunting clubs (rabbit, deer, etc.) over the years and every single property had little daytime deer movement (plots eaten down, deer population decent, etc.). I don't know the exact dynamics on why it makes them that way, but that's been my experience. Second, it's likely the does that's been pushed over onto your property may be older does. I have a number of does who frequent my 22 acres that I live on - and one of them is a large mature doe. Watching her compared to the other mature does shows she is much more skittish that the others - the more of them you have the more difficult IMO. Finally, if I guess correctly, you're hunting in an area that's got some serious hills and hollows. I hunt in the north part of Tuscaloosa County and on our leases we have a LOT of those deep hollows and steep ridges. The nastier terrain yields far less deer sightings than the flatter for us - my theory is that there are far more "wind eddies" and "wind tunnels" than other places and the deer know how to travel around/bed in those optimal places. As an experiment, I might would suggest putting out several cameras at the end of the season and staying off the place for an entire month after season goes out. If nocturnal activity is still the norm, then I would consider a change.

Location, Location, Location. MANY factors.

Well I’m not quite as frustrated as I was. I probably should have let this one walk due to age but the monkey was getting awful heavy. First buck I’ve shot on this property in 3 years. I had pictures of him on another plot almost every night for the past week. I sat on the plot I shot him in due to does showing up the past couple evenings before dark. A smaller buck walked out at 10 till 5 and while I was watching him the 10 walked out. Didn’t take me long to make up my mind.

Congrats!!

👍

Congrats Josh! Nice buck