Tips for getting more deer to my stand and feeder

CountryAndCalibre

CountryAndCalibre

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I have built my first deer stand and put it up on one of the properties our group has permission to hunt.

How can I get more and as many deer to my stand and feeder as possible? And when should I start feeding? August?

I want to turn the area into a deer sanctuary. So between feeding and maybe clearing some trails for them to travel, not sure what else to try.

Need advice! Thank you.
 
Not really an answer to your question but you don't typically hunt a deer "sanctuary". You're usually better to have your stand between the sanctuary and food and water sources. Just my 2 cents
 
fwm said:
Not really an answer to your question but you don't typically hunt a deer "sanctuary". You're usually better to have your stand between the sanctuary and food and water sources. Just my 2 cents
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Not a literal sanctuary. Maybe sanctuary was the wrong word.

I just want advice on effective methods on attracting deer to the area near to my stand.
 
Start feeding in September and they will come but resist the temptation to keep checking on it, the deer will only get wise to your coming and going. Make sure you have a path to get in and out as quietly as possible, do all your tree trimming by September and keep the path as clear as possible. If the wind is wrong for walking to your stand, don't go at all that day. The deer will quickly figure out your there and will either avoid the area or become nocturnal, the best stands I've hunted out of were easy to get in and out of undetected.
 
waltman said:
Start feeding in September and they will come but resist the temptation to keep checking on it, the deer will only get wise to your coming and going. Make sure you have a path to get in and out as quietly as possible, do all your tree trimming by September and keep the path as clear as possible. If the wind is wrong for walking to your stand, don't go at all that day. The deer will quickly figure out your there and will either avoid the area or become nocturnal, the best stands I've hunted out of were easy to get in and out of undetected.
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Great advice. Thank you! Never even thought of that with them getting spooked and going nocturnal to feed.
 
It might be easier to go to the deer, instead of trying to get them to come to you.

I think the problem you're going to run into, is that anything with antlers is only going to show up at 3am, while the fawns and small does are going to camp the area, and you'll spook them every time you show up there.


Finally got my own land to hunt on (took 40 years, haha!) and last fall was the first time we hunted on it. It was great fun of course, but we scared the crap out of the deer, and first drove them nocturnal and then drove the bucks right off the property.

I hunted alot when I was a kid, but just got back into it after a 20 year haitus. I found this Youtube channel and have learned a ton from it in a very short time.



One thing that was neat is that we have a bunch of trail cameras all over the property, and we were able to track all the animals that were on (and then left) the property. It was neat to see it happen that way, and it gave me a great understanding of the cause and effect relationship between deer activity and human presence.
 
^^^ this is correct. Plant some regular garden peas out 40 yrds from your stand . you don't need to cultivate, just poke a cup full of seed stock in the ground an inch or so and let them grow like the wild stuff around them. They will visit pea patches from early summer until the tops freeze off, some corn can be beneficial after frost, the stocks turn yellow but the deer still visit to feed regularly...the peas are what gets them coming to your spot regularly tho.
 
are you on established trail?
If you can go for a walk while there is still snow you will find out real quick where the deer highways are.

We feed all year. (except right in deer season as that may be considered baiting) It also keeps them healthy through the winter.

Don't put you you feeder and stand too close each other but be sure they are in line of sight form each other.
Basically opposite sides of established trail ~50 yards away

100% agree with previous post on planning how to get in quietly!!
Also go over your tree stand and make sure it doesn't rattle when you climb it. tighten all the bolts and add some electrical tape if needed. a metallic "clink" is unnatural and travels very far in in bush.
 
Some people with great advice and real knowledge chiming in here! Thanks for your help.

I love the food plot idea. Will try and do something like that. Really want to make 2021 a success.
 
Jmcc said:
are you on established trail?
If you can go for a walk while there is still snow you will find out real quick where the deer highways are.

We feed all year. (except right in deer season as that may be considered baiting) It also keeps them healthy through the winter.

Don't put you you feeder and stand too close each other but be sure they are in line of sight form each other.
Basically opposite sides of established trail ~50 yards away

100% agree with previous post on planning how to get in quietly!!
Also go over your tree stand and make sure it doesn't rattle when you climb it. tighten all the bolts and add some electrical tape if needed. a metallic "clink" is unnatural and travels very far in in bush.
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You're allowed to bait deer in Ontario, even during the season.
 
We have two food plots at our camp annually. We planted a third last year but it didnt really take off. The surrounding ferns took over the plot and chocked the turnips out. We'll need to work that plot over several more times this spring before planting I think.

Food plots serve as a method of bringing deer into the area on a routine basis, and making them in overall better health for surviving winter. We even find after the thaw in the spring, the moose LOVE the fermented turnips that the frost heaved out of the ground. It requires more work at the start but once planted is basically maintenance free. We do cut our clover once mid-summer. The turnips and fall rye do their own thing.

Heres some pics of ours.

This is the clover patch.

ME2LM00l.jpg


My grandfather on the tractor and my daughter supervising.

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This is the turnip patch after a snowfall. Deer have been digging them out.

Uc6Y450l.jpg
 
CoonT said:
Amazing pics there. That middle one belongs in an art museum.
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Lol. I wouldnt say that. We do involve our daughter in as much of this as we can. Her and my grandfather will pick some of the turnips and eat them. I find them....unappealing lol

CountryAndCalibre said:
That's amazing. Id love to develop something like that. I'd have to start off small tho and work up.
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Yes. It can be done on a much smaller scale, and im a big believer that a food plot is a lot better then just throwing out corn. Do some research into "no equipment food plots" etc.
 
CountryAndCalibre said:
That's amazing. Id love to develop something like that. I'd have to start off small tho and work up.
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If doing a small one, think about putting a double fence around it to deter deer from eating at the seedling stage. Some folks just run a cable around it, then another 3 feet inside that. Deer will avoid it as they wont try to jump both fences. Then after it starts growing good, take fences down. Not an issue if you are doing 1 or 2 acres.
 
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