Deer are hitting the brassicas hard

[tcook8296]

Well the frustration can't be much fun.

I hunt in Readington as well on a working farm. 90% open fields with some tiny patches of woods. I don't expect to get a buck there every year but we do well. Last two years, for example, we took three very mature bucks and both years we had sightings of a giant or two. That area is target rich, I see it on adjacent properties as well. The frustration comes from unrealistic expectations. To get a buck actually walk into your tiny kill zone is a statistical miracle. Get back to basics, enjoy hunting and it will happen eventually.

 

 

Not sure what you are getting at?

Unrealistic expectations? I think not. Ive been hunting Nj for 38 years. I know the quality of bucks now and from just a few years ago.

The frustrating part is the guys who continue to try and justify killing the herd. People just cant control themselves, some guys think everything is ok. If the state doesnt change the regs, nobody will change. I can tell you there are more and more guys changing their habits. I get a lot of pms on different things Ive done especially on food plots and hinge cutting. The majority of guys want to kill bigger bucks and improve their hunting also while boosting their deer sightings. I can tell you the improvements I have done work. The current regs as they stand are for killing deer not improving quality.

With a simple cut back on buck tags, it will force more guys to shoot does. If you doubt what Im doing doesnt work, take a look at this video I filmed in a 40 acre hinge cut.

It worked well above my expectations.

Keep an eye out for bucks though. In the previous 3 hunting seasons I have only shot 3 deer off my farm.

This year to date 0 deer have been harvested.

When you provide the best habitat in the area, the deer come.

You cant kill a buck if they dont exist

Everything I do on both my farms is hard work and fun. Harvesting an animal is a fruit of the labor. I can kill a deer on any sit, its all part of a designed plan.

3 years ago, I could walk the farm and not see any deer on the property. The guys that hunted it before me had stands all over the place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq7OA_3dzOo

Edited January 7, 2018 by tcook8296

[tcook8296]

One form October 2017, one from January 2017. One confirmed 4.5 YO and the other deer for sure mature but was not aged. We had one more in October of 2016 but I don't have a pic right now

the 8 is nice. The 6 on my farm would still be alive.

[tcook8296]

Tom , planted the same mix by us and it came up really nice . I'm just not happy with how our deer use it . I don't know why but our deer seem to not hit it as heavily as I would of thought .

it takes a few years for them to realize they are good to eat. Especially the turnips and radishes. This is the 3rd season on the brassicas and they hit them a little better each year. This is the time and conditions for the crop to be consumed by deer. Late season greens sticking above the snow. Dont gett any better than that. You may want to check them out in this snow and cold, I bet they are hitting them. I have heard on other forums guys having mixed results with them, some deer not hitting them at all. I think its an aquired taste. I had a lot more brassicas last year, I cut back a bit planted more wheat and rye. When they can get to it, they are grazing the rye and wheat hard.I would plant them again next year, maybe not as much maybe plant the rye and wheat for diversity.

I wouldnt give up on them yet. Snow cover and cold , they are going to eat them

Edited January 7, 2018 by tcook8296

[Lunatic]

the 8 is nice. The 6 on my farm would still be alive.

 

 

The genetics on either deer aren't the greatest. I saw both of them up close an I believe the six is the same age as the 8, if not older. He is not getting much better so it was a good deer to take out but that wasn't the reason it was killed, it just worked out this way. We don't even attempt to manage anything on this farm, there are no rules beyond NJ hunting regs. The guy who shot the six would have been just as happy with 1.5 or 2.5 YO buck.   

[Lunatic]

Unrealistic expectations? I think not. Ive been hunting Nj for 38 years. I know the quality of bucks now and from just a few years ago.

The frustrating part is the guys who continue to try and justify killing the herd. People just cant control themselves, some guys think everything is ok. If the state doesnt change the regs, nobody will change. I can tell you there are more and more guys changing their habits. I get a lot of pms on different things Ive done especially on food plots and hinge cutting. The majority of guys want to kill bigger bucks and improve their hunting also while boosting their deer sightings. I can tell you the improvements I have done work. The current regs as they stand are for killing deer not improving quality.

With a simple cut back on buck tags, it will force more guys to shoot does. If you doubt what Im doing doesnt work, take a look at this video I filmed in a 40 acre hinge cut.

It worked well above my expectations.

Keep an eye out for bucks though. In the previous 3 hunting seasons I have only shot 3 deer off my farm.

This year to date 0 deer have been harvested.

When you provide the best habitat in the area, the deer come.

You cant kill a buck if they dont exist

Everything I do on both my farms is hard work and fun. Harvesting an animal is a fruit of the labor. I can kill a deer on any sit, its all part of a designed plan.

3 years ago, I could walk the farm and not see any deer on the property. The guys that hunted it before me had stands all over the place.

 

I am not arguing with you because I believe in what you are saying. IMO it should be two bucks, anyway any how and you give up a buck tag if you kill B.Buck.

[Russ 11]

I am not arguing with you because I believe in what you are saying. IMO it should be two bucks, anyway any how and you give up a buck tag if you kill B.Buck.

Kind of being a hypocrite aren't you being you killed 3 bucks already this year . Just sayin .

[hammer4reel]

catching a flight home in a bit, didn’t realize

So many hunters on here from Readington.

Would love to see some of the bucks you guys shot from Here. I’ll check back in a few hours.

 

Been Hunting Readington, Flemington, Whitehouse, and Annandale since 1974.

Just about all the bucks I have posted pics of came from there, Including my Avatar

[Zipper]

Been Hunting Readington, Flemington, Whitehouse, and Annandale since 1974.

Just about all the bucks I have posted pics of came from there, Including my Avatar

Looks like I'm leaving my home ground and getting closer to you!

[hammer4reel]

Looks like I'm leaving my home ground and getting closer to you!

 

why , you shoot the last big one down there LOL

[Lunatic]

Kind of being a hypocrite aren't you being you killed 3 bucks already this year . Just sayin .

 

Not really. Very rare fro me to take even two bucks, many years without any and if the rule was 2 I would not take the 3rd one if it was  a 210" buck. Believe me, guy like I is not a problem, I let dozens of buck walk each and every single season.  If guys were shooting 3, 4 or 5 mature bucks we wouldn't be even talking about restrictions

Edited January 7, 2018 by Lunatic

[_X7]

Been Hunting Readington, Flemington, Whitehouse, and Annandale since 1974.

Just about all the bucks I have posted pics of came from there, Including my Avatar

There are some bangers down there. I remember working for a guy in Pittstown who was doing an electric job in Annandale at the car dealership right off of 78 and 31. I made the delivery and headed down  Old Allerton Rd toward the tavern off of 22. I got down by the church and three absolute giants came off the church property crossed right in front of me and headed into that little triangle of woods where 78 and 31 north meet. Seriously had thoughts of trying to get in there somehow. Never did. There was more than a good chance there was already someone in there. I'll never forget I know that. I used to deliver all over down in Princeton, Hillsboro and that whole area. It was sick with deer.

[tcook8296]

There are some bangers down there. I remember working for a guy in Pittstown who was doing an electric job in Annandale at the car dealership right off of 78 and 31. I made the delivery and headed down  Old Allerton Rd toward the tavern off of 22. I got down by the church and three absolute giants came off the church property crossed right in front of me and headed into that little triangle of woods where 78 and 31 north meet. Seriously had thoughts of trying to get in there somehow. Never did. There was more than a good chance there was already someone in there. I'll never forget I know that. I used to deliver all over down in Princeton, Hillsboro and that whole area. It was sick with deer.

I started out hunting behind the church in Annadale. My Grandfather was the reverend at the Church of the Nazarene. I killed my first couple bucks there going back 38 years ago. Its all houses now. It was loaded with deer back in the day. 

[Bowhunter2004]

Been Hunting Readington, Flemington, Whitehouse, and Annandale since 1974.

Just about all the bucks I have posted pics of came from there, Including my Avatar

I’ve been here for 10 years now, but I only hunt behind the house now, and honestly I hardly ever do that anymore. I use to have pretty big Deer around that would excite me enough to want to get me in a tree before getting serious and leaving for illinois but it’s been really lame lately. Lately I’ve turned into one of those guys that talks a lot about hunting but hardly ever gets out anymore. My health, my knees, my weight, my heart, my Lyme disease, my age, I’m falling apart at the seams, I hate to admit it, but no matter how hard I push, I just can’t physically do what I use to do anymore. I’m trying to turn it all around, but I have some serious health hurdles to overcome. I repeat myself on here a lot, but it really has to be a high probability situation for me to be willing to put the effort in locally anymore. This sucks!

[Bowhunter2004]

FYI: The buck in my avatar was the last decent buck I killed in jersey 4 years ago 140” 8 pointer. I killed a 120” 8 pointer with the bow last year out of pure frustration. I regretted it for a while, but I’m over it now. He had no chance of making it another year and he was delicious. I’m probably going to take a doe for the freezer soon, at least I’ll get out again.

[MZ7Extreme]

FYI: The buck in my avatar was the last decent buck I killed in jersey 4 years ago 140” 8 pointer. I killed a 120” 8 pointer with the bow last year out of pure frustration. I regretted it for a while, but I’m over it now. He had no chance of making it another year and he was delicious. I’m probably going to take a doe for the freezer soon, at least I’ll get out again.

 

Can I ask how you knew he wasn't going to make it to the next year? (Besides being killed by you lol)