So I ran this line at 8:00 this morning

And there have been a couple of scrapes that have been worked as I find typical on many if my trap lines

Well at noon today (4 hours later) I decided to go pull an SD card from a trail can that is on the last set of this line

And look what happened along the line in that 4 hours ( of daylight)


Yes that's where I step every morning walking this line



This is 5 yards off the path Made in that same 4 hour period




"Dang trappers spooking off the deer"

I argue with deer guy's every season, even proved that predator attractors attract deer, and a trappers presense doesn't spook deer. All the time and money they spend improving the habitat and stands. But they don't manage the predators of the deer herd. Makes no sense!
Iv'e heard it all, my fav. is come back in January when the snow is deep and the pelts are rubbed and do it for free, No thanks, live with your coyotes.

But I picked up 800 acres this year from a deer manager for big lease, with full access, my decision when to trap. He told me if any hunters give me greif their gone. Finnally this man gets it.

Their is hope!
Nice rub, that's a big boy

Ya these deer guys just don't get It.

Last year I was doing a warden training class. We take out wardens and show them the Ins and outs of a real trap line. They get to set and check traps.

Well back to my point.

I had just pulled up to a set location and had one of the wardens make a dirt hole. There were 4 of us and 2 trucks. The warden made a decent dirt hole. We all loaded up and drove about 100 yards to the next intersection. AS we are all standing around and one of the other wardens Is making a set I look back at the other set and here Is a nice 8 pointer checking out the set. WE all watched as the deer spring the trap. I bet that deer jumped about 5' into the air when the trap went off.
If the deer has a reason to be on that property It's not going to pushed off by you just moving through It.

Mature bucks are like a trap smart coyote. They are different animals than "just deer". They dont live through 3 or 4 seasons because they ignore the human activity in their neighborhood. Go pattern a four year old buck for a week or two then leave your scent in his feeding area everyday for 3 days and bump him out of his bedding area a couple times then get on here and say it didn't change his habits. I trap more than I deer hunt but I know enough about hunting mature bucks to know how they act. Can a mature be taken where someone traps? Yes, but a coyote could be caught using a French fry but that's doesn't make it the best way. I completely get the trappers point about someone wanting the predators controlled for free but not letting said trapper do his thing as he sees fit but to say human activity doesn't affect mature bucks is not accurate.

Looks like a good buck doing the work. There is some day time buck activity here also. Just haven't seen the right one yet.

I drive to every location and I don't penatrate cover or set near stand sites till all tags are filled. One deer hunter on one permission killed a 155 with his nose down a dirt hole. Now he wants a trap set there every season. Deer know who is a threat and who isn't. They are curious about our smells, young or old. If a buck survives here beyond 2.5 he doesn't even get up till midnight. The hunters that now how to kill the big boys, kill in dense cover, Iv'e cooperated with deer hunters for a long time. We both can succeed. All it takes is a little comunication from both..

I agree Mature bucks need a different approach, killed my share too. With traps set on the same property.

Yep.

I do not wear camo when checking line, I do not "sneak" like I'm hunting when on my lines. Walk like I'm just passing through

I've put some hunters on to some nice bucks because of what and who I see on the trap line

very well said.

Agree 100%. Those bucks don't live that long because they ignore human scent.
They won't change their locations (their home circle) but they will change their routines until they get comfortable again.

me to ive seen my share of booners setting and checking traps if you ignore them they ignore you now alter your behavior one iota and there gone! Deer hunters are worse than yote trappers about freaking out over ridiculous things.Once those big boys get on a hot doe its all bets off but us trappers get blamed for spooking it out of the country! Troy when you coming to mo to hunt a big bone head buck?

That's wild. I think you've seen it all, over the years, Beav.

I give a lot of deer scent usage talks, and I bring this up all the time. The deer may avoid a trapper for a day or 2 then just watch us. Deer are not afraid of human odor they are afraid of a present human odor the same time as they are LOL. All animals can age odors, that's why a hound dog will ignore a cold track yet run the hott track.

Yesterday on same portion of my line two new scrapes



Then this morning This one is dead center of my trail that I walk

I set a trail camera on the two big ones this morning. Will see what shows up

And fresh deer tracks in three sets on different section of my line this morning

ive got locations I walk to check and some I drive . In all locations after the third day in a row of spooking deer from their beds they will stand and watch me. I don't believe deer are scared of people just overly cautious. I blocked road hunters from a 190ish buck last season! Saw him three more times during season. Every time he ran a short distance to see if I responded to his presence! Which I didn't but had I sped up or stopped I believe it would of hit mach one! Like a dog sensing fear I believe deer can sense excitment

I've had big bucks watch me make sets from their beds, as long as I don't make eye contact or step in their direction they stay put.
It takes alot of distubence to get a deer to leave it's home turf.

That's me getting ready to dispatch a coyote this morning
(Upper right hand corner)


Same camera this morning in the dark
( there is a compass set about 10 feet past where the buck is standing)

^^^^ time to get your bow gear on.....

*I found a couple large rubs and a scrape a week ago. I wanted to see what this guy was to decide if I wanted to set up on him. I went in around 10 am and put in a line of scrapes. I also went in every day for 3 days and refreshed the scrapes. Later on the 3nd day also went in a second time and I hung a camera around 430 pm on the last scrape in the line, to see what he was. on the 4th day I pulled the camera around 4 pm. I got 30 pics a large bodied 3 point working the scrape starting around an hour in a half after I had been in there and continued off and on through out the night. when I put the scrapes in and worked them, I did not care about my odor or try to be stealth mode I just went in. If I wanted this deer I would go in every day and refresh the scrape for the next 3 days to get him there in shooting hours. The point is if I can get a deer to react to me ;postively when I want to kill him, then the deer are not going leave dodge with a trapper that could care less about the deer.

The part of my line that has the two big scrapes in above post

He hit it at 4:46 this morning




Then thus small buck came through an hour later


Then I came through at 8:02 am check traps


Then this doe came in and took a sniff at 10:36 am


She may prove to be his downfall in a few days

Sorry all my picks for this thread are crappy, all my cameras shoot video and then I take a picture of computer screen

Don't worry about picture quality, that is really interesting information.