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Urban Hunting/Scouting

DC10

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2017
Messages
457
Location
North Carolina
I’ve got some public land located within city limits around my house (about 50 acres) and two other pieces of public land in the neighboring cities (100 acres and 50 acres).

Wanted to know if anyone had any tips as to scouting/bow hunting urban areas, or is it pretty much the same as hunting rural areas?
 
One thought would be to look for possible access sites other than the parking lot. Maybe knock on a couple of doors that surround the property and see if you can park there to access the property. On a parcel that small entry/exit routes will be crucial I would think
 
That is the perfect size to hunt. This is how I hunt them.

1.like stated above, try to find a place to park where nobody will think you are hunting the property or other hunters will zoom in on your truck and then you will have another hunter to contend with. I put mountain bike stickers on my truck to blend in.

2.What surrounds the properties, are there houses, farm land, fields etc. It all changes the movement.

3. Is there a food source in the wood lot? Where I hunt it is red oaks mainly with some white oaks sometimes.

4 Are they going to the woodlot to feed, bed or just passing through?

5 Find the funnels first, and mark them down. Where is the deers escape routes? Is there deer fencing around the houses? If there is then you will find a trail right along that deer fence guaranteed and your hot spot is going to be at a corner or where the fence ends. Sometimes the best spot is right inside the woodlot where a trail runs parallel with the road and another main trail will split the woodlot.

6 Get some trail cameras in some good spots and see what is happening before the season starts. Then don't over hunt the spot and know when it is safe to enter and leave. I have one woodlot that I can only hunt in the mornings since that is where they come to feed a little bit before they bed and another that is only good in the afternoons since they pass through heading to a food source in the evening.

7. Finally, if you have good sign be confident, you will be amazed the size of the bucks in these small woodlots. And don't worry if there are dogs that are behind a fence, or kids playing in yards or landscapers. The deer are used to everyday suburbia.

Good luck!
 
Make sure to check local regulations. Some nearby townships by me prohibit any hunting of any kind within the township.

I have a college roommate who every so often invites me to hunt his property. I politely decline because he has yet to give me written permission.
 
The next SH podcast is with The Urban Sportsman. I can't remember his name here or else I'd tag him. He's going to talk everyone through urban hunting from womb to tomb. The podcast should drop next week.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
@putt4doe
 
I’ve got some public land located within city limits around my house (about 50 acres) and two other pieces of public land in the neighboring cities (100 acres and 50 acres).

Wanted to know if anyone had any tips as to scouting/bow hunting urban areas, or is it pretty much the same as hunting rural areas?

Hey bud -

I'd be happy to help out. Urban hunting certainly is the best hunting, as far as I'm concerned. I'm able to hunt year round, and harvest anywhere from 50- 100+ deer a year, trying to help get our deer population back in check!

To answer your question, urban deer are very different than regular deer in some aspects, however very similar in others. If you're able to post some aerial shots of the areas that you're thinking about hunting, I'd be more than happy to show you the spots that I would hunt. Also, what's the pressure like in these areas? What activities happen on the property the most? What's surrounding them?
 
Hey bud -

I'd be happy to help out. Urban hunting certainly is the best hunting, as far as I'm concerned. I'm able to hunt year round, and harvest anywhere from 50- 100+ deer a year, trying to help get our deer population back in check!

To answer your question, urban deer are very different than regular deer in some aspects, however very similar in others. If you're able to post some aerial shots of the areas that you're thinking about hunting, I'd be more than happy to show you the spots that I would hunt. Also, what's the pressure like in these areas? What activities happen on the property the most? What's surrounding them?
Appreciate your willingness to help! Here are a couple photos (one aerial, one topo). I can hunt the strip of woods north of my house that runs east and west as well as the 50 acres to the east that extends north and south.

Yellow lines (nothing that's exact, just roughly detailing what I've found) are a couple deer trails with lots of tracks. Red lines are where I've found rub lines. Blue lines are water sources. I've only lived here for about a year but gave absolutely no thought to hunting around my house until I happened to see some does when I was behind my house walking a fire lane with my kids. That's what got me scouting a few weeks ago.

And not sure if it matters, but the small pond water source is quite overloaded with algae, etc. Not sure if that matters or not to deer. The entire water source looks quite nasty.

If anything is unclear or you need more details, just let me know. Again, thank you for willingness to help out!
IMG_2979.PNG Screen Shot 2018-04-17 at 2.05.23 PM.jpg
 
That is the perfect size to hunt. This is how I hunt them.

1.like stated above, try to find a place to park where nobody will think you are hunting the property or other hunters will zoom in on your truck and then you will have another hunter to contend with. I put mountain bike stickers on my truck to blend in.

2.What surrounds the properties, are there houses, farm land, fields etc. It all changes the movement.

3. Is there a food source in the wood lot? Where I hunt it is red oaks mainly with some white oaks sometimes.

4 Are they going to the woodlot to feed, bed or just passing through?

5 Find the funnels first, and mark them down. Where is the deers escape routes? Is there deer fencing around the houses? If there is then you will find a trail right along that deer fence guaranteed and your hot spot is going to be at a corner or where the fence ends. Sometimes the best spot is right inside the woodlot where a trail runs parallel with the road and another main trail will split the woodlot.

6 Get some trail cameras in some good spots and see what is happening before the season starts. Then don't over hunt the spot and know when it is safe to enter and leave. I have one woodlot that I can only hunt in the mornings since that is where they come to feed a little bit before they bed and another that is only good in the afternoons since they pass through heading to a food source in the evening.

7. Finally, if you have good sign be confident, you will be amazed the size of the bucks in these small woodlots. And don't worry if there are dogs that are behind a fence, or kids playing in yards or landscapers. The deer are used to everyday suburbia.

Good luck!
Appreciate the advice!
 
I listened to that podcast as well. Go watch some of their videos on YouTube. It's called Seek One productions. They do a great job.

I lost a little respect for them when they LITERALLY shot a giant buck in a driveway under a basketball goal, filmed it all, and acted like that was hunting.

I'm not hating on these guys. They're great dudes I'm sure. We'd be friends if we lived in the same neighborhood. Also, I've hunted plenty of neighborhood deer, and I have no issues with it. I'd hunt them today if the season was open. But in the situation in the Atlanta suburbs, they're really hunting for ACCESS & PERMISSION. The big deer part is much easier.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
 
I listened to that podcast as well. Go watch some of their videos on YouTube. It's called Seek One productions. They do a great job.

I lost a little respect for them when they LITERALLY shot a giant buck in a driveway under a basketball goal, filmed it all, and acted like that was hunting.

I'm not hating on these guys. They're great dudes I'm sure. We'd be friends if we lived in the same neighborhood. Also, I've hunted plenty of neighborhood deer, and I have no issues with it. I'd hunt them today if the season was open. But in the situation in the Atlanta suburbs, they're really hunting for ACCESS & PERMISSION. The big deer part is much easier.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.

Watched the same vid. That style of hunting for is just not for me at all. I have respect for the guys that can do it. That’s just not what I want in a hunt at all. My goal is to not see a single person when I am out. Dealing with deer dying in someone’s yard or tracking them down a sidewalk would give me an anxiety attack Some absolute GIANT deer tho!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Watched the same vid. That style of hunting for is just not for me at all. I have respect for the guys that can do it. That’s just not what I want in a hunt at all. My goal is to not see a single person when I am out. Dealing with deer dying in someone’s yard or tracking them down a sidewalk would give me an anxiety attack Some absolute GIANT deer tho!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
LOL !! I completely get what you're thinking and once had the same fears that you are talking about. However, it is rare that they expire in someone's yard. As with any wounded animal, they head on into the woods and seek out a secure refuge. But I'll have to agree with @g2outdoors , shooting one under a basketball goal was pitiful.
 
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I listened to that podcast as well. Go watch some of their videos on YouTube. It's called Seek One productions. They do a great job.

I lost a little respect for them when they LITERALLY shot a giant buck in a driveway under a basketball goal, filmed it all, and acted like that was hunting.

I'm not hating on these guys. They're great dudes I'm sure. We'd be friends if we lived in the same neighborhood. Also, I've hunted plenty of neighborhood deer, and I have no issues with it. I'd hunt them today if the season was open. But in the situation in the Atlanta suburbs, they're really hunting for ACCESS & PERMISSION. The big deer part is much easier.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.

Yep, that style is definitely not for me! I hear ya on the driveway buck. I think it’s pretty awesome what they are doing though. They’re doing a really good job on their videos and are shedding some light on that style of hunting and taking it to a whole other level. I would say they are working harder than 99.9 percent of hunters out there, and for that I have a ton of respect. I’m just dumbfounded by the size of deer they are getting, my goodness!
 
I listened to that podcast as well. Go watch some of their videos on YouTube. It's called Seek One productions. They do a great job.

I lost a little respect for them when they LITERALLY shot a giant buck in a driveway under a basketball goal, filmed it all, and acted like that was hunting.

I'm not hating on these guys. They're great dudes I'm sure. We'd be friends if we lived in the same neighborhood. Also, I've hunted plenty of neighborhood deer, and I have no issues with it. I'd hunt them today if the season was open. But in the situation in the Atlanta suburbs, they're really hunting for ACCESS & PERMISSION. The big deer part is much easier.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.


I urban arch in Virginia similar to these guys, the only thing I found troubling about their vids was the lack of shots on any doe. One of the big reasons that Urban/Sub Archery is allowed is to curb the population of deer(at least that is how it is in my state). To me (again just my opinion) it seems like they are using the system to only harvest big bucks. Harvest all the giants you want but a side note on what is going on with the doe wouldn't hurt. Sure there is plenty of B roll of doe walking around but no shots. Also I get it, it is all about them big bucks but still.
 
Lee and the Seek One crew successfully made any wood lot in the Metro Atlanta area into a hunting club with absurd lease prices. Leases within 1-2 hours of Atlanta area hitting $1k plus per hunter..

Glad I stay public.
 
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