My dad and I have had the fortune of being able to hunt the same 165 acre farm for 42 years. We have had certain stands in place for decades and still take deer from them. More times than not they are standing in the same tracks as the last one that was taken there. We call these the home town deer. Meaning they live there on a permanent basis and never leave. Then we have the visiting team. These are the ones that you may see only during the rut when home ranges expand. These guys are usually bigger than the home town bucks and must be hunted on the fly and stands must be placed based on their irregular or shall we say out of the norm patterns. Wind is the determining factor of which one we sit for all but one stand. We have had scrapes under the same branches every year for decades. Our methodology for hunting this piece of dirt is not to overly invade their space . By doing this the deer on this farm move naturally as deer would in an unpressured environment. It’s not uncommon to have deer out in the middle of a field in broad daylight all throughout gun season. For our area overall that is very uncommon. Over encroachment and continuous penetration into what we call the safety zone will put the place on lockdown in short order. We never take a stand down that has been repeatedly productive however there are years when we may not hunt it until the signs dictate such. There was a reason that a deer liked it and we have found that at some point in time others will as well. Terrain and It’s proximity to cover have always been the leading factors in how we select our sites. Trying to out hunt the hunters is is extremely unpredictable and extremely frustrating. I would leave an area alone and find another spot before I tried to predict the movements of others. It just doesn’t interest me. FYI we hunt 2.5 hours outside of NYC .
So in regards to longevity- the stand may not have dried up , it just may be that this year or even next might not be its time. Think of hunting as a never ending continuous improvement project and that you must always remember the history that has lead you to the point you are at today. Sooner or later things will come full circle. History has a funny way of repeating itself . Adapt yearly to those stands that offer you the most sign. With the advent of trail cams this is a no brainer. Good luck
Last edited by wildone; 01/21/19.
