Hunting question

[HGM]

I totally agree with Robbie as well as some of the others.. You need to get the law involved.. The Game Warden will check it out at least once, then each occurance you report will be on file.. Sometimes, if they are somewhat "slow" and dont have many cases to follow, they will concentrate on a recent report to nip it in the bud.. Best way to go IMO.. The posted signs are manditory, patroling your land(you or other trusted hunters) is manditory, and your not overreacting, its a safety issue.. I'm a hunter and I completely agree with you being nervous..

As for the apple, its a hunter, no doubt(IMO).. Surely at least a tresspasser... I have, myself (whether completely right or wrong) after eating an apple in the stand, tossed the core in the woods near my stand.. I figure its not really bait and I'm not keen on packing something quickly biodegradeable (like a messy food) out of the woods.. Deer definitly like apples in this area, so it probably doesnt hurt to have the scent arround you, but one apple isnt bait in my mind.. The point I'm getting to, and the scary part is he may have been watching you from his stand when you found the apple if it was that fresh .. Next time youre in the area, look at the trees.. Look for a >8-10" diameter tree with a straight trunk and no branches up to about 30'.. Look at the tree and see if the bark is scarred. A climber(most likely what he used) will leave marks on the tree, usually faint, but still marks..

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Eddie, deer are like humans in that they are all different in regards to taste. We have one deer in particular that will not eat an apple at all. She will smell it and walk away. Yet almost every one of our other deer will rip your pocket off to get at the apples. Some are indifferent depending on the day but most deer love apples as it is like candy.

Of course we had one deer who loved peanut butter cups and Pepsi. And one deer hated the smell of beer as a friend of ours walked in the pen with an open beer and she beat the crap out of him until he tossed the beer out of the pen, then she loved the guy. Have fun.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've seen deer eat apples too, and I'm not denying that they will eat them. I get the impression that the deer that eat apples learned this from being around an orchard. Talking to a few guys who own apple orchards in California, they said the leaves are what the deer realy love. I've tried using apples myself and have had them rot on the ground.

The point I was making is that an apple slice is a terrible bait for hunting deer when there are so many better ones available.

I'm also confused as to why everyone is assuming it's a hunter or poacher on his land? Schools out right now and I'd put my money on kids. The sliced apple makes me think of a snack Mom made for her little son/daughter. Dropping it and leaving it also makes me think it was a kid. I'm sure some of you cut an apple into slices to eat it, but overall, I think most of us just eat the entire apple as it is.

When is deer season there? I know it's still going on here in Texas, but it's just about over. Most states don't have a two month deer season like we do. I've found that during deer season, you'll get those who will cross a property line and sneak onto private property, but after the season ends, it's rare to find anybody out in the woods trying to take a deer. It happens, but it's very unlikely.

None of the known facts so far in this incident point to a hunter in my opinion.

Eddie

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Eddie, I was not trying to disagree with you only pointing out that most deer do love apples. In your original post you were not sure how much deer actually liked the apples themselves so I was just trying to help clear things up some.

As for it being an aquired taste or having to do with being near orchards that is not the case. Our deer have never been in the wild, let alone in an orchard. They just plain love the sugars in the apples. As for leaves, deer love almost every type of leaf around here. They love grape leaves as well as maple or locust. They will eat leaves off the red brush quite readily also.

As for the problem that started this thread, I have no real idea why he would find half an apple out there but you are right, it is not a good idea for a bait station to only have a half an apple.

 

[Richard]

Eddie: I put a picture up to give an idea of where we are. There are NO kids on this location. There are 5 houses TOTAL on the entire peninsula and none of them have children. In fact, I think I’m the youngest one out here at 46. Additionally, there is NO way any responsible parent is going to let a ‘child’ (defined as not of driving age) go alone out here, we’re just way too remote.

Also, a side note, the apple was a ½ CUT apple. No bites taken out of it at all, none. Clean cut.

I have a hard time thinking it was a bow hunter if open season is going on right now? (I’m not sure it’s open season, but I think it is)

Best case scenario, was a hiker who got off the trail (intentionally) and came up this way where it’s clearly a manicured field. Worst case scenario, it was someone poking around for reasons (any) that would make me not appreciate it.

It could easily have been a hiker. Earlier in the hunting season (I never know exactly when it starts/stops and starts again) I was out in same field and saw some hikers on a trail walking from left to right. As I circled the field, I saw some hunters, clad in orange, walking the SAME trail, traveling from right to left.

I don’t know about the hikers, but I personally think you gotta be a bit nuts or an AVID hiker to be hiking the same trails that are being used by hunters. (especially given my reasons to believe we have a concentration of “slob hunters” out here).

 

[thingy]

If you are worried about this sort a thing,than you better know when seasons start,and stop,,,w.va. dept of natural resources has a web site,you get on there and it will tell you when seasons start and stop,,bet your state does too,,gives you all the hunting regulations,,,open season to me means doe or bucks,,in gun season,bows as well as guns are allowed,,generally squarrel and rabbit is also in that time range,you'll just have to look it up,,,,,,but if you are worried about treaspassers,,than you got to figure out when its most likely,,hunting season is it,,and you got to post your land,,leagelly you don't have to,,but if you want to discourage trespassers,,than post it,,,alota signs,,,you need to have enough so there is no way anybody can get on your land without seeing one,,,than you got to patrol it beginning of seasons,,,,,,otherwise,,,most people,including myself,might think you don't care,is there a fence around your property,,bet not so you got to put up signs and be out there 3-4 days a year,,you gotta protect what you got,,,or,,you might lose it,,,,,thingy

 

[eiznekcm]

TWRA's site
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
It lists the date on the seasons. Also has a lot more info.
Craig

 

[Tanberry]

Eddie, . Our deer have never been in the wild, let alone in an orchard. They just plain love the sugars in the apples.

Captive deer and tame deer are two different things . It boils down to this wild deer know what types of food sources are availble in the area . If I put a banna out on my place they won't go near it . if he doen't have an apple tree in the area they won't go near it . He said the apple was cut cleanly in half . I would think if you were gonna eat an apple you would cut in in slices. I agree with Eddie , there not enough evidence to say it's a hunter or not . You need to catch them to prover what there doing there .

 

[Richard]

Thingy: Yes, there happens to be a fence around it (border of farm/TVA). Also, TVA has put their OWN markers up so people would know where their boundary is. I think however, though they might have put signs up, the probably only put up “5” (making up a number) instead of the 150 it might REALLY take (another made up number to illustrate the point) to clearly delineate the border. I've never actively looked for them nor counted, but I've seen one for sure.

Eiznekcm: Interesting name and hello Craig! I’m on Tellico lake, across from the village.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

This isn't a debate about "if" the deer are going to eat the apple Richard found. Eddie was not sure if deer even liked apples as he thought they mostly liked the leaves. I only stated that most deer (95% of them) will eat apples. Why all the confusion?