Backyard Bucks

By: Joe Byers

Forget the deep forests, far-flung mountains, or sprawling plains, the buck of your dreams may be hiding next door.

Today’s whitetails have become urbanized. Heck, if you’re a deer, why would you live in the mountains, eat twigs, scrounge for acorns, and dodge bears and coyotes, when you can live in the suburbs, eat tasty shrubbery and succulent plants, and bed in a tiny patch of timber where only housecats prowl? That may be a slight exaggeration, but it’s not far off the mark. That’s good news for hunters, because urban deer scouting is easy…just look for deer crossing signs. 

I grew up at a time when hunters flocked in droves to public land in the mountains. Parking lots were jammed, and hunters amassed like shoppers on Black Friday. No more- today, those same public tracts are lightly hunted, because deer thrive in suburban and rural environments.

Perfect for Youngsters

If you have a child you’d like to introduce to hunting, backyard hunting is ideal.  First, they can hunt after school and probably still meet their normal sleep routine. “When you finish your homework, we’ll go hunting,” is the best motivator ever.

“Mr. K” is a local elementary school principal who has a family of six boys and a girl, and the word got out that he and his family like to hunt. “We have deer in our backyard,” one parent told him, “and you are welcome to hunt them.” 

In the past three years, three of his sons have each taken their first deer in this backyard environment. They use tree stands, crossbows, and patience. One son bagged a velvet buck on the state’s opening day. 

Scouting the Suburbs

Jeff Harrison of Frederick, Maryland may be the guru of backyard hunting, having taken fourteen Pope & Young deer with his bow, all within the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and Maryland. He’s a painter by trade, so he visits a wide variety of homes throughout the metro area, always on the look-out for prospective deer spots.    

Hunting the “burbs” has advantages and disadvantages over traditional big woods or small farm hunting. Locating a hunting host will take persistence, yet once found, you may have the honey-hole of a lifetime, a chance to consistently fill your freezer, and get to see trophy bucks. Access is simple, with no mountains to climb or streams to wade. You might even be able to hunt within one-hundred yards of your vehicle. On the other hand, your marksmanship will be tested, as you must make precise shots for quick kills and short blood trails. 

A Buck for the Book   

Harrison has had incredible success hunting both public and private land, with one buck he’s particularly proud of.  “I watched that buck for five years, even passed him when it was a 120-class 10 point,” he said with a proud smile. 

Like bass on a large lake, deer tend to focus and thrive in specific habitats, which allow them to reach trophy age structure. Parks, preserves, wetlands, and other similar areas often hold high deer populations, yet hunting is prohibited. However, the perimeters of these sanctuaries offer excellent hunting, if you are willing to knock on a few doors. You can use modern apps to identify an area’s properties boundaries and the adjacent landowners. If you put in the legwork to develop a relationship with the folks living there, you might end up with your own personalized hunt club. 

Scouting in Populated Areas

Hunting close to people, their pets, and their property takes a special approach. In this era of high security, driving around suburban neighborhoods, looking intently is bound to create suspicion. Since Harrison begins his day job early in the morning, he scouts nearby neighborhoods looking for deer and deer damage then.

Areas where a creek or small stream pass through a neighborhood can be productive, because zoning laws usually restrict building close to them. As a result, most homes have a corridor along a water source that’s ideal for deer travel. With today’s popular hunting apps, locating streams and creeks is very easy. 

Look for deer damage on a home’s landscaping, like rubbed trees, shrubbery that’s been dramatically eaten, or plants protected by wire or netting. A few deer can eat $1,000 worth of shrubbery in a single night. Consequently, many homeowners want every deer in their neighborhood gone for good. 

Hunt Invisibly

Once you land your special hunting spot, take care to preserve it. Leave nothing behind but footprints and maybe not even those. One urban scouter I know carried a camera and tripod when scouting deer movements in urban sanctuaries. If he wore so much as a camo hat, he’d spark suspicion, yet his camera approach made him practically invisible. 

I’m not suggesting purposely misleading people in a harmful way or trespassing (or doing anything else illegal for that matter), but you can bet that every neighborhood has at least one resident who is anti-hunter. And it only takes one vocal protest for you to lose permission. 

Hunting from a portable tree stand is the most effective way to hunt backyard deer, because they leave no trace, can be adjusted for deer movement, and provide close shot opportunities. Hang them discretely, while keeping in mind the direction a mortally wounded deer will flee. When trailing, use flashlights minimally, and always recover the whole deer. Otherwise, you can bet a neighbor’s dog will find anything you leave. Take the animal whole to your garage or a remote area for field dressing. Offer to share the venison with the homeowners, preferably in the form of jerky or sausage, which I’ve found are more widely embraced by suburbanites. 

If you’ve been successful before, you can donate your venison to the hungry through Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Let your host know about it. I bet they’ll not only be gratified, but they’ll be made aware of a great program. Also, don’t neglect to mention that by harvesting the deer they’re helping to reduce Lyme’s disease and accidental car strikes.

Start a New Tradition

I, like most hunters, have strong hunting traditions, and it’s important to me to continue them. In fifty years of hunting, I’ve only missed one opening day of deer season in my state, and that was to visit my grandchildren over the Thanksgiving holiday. They are visiting me this turkey day, and I’m busy doing everything I’ve mentioned so far to find places for us to hunt. Whether you’re looking for a new opportunity or trying to maintain your hunting traditions, and with gas prices at record levels, the best place to hunt might be right around the corner in someone’s backyard.

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